Recommended Books

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I have gathered together my most beloved books for Growth and Personal Development. Over the years I have stumbled across so many wonderful books that have helped me grow and changed the way I see the world. I had trouble keeping the list small. My initial approach was to have a top 5 list, but it was way too hard to decide which of my favorites to not include in a top 5 list, so I changed the rules and dropped that arbitrary limit. Now my list contains my most beloved books for Growth and Development.

I feel it’s also important for my readers to know how important these books have been to me. Each book represents a stage in my development, a span of my personal journey. As I compiled this list, at times I became emotional and I wept in gratitude. As I describe the value of each book, I think back to where I was in my journey when I encountered each book and how each book impacted my experience. I found these books when I was looking for peace, searching for answers. At times in the past I have been desperate to find peace of mind and simply feel good. These books gave me hope and offered me a new way of being.

1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This is a classic self-help book, first published in 1937. Hill uses countless inspirational stories to ignite a flame of burning desire in the reader’s heart. Napoleon Hill lays out 13 principles for success, based on his study of hundreds of people who went from rags to riches in a relatively short amount of time. In addition to the 13 principles, the book includes several other lists that I urge readers to explore. Three of the impressive lists that come to mind for me are:

1) The 30 major causes of failure

2) The Six Basic Fears

3) The Major Attributes of Leadership

If there’s one thing I’d have you know about this book, I’d say, “don’t let the title fool you. Hill does focus on the accumulation of financial wealth, however, the principles he teaches apply to all aspects of life and all types of riches and prosperity. Before moving on to the next book on my list, a quote from Think and Grow Rich: “Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.”

2. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra

Chopra defines success as “the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals”. When I first read this book nearly 10 years ago, I immediately took this definition of success and began using it in my own life. What’s key here is that each of us has the freedom to determine what goals are worthy. No one is entitled to do that for us. Also, success is viewed as a journey, or a process, not as a destination.

This book played a very important role in my growth process. It’s very short and rather easy to read. The ideas or laws are presented in a simple and elegant fashion. First a law is explained, and then the reader is given instruction on how to begin applying the law in their life. Of all the books I talk about tonight, The Seven Spiritual Laws is probably the most pivotal in my own journey toward enlightenment. When I read this book, a part of me that had been sleeping woke up and began to grow. I experience a drastic change in awareness that has led to a more fulfilling and joyous experience in life.

3. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

My husband and I love this book so much that we always give away our copy and we rarely have one on hand. As a matter of fact, we don’t have one here in the house at this time because we gave it as a gift to a recent house guest who seemed ready to explore her inner world. We share this book every chance we get because we feel the ideas that Tolle presents can help a person find peace, freedom and enlightenment and we want everyone in the world to have that experience of Being. Tolle, like the Buddha, defines enlightenment as the end of suffering. The Power of Now does indeed explain how living in the Now frees one from suffering. Is there any wonder that we keep giving this book to our loved ones?

From Google Book Search: “The Power of Now takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light. In the first chapter, Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present. The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being, ‘the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death.’”

4. Radical Forgiveness by Colin Tipping

From the back cover of the book, “Radical Forgiveness enables you to let go of being a victim, open your heart and raise your vibration. The simple, easy-to-use tools provided help you let go of the emotional baggage of the past and to feel the joy of living in total surrender to the process of life as it unfolds, however it unfolds. The result is vastly increased happiness, personal power and freedom.” In addition to spelling out his philosophy about the nature of true forgiveness and the meaning/purpose of life, Tipping provides many tools and worksheets to help the reader process forgiveness in their own life. This book changed my life drastically. I’ve become more peaceful, more empowered, and more open to life since reading it.

5. A New Beginning I by Abraham-Hicks.

These are the authors of Ask and It Is Given and The Law of Attraction. If you saw the first edition of the film, The Secret, you saw Esther Hicks featured quite a bit. Her contributions to The Secret were edited out and replaced in the Second Edition. Esther and Jerry Hicks is a married couple that lives in the United States. Abraham is a group of nonphysical beings that communicate through Esther to bring a message of love, healing and empowerment to the world. Oprah Winfrey recently conducted a series of interviews with Esther Hicks on her XM Radio show, Oprah and Friends. During the second interview, Esther channeled Abraham so that Oprah could ask questions of them. It’s pretty interesting.

Abraham and the Hicks focus a lot on the Law of Attraction, which many people are talking about these days, especially since Oprah and Larry King featured the Secret on their shows. They also explain how to exercise intentional creation in our everyday lives. This book is not as popular as the others, but I put it on my list because it will give the intermediate or advanced student a solid background on how and why the Law of Attraction works in the Universe. It also provides the reader with many practical tools that she can use to improve her life experience.

6. 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace by Dr. Wayne Dyer

This is a small and gorgeous book with a very pretty water painting in shades of yellow, blue and green. My copy of the book is a padded hardcover. Between those padded covers lie 10 jewels that Dyer lays out with such compassion and care. Some of my favorite “Secrets” are, Chapter 2: “Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You,” Chapter 7: “There are No Justified Resentments,” and Chapter 10: “Wisdom Is Avoiding All Thoughts That Weaken You”. It amazes me how I can NEVER talk to anyone about this book without become emotional and choked up. I guess I remember what I was going through when I first read this book and how the ideas in the book set me free in some really monumental ways. I’d been struggling to accept myself, love myself and even forgive myself. This book reminded me that I’m here for a reason, I’m special and well-loved. What I love most about this book is that it is a constant reminder to me to keep striving and stretching for all that love and life have to offer. It’s a reminder to expect the best of myself and life. No excuses necessary or acceptable. I’m called forth to be myself, claim my power, share my love and celebrate my freedom.

7. Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is quite popular in the world of sales people. He really knows how to inspire people to do and be their best. This book is upbeat and fun to read. Maximum Achievement is written in the same spirit and tone as Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. Brian Tracy takes a systematic and realistic approach to success, explaining concepts with lots of real-world examples to back up his ideas.

A quote from Chapter 3 that really spoke to me, “The greatest problem of human life is fear. It is fear that robs us of happiness. It is fear that causes us to settle for far less than we are capable of. It is fear this is the root cause of negative emotions, unhappiness and problems in human relationships.” He goes on to say, “The opposite of fear is love.” I agree whole-heartedly. At the end of each chapter, Tracy gives exercises or activities that will assist the reader in solidifying or applying the concepts and rules he has outlined. It’s an excellent read and by merely following his lead, a reader can travel way beyond their present comfort zone and into the previously uncharted territory of unrealized potential.

8. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

When you are ready to fly, I suggest you read Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles. Canfield is one of the co-creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. This man clearly LOVES life and he wants the rest of us to claim our victory in life and fly at the highest levels right along with him. He too was featured prominently in the Secret because he is a major proponent of the Law of Attraction. The book outlines 64 success principles and provides action steps to help the reader apply the principles in the pursuit of their own goals. There are addressing every part of life. This book, like Think and Grow Rich draws upon hundreds of real-life examples to inspire and support the reader in seeing the untapped potential in themselves.

9. The One Minute Millionaire by Robert G. Allen and Marc Victor Hansen

This book offers an innovative approach to self-help. It’s actually 2 books in one. As readers we have the option to read either book independently, or to read both at once, as I did. There’s the usual self-help nonfiction side which lays out principles and concepts and offers opportunities for the reader to work with those ideas in their own life. Then, there’s a novel that illustrates how the ideas function for a fictional set of characters. The novel is well-written, moving and effective. The nonfiction text is easy to read and formatted into quick, easy to digest “aha’s” or insights into enlightenment and wealth.

Two of my favorite aha’s:

1) “Be, do, have” which sets the records straight about the way creation occurs.

2) “Abundance is your natural state.”

Another very important aspect of this book is that it can help readers overcome or resolve any emotional conflicts they have about financial wealth and prosperity. The concept of enlightened wealth is all about acquiring wealth in honorable and innovative ways and giving back to their communities. Being wealthy is not treated as a condition in which one is selfish. Instead, the enlightened millionaire is a servant for the common good.

10. Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins

I have two versions of this book. The original edition is written solely by Anthony Robbins. I also have a copy of Unlimited Power: A Black Choice which is co-written by Robbins and Joseph McClendon III. Both of the books cover the same topics, but the “black choice” edition is especially cool in my opinion because it shares many examples of blacks and others who have been very successful in life. The stories are inspirational to anyone who reads it. Given the complex history of race relations and the level of extreme adversity some African Americans have faced, the examples are especially compelling because they indicate that anyone who is seriously committed to reaching their goals can do it, and nothing will stop the truly committed person from having what he or she desires. The authors help readers to understand and manage their inner world so that they’ll have the success and well-being they want in their outer world as well.