Some of the standard self-improvement literature is listed below.  We will add to this list and give brief explanations of the ideas in this literature so that you can decide for yourself what might be helpful to you to read next.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

In his best selling book,  Steven Covey lays out the argument that while small changes in our lives can be made through behavioral changes, deeper and more lasting change is the result of deeper principle-centered change.  He then lays out the seven habits.  They are:

1. Be Proactive - Choose to improve upon what you can influence rather than spending any thought or energy on the things you have no control over.

2. Begin with the End in Mind - Know where you want to go before starting.  In this chapter, he also recommends and explains a personal mission statement.

3. Put First Things First - This chapter is the basis of another recommended book by Steven Covey that is described below

4. Think Win/Win - In any interaction between two people, the interests of both people need to be protected.  If either side loses, the transaction is a bad one.

5. Seek First to Understand and Then to Be Understood - If you want someone to listen to you, first listen to them and really try to understand what is important to them.

6. Synergize - When differences come up, cooperate to come up with real solutions to differences by not trying to win at the expense of the other, but by combining your ideas to come up with a better idea.

7. Sharpen the Saw - Find a balance between producing and improving your ability to produce. If you do not take time to restore yourself and rebuild your own abilities, then you will be like the guy sawing who does not take time to sharpen the saw, when sharpening the saw would make the sawing take far less time than sawing with a dull saw.

First Things First by Steven Covey

In this book, Steven Covey makes the case that working harder and faster will not necessarily get us where we want to go.  We cannot get it all done, so we need to prioritize.  He state that all of the things that fill our time can be divided into one of four categories:

Quadrant 1 - Activities that are urgent and important

Quadrant 2 - Activities that are not urgent and are important

Quadrant 3 - Activities that urgent and not important

Quadrant 4 - Activities that not urgent and not important

The activities in Quadrant 1 will get done because they have to. The activities in Quadrant 3 and 4 take up our time, but never actually need to be done because they are not important. By not doing the activities in Quadrants 3 and 4, we free up time for Quadrant 2.  By handling things that are important while they are not urgent, Quadrant 1 becomes smaller and there is less urgency.

 

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

The Secret that they talk about in the book and movie The Secret is this:  Our thoughts become things. What we focus our minds on becomes real. This concept is very similar to what philosophers and many self-help gurus have stated over the years, but it is put together in a very concentrated way in The Secret.

There is a lot of mysticism interwoven into the Secret.  If you like mysticism, it is for you.  Otherwise, if you can read through the hocus pocus, there are some good principles.  The Secret makes it sound like if you want to be a doctor, tell the universe you want to be a doctor and you will become one with no effort. I don’t think that is what they are trying to say, but it reads like that.

What you really want to get out of this book is that we become what we focus our minds on.  If we focus our minds our problems, they seem to become even bigger and overwhelm us.  If we focus our minds on the solutions, the problem becomes smaller and we can solve the problem.

Focusing our minds on what we want will not magically make them appear.  But our minds are powerful.  When we are seeking an answer, we can ask the universe for what we want and then be still and the answer will be given to us.  A difference is made between action and inspired action; inspired action is action that we feel we need to take, but it is action that we want to take.

Another concept is of the book is that there is abundance for everyone.  If we focus on abundance, then that is what we will get.

 

The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Rich Dad / Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

More will be added over time

[Home] [Focus Your Mind] [Holistic Approach] [Self Improvement Lit] [Empowering Thoughts] [Wisdom of the Ages] [Humor] [Contact]