Personal Development

(last updated: February 17, 2013)

I'm coming from a negative and highly melancholy past. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. This is why I have been in a persistent quest to shed the negative and seek out the positive. 

In order for me to do this, I have had to consistently improve and challenge my personal development. Essentially, exercise for the heart, mind, and spirit.

Over the past few years, I've had many people ask me what I am reading or what I draw upon to formulate my thoughts. This material is my personal development workout that I just noted above.

I'd like to keep this blog post as a working list, so you can know exactly what has influenced me, as well as new material I find down the road. The materials in this list are not references that I've read just once, but many times. 

There's real truth here, so much so that I've tried to embody the concepts that resonate most. A single reading doesn't suffice for my retention. I read, then practice, then read again. 

Regardless of what any of us read or believe, we must continually strive to develop and grow. It is from this effort that change occurs; where lasting impact is made. 

The impact doesn't always have to be public or grand scale. In fact, some of the biggest impacts I have had, have actually been in my own thinking and in my very own life.

If you have materials that you draw upon for personal development and inner strength, please share. I'm always looking for more. 

I personally really like learning about the United States Presidents in history and really respect David McCullough's writing. So if you are interested in history, any book on just about any president he's written about is darn good. 

Here's the current running list that I have in my personal library. The references with an * are where I would recommend that you start.

In all of these books, you'll learn a lot about what it takes to command in a variety of tough situations, as well as how critical compromise really is. 

Most importantly, you may also learn what it takes to really be true to yourself and stand for something no matter what.

1. * 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
2. * The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn
3. * Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill
4. Building your Network Marketing Business by Jim Rohn
5. Truman by David G. McCullough
6. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
7. A Thousand Names For Joy by Byron Katie
8. Becoming A Person of Influence By John Maxwell and Jim Dornan
9. * Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
10. Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson
11. Deadly Emotions by Don Colbert
12. Drive by Daniel H. Pink
13. Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
14. * Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
15. Les Miserable by Victor Hugo
16. Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
17. Life Strategies by Dr. Phil McGraw
18. Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk
19. Long Run by Matthew Long
20. Mindbody Prescription: Healing the body, Healing the Pain by John E. Sarno, M.D.
21. Napoleon Hill's Keys to Success: The 17th Principles of Personal Achievement by Napoleon Hill
22. Quitter by John Acuff
23. Quotable C.S. Lewis By Wayne Martindale & Jerry Root
24. Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz 
25. Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, & Weight Loss by Marc David
26. Working Toward Excellence: 8 Values for Achieving Uncommon Success in Work and Life by Paul Buyer
27. Yoga: Spirit & Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Shiffman
28. Your Inner Awakening by Byron Katie