In every turn of a new year, we can’t resist the urge to begin anew. We set resolutions, we begin new hobbies and we stop eating cake. But before you jump headfirst into strict regimes that are too severe to keep up, theknowledgeacademy.com suggests that simply reading a book is a great place to start.
In analysing goodreads.com and utilising their Listopia tool, The Knowledge Academy selected 6-top-rated motivational and self-improvement books – as voted by 2,091 participants – in a list that contains over 1,500 texts.
While they may not contain the “key to happiness”, these motivating, self-improvement books can at the very least soothe, inspire and inform. The perfect mix for a promising new year. Plus, you can start the book in the comfort of your own home (with a cheeky slice of cake too!)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
This book is recognised as one of the most influential ever written. Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centred approach for solving personal and professional problems; a step-by-step framework for living and working based on fundamental principles or natural laws. From Habit 1: Be Proactive and Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, millions of people have worked their way through the 7 and found in them a key to transforming their lives.
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Millions of people all over the world have improved their lives based on the teachings of Dale Carnegie. Offering practical advice and techniques, in an exuberant and conversational style, Carnegie outlines how to get out of a mental rut and make life more rewarding.
His advice has stood the test of time and will teach you how to:
1) Make friends quickly and easily
2) Increase your popularity
3) Persuade people to follow your way of thinking
4) Enable you to win new clients and customers
5) Become a better speaker
6) Boost enthusiasm among your colleagues
15 Minute Manifestation – Manifest the Life of Your Dreams, by Eddie Sergey
15 Minute Manifestation turns your ordinary set of headphones into an incredible healing tool by harnessing the power of theta tones. (These frequencies (binaural beats) are laid underneath meditation style music or nature/ambient sounds and, when you listen along, your brain is encouraged to follow and produce more theta brainwaves!) These tones are the key to getting past negative thoughts and feelings.
Think of your brain as a computer. The 15 Minute Manifestation helps to reprogram your brain for success, by reframing the old, ineffective and self-destructive “software” that is holding you back.
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
With more than two million copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has established itself as a modern classic. The book tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.
The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following our dreams.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss is firmly established as a global best-seller, with over 650 million books sold worldwide. In this classic Seussian tale, the good doctor primes his readers against all the little mishaps and misadventures that can befall even the best of us – from bang-ups and hang-ups to lurches and slumps – encouraging us to take life in our stride!
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich is thought to be the most widely acclaimed, influential book on success ever published. The book details entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie’s secret to success, revealed to Hill during private interviews with Carnegie; who was the richest man of his time and during more than 20 years of research into the lives and philosophies of more than 500 of the most successful people in America.
This timeless classic presents a systematic nuts-and-bolts approach to developing skills and mindset required to achieve exceptional success in any field or endeavour, personal or professional.
