2020 definitely made us change our perspective on life. Our thinking process was affected by a terrible pandemic that was out of our control. Life as we knew it was changed, and we had to find a way to remain afloat without giving up on ourselves. As the year comes to an end, most of us are trying to figure out how to continue working on ourselves, improving our lives, and overcoming the struggles we faced in the last few months. A great tool to help us on this journey are personal development books.
In the last decade, we have heard a lot about personal development. Thought leaders, mental health practitioners, and influencers have encouraged people to work on themselves and the kind of person they want to become. According to the UK College of Personal Development, it is a process that enables positive and lasting change to how we see ourselves and the world around us. They define personal development as “the conscious pursuit of personal growth by expanding self-awareness and knowledge and improving personal skills.”
So, picking up on this strong desire to grow personally, authors began writing about it and sharing what they believed were the best ways to improve yourself and change your perspective on the world. There are plenty of personal development books out there, but here are the top 5 you should be reading in 2021.
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Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
Brené Brown is a professor at the University of Houston and an expert on courage, empathy, shame, and vulnerability. Her knowledge on these subjects led her to write the book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead.
In this book, she talks about the effect vulnerability has on creativity, disappointment, empathy, fear, grief, innovation, joy, love, and the sense of belonging. She encourages people to—like the title suggests—dare to be great and change the way in which they approach every area of their life. From working to parenting, Brown shows people how being vulnerable can help them improve.
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Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert has spent her life writing fiction and non-fiction books that have categorized her as an award-winning author. Most readers know her thanks to her book Eat, Pray, Love, but the work she did writing Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear will inspire readers everywhere.
This book motivates people to feel empowered and live life to the fullest with no fear. The author believes there is creativity in everyone to help them overcome any challenges they face. By embracing curiosity and letting go of suffering, Gilbert pushes readers to discover the hidden jewels in all of them.
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Hustle Believe Receive: An 8-Step Plan to Changing Your Life and Living Your Dream by Sarah Centrella
Sarah Centrella is a master coach, single mom of three who used to live on food stamps until she changed her life around. Based on the hardships of her own life, she wrote Hustle Believe Receive: An 8-Step Plan to Change Your Life and Living Your Dream.
Everyone loves the idea of hustling and continuously doing the hard work to achieve their goals and live the life they had always dreamed of. Centrella figured out an 8-step method that allows people to reach their potential known as the HBRMethod. To prove that it works, she recollected inspiring stories from well-known people who believe in the work she does, such as NBA power forward Anthony Tolliver and bestselling author Laura Munson.
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Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success by John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell is a world-renowned expert, speaker, and author with over 16 million books sold. He has founded successful businesses and advised Fortune 500 companies, which has given him great knowledge on failure and success. Based on this experience, he wrote Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success.
Most people are afraid of the word ‘failure’ because it is commonly believed that failing is the worst thing that could happen to you, whether it is in your personal or professional life. However, that is not the case! Maxwell wants to help people understand failures can be turned into successes when you learn to not be afraid of it. Changing the way you respond to failure will change the way you behave, think, and perceive the world.
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Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamala Ravikant
Kamala Ravikant has spent her life living it to the fullest, from trekking to one of the highest camps in the Himalayas to earning her US Army Infantry patch. Throughout every one of these experiences, she learned the most important life lesson: to love herself. Because she wants to inspire others to do the same, she wrote Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It.
Loving yourself these days can be seen as an act of revolution. Those who dare to like themselves and show it can be labeled as narcissists when in reality it is a great act of courage. Ravikant understands this because she experienced it. In her book, she shares what worked for her and what led her to the amazing journey of self-love. It will inspire readers to begin loving themselves, thus changing the perspective they have on life.
Personal development is an uphill journey that leads to the best possible results. In 2021, we all need to learn to love ourselves a little more, be courageous, dare to be different, and leave our fear of failure behind. These five books will become the great pillars of your development and will guide you through the hardships of life. Maybe after reading them you will be better prepared to face any challenges life throws your way with a different, new perspective.
