Best Personal Development Books
- Briana Azar
- Aug 25
- 6 min read
It's the eve of my favorite season. Even though I haven't been in school for almost a decade, there's still that sense of excitement, opportunities and new beginnings that come with autumn. With that spirit in mind, I wanted to do a post about my favorite personal development books. I've read dozens of them over the years -- my favorite part of my morning routine is when I sit down with my coffee and a chapter of a personal development book. I always feel like I'm ready to take on the day after this little ritual.
I will admit that this genre is filled with forgetful, gimmicky, 'could've been an article' books. However, every now and then I come across a personal development book that changes the way I live or look at my life. There's something about a good one that gives the same feeling as a new school year -- where you're ready to learn and feeling in control of your life. So, here are the best ones I've come across.
I'm getting this one out of the way first. If you've ever dabbled in the personal development genre, there's no doubt you'll have come across this enormously popular book. I read it for the first time back in 2019, and it helped me establish some routines that I still carry six years later.
James Clear provides a practical, how-to guide on building habits. The way this book is structured is clear and straightforward, and his tips are still the best and most easy to implement I've ever found. One of my favorite tips of his involves stacking a habit you want to implement with one you already do. I unknowingly habit stacked when I made the decision to add a chapter of a book every morning with my long-standing morning cup of coffee, and now it's so ingrained in my every day that I don't remember the last time I went without it (except on hungover mornings, I'm not a sociopath).
I often recommend this book at the start of the new year but it's also great for that new school year 'let me get my shit together' feeling.
In a similar vein of Atomic Habits, this book was perfect for my one chapter with my morning cup of coffee routine. Each of the 100 ways is one chapter, a few pages long, consisting of topics ranging from how to improve your sleep, to how to find the routine exercise routine for your tailored taste, to what to look for in a partner.
Liz Moody has a podcast where she interviews experts in various health and personal development areas. She compiled the best tips from those interviews to write this book, and it was a strangely fun experience to consume one every morning. This book doesn't go in-depth on any one topic, but for those looking to dip their toes into personal development or have an easy chapter to read at the start or end of their day, I would highly recommend this book.
If you haven't already caught on, I'm a big fan of any personal development book that gives simple, practical tips for improvement, and this one is no exception. While most of the time, self-help concerns the mind, Built to Move is aimed at the body. As an active person, one of the main reasons I exercise is to feel good in my body for decades to come, which includes dancing, lifting heavy things, jumping up and down, hiking, and being flexible. I think Americans often get caught up in the visual aesthetics of our bodies instead of the way we feel, and it's so important to find ways to support our bodies to still feel good at age 90.
Built to Move gives readers 10 tests and 10 physical practices to improve mobility, strength, and flexibility. They're simple, from getting up off the ground without your hands or balancing on one leg, but effective in how they measure and strengthen your body. This book is great for those who have certain pains or aches that plague their everyday life, or those looking for small ways to improve the way they feel in their body.
Despite my absolutely horrendous dating history, I've learned a lot about love over the years. Eight Dates is personally my favorite book I've read about how to sustain long lasting love.
John Gottman is one of the most famous relationship therapists, and you might have heard about the studies that come out of The Gottman Institute that he started with his wife Julie Schwartz Gottman.
This book is a compilation of what they've learned over the many decades of studying relationships, boiled down into eight conversations they believe every couple should have. If you're curious, those topics are: trust and commitment; conflict management; work and finances; family; fun and adventure; spirituality; dreams and goals. Each topic is accompanied by a suggestion of where to have the conversation (private or public, date night out or at home, etc.), what to consider for yourself beforehand, and a list of possible questions to talk through with one another.
Again, I love this book because of it's practical tips -- it's rare to find a book about relationships that give you exact questions to ask yourself and your partner to find out what you align on and what you might struggle with down the line. I've actually given this book to several friends, and I will say that the ones who actually went through the book with their partners are the ones still together and married today. Coincidence? I certainly don't think so.
The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz
This is the only personal development book that has ever made me cry. That tidbit may or may not be a convincing argument for you to pick this book up.
I read this book a few months after I was laid off from a job that I put a lot of work and emotional energy into. I was burnt out, pissed off, and confused. I was told for years by the world that your job is part of your personal identity and worth, and even though I was laid off because of that company's struggling finances, I couldn't shake the confusion of why I put so much energy and heart into a job that ultimately didn't care that I was hard-working and emotionally invested. My few months of funemployment led me down a path of figuring out where I should be putting my emotional energy, and where I should be building my identity and passions.
I came across The Good Life and was immediately drawn in by the title -- what could I learn the longest study of happiness and how could I apply it to my own life? Turns out, the key to happiness isn't being obsessed with your job, making a lot of money, or being traditionally successful. The key is people. The relationships you sustain are the true markers of a life well-lived. And while I have always put a lot of effort and time into my relationships, I didn't necessarily make that part of my identity. But why shouldn't I? Why can't I be proud of that effort, of being a friend or family member or partner who always shows up, even when it's hard? Why can't I brag about the ways the people in my life fill up my cup and bring me purpose, the way people usually brag about their jobs or achievements?
This book changed my tune on the way I define who I am. It's no longer about what I do but who I do it with and how I feel about those relationships. And not only has it made those relationships stronger, it's also taken the pressure off my job because I no longer tie my identity to what I do for work. I tie it to what I love --- people, books, traveling, dancing, enjoying small moments. Can that definition also involve my job? It can, but it doesn't have to. And it doesn't mean that I don't get hurt by people coming in and out of my life, but it does mean that I feel more resilient to the chaos life throws at me. Knowing there are people I have yet to meet who I will love, knowing how many more memories and moments there are to create with the people I already do, give me more excitement and satisfaction than any job ever could.
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Happy reading, y'all.