Tag: personality development

Posted on

Self-help books to read in 2024

Self-help has always been one genre that keeps me glued while reading. I look forward to books that have a tone that is practical and not something preachy. I choose books which have a good amount of examples, case studies and research based evidence which is a sign that the book needs to be added to my TBR. Here are a few books that made it to my reading list.

Average sucks by Michael Bernoff

A book that challenges you to come out of your comfort zone and unleash your true potential. The reason we don’t get what we want is that we have an average that defines the behavior, performance, and results. This is the reason that the book argues. Our average is the invisible force that keeps us stuck in mediocrity and prevents us from achieving our goals. It shows how to identify our average, raise it, and surpass it so that we create an extraordinary life.
It is not a typical self-help that gives generic advice but rather a powerful guide that teaches how to change mindset, habits, and actions. The author has used these tools and techniques with thousands of clients.

The book has three sections such as
PART 1: The problem– Explain what your average is. How it affects you and why it hurts.
PART 2: The solution– reveals the five steps to raising your average and creating a lasting change.
PART 3: The action– provides exercises, challenges, and resources to help in implementing the solution and transforming your life.


A suitable book for anyone who wants to improve any area in their life- personal, professional, and social. I realized how my average was holding me back from achieving my dreams. I found a lot of tools and strategies to raise my average to create more happiness and success. A good guide that teaches you how to live an above-average life.Read a short review here. Buy a copy.

Money hacks by Larry Steinhouse

A book that reveals the secrets of money and how to use it to your advantage, it also challenges the common myths and misconceptions about money. The book shows you how to think differently and creatively based on your financial solution. I loved the topics that the book covered such as,

  • How to obtain huge lines of credit while building up credit scores and your net worth.
  • How to negotiate better deals and save money on everything you buy.
  • How to avoid pitfalls and traps of debt, taxes, and inflation.
  • How to develop a money mindset that attracts wealth and abundance.


The book is written in a simple, conversational, and humorous style with stories, tips, and real-life examples from the author’s own experience as a successful real investor and entrepreneur. The book is suitable for anyone who wants to learn more about money and how to make it work for them. It is not a get-rich scheme but a realistic guide that teaches the skills and strategies you need to achieve your financial goals. The book opened my eyes to the possibilities and opportunities that money can offer and how I can use it to create more happiness and security in my life.


I found a lot of tools and techniques that can be applied to my situation. A realistic guide which can help anyone understand the truth about money and how to use it smartly. Read a short review here. Buy a copy.

The Science of getting started by Patrick King

A book that explores the psychological and biological reasons why we procrastinate and how to overcome them. It reveals the hidden forces that prevent you from taking action such as perfectionism, fear, impulsiveness, self-doubt, and boredom. It also provides practical and proven strategies to help start and finish any task, goal, or project.

  • How to use the power of habits and routines to automate your productivity.
  • How to leverage the psychology of motivation and rewards to boost your performance.
  • How to apply the principles of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and game theory to make your work more fun and engaging.
  • How to overcome the common excuses that keep you stuck.
  • How to deal with distractions and interruptions.
  • How to cope with stress, anxiety, and fatigue which can sabotage your progress.


Written in a clear, concise, and conversational style, with case studies, personal anecdotes, and scientific research that support the author’s points the book is not a boring text but an entertaining lively guide that teaches skills on how to master the mind and take action.

This book is suitable for anyone who wants to improve their productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness in any area of life. The book was very helpful and an insightful read which helped me understand how I procrastinate and how I can change it. A lot of tips and techniques can help boost my productivity and achieve my goals. I can say that it is a science-based solution to getting started. Read a short review here. Buy a copy.

Lead or get out of the way by Gary .J.Vien

Lead or Get Out of the Way is a practical and inspiring book that lets you know how to become an effective leader. And if you are already one, this book will help you become much more effective. Based on his forty-year career in the military, education, government, and business as a leader, the author presents 8 principles of leadership that help in achieving your goals, overcoming challenges, and influencing others.


With clear examples, tips, and exercises these 8 principles are explained in detail for us to apply in our situations.

The principles are:

  • Communicate effectively.
  • Build trust and credibility.
  • Know yourself and your purpose.
  • Lead by example.
  • Collaborate and partner.
  • Empower others.
  • Embrace change and innovation.
  • Celebrate success and learn from failure.

A good handbook that lets you assess the leadership skills currently and find out areas for improvement. Written in a simple and engaging style, with a pinch of wisdom, insight, and humor, it is a book that is apt for anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills, irrespective of whether they are people who aspire to be leaders or new and experienced leaders.
A helpful and motivating read, the book gives practical tools and strategies to enhance leadership abilities and confidence. Making me think about how to make an impact on others and to think differently is what the book made me gain.

These books help understand what actually is happening and analyse situations. They also guide you on how to handle situations by giving you the knowledge about tools and techniques which will help you arrive at solutions. Read a short review here.  Buy a copy.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with the Bohemian Bibliophile.

Posted on

Book review of ‘Tiny habits massive results’

BLURB

“7 (plus a pro-habit) Tiny Everyday Habits that have a Powerful Impact on our Lives Other than the random element of luck, what differentiates successful people from the rest are their Habits. They cultivate certain habits which contribute to their happier and healthy life. Learning these habits and how to use them in your life is rewarding. In this book, you will learn about simple yet impactful lifestyle habits that separate achievers from regular people. These tiny habits have a transformative effect on your physical and mental health, career, your relationships, and life.

REVIEW

Self-help books always have a special corner when I’m choosing books for my next read or to be added to my TBR. Especially when it is a book concerning habits then there is no looking at blurb I simply pick it up and start reading it.


This book ‘Tiny habits massive results ‘ by Jaishree Nenwani is the first by an Indian author that I picked up centred around habits.
Habits truly define the person that we are. And they are also the things that make you stand apart from other around us. Leading a healthy and happy life is not just about food and exercise but also the habits that you’ve cultivated over a period of time.


When you meet someone and you get inspired make sure you also get to know what is that one thing that makes them stand apart which would ultimately be the habits that form their lifestyle. Make sure to see if you can incorporate them into yours.


The author gives you tips on how to include them and make them part of your routine. These tips are simple ways to bring in a change to our lifestyle to lead a healthy and happy life. Though they might be tiny habits but the changes they bring in is massive.


Processing grief was a major problem that I was facing a year back. But I attribute the small changes that I brought in which helped me manage the grief processing. If you are someone who is still yet to dive into the inclusion of new habits in your routine, do not worry. Jaishree will handhold you with starting to explain what is a habit, why is it important to develop them, how to form one and the seven habits that are going to have a great impact on your life. As a pro tip she gives you an extra edge with a tip that’s actually the cherry on top for which you will have to pick the book.


Explaining the seven habits the author not only let’s you know how important it is to include that habit but also ways on how you can make it part of your regular routine so that you don’t miss doing it each day. I loved how she chose to keep it simple by citing instances from her life which would make it more relatable when you read through the book.


Overall, if you are a beginner or a pro looking at making changes in life by bringing in new habits I’d suggest this book will be your guide to discover a new you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jaishree is a millennial blogger curating inspired wisdom that guides people to go deep and make a shift in their thoughts. She is passionate about journaling and loves to share wisdom and journaling tools that invoke deeper authenticity and Personal transformation. On her blog (https://getsethappy.com) she writes about Self-improvement, Personal growth and ways to become happier in your life.

Posted on

Lessons from how to win friends and influence people

Dale Carnegie was an American writer and lecturer who was also the developer for several courses on self-improvement skills and interpersonal skills. He was the author of “ How to win friends and influence people” one of the best selling self-help books till date.

Over a 100 years Dale Carnegie has been helping about 9 million + graduates and helping them out to lead business, career and life through his courses. Though the book, “ How to win friends and influence people” was published in 1936 the principles mentioned hold good and are still deemed the best in improving the self. And the reason being that Dale did not put them out based on trends or fad and they still serve to be the building blocks of social intelligence.
Though the language and references( Abraham Lincoln) that the book contains might seem to be dated, the book was of great help during the Great Depression and one of the books picked up by Warren Buffet.

The book is based on principles that help makes one a successful person in all aspects of life. Becoming a financial success requires 15% of professional knowledge and 85% of the ability to express the ideas, to be a leader and to arouse enthusiasm among others.

The book definitely shows you the sure shot way to not only attain success but also build and establish a career.

Let me take you through the lessons from the book .

Praise others’ achievements

We need to be genuine when we praise people. It has to be lavish is what he exactly says, but at the same time be true. He puts it as,

“Abilities wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement,” We all crave to be recognized and appreciated. We also would do almost anything to get that. At the same time, it shouldn’t be something that was said to flatter and be put out showing insincerity.

Be empathetic

“The only way on how to influence people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it”. He also explains by quoting Henry Ford,“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.” Looking at a situation from an other person’s perspective sure does help in most situations to frame our actions.

Avoid criticizing, condemning, or complaining.


“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do,” Carnegie writes. “But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”

Being a leader, one should acknowledge the subordinate who doesn’t meet expectations or a competitor whose approach is inferior compared to them. But thus should be done in a way which would acknowledge what is working and encourages improvement

Acknowledging own mistakes

When being a best leader, one should not lionize themselves, to make it appear that they are not flawless.

“Admitting one’s own mistakes — even when one hasn’t corrected them — can help convince somebody to change his behavior,” Carnegie wrote. How true is this? Have you tried this out?

Acknowledging when a mistake is made and admitting to have committed it, is a great step and requires a lot of courage to do so.

Respect others’ dignity

When a leader demotes and employee or lets the employee go away, he/she needs to recognize the person with dignity and not use the opportunity to humiliate them. To be practical, the leader has to remain on good terms with the person who didn’t work out, because there is a future possibility that they might have to cross paths or even have the chance to work together again.

Know the value of charm

Steel magnate Charles Schwab claimed his smile was worth a million bucks — literally. For a man like him, the charm he holds and his capability to make people like him was one of the factors he remained successful. His smile was definitely captivating. So the charm is one of the factors that makes you and the people around you cheerful.

Encourage people to talk about themselves

People tend to relax in tense situations when they talk about things they know and which includes themselves. And when you listen to someone when they speak that would be the greatest compliment you could offer them.

Know when to use suggestions instead of direct orders

Leaders instead of barking orders to employees who instead lead them with suggestions tend to see more success. A classic example would be Owen D. Young , an Industrialist. Helping employees do things by themselves instead of directing them with orders helps them learn from their mistakes.

Be friendly, no matter how angry the other person may be


We are humans and we tend to handle aggression with aggression but instead if the high road is taken by maintaining composure when you make efforts to try and persuade the other person by appreciating their perspective, the result sure is surprising when you know what you just accomplished.

With you being cool and collected the other person sure would be embarrassed themselves.

Reach common ground as soon as possible

Stressing out the opinion or emphasizing things you agree and keep doing it which would put out the message that both of you want or strive for the same ending bu the only difference being in the method that is being implemented and not the purpose.
Carnegie says,”Begin by emphasizing — and keep on emphasizing — the things on which you agree,”

Get others to think your conclusion is their own.


Most persuasive people are the ones who would understand the power of suggestion over demands . This helps to win situations and emphasizes the fact that you cannot force a person to believe something.

He also says that when planting a seed and it blossoms , curb the urge to take credit for it.

Don’t try “winning” an argument

You achieve nothing when you tear apart an argument with another person. Carnegie cites by quoting an old saying, “A man convinced against his will/Is of the same opinion still.” When we need to persuade someone, make sure to avoid argument in the first place.

Click here to purchase your copy.

This post is part of blogchatter’s half marathon.