The Very Best Personal Development Books Reading List

by Alec Satin

Best Personal Development Books

Sid Savara has put together a list of The Three Best Personal Development Books. The choices are great and his explanations well worth reading.

Reading Sid’s list reminded me of one gathered by different friend.

John Harrell’s Recommended Reading List

My dear friend John Harrell was a prolific reader, inspirational teacher and coach. Over the years of our friendship we must have discussed over 300 different titles in the health, wellness and technology fields. Here are the books he loved best of all.

Says John: My top twenty-one books in no specific order, however the first 15 (actually 17 because of the trilogy) I would keep over any of the others. They are not only excellent books with great tools and inspirational, you can read them over and over and not get bored with them, at least I can! :-) The others below are books that helped me in my growth, but keep for sentimental reasons or to recommend to others on their starts.

May you be inspired this season from the words of this truly generous and good hearted soul. (The descriptions in parentheses are taken from John’s correspondence.)

  1. Living on Love by Klaus Joehle (His meditation for radiating love and sending could change the world.)
  2. Love without End by Glenda Green (I am almost highlighting the whole book, it moves up into my top ten books, probably top five. And that is pretty good for someone who owns about 4,000 books. )
  3. Discover the Power with You by Eric Butterworth (The affirmation and loving message of Jesus explained to develop your philosophy, and to apply it in life.)
  4. The Center of the Wheel by Robert Hudson (Provocative fiction read with a lot of truth to be absorbed.)
  5. Illusions by Richard Bach (Another provocative fiction read, one of my most favorite books, that opens to the your potential, your possibilities.)
  6. Message of a Master by John McDonald (Another provocative fiction read, one of my most favorite books, that opens to the your potential, your possibilities.)
  7. The Magus of Strovolos by Kyriacos Markides (entire trilogy)
  8. Positive Imaging by Norman Vincent Peale (The concept of visualization in addition to vocal, mental, and written affirmation is powerful, as it evokes emotion.)
  9. The Fruit of your Thoughts by John Roberts (on Peter Rosen, Magic Man of Mystic Mountain)
  10. Jesus and Mastership by Morgan (The most interesting and enlightening account of the life of Jesus.)
  11. The Secret of Shambala by James Redfield
  12. Bridges to Heaven by Jonathan Robinson (How well-known seekers define and deepen their connection with God, excellent resource, how I learned the Archangel meditation.)
  13. The Inner Core by Robert Marshall (His concepts of Power Affirmation to affect consciousness are a key part of this program, my life. This concept came from Eric Butterworth, but I got it here. )
  14. Activation of the Sacred Seals by Virginia Ellen (Her concepts of imprinting prayer upon consciousness are a key part of this program, my life.)
  15. Manifesting Your Destiny by Wayne Dyer (Wayne Dyer’s message of eliminating expectations, and recognizing that you react to situations based on what is inside you, from his book, Real Magic was a turning point in my dealing with relationships.)
  16. Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
  17. For Once in Your Life by Chris Prentiss
  18. The Superbeings by John Randolph Price (well any of his books, but I got my house using the techniques from this book. The concept I learned was affirmation/prayer with power and faith, through recognition of your connection with God.)
  19. The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino (His love scroll is the basis for my love affirmation/prayer script, one of the most profound exercises I have experienced.)
  20. The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma
  21. Seven Spiritual Secrets of Success by Deepak Chopra
  22. Power Through Constructive Thinking by Emmet Fox (His concept of affirmation, focus, and especially Love is the goal of this book. )
  23. One Day my Soul just Opened up by Iyanla Vassant (Wonderful book, book structure is a natural template for spiritual awareness and growth, and was a valuable resource for me to both experience and use in this book.)
  24. The Healing Light by Agnes Sanford (Her method of neutralizing the ego’s negative thoughts I feel is timeless. )
  25. Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East (6 volume set) (One of the most provocative set of books I have ever read, it opens you to possibilities beyond your dreams.)
  26. The Man who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe by Glenn Clark (The ultimate role model for a spiritual person who is also wealthy, brilliant, artist, scientist, ice skater and sculptor. A true contemporary renaissance man!)

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constructive living - life coach | Digg hot tags
29 December 2008 at 4:08 am

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Andres 18 December 2008 at 9:47 am

Illusions is also one of my favorites. Very good list.

Andres´s last blog post..Book Review: Made to Stick

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2 Sid Savara 18 December 2008 at 11:49 am

Thanks for the kind words Alec. I enjoyed this article and the list of John’s favorite books. I have not read many of the books on the list, and my “todo” list it seems has just grown longer =)

I went back to your archives and read your tribute to John as well. He sounds like a wonderful, warm person who affected you (and I am sure many others) in very positive ways.

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3 Alec Satin 18 December 2008 at 4:30 pm

Twitter: alecsatin
Andres, Illusions is one of my favorites, too. Glad you enjoyed the list!

Alec

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4 Alec Satin 18 December 2008 at 4:32 pm

Twitter: alecsatin
Thank goodness for good “todo” list/GTD organizational systems, right? :>

John was truly the kind of person that changes peoples' lives. A reminder of how short our time can be.

Thanks for your comment, Sid.

Alec

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5 mab 24 December 2008 at 10:04 am

Thanks for sending this – we all miss him so much!

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6 Sreejith Kesavan 30 December 2008 at 9:14 am

Alec:
Nice list..
But reading such huge volumes are not really seems like my cup of tea !
I am struggling with the book ‘Alchemist’ since many weeks.. still not finished.. also I have collected tonnes of books related to PM (esp, planning).. but couldn’t turn a single page…
Boosting my reading habit is one of the top priority new year resolutions for me !
Cheers!
Sreejith

Sreejith Kesavan´s last blog post..Project Management Tribes

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7 Alec Satin 31 December 2008 at 11:27 am

Twitter: alecsatin
Hi Sreejith,
Too many books in the “to read” pile can really suck all the enjoyment out of learning!

Like you, I’ve got some fantastic project management books just begging for attention:

1. Englund. Creating the project office: A manager’s guide to leading organizational change.
2. Brown. Handbook of program management: How to facilitate project success.
3. Phillips. Project management scorecard: Measuring the success of project management solutions.

Sometimes it’s best to just get rid of all the “To read” items and start fresh.

BTW, the alchemist is a good one :)
Alec

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