Audio books are the perfect companion on your personal development journey. No matter what area of your life you’re looking to improve on – whether it is your health, your career, your finances, your relationships, your emotions, your habits and/ or your spiritual beliefs – there is an audio book to help you. The following are ten essential personal development audio books for your library.
1. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard – Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? In Switch, authors Chip & Dan Heath give some compelling insights into how each of us can effect transformative change. They say the primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains. If this conflict can be overcome, then the changes that matter to you can come quickly, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.
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2. Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill
First published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich is the result of two decades of research conducted by Napoleon Hill. His research started when Andrew Carnegie (the steel tycoon who was then the richest man on earth) gave him the assignment of organizing a Philosophy of Personal Achievement. Hill then interviewed over five hundred successful people, including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, John D. Rockefeller, George Eastman and Charles M. Schwab. In Think and Grow Rich, Hill reveals the wisdom of his research in the form of thirteen steps to success. The book has been a bestseller for nearly three quarters of a century and has sold more than 20 million copies since it was first published.
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3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change – Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a bestseller with more than 15 million copies sold. In this audio book Covey outlines the seven habits of highly effective people and techniques for adopting the seven habits. Before you can adopt the seven habits, you’ll need to accomplish what Covey calls a “paradigm shift” – a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking and much more.
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4. The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch
A lot of professors give talks entitled “The Last Lecture”. Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave – “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” – wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
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5. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich – Tim Ferriss
Forget the old concepts of retirement and a deferred life plan, and join the the New Rich, a fast-growing subculture who has mastered the new currencies – time and mobility—to create luxury lifestyles in the here and now. Whether you are an overworked employee or an entrepreneur trapped in your own business, this audio book is a blueprint for living more and working less. This expanded edition includes dozens of practical tips and case studies from people who have doubled their income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book. Also included are templates for eliminating email and negotiating with bosses and clients, how to apply lifestyle principles in unpredictable economic times, and the latest tools, tricks, and shortcuts for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.
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6. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity – David Allen
In Getting Things Done, veteran management consultant and trainer David Allen outlines an organizational method to gain control over all the tasks and commitments that you need or want to get done. Allen’s premise is simple: our ability to be productive is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve stress-free productivity and unleash our creative potential. So not only will you get more done, you’ll feel much more confident, relaxed and focused in the process.
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7. Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion – Gary Vaynerchuk
Do you have a hobby you wish you could indulge in all day? An obsession that keeps you up at night? If so, Gary Vaynerchuk is ready to show you how to use the power of the Internet to build a business or career around what you are passionate about. Gary spent years building his family business from a local wine shop into a national industry leader. Then one day he turned on a video camera, and transformed his entire life and earning potential by building his personal brand. If you want to learn how to harness the power of the Internet to turn your passion into a real business, this audio book is a must listen.
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8. The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be – Jack Canfield
When it comes to success, Jack Canfield knows of what he speaks: he is co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, a book series that has sold more than 80 million copies. In The Success Principles, Canfield outlines 64 timeless principles used by successful men and women throughout history. Filled with memorable and inspiring stories of CEOs, world-class athletes, celebrities, and everyday people, this audio book will help you get from where you are to where you want to be.
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9. How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. In this audio book Carnegie explains that by appealing to the other person’s highest ideals, remembering the other person’s name, letting the other person do most of the talking, speaking in terms of the other person’s interests, allowing the other to save face, etc.. you can make a friend out of just about anyone.
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10. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose – Eckhart Tolle
In A New Earth, spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle provides practical teachings for waking up to a new, enlightened mind-set. Tolle carefully and thoroughly describes all the facets of living your life with presence and awareness, rather than living out of the roles and inner thoughts by which we define ourselves. A New Earth has sold over 5 million copies and is the fastest-selling title in the history of Oprah’s Book Club.
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