Top 5 Best Self Improvement Books to Read No Matter How Old You Are

I remember the first time I got my hands on a self-improvement book. I was baffled. At that moment, I realized my fate was not set in stone. I could become my own drill master and coach. The books I read would set out the training course for me to overcome. All I had to do was listen to that voice that aspired to climb higher and higher.

Every time I committed to a new challenge, I knew it would be outside of my comfort zone. But after enough iterations, I also knew it would not just be part of my repertoire; it would be part of me.

Not all self-improvement books are made equal. Some help starts you out on your journey; others boost you when you’ve achieved experience in certain areas.

Here are the best ones that I recommend to read no matter how old you are:

1. Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck? by Seth Godin

 

This book is a masterpiece, and unlike most self-improvement books, this one targets an infinite array of areas in which you can and ultimately must improve.

Godin makes you ponder the difficult questions you wouldn’t ever dare to ask yourself with its ruthless honesty and genuine inspiration. The result is a completely new perspective of the world- a fresher, more vibrant perspective packed with new and bold possibilities.

If you need a friend who understands you, a boss that forces you to venture deep into your non-comfort zone, a wise guru that tells you what needs to be left behind, and a sage that proclaims the coming of a new age, then look no further; you will find these shrewd voices all tied together in this magnificent book. Make sure to get this one.

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2. Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

 

Perhaps it is the fact that randomness played such a significant role in my years as a poker player that I find this book utterly important.

We often attribute skill with only luck, elation with causation, and underestimate the incrediblffect small changes can have.

This book gave me a perspective that I unfortunately rarely encounter in others: you can do everything right and still lose or do everything wrong and still win. It is thus not about the outcome; it is about the actions that have to lead you there.

This important message is central to many of the decisions I make in my life. This book by Taleb helps you develop such a perspective so you will live in a world one cannot fully understand, where the results are not always clear markers of performance and where chance seems to play games with our fates. Stop being fooled by randomness!

3. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

I read this book at a time where I thought power was something I should attain. Power for power’s sake. And while I disagree with my former self on this point, the fact remains that power is authentic; it forms the invisible scepter of all hierarchical relations around us.

I still recommend this book. I believe it is important to know how people use power for their own benefit and what to do to protect themselves from certain abuses of power.

Besides the fact that all stories in this book gravitate around power. It contains many life lessons, amazing historical anecdotes. If read in a certain light, the ability to use power for good.

From Caesar to Goethe, Sun-Tzu to Machiavelli, this eye-opening book spans a wide range of human development. If you, like me, would rather be interested in something less egotistical, perhaps Greene’s latest book Mastery will suffice (I haven’t read that one myself).

Another great book in the same style, but this time around, covering a wider scope, and perhaps, something that will make the world a better place.

4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen. R. Covey