Best Books To Read For Personal Growth In 2023

We all want to be happy and win in this life, and self-improvement books can be a vital catalyst for many such victories. Self-help books contain precious nuggets penned by experts and people who love to share strategies that worked for them. You can glean wisdom from them to catapult you to the next level in life.

I know what it looks like when my life gets out of balance: I’m distracted, unmotivated, and unsure of what I’m even working towards. The sooner I realize this, the better. Then I can start to treat my body, mind, energy, and focus with more respect and get back on track. I also like to pick up a few self-improvement and personal development books to remind me:

a) Why it’s better to be working towards my goals than watching Netflix.

b) That I’m capable of doing so much when I get to work and focus on the right things.

Here are some of the best self-improvement books for 2023 I’ve found to give me a kick in the pants when I’m feeling lost, lazy, distracted, or unmotivated. Browse through the list, see what jumps out, and let the books help you improve your life, reach your goals, and be the best version of you. Let’s get started;

1. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

In this time-tested book, Dale Carnegie shows us how to conquer worry and anxiety. Via engaging stories that reveal helpful lessons and practical frameworks, Carnegie arms you with an array of tools that will help you start living more fully and without the harmful effects of worry. Even though this book was written in 1936, the deceptively simple lessons from this book will help you better navigate the noise of the modern era.

“The greatest mistake physicians make is that they attempt to cure the body without attempting to cure the mind; yet the mind and body are one and should not be treated separately.” — Plato

2. Awaken the Giant Within by Tonny Robbins

The pages of this book are an invitation to greatness by calling you out from a slumber of mediocrity. A proven peak performance guru, and internationally sought speaker, Tonny demonstrates what you need to do to have the steering wheel over your emotions, finances, body, and relationships.

The techniques for unlocking the best that you can be are practical and effective. In this step-by-step guide, you will discover what you’re here for, and you’ll take charge of your life, and be an active participant in your destiny. Take hold of life NOW.

“Achievers rarely, if ever, see a problem as permanent, while those who fail see even the smallest problems as permanent.”

3. Atomic Habits by James Clear

If you’re looking to change what your average day looks like and build better habits while breaking bad ones (who isn’t?), you’ve come to the right place. Clear provides a practical guide for transforming your habits — no matter what your goal is — intertwined with inspiring, real-life stories of people who used his strategies to master their craft and become their highest selves.

Read with caution; you might never be the same again.

4. The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins

According to Robbins, all it takes is a simple habit — giving your reflection a high five in the mirror — and an easy morning routine to shift your mood and perspective, which she calls the “High 5 Habit.” You might be thinking that sounds silly (I definitely did), but after trying it for a week, I realized it all comes down to the relationship I have with myself and being my own biggest cheerleader.

PSA: We shouldn’t wait to receive a promotion, fit in our favorite pair of jeans from high school, or finally get reciprocation from a longtime crush to feel more confident. We deserve to be happy now. The High 5 Habit tools are free and easy, which means anyone, anywhere, at any age can benefit from them.

5. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

I read this book at a time when 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 very real, 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 yourself from certain abuses of power.

Besides the fact that all stories in this book gravitate around power. It contains many life lessons and 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).

6. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

David Goggin’s very life is inspirational having come from a background of extreme poverty and painful abuse. He has emerged from the shadows to become a powerful motivational speaker and author who not only tells us it can be done but demonstrates how in this read that’s perhaps one of the best self-improvement books.

David is a bundle of endurance, resilience, and motivation. He’s a great marathoner and a retired navy seal. The virtues he exhibits seem contagious as you devour the contents of this inspirational book.

This book will shock you off any self-pity cocoon and stretch you up to overcome the limitations of a twisted world.

7. Essentialism by Greg McKeown

A compelling philosophy about living consciously, focusing on the essential few things that fulfill you, and designing your life to achieve your highest point of contribution. McKeown highlights the danger of failing to recognize tradeoffs, the necessity of learning to say no, and the importance of play and sleep.

“Essentialists spend as much time as possible exploring, listening, debating, questioning, and thinking. But their exploration is not an end in itself. The purpose of the exploration is to discern the vital few from the trivial many.”

8. Declutter Your Mind by S. J. Scott and Barrie Davenport

This book is best suited for those whose lives are typified by endless worrying. Scott and Barrie draw their reasoning from a scientific backdrop to conclude that your anxieties are offsprings of a cluttered mind.

The authors prescribe practical steps you can take to declutter your mind. You begin by focussing on those aspects of your life that deserve your attention; set your priorities right. You proceed to declutter your mind by waving off your mind those thoughts that do not warrant your concern.

The reason you’re bogged down in thought, worry, and stress is because the mind is cluttered with unnecessary items that need to be hurled over to the trash bag. By learning to apply these principles, you free up “free” space in your mind for inner peace. With such a mindset you can stay calm and make better decisions in life.

An essential resource to teach you how to eliminate the unnecessary mental load of worry and anxiety…together with its accompanying emotional consequences.

9. Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Part memoir, part self-help book, Untamed is about discovering your voice, your true self. Doyle takes us through her personal journey of letting go of others’ expectations and, instead, trusting and strengthening her inner voice. The main takeaway?

“Your job, throughout your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself.”

I’ll leave you with that.

10. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

From 1937, this book by Hill is a masterpiece. Don’t bother with the edited versions since they all omit important and controversial information: some historical, and some pertaining to the goal of the book, which is to think and grow rich.

The word rich might imply that this book is all about material gain, and while it certainly covers that area, it is about much more than that. This is perhaps the first explicit mention of positive thinking on how to care not just about the cash in your pocket, but also the thoughts in your head.

This book for self-development has been able to withstand the destruction of time. It covers all the basics from planning, decision-making, and persistence, to the more advanced techniques such as auto-suggestion, transmutation, and what we can learn from fear.

This is not a grow-rich book, but a timeless guide to find out what actually matters. As it says clearly in the beginning ‘Riches can’t always be measured in money!’

11. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

International hostage negotiator Chris Voss provides a practical guide and set of principles to improve your effectiveness in getting what you want. You’ll learn that being a good negotiator is about being an effective communicator, understanding what drives people’s decisions, and using counterintuitive techniques, such as asking calibrated questions, beginning with “no”, and listening actively and empathetically.

“Persuasion is not about how bright or smooth or forceful you are. It’s about the other party convincing themselves that the solution you want is their own idea. So don’t beat them with logic or brute force. Ask them questions that open paths to your goals. It’s not about you.”

12. Wanting by Luke Burgis

Wanting is a transformational deep dive into the origins of desire. In it, Luke Burgis shows us how we come to want certain things in life and how we can transform our relationship with desire in ways that allow us to live a more aligned, fulfilling existence with other people. Burgis’s work builds off of the philosophy of René Girard, a French philosopher who spent his life understanding and writing about the human condition.

“We can never know what to want, because, living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come.” — Milan Kundera

13. Get out of Your Own Way by Dr. Mark Goulston and co-author Philip Goldberg

Dr. Mark Goulston, a psychiatrist, and Philip Goldberg hand you actionable tips that have been tried and tested. Through the pages of this self improvement book, they help you overcome 40 self-defeating behaviors and come out victorious. By tackling common issues that we all face on a day-to-day basis, the text is practical, relevant, and relatable.

Some of the vices that the book helps you confront include fear, procrastination, lethargy, self-pity, anger, guilt, obsession, rebellion, jealousy, and many more.

14. The Attention Revolution by Alan Wallace

In a world that is dominated by ever stronger technologies designed to grab your attention, a way to empower yourself is to bring that attention back to where you want it to shine. This book offers just that.

In The Attention Revolution, Wallace describes the path to attaining Shamatha, a buddhist meditation state of mind that is free from any flickering of distraction. It is a hard and long path, probably not possible for us to reach in this lifetime. However, even getting to stage two or three will make everything in life easier.

A wonderful introduction to meditation, The Attention Revolution will inspire you to take on the challenge and see what training your mind can actually achieve.

Once you have achieved such level of focus, you can put it to use to open your heart with the practice of The Four Immeasurables or deepen the practice with this wonderful commentary by Dudjom Lingpa, both by Alan B. Wallace.

15. The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

What can a plastic surgeon tell us about happiness? By dealing with his patients, Dr. Maxwell Maltz experienced firsthand that having your expectations come true doesn’t automatically result into a more positive life experience. Their outward appearances did indeed change but their inner insecurity remained.

This caused him to find other means to help his patients, resulting in visualization techniques. He found a person’s outer success can never rise above the one visualized internally.

This book carries a very honest and humbling story, loaded with fundamental truths about our psychology and how our own philosophy affects us. This is all told by a very compassionate writer. Of some books it can be said that it will be valuable for years to come, and I am absolutely positive that this is one of them.

16. The Man in the Mirror by Patrick M. Morley

This award-winning book has remained a timeless gem since it was first published in 1989. With over 4 million copies in print, it’s definitely an indispensable resource worth reading.

Drawing many of his lessons from Biblical references, Patrick M Morley urges men to have a look at themselves in the mirror with a view of fixing whatever areas fall short. As you look into the mirror and make amendments, you become a better man in the family and society.

Patrick zooms in on 24 specific problem areas for men. With insightful wisdom and practical tips, he helps men confront wide-ranging issues that are common landmines for men; finances, making choices, accountability, temperamental challenges, and handling broken relationships.

As you read this book, you’ll appreciate why it’s appeared on the bestseller list close to 20 times with over 4 million copies in print.

17. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Leveraging the teachings and wisdom of the ancient Toltecs, Don Miguel Ruiz takes you on a spiritual and philosophical path of understanding and changing the agreements you have with yourself. He first shows how you are indoctrinated with beliefs that harm your well-being and then teaches you how to reshape those beliefs. The result is that you leave the book with four new agreements that will help you create a life of connection, joy, and fulfillment.

“Making assumptions in relationships leads to a lot of fights, a lot of difficulties, a lot of misunderstandings with people we supposedly love.”

18. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel

A Random Walk Down Wall Street is a classic guide that blends history, economics, market theory, and behavioral finance to offer practical and actionable advice for investing and achieving financial freedom. Malkiel’s central message is abundantly clear — begin a consistent savings plan as early as possible and invest the core of your portfolio in low-cost, broad-based index funds.

“The core of every portfolio should consist of low-cost, tax-efficient, broad-based index funds.”

19. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

In the Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel teaches you how to have a better relationship with money and to make smarter financial decisions. Instead of pretending that humans are ROI-optimizing machines, he shows you how your psychology can work for and against you.

“Getting money requires taking risks, being optimistic, and putting yourself out there. But keeping money requires the opposite of taking risk. It requires humility, and fear that what you’ve made can be taken away from you just as fast. It requires frugality and an acceptance that at least some of what you’ve made is attributable to luck, so past success can’t be relied upon to repeat indefinitely.”

20. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Legendary music producer Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being is a mind-bending series of meditations on what it means to be an artist and creator. Through 78 philosophical musings, Rubin shares the wisdom that we are all artists, offers helpful mental frames for creating and moving through roadblocks, and helps you develop an understanding of what it means to operate as an artist in the world.

“Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It’s our birthright. And it’s for all of us.”

While merely reading a book cannot automatically change you and make your life better, the best self-improvement books have a way of stirring within you the urge to get up and take action to improve yourself.

Have you read any of the books that I’ve listed above? How did it impact your life? Share with us in the comment section below. And feel free to recommend any other great self-help book that I may have missed on this list.