10 Best Self-Help Books Ever Written

We often turn to self-help books when we are unable to overcome a problem in our lives, or want to develop or amend our life in a certain way. This is a list of the 10 best self-help books out there.

Self-help books are those mini-life guides which help you to take charge of your own life and change the things you dislike. Research has proven that a large number of people depend on self-help books for their personal development, relationship, career and other needs or woes that they want help to deal with.

There are a number of categories self-help books in the market today and they cater to the needs of everyone, right from pre-teens to senior citizens.

Self-help books are not just for people who want help; these are books that will change everyone’s attitude towards life, relationships and anything else that it focuses on, regardless they need help with a certain area or not.

Self-help books are based on ancient philosophies, psychological theories or simply a more understandable and believable version of day to living. There have been some self-help books written by great authors which are a must read of everyone.

People have had life transforming experiences after reading and applying what they learned in some great books on life.

Life is a life long journey of learning. Self-help books are one of the best mediums to learn new things about life, love and people.

Let’s take a look at some of the most best and promising self-help books that you should read:

1. Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuesdays with Morrie is a self-help book in the form of a beautiful, heat-touching story. In this Mitch Albom classic the author gives us a wonderful depiction of the things he has learned from his college professor.

The old dying man has a magical and unbelievable spirit towards life. He talks about doing meaningful work, building quality relationships, family, money and facing death. This book is very small and one can finish reading it in a couple of hours.

The book and its style immediately captures ones heart and you never want to stop reading what the old man has to say.

This timeless classic gives a refreshing new outlook towards life and is a must read for everyone who want to make the best out of their everyday living.

2. The Alchemist

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The Alchemist is another very popular and one of the world’s bestselling books. This book has a light philosophical base to it and is also a story form of self-help book.

The author narrates story about an individual who is in search of happiness or success and after going around the world, in the end he realizes that all that he was looking for was always here where his heart was.

This book made millions of people transform their attitude towards happiness and success. It gives a very strong message through a very simple story.

The Alchemist is a powerful book that will drive you to change the way you look at happiness and success.

The whole idea behind the book is to make people realize that we all are looking for something outside when actually; all that we are really looking for resides in our hearts.

3. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This timeless book is the creation of Steven Covey and is one of the few books that made self-help books a favorite amongst people of every kind.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a book that focuses on developing the 7 habits in us that will make us grow and live a better live. This book has short stories, to-do-exercises, worksheets and amazing illustrations.

The book is extremely engaging and you’ll want to finish it off at a go. However, this is not a one-time read book. You have to keep revising and reading it frequently to make those 7 habits really strong enough to influence your life and work in a positive and fulfilling way.

The 7 habits has other versions like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, which have also gained a wide recognition in the world and influenced millions of lives around the globe.

4. Chicken Soup for the Soul

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Chicken Soup for the Soul is the brainchild of Jack Canfield. It is yet another very powerful book in the self-help books. This book doesn’t have a direct approach to self-help or personal development but has taken up a wonderful concept of healing through story telling.

This series of Chicken soup for the soul is a compilation of real life stories that promise to touch, inspire or heal.

After the original Chicken soup for the soul book there have been series published in various categories like, Family, Mother, Father, Teens, Women, Romance, and Friendships etc. These short stories and poems have said to influence a large number of people around the world.

Although not a conventional self-help book, this book has the power to change people’s lives through simple yet effective story telling.

5. Teachings on Love

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk known for some extremely practical and effective self-help books based on the philosophical teachings of Buddha.

There have been a number of books written about love but none of them are so beautifully expressed as this one. The teaching on love is a much unknown book and is not very hyped about in the market.

However, even if it doesn’t sell on the best-seller rack, it doesn’t bring down the power of this book. We all need love and it is one of the most beautiful things in life. This book teaches self-less and pure love.

It doesn’t tell you want you should gift your spouse on their birthday but it focuses on how to build a loving and ever-lasting relationship with your loved ones by using the most simple and yet very powerful tool called love.

This book is a must read for everyone as it will change your perspective towards love.

6. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

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Another classic on relationships; this book is one the most practical and useful books for a couple in a loving relationship. This book carefully determines the difference in the way women and men think and also in their way of looking at situations or problems.

It has some hilarious illustrations and some rib tickling funny stories of how two people perceive the same things differently and eventually fail to understand each other.

It is one of a kind self-help book on relationships that will help men and women understand that they both have different ways of thinking and behaving in similar circumstances. People from all over the globe have been showering praises on the author for making their love life so much simpler after reading this book.

7. Zen and the Art of Happiness

Buddhist philosophy is one of the core areas of psychology and personal development. The Zen school has some outstanding philosophical theories to offer.

This wonderful book is how Zen perceives the concept of happiness and how you can do build it around yourselves. We often hear that happiness is not a pursuit; it is a state of mind. So how can you make that happen for yourself?

Read this book to spend every single moment of your life in pure happiness.

8. The Secret

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There is hardly anyone today who doesn’t know about The Secret. This is one of the highest selling and most popular books ever written. It is based on an ancient philosophical theory and that is the law of attraction.

The law of attraction is a magnet that brings you and manifests your thoughts. The book encourages its readers to think positive and feel good so that they will attract the same.

The various steps in the law of attraction have been explained like Gratitude and visualization. A very life-transforming experience if followed correctly.

9. 7 Laws of Spiritual Success

The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success is a tiny pocket self-help book by Deepak chopra. It is based on philosophical theories and states the 7 laws that one should follow to reach the optimum of success.

The book is easy to read and the pocket version can be carried everywhere for a quick read.

10. The Happiness Advantage

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Shawn Achor is a positive psychology researcher at the Harvard University and has come up with a powerful book about happiness after years of research.

The happiness advantage is a book with very simple theory, which when applied can completely transform lives. It is based on a very simple theory that states that it is important to be happy to be successful at anything and not the other way round.

We often think that we will be happy if we get that job, but in reality it is the other way around. Read it to find out how that works for you.

Cover photo: pinterest.com

About the author

Ankita

Ankita is a writer, counselor, therapist and an aspiring happiness coach. She hails from India, a country with a colorful culture and rich heritage. She is a travel enthusiast and loves to cook. Her motto is to help people and reach out to them through her writing.

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