Growth DIY-style: A Year of 15 Personal Development Books
Challenge Start Date: 1 July 2023.
I am going to go for this. Fifteen books a year is not an uphill battle. However, for me, it is formidable. I have decided to hold myself accountable through this blog. Every year until I die, I will challenge myself on one thing and follow through. Last year it was running a marathon. This year it is pursuing a DIY Personal Development Course. I will be posting summaries as I finish each book. I have one "rigid" list and an another one, lets call it a "distraction" list.
I thought to myself when I was planning this DIY Challenge (which, by the way, was someone else's idea—let's just say I got inspired, or maybe I borrowed it—anyway, where was I? Oh, yea) that I would include books which will contribute to an all-rounder development. I researched what Harvard or IIM students would read, then I searched what a DU University Professor would read, what a businessman would read, what a day dreamer would read and so on. I then came across a blog by Hemant Mohapatra, who took a similar challenge. He used an ingenious "The Vitruvian Man" approach. Thanks for putting it out there Mr.Hemant, I am going to follow the same. So, my list goes something like this:
Core:
Story of India by Will Durant (audiobook)
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Mind:
The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
Torso:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology by Robert Wright
Leg:
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America edited by Lawrence A. Cunningham
Soul:
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Educated by Tara Westover
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama XIV and Howard C. Cutler
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor GarcÃa and Francesc Miralles
Those formatted in Italic are part of my "rigid list", 15 books. They are must reads if I want to mark this challenge of mine as - SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED
I used 80% of my brain to choose these books, leaving the remaining 20% that tends to overthink out of the equation.
Overthinking Brain: Oh! Everyone reads it, why being a sheep!
Logical Brain: Well, there's a reason why everyone reads it. Better Throw facts than opinions!
The selection process was part of a strategic conference between me and myself that lasted a week. I started with the mindset of a noob, someone who isn't an avid reader and definitely doesn't claim to be I-know-all-the-best-things. There are so many resources of invaluable knowledge, thanks to top universities and professors who posted their class lectures for free. Its an ocean. My extempore approach was leading me nowhere, I was lost and I needed to have a PLAN, a CHALLENGE! So, Lets do this.
-Shreya