So, I’m going to let the nerd in me come out a bit here. I was scrolling through LinkedIn recently, and I kept seeing this tweet or whatever from this guy talking about how dangerous it is to have someone that spends their free time “self-learning”. People have been praising this content as something so powerful. BUT WHY IS HE CALLING IT SELF-LEARNING?!

I did some more research, and it’s from a post in December 2022 (and the original guy isn’t terribly articulate). He’s one of those shock guys who is definitely writing to other men.

Anyway, it isn’t self-learning. We don’t call it “self-showering” or “self-cooking” or whatever. It’s just learning.

I went on a bit of a LinkedIn rant about this, which led me to wanting to recommend my favorite personal development books. Turns out, I have never made this post!

I don’t read a ton of non-fiction. I’ll also clarify that you’re looking at books for *personal* development, not necessarily *professional* development. These are books that can help you grow as a person in ways that you can also apply in your professional pursuits.

Personal Development Books

The Myth of the Nice Girl by Fran Hauser

I will preface this by saying that I don’t know what it would be like to read this book as a man. However, as a young professional woman, this has been one of the best books that I have read (as far as non-fiction/personal development).

As women, we’ve been told that we can’t be firm at work. We’re quickly called a b*tch if we follow up on deadlines or hold others accountable (where relevant). The Myth of the Nice Girl helped me to see that there are so many different ways to be both. As a woman who has been labeled as “difficult” before, it was a profound read for me.

I also highly recommend following Fran Hauser wherever you can on social media. She provides great career tips and so much more, especially on LinkedIn.

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

Brené Brown is amazing, and I believe she can do no wrong. I reached a point in my career where it started to be possible that I would lead a team or have a few employees working under me. Leadership in that capacity was new to me, so I sought out information and advice wherever I could find it.

Dare to Lead was perfect. It went beyond leadership to improving day-to-day communication and interactions overall. There’s actionable advice compared with psychology and research studies. However, with all of that data, it wasn’t a bogged down read.

This is also such a book nerd thing, but the book was also the perfect size in my hands. It opened easily without having to crack the spine AND it laid flat.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

I was pretty against reading this book. There’s some value in reading about marketing and different approaches, but I also think the majority of the value is just in hands-on testing.

My old boss recommended our sales team read it as he had read it and fount it useful. I’m not going to turn down a company willing to reimburse me for a book, so why not?

Honestly, it was a VERY interesting read. It isn’t so much the value of creating habits for yourself, but rather using habitual behavior in sales and marketing. There was an example with Febreeze that it became a habitual “reward” after cleaning your house to also have it smell nice. (I’m certainly not articulating it as well as Duhigg did).

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

This might be a bit of a stretch if you’re looking for professional development books, but look at how successful Shonda Rhimes is.

Year of Yes was a refreshing read. I read it when I was looking to shake up my life a bit. I was in a rut and needed something different. The book showed great examples of what happens when you do say yes (within reason), and free up your life.

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

A friend of mine mentions that she re-reads this book once every year or two. I believe the value in this one is the energy it gives you. When I read it, it was like I had a professional best friend who was cheering me on. Not my besties in the group chat, but someone who knows me professionally, telling me that I can do all the things I’ve said I want to do.

This might lead a bit less professional as well, but I have tremendous imposter syndrome at work, so I do need a little extra belief every once in a while.

I am *only* referring to the one with the yellow cover. I have read ALL of the Badass books, and the yellow one is really the only one that made a difference in my life.

I’ve gone ahead and put all of these books into a collection on my Amazon Storefront too! Everyone is looking for something a little different when it comes to personal development books, but these books have a little something for everyone. Well, maybe a little something for every woman.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, so I may receive a small commission from sales generated.