One of the things I enjoy most is learning new things especially when it’s something that can help others in their personal development journeys.
I feel like the better we understand ourselves, it makes navigating through life a little easier.
I’m sharing with you three books that have helped me learn more about who I am at my core and I hope they can do the same for you.
These books are so value packed that I couldn’t possibly list everything you will learn if you decide to read them, but here’s a short list of some of the things you can expect to gain clarity on;
What are your greatest strengths and how to leverage them
What drives you
What you need more of in your life
What is your zone of genius
How other’s see you and the impact you have on others
Tips on how to live more authentically staying true to who you are
The books are in no particular order and there is no affiliate marketing here.
You’ll notice in the three summaries below that each of these books has either an assessment or questionnaire exercise to do as well which I am a big fan of.
So let’s get started with the first book…
StrengthsFinder 2.0 from GALLUP and Tom Rath – Discover your strengths – Don Clifton
When I was in business school, this book came highly recommended I now understand why. Had I known of this book earlier in my corporate career, I would have gifted it to everyone on my team. It talks about the importance of focusing on our strengths instead of focusing on areas where someone else thinks we need to improve. If everyone focused on what they were good at in the workplace and these strengths were shared amongst team members, imagine what strong, dynamic team you’d see. Everyone would be working in their element or zone of genius. I also believe that too often, management focuses on areas where they think their team members need to improve. Instead, imagine what could be possible if personal development plans focused more on further developing their strengths.
Donald Clifton is the Inventor of the CliftonStrengths Assessment; the revolutionary Gallup program that shows you how to develop your unique talent and strengths. The book comes with a unique, one-use-only access code to take the assessment and learn about your top strengths. In the book, the 34 CliftonStrengths themes are explained and when you complete the assessment, you get a detailed report of your top 5 themes. When you complete the assessment, I think you’ll be amazed at how accurately the results describe you. Mine were spot on and I also gained some new perspective on strengths that were many not too obvious to me.
And when you fully understand your strengths and how to leverage them, you can and will accomplish outstanding results.
Now for the second book…
I just love Brené Brown’s work and how authentic she is but this book in particular has given me so much value and I know others who have benefited from it as well.
The Gifts of Imperfection – Brené Brown
In this book, Brené Brown talks about ten guideposts to living a wholehearted life which includes the things we might want to let go of, things that may be getting in our way and what we might want to start cultivating. I loved this book. It’s a relatable, easy read with a questionnaire exercise to do that gives you the wholehearted inventory results on how you are living your life. You get a score of where you rank on each of the ten guideposts. You’re also given actionable practices throughout the book that you can implement to improve your life and overall well-being. I feel like it not only helped me to embrace who I am but also to recognize that there are areas of my life that could benefit from some attention which I have added to my personal development plan. There was no surprise when I saw that I need to incorporate more calm and stillness in my life, as well as, play and rest ;), but it was great to have ideas and practices from her book that I could start implementing today. It’s tough when we know we have areas in our lives that could use some improvement but don’t know where to begin but with this book, there’s no guessing.
And now for the third book…
This is something I learned of last year which I have found to be so fun to dig into!
Naked with the Enneagram – Adriana Tenora
I’m kind of obsessed with the Enneagram personality types and this book did not disappoint. On the cover of the book, she writes that it is a powerfully accurate, no-BS journey into your unique personality type and I could not agree more. This book talks about what the Enneagram is and describes the nine Enneagram types in great detail. It includes 6 different tests in the back of the book to help you get even more accurate on your unique personality. This book gave me insight as to who I am at my core, how I perform when I am at my best, as well as, actionable ways to take care of myself. Understanding the Enneagram types of the people around me has also helped me tremendously. In our house, we all have different personality types and when I read about each of our family members’ types, it was very eye-opening for me. I’m a type three and now understand why I may exhaust my family at times with my drive and so, I try to be a little more careful. I highly recommend getting to know your Enneagram type if you don’t know it already. You get so much clarity on who you are, what drives you, who you are at your best, your worst and so much more. I recently wrote a blog about the Enneagram and how knowing your type can benefit you, so if you’re interested to learn more, it’s the post dated April 18.
That’s my short list of books I’ve read so far that have helped me learn more about myself, which has been instrumental in my personal life, my career and my relationships and I hope they can offer the same for you.
If you found value in this post, please share it with someone you know who wants to get to know themselves on a deeper level.
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photo by george milton
