Book Review

The world stood still as it was struck by a pandemic. Now, as lockdown measures are being eased throughout the world, our normal lives shall go back to normal along with our interests and habits. As we no longer need to binge-watch T.V shows, we can increase our reading habits as public libraries and book retailers ease COVID-19 restrictions and are open to the public, while practicing social distancing. So, go get yourself a good book and begin to read because,

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”
– George R.R. Martin.

Being human, we all have that one desire to be successful in life. This is made possible with the constant development of our own self, whether it’s development in a skill, our personality or the way we do things. This desire to constantly develop can be done with the help of books, and as we all are between the walls of our homes and have lots of time, we can learn quite a few things. So, in this edition of The Young Vision, we will be looking through some books related to Self-Development. Here are a list of books on Self-Development, reviewed…

The 7 habits of Highly Effective People

By Stephen R. Covey

Stephen Covey is an American educator, businessman and a well-known author. He is famous for his best-selling book – yes you guessed it – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This book is widely popular for the morals and knowledge it possesses, as the title states. The book showcases 7 habits of successful people, and so for those who aren’t yet successful, they can learn from those who are. The 7 habits are as follows: Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win-Win, Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, Synergize, and Sharpen the Saw. It is recommended for those who really want to go that extra mile to achieve something.

The Power of Now

By Eckhart Tolle

This book is nothing like any other on this list. The book, instead of talking about direct ways to success, talks about the spiritual part instead and how to find one’s own inner peace, which in turn will lead to success. The main reason for such a difference is because the author himself, Eckhart Tolle, had suffered from anxiety and suicidal depression for many years, but he found inner peace which led him to success and that inspired him to write this book. In turn, this book goes on to inspire many other people. If you are someone who stresses about unnecessary things and can’t find inner peace, then this book is for you.

How to Win Friends & Influence People

By Dale Carnegie

This book is exactly what the title promises and talks about the emotions and ideals of others and how one’s actions can influence others’ actions. The responses you receive are because of the actions you take. This idea is quoted in simple words by the author himself:
“When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.”
If you are someone who has difficulties in how you interact with others, this book can help.

What to Say When You Talk to Yourself

By Dr. Shad Helmstetter

We often talk to ourselves, and that information is nothing new to most of us. This book suggests that 77% of the things we say to ourselves are counter productive and so the author guides you to what to tell yourself when you talk to yourself so that you can achieve success without any distractions. Talking to oneself is considered counter productive so if we can counter this negative aspect, then we can succeed as we are being productive.

The Power of Positive Thinking

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

This book is all about positive thinking because the author believes that in order for someone to be successful they have to be happy – and a happy mind can only be attained through positive thinking. There are three main lessons the book conveys.

They are as follows:

• Be confident in what you do and watch your problems shrink.
  The world is exactly what you perceive it to be through your experience.
• To live worry free one must imagine it.

The Magic of Thinking Big

By David J. Schwartz

This piece of work is very well written; it covers almost everything about what you should and shouldn’t do, with the author clearly articulating his thoughts, for example:

“Success is determined not so much by the size of one’s brain as by the size of one’s thinking.”
– David J. Schwartz

The main idea being conveyed through the book is that ideas are good, but the bigger the size of the brain is not the reason for big ideas. Rather, it is the size of one’s thinking that matters. That is the magic of thinking big.

Daring Greatly

By Brene Brown

The author strongly showcases her emotions and ideas in a very powerful way. The book is just amazing. It talks about how, in order to be courageous, you need to be vulnerable, and being vulnerable doesn’t make you weak but rather it makes you strong. According to Brene Brown, you can make shame go away by verbalizing and understanding it. Kids can only be what you are, so be a role model. All this starts with being seen because:

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen”
– Brene Brown

I hope all of you are safe and healthy at home, and doing amazing new things to step out of your comfort zone and learn new skills alongside reading new books.
As always continue reading…