As we near the end of 2019 and are about to start a new year and a new decade, it is a good time to look ahead and make plans to achieve our personal, fitness, financial and career goals. Here are very short summaries of the best books that I have read on achieving success in life. These books have helped me and I often refer back to them time and time again for strategies and inspiration. I hope you find some helpful tips and tools to accelerate your success.

1. 9 Things Successful People Do Differently – Heidi Grant Halvorsen, Ph.D

Get specific, take action and know how far you have left to go are just three of the nine things successful people do differently.

2. Grit – Angela Duckworth

Grit or persistence turns out to be a key factor in achievement. This book shows how you can improve the amount of grit you have and use a growth mindset to achieve what you want in life.

3. The Success Principles – Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, the author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” provides short daily tips that will help you become more successful. This is a great book if you are looking for a quick shot of motivation.

4. They Call Me Coach – John Wooden

Former UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden lays out the details of his success pyramid. Coach Wooden discusses his life, philosophy and concern for developing the whole person that led him to being the most successful coach in college basketball.

5. The Seven Principles of Highly Effective People – Steven Covey

If you read one book on success, this is the book. By following the Seven principles laid out by Stephen Covey, you will become a better and more successful person. I have reread this book several times over the past twenty years and continue to learn something new every time.

6. Succeed – How We Can Reach Our Goals – Heidi Grant Halvorsen, Ph.D

Did you know that setting challenging goals leads to more success than setting easy goals? Heidi Grant-Halvorsen shows the best proven techniques for achieving your goals. This book goes way past SMART goals to give you the tools needed to reach your goals.

7. Creating Your Best Life - The Ultimate Life List Guide - Caroline Adams Miller Mapp & Dr. Michaels B. Frisch

Have you made a “100 things to do before I die: list? This book shows the power of lists in helping us achieve our best life.

8. Mindset - The New Psychology of Success; How we can live to our full potential - Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D

Having a “growth mindset” or a “closed mindset” can make all the difference in our life. Learn when it’s best to have a growth mindset and when it’s better to have a closed mindset.

9. The First 20 Hours – How to Learn Anything Fast – Josh Kaufman

Interested in speeding up your learning curve? How you approach the first 20 hours of learning can impact how much and how well you learn a new skill, task or subject.

10. The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

Little things can make all the difference in life. In everything we do there is a threshold or boiling point where the scale tips in our favor. The Tipping Point uses examples from history to show how the little things in our life add up to provide the momentum to succeed.

11. The Power of Habit - Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - Charles Duhigg

Our habits determine what we do on a daily basis. This book explores the hidden habits that drive our behavior and shows ways that we can change to improve our lives and achieve our goals.

12. Atomic Habits - James Clear

How to use systems and strategies to adopt good habits and eliminate bad habits. Use the power of small behaviors to create powerful habits for success.

I hope you enjoy these books. Let me know your favorite books on success, achievement or personal growth.