I credit a fraction of who I am today to each of these books. Many of them challenged my internal status quo, opening my mind to new ideas. And together, they gave me a basic framework for living, loving, learning, and working successfully.

If you haven’t taken the time to read them, do yourself a favor and do so. It will be time well spent.

1. The Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck: Pretty much the granddaddy of all self-improvement books, it’s easily one of the best nonfiction works I’ve ever read. By melding love, science, and spirituality into a primer for personal growth, Peck guides the reader through lessons on delaying gratification, accepting responsibility for decisions, dedicating oneself to truth and reality, and creating a balanced lifestyle.

2. Radical Honesty, by Brad Blanton: The book’s basic point is sound—honesty is the best policy. With a brash, “in your face” writing style, Blanton states that lying is the primary cause of human stress and advocates strict truthfulness as the key to achieving intimacy in relationships and happiness in life.

3. The Art of Learning, by Josh Waitzkin: Josh Waitzkin transformed himself from a championship chess master into an elite Tai Chi martial arts practitioner. This book is part autobiography, part chess memoir, and part martial arts philosophy. Essentially, Waitzkin offers his own approach to becoming a student and applying certain disciplines and habits toward learning and eventually mastering any skill.

4. Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream, by Adam Shepard: Shepard started his life over from scratch in Charleston, South Carolina, with $25 and the clothes on his back. He lived in a homeless shelter while looking for work. His goal was to start with nothing and, within a year, work hard enough to save $2500, buy a car, and live in a furnished apartment. Scratch Beginnings is sometimes sad, sometimes amusing, pointed, and thought-provoking—all the makings of a book well worth reading.

5. The Joy of Simple Living, by Jeff Davidson: A great resource for anyone wanting to cut down on the clutter and confusion in their life. Davidson takes a step-by-step, easy to follow approach to simplifying your house, garage, office, car, etc. Not only will you learn to create an orderly home, you’ll gain the knowledge necessary to be a more successful spouse, parent, and worker by learning how to prioritize and simplify.

6. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini: Arguably the best book on the science of persuasion. Cialdini explains the six psychological principles that drive our powerful impulse to comply to the pressures of others and shows how we can defend ourselves against manipulation (or put these principles to work for our own interests).

7. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, by T. Harv Ecker: This book competently discusses the missing link between wanting success and achieving it. If you suspect that your mindset is holding you back from making more money and achieving your goals, you’d be wise to give this title a thorough read.

8. Management of the Absurd, by Richard Farson: Farson zeros in on the paradoxes of communication, the politics of management, and the dilemmas of change, exploring relationships within organizations and offering a unique perspective on the challenges managers face. I highly recommend this book for anyone in a management or leadership role, including parents and teachers.

9. Overachievement, by John Eliot: According to Eliot, in order to achieve spectacular success, one must change his or her thoughts about pressure and learn to welcome it, enjoy it, and make it work. Eliot says that goal setting, relaxation, and visualization, the typical self-help suggestions, just don’t work well for most people. This book provides some great food for thought that attempts to counteract the primary points of other major self-help gurus.

10. The Magic of Thinking Big, by David Schwartz: This is another classic self-improvement book. Schwartz gives the reader useful, proactive steps for achieving success. He presents a clear-cut program for getting the most out of your job, marriage, family life, and other relationships. In doing so, he proves that you don’t need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction in life.

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