The Power List

I grew up reading self-help and spirituality-related books. It started when my mom gave me The Little Me and THE GREAT ME by Lou Austin when I was four years old. From then, every year she would add to my collection. I was such a bookworm, I skipped two grades of school reading everything I could. Later, I added even more when I studied Sociology and Studio Design at Wellesley College, business strategy and management at Harvard Business School, and then later World Religions for my Ph.D. I also did over 1,000 hours of yoga teacher training, including meditation and mindfulness with extensive reading on those topics.

My parents–mother a journalist and father a professor–were also avid readers. In my family home, we have libraries and bookshelves on every floor of the house, including the basement! Over the past few decades, I’ve read over 1,000 personal development books covering a wide range of topics such as spirituality, inspiration, yoga, wellness, mindfulness, business empowerment, and leadership. I am particularly fascinated by consciousness and the brain.

The Second Principle of Power Living®, Tune Your Mind To The Positive, has to do with tuning your mental energy to create positive manifestations, achieve focus and spur inspiration. In the Power Living® Practice, we share various ways to do this, from meditation and breathing techniques to strategic eating and productivity planning. Another part of the practice involves feeding your mind through foundation reading–-the study of truth-seeking writings, from ancient, sacred texts to modern philosophies.

Most of the great spiritual traditions encourage this type of positive study. The Yoga Sutras [I-44] talk about svadhyaya, or spiritual study as part of your practice. The Bible talks about this in Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–-meditate on these things.

Part of your journey towards being authentic is to recognize your core beliefs and reinforce them through ongoing study. To that end, I’ve compiled The Power List of some of my favorite and foundational books in various categories, as well as more recent titles I’ve read.

The Power List

Spirituality, Self-Improvement & Inspiration

• Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu (4th century BC)
• Emerson’s Essays, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841)
• As a Man Thinketh, James Allen (1902)
• The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran (1923)
• The Law of Success, Napoleon Hill (1925)
• The Game of Life & How To Play It, Florence Scovel Shinn (1925)
• The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes (1926)
• Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill (1937)
• Treat Yourself to Life, Raymond Charles Barker (1954)
• The Little Me and THE GREAT ME, Lou Austin (1957)
• The Science of Successful Living: Your Spiritual Formula for a Joyous Life, Raymond Charles Barker (1957)
• Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of my Experiments with Truth (1957)
• The Greatest Salesman In The World, Og Mandino (1968)
• The God Memorandum, Og Mandino (1975)
• A Course in Miracles, Helen Schucman (1975)
• Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chögyam Trungpa (1978)
• The Road Less Travelled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth, M. Scott Peck, M.D. (1978)
• The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho (1988)
• The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav (1989)
• The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield (1993)
• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams, Deepak Chopra MD (1994)
• Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Book 1, Neale Donald Walsch (1995)
• Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Book 2, Neale Donald Walsch (1995)
• Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh (1995)
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book), Don Miguel Ruiz (1997)
• Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Book 3, Neale Donald Walsch (1998)
• Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential, Caroline Myss (2001)
• A Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?, Rick Warren (2002)
• The Power of Intention, Wayne W. Dyer (2005)
• A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, Eckhart Tolle (2005)
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D (2006)
• Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao, Wayne W. Dyer (2007)
• The Untethered Soul, Michale A. Singer (2007)
• The Surrender Experiment, Michael A. Singer (2015)
• Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living, Shauna Niequist (2016)
• Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide To Joy, Sadhguru (2016)
• The Book of Mysteries, Jonathan Cahn (2016)
• Something Needs To Change: An Urgent Call To Make Your Life Count, David Platt (2019)
• Happiness Is The Way: How to Reframe Your Thinking and Work with What You Already Have to Live the Life of your Dreams, Wayne W. Dyer (2019)
• The Energy Codes: The 7-Step System to Awaken Your Spirit, Heal Your Body, and Live Your Best Life, Dr. Sue Morter (2019)
• Karma: A Yogi’s Guide To Crafting Your Destiny, Sadhguru (2021)
• The Way of Integrity: FInding The Path To Your True Self, Martha Beck (2021)
• Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most, Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz (2023)
• The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before BAM), Hal Elrod (2023)
• Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, Adam Grant (2023)
• Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey (2023)
• The Wealth Money Can’t Buy: The 8 Hidden Habits to Live Your Richest Life, Robin Sharma (2024)
• Far From Fine: A Transformative Journey from Autopilot to Intentional Living, Shwetha Sivaraman (2024)

Consciousness, Mindfulness & The Brain

• Meditation In Action, Chögyam Trungpa (1969)
• The SIlva Mind Control Method: The Revolutionary Program by the Founder of the World’s Most Famous Mind Control Course, Jose Silva and Philip Miele (1977)
• Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990)
• Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness in Everyday Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994)
• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle (1997)
• The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles, Bruce H. Lipton (2005)
• The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality, His Holiness The Dalai Lama (2005)
• The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement In The Cultivation of Well-Being, Daniel J. Siegel (2007)
• Einstein’s God: Conversations About Science & the Human Spirit, Krista Tippett (2010)
• Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, Dr. Joe Dispenza (2012)
• Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-Being, Deepak Chopra MD and Rudolph E. Tanzi Ph.D. (2012)
• You Are The Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter, Dr. Joe Dispenza (2014)
• Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon, Dr. Joe Dispenza (2017)
• You Are the Universe: Discovering your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters (2017)
• Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence–The Groundbreaking Meditation Practice, Daniel J. Siegel, MD (2018)
• Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, Dr. Deepak Chopra (2019)
• Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness, David Perlmutter and Austin Perlmutter (2020)
• Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy, Dawson Church (2020)
• The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and our Quest for an Inspired Life, Lisa Miller, Ph.D. (2021)
• Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes A Day, Amishi P. Jha, Ph.D. (2021)
• Your Brain on Art: How The Arts Transform Us, Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen (2023)
• Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, Gretchen Rubin (2023)
• Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire your Habits to Thrive with Enough, Michael Easter (2023)
• Fierce Resilience: Combatting Workplace Stress One Conversation at a Time, Edward Beltran (2024)
• Consciousness Is All There Is: How Understanding and Experiencing Consciousness Will Transform Your Life, Dr. Tony Nader (2024)

Health & Wellness

• Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappé (1971)
• Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing: A Practical Guide, Vasant Lad (1985)
• Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine, Deepak Chopra, MD (1989)
• Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Survey, Dean Ornish, MD (1990)
• Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A Practical A-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements, James F. Balch, MD and Phyllis Balch, CNC (1990)
• 8 Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body’s Natural Healing Power. Andrew Weil, MD (1991)
• Heal Thyself for Health and Longevity, Queen Afua (1992)
• Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old, Deepak Chopra, MD (1993)
• Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet, Elaine Gottschall MS (1994)
• Spontaneous Healing: How to Discover and Embrace Your Body’s Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself, Andrew Weil, MD (1995)
• Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight, Peter J D’Adamo and Catherine Whitney (1996)
• Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best, Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD (1999)
• Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being, Andrew Weil, MD (2004)
• YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger, Michael F. Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD (2005)
• YOU on a Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management, Michael F. Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD (2006)
• Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer, Lose Weight, and Gain Health (2008)
• The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Younger From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, Dan Buettner (2008)
• Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting, Terrie Williams (2008)
• Gutbliss: A 10-Day Plan to Ban Bloat, Flush Toxins, and Dump Your Digestive Baggage, Robynne Chutkan (2013)
• Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health, Alejandro Junger (2013)
• Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, Kelly A. Turner (2014)
• Super Genes: Unlock the Astonishing Power of Your DNA for Optimum Health and Well-Being, Deepak Chopra, MD and Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D. (2015)
• Happy Gut: The Cleansing Program to Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Eliminate Pain, Vincent Pedre (2015)
• Way of the Iceman: How the Wim Hof Method Creates Radiant, Longterm Health — Using the Science & Secrets of Breath Control, Cold Training & Commitment, Wim Hof and Koen de Jong (2015)
• Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat is the Key to Sustained Weight Loss and Vibrant Health, Mark Hyman, MD (2016)
• The Toxin Solution: How Hidden Poisons in the Air, Water, Food and Products We Use Are Destroying Our Health–AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO FIX IT, Joseph Pizzorno (2017)
• Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor (2020)
• The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World, Mark Hyman, MD (2021)
• Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior: Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious: A Cookbook, Jane Esselstyn and Ann Crile Esselstyn (2022)
• Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Peter Attia, MD (2023)
• Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest Healthiest Life, Mark Hyman, MD (2023)
• The Blue Zones Secrets for Longer Living: Lessons From The Healthiest Places On Earth, Dan Buettner (2023)
• Quantum Body: The New Science of Living a Longer, Healthier, More Vital Life, Deepak Chopra, MD, Jack Tuszynsk, Ph.D. and Brian Fertig, MD (2023)
• Gut Check: Unleash the Power of Your Microbiome to Reverse Disease and Transform Your Mental, Physical and Emotional Health, Steven Gundry (2024)
• Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism And Limitless Health, Casey Means, MD (2024)

Business Empowerment, Leadership & Peak Performance

• The Practice of Management, Peter F. Drucker (1954)
• Managing For Results, Peter F. Drucker (1964)
• Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, Robert K. Greenleaf (1977)
• Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!, Robert H. Schuller (1983)
• Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement, Tony Robbins (1986)
• Success is Never Ending, Failure Is Never Final, Robert H. Schuller (1988)
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey (1989)
• Awaken The Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial Destiny!, Tony Robbins (1991)
• The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done, Peter F. Drucker (1996)
• Leading Change: An Action Plan from the World’s Foremost Expert on Business Leadership, John Kotter (1996)
• Get Out Of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior, Philip Goldberg & Mark Goulston MD (1996)
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, John C. Maxwell (1998)
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
• Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goldman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie Mckee (2001)
• Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work & in Life One Conversation at a Time, Susan Scott (2002)
• The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not TIme, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (2003)
• Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching and Results, Marilee Adams (2004)
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell (2005)
• The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, Steven M. R. Covey (2006)
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, Marshall Goldsmith (2007)
• Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell (2008)
• Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman (2011)
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg (2012)
• Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works, Alan G. Lafley and Roger Martin (2013)
• Money Master The Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom, Tony Robbins (2014)
• Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family, Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia (2015)
• Measure What Matters: The Simple Idea that Drives 10x Growth, John Doerr (2017)
• Dare To Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts, Brene Brown (2018)
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear (2018)
• Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive By Giving More Than They Take, Andrew S Winston and Paul Polman (2021)
• The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism, Hubert Joly (2021)
• Love + Work: How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It For The Rest of Your Life, Marcus Buckingham (2022)
• Real-Time Leadership: Find Your Winning Moves When The Stakes Are High, David Noble and Carol Kauffman (2023)
• Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World, Sally Susman (2023)
• Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems, Frances Frei and Anne Morriss (2023)
• The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying about What People Think of You, Michael Gervais (2023)
• Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations, Ron Shaich (2023)
• Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World, Ginni Rometty (2023)
• Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, Adam Grant (2023)
• How Leaders Learn: Master the Habits of the World’s Most Successful People, David C. Novak and Lari Bishop (2024)
• Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, Cal Newport (2024)

For the Serious Yogi

• The Bhagavad Gita: Pocket Edition, Swami Nikhilananda (1944)
• Concentration & Meditation, Sri Swami Sivananda (1945)
• Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda (1946)
• Self-Knowledge – The Atmabodha, Shakaracharya, translation and commentary by Swami Nikhilananda (1946)
• Self-Knowledge, Sri Swami Sivananda (1958)
• Sadhana, Sri Swami Sivananda (1958)
• Bliss Divine, Sri Swami Sivananda (1964)
• Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar (1966)
• Nine Principal Upanishads, Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1975)
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Swami Satchidananda (1978)
• The Science of Breath: A Practical Guide, Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., and Alan Hymes, M.D. (1979)
• Light on Pranayama, B.K.S. Iyengar (1981)
• The Living Gita, Swami Satchidananda (1988)
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Alistair Shearer (2002)
• The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, English translation by Brian Dana Akers (2002)
• Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses, Sri Dharma Mittra (2002)
• The Gheranda Samhita, English translation by James Mallinson (2004)
• Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar (2005)
• Yoga Anatomy, Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews (2007)
• The Science of Pranayama, Sri Swami Sivananda (2008)
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Edwin F. Bryant (2009)
• Yoga and Yogic Powers, Yogi Gupta (2014)
• Yoga and Long Life, Yogi Gupta (2015)
• Life of a Yogi Teachers Manual, Sri Dharma Mittra (2015)