Would you like to know one habit that super-successful students have in common? They read …. a lot. They read purposely.

Achievement motivated individuals read to learn new things, to educate themselves and to gain inspiration and guidance from ultra successful people in widely diverse fields. They read to get the information they need to be successful.

They make time to read – some for as little as 30 minutes a week, others for 30 minutes a day. Some make it part of their morning routine whilst others integrate it into their bedtime routine. Still others utilise their travelling time to and from school to pick up a book and read.

If you aspire to be like top students, cultivate their reading habits.

Happy reading!

Highly successful people have one habit in common. They read. A lot.

They read to learn. Everyday they set aside 30 minutes or more to: expanding their knowledge, learning new skills and improving their thinking patterns.

Most of what they read is non-fiction. They read the biographies and autobiographies of high achievers. They tend to be motivated and inspired by real-life stories of ambitious and successful people. In these human stories they learn how successful people think and behave, detect what is possible and grasp how those who have already done so, achieved success.
Each month, SuccessDNA, will be compiling lists of books that students, parents and educators must read to achieve goals, increase productivity, be competitive and to take performance to new heights.  Books include classics which have stood the test of time and trending international best sellers on the psychology and science of academic success.

To rise above the ordinary, read your way to success.

Happy reading!

1.  Success Principles

by Jack Canfield

In his book, Success Principles, Jack Canfield presents the view that personal achievement is neither dependent on privilege nor talent. Rather, he contends that the power to achieve is a skill that can be taught.

Success Principles helps any aspiring person get from where they are to where they want to be by teaching them the principles and strategies of success used by successful men and women throughout history.

In his book Success Principles, Canfield explains that there is one basic principle at the heart of it all – taking 100 percent responsibility for one’s life and one’s results. Canfield presents this principle as a formula, E + R = O (Events + Response = Outcome). Simply explained, an event occurs in life, you respond to that event and subsequently you have an outcome. Most people who do not get the outcome they want, tend to blame the event. According to Canfield, what they overlook, however, is the role their response has played in the outcome. Canfield maintains that if you want to start producing different results you need to change your thinking, change the pictures you hold in your head, change your beliefs and change your behaviours.

Best quote:  If you are going to be a winner, you have to acknowledge the truth—it is you who took the actions, thought the thoughts, created the feelings, and made the choices that got you to where you now are. It was you!

Purchase Success Principles in the Amazon Store.

2.  Think and Grow Rich 

by Napoleon Hill
Why is it that some people succeed? Napoleon Hill, in Think and Grow Rich, argues it has to do with the power of the mind. He declares that thoughts create one’s beliefs, which lead to actions, which in turn lead to habits, which ultimate create one’s reality.

He states that by focusing one’s thinking on success rather than dwelling on obstacles, failures or other setbacks, achieving success will be much more likely.

Hill presents the view that successful people think and behave differently and explores the relationship between thoughts, beliefs, actions, habits and success.

His view is that with sharp focus, drive, persistence and perseverance you too can achieve extraordinary things.

Best quote: Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Purchase Think and Grow Rich in the Amazon Store.

3.  Emotional Intelligence

by Daniel Goleman
Can emotional intelligence matter more than IQ? Can it be nurtured and strengthened or is it fixed at birth?

Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of Emotional Intelligence, argues that a prerequisite to learning and focus, is the ability to manage one’s emotions.

Goleman’s argument gives new insights into our brain architecture. In his book he discusses the role that Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ) plays in learning successfully, by offering the reader an insight into how the rational and emotional parts of our mind work together.

Mr Goleman believes that emotional intelligence is not fixed at birth and shows how emotional intelligence can be cultivated in all of us. He sets out four domains of EI: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management and states that in order to excel one needs to develop each of these domains.

Best quote: If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.

Purchase Emotional Intelligence in the Amazon Store.

4.  Awaken The Giant Within

by Anthony Robbins

Anthony Robbins, a recognised leader in the science of peak performance and the acknowledged expert in the psychology of change, provides a step-by-step program teaching the fundamental lessons of self mastery that will enable you to clarify your purpose, take control of your emotions, overcome your limiting beliefs and direct actions towards increasing the quality of your life.

Best quote:  It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.

Purchase Awaken the Giant Within in the Amazon Store.

5.  7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

by Stephen R. Covey

7 Habits of Highly Effective People provides a principle-centred, character based framework for personal effectiveness and success.

In his view no one habit is more important than another.  Rather they are connected and  builds on each other in increments.  For maximum effectiveness he argues that one needs to apply these habits consistently.

This book gives you a way of doing things differently to produce different results.

Best quote:  Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.

Purchase 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in the Amazon Store.

6.  The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

by Deepak Chopra

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfilment of Your Dreams, Deepak Chopra offers a different perspective on the attainment of success.

He breaks away from the traditional view that personal success requires hard work, perseverance and drive. His is a more spiritual approach to success.

He states that there are many parts to success which include: good health, energy and enthusiasm for life, fulfilling relationships, emotional and psychological stability, a sense of well being and peace of mind. He defines seven principles, or “spiritual laws” that the reader can apply to achieve goals more effortlessly.

It is one of those books I guarantee you will read again and again.

Best quote: Success is a journey, not a destination.

Purchase The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success in the Amazon Store.

7.  50 Success Classics

by Tom Butler-Bowden

50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work, by Tom Butler-Bowden, offers the reader a balanced synthesis of the key points from 50 of the greatest enduring works from pioneering thinkers, philosophers and powerful leaders; inspirational entrepreneurs and great leaders.

A book for those of you who are interested in uncovering the characteristics of successful people.

Purchase 50 Success Classics in the Amazon Store.

8.  The Power of Your Subconscious Mind

by Joseph Murphy

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Joseph Murphy, describes what the subconscious mind is, how it functions, how to treat it, and the wonders it can do for you.

Best quote:  Just keep your conscious mind busy with expectation of the best.

Purchase The Power of Your Subconscious Mind in the Amazon Store.

Would you like to know one habit that ultra-successful students have in common? They read …. a lot.

Achievement motivated individuals, however, do not read indiscriminately. They read to learn new things, to educate themselves and to gain inspiration and guidance from ultra successful people in diverse fields.

They find time to read – some for 30 minutes a week, others for 30 minutes a day. Some make it part of their morning routine whilst others integrate it into their bedtime routine. Still others utilise their travelling time to and from school to pick up a book and read.

If you aspire to be like top students, adopt their prolific reading habits.

Whether reading is already a way of life for you, or you are just getting started, here are some books SuccessDNA recommends you consider.

Happy reading!

1.  Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

by Angela Duckworth

The correlation between intellect and achievement has been well documented. Less, however, is known about individual, non-cognitive predictors of success.

Psychologist, Angela Duckworth, in her New York Times bestseller, Grit, shows anyone who seeks to succeed – be it students, parents or educators – that the secret to extraordinary achievement is not talent but a mix of passion and long term perseverance or persistence she calls “grit”.

Among Duckworth’s most valuable insights are that grit is a more reliable predictor of success than aptitude or intelligence (I.Q.). and, that grit can be learned regardless of I.Q. or circumstances.

Duckworth’s findings contribute to a better understanding of what leads some students to outperform others and remain committed to their studies.

Best quote:  Nobody wants to show you the hours and hours of becoming. They’d rather show the highlight of what they’ve become.

Purchase Grit in the Amazon Store.

2.  Why People Fail: The 16 Obstacles to Success and How You Can Overcome Them

by Siimon Reynolds
Why People Fail: The 16 Obstacles to Success and How You Can Overcome Them, explores the main causes of failure and offers solutions for overcoming it and creating a successful personal life. The book offers strategies for defeating the most common failure habits such as low productivity, stress, fixed mindset, destructive thinking, lack of daily rituals, and more.

Best quote:  Failure leads to success.

Purchase Why People Fail in the Amazon Store.

3.  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

by Carol Dweck
Leading expert in achievement and success, Stanford University psychology professor, Carol Dweck, explains how our mindset can contribute to our success as learners and in life.

She makes clear that people with the right mindset, a “growth mindset”, believe that even basic talents and abilities can be developed over time through experience, mentorship, and so on.

She shows parents and teachers how to cultivate a growth mindset and empower and motivate students, help them to achieve and raise their grades, foster self-esteem and build resilience.

Best quote:  You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.

Purchase Mindset: The New Psychology of Success in the Amazon Store.

4.  Thick Face Black Heart

by Chin-Ning Chu

Thick Face Black Heart, by the world’s foremost expert on the Asian business mind, Chin-Ning Chu, is about thriving, winning and succeeding using the ancient wisdom of the East.

The book takes some of the best of ancient Chinese philosophy and applies it to success in one’s personal life. It takes the reader beyond the warrior philosophy of Sun Tzu’s,  Art of War.

Thick Face Black Heart is one of those books you may have to read a couple of times to fully grasp, but it is well worth the effort.

Best quote:  Work Does Not Need You, You Need Work. Through Work, Destiny Unfolds. Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

Purchase Thick Face Black Heart in the Amazon Store.

5.  The Power of Habit

by Charles Duhigg

In essence, The Power of Habit contains the argument that the key to achieving success is understanding how habits work.

In his book, Charles Duhigg explains why habits exist, how they are formed, where they reside in our brains and how they can be changed. We discover how the right habits are crucial to success.

This book takes a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.

Best quote: This process within our brains is a three-step loop. First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Then there is the routine, which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future: THE HABIT LOOP.

Purchase The Power of Habit in the Amazon Store.

6.  Outliers: The Story of Success

by Malcolm Gladwell
Success – the result of 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, taking advantage of opportunities, IQ or persistence? Or, all four?

Malcolm Gladwell argues that it is not the brightest who succeed. Nor is success the outcome of the choices and decisions individuals make. His premise is that it is the result of having been given opportunities and having the strength and the presence of mind to seize and leverage them.

Gladwell analyses what make “outliers,” those incredibly successful people, successful. He dismisses the notion of “natural ability” and “overnight success”, showing that anyone can become an expert at anything if they just spend 10,000 hours doing it. He also dismisses the idea of innate ability or IQ showing that it is more about what one does with the intelligence they have. In addition, he relates success to rigorous work ethic, effort and time.

A thought provoking and at times challenging read.

Best quote:  Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds.

Purchase Outliers: The Story of Success in the Amazon Store.

7.  How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, the Hidden Power of Character

by Paul Tough
Why do some children succeed while others fail?

In his book, How Children Succeed, Paul Tough, presents an alternative to the prevailing view that success is determined by one’s intelligence or brain power.

Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter most, have more to do with character: skills like conscientiousness, curiosity, grit, optimism, perseverance, self-control and self-confidence. He further claims that these non-cognitive skills which are most important in determining whether someone will be successful, can be fostered.

I would recommend this book to young adults, parents, and teachers (in-service and pre-service).

Best quote: Character strengths that matter so much to young people’s success are not innate; they don’t appear in us magically, as a result of good luck or good genes. And they are not simply a choice. They are rooted in brain chemistry, and they are moulded, in measurable and predictable ways, by the environment in which children grow.

Purchase How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, the Hidden Power of Character in the Amazon Store.

8.  Thinking Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

In the international best seller, Thinking Fast and Slow, the renowned psychologist Kahneman takes us on a tour of the mind and describes what drives the way we think as well as how these two systems shape our judgements and our decisions.

Best quote: The world makes much less sense than you think.  The coherence comes mostly from the way your mind works.

Purchase Thinking Fast and Slow in the Amazon Store.

9.  Flourish

by Dr Martin Seligman

What is it that allows one to flourish – to cultivate one’s talents, to achieve, to build strong relationships and to be happy?

Seligman, Professor of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Psychology, in his book Flourish, provides a new theory of success. He makes the argument that teaching kids wellbeing (resilience, optimism) is more powerful than any other intervention.

This is a thought provoking book in its implications for education and for parents who want to raise children with an improved sense of well being. Be prepared for an academic tone which may not appeal to all readers.

Best quote:  It is the combination of reasonable talent and the ability to keep going in the face of defeat that leads to success.

Purchase Flourish in the Amazon Store.

10.  The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way

by Amanda Ripley

In a clear and engaging style, Amanda Ripley, in The Smartest Kids in the World And How They Got That Way, reveals how students in top performing countries have consistently performed beyond the ordinary. She argues that what makes students better students and brighter students is hard work, persistence and resilience. It is these skills which matter more to our children’s life chances than self-esteem or sports.

Best quote:  I’d been looking around the world for clues as to what other countries were doing right, but the important distinctions were not about spending or local control or curriculum; none of that mattered very much. Policies mostly worked in the margins. The fundamental difference was a psychological one. The education superpowers believed in rigor. People in these countries agreed on the purpose of school: School existed to help students master complex academic material. Other things mattered, too, but nothing mattered as much.

Purchase The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way in the Amazon Store.