Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

If you are an introvert, and you have trouble finding your place in today’s extrovert-inclined world, this book will help you. If you are an extrovert who has trouble understanding introverts, you will find your answers here. Some of the most famous introverts, like Rosa Parks, Einstein, Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, J.K. Rowling (and many more), are great examples that being introverted does not mean sitting quietly in the back row, waiting for your chance. Before Susan Cain became a writer, she practiced corporate law for seven years, representing clients such as Goldman Sachs. After that, she started a negotiation consultancy, training all kinds of people, from hedge fund managers to TV producers to college students negotiating their first salaries. Her clients have included Merrill Lynch, Shearman & Sterling, One Hundred Women in Hedge Funds, and many more.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – How we can learn to fulfill our potential by Carol S. Dweck 

This book is a mandatory read for everyone. It should be on the top of the list for parents, teachers, or anyone working with kids and young people to help them build the self-confidence they need to reach their full potential in life. This book will break a lot of prejudices and change your view of the world. The author, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. If you decide to read this book, you will not be disappointed, I promise.

Understand to Be Understood: By Using the Process Communication Model  by Gerard Collignon and Pascal Legrand 

If you want to understand yourself and others around you in a better way, this is the book for you. Why, after watching the same movie, do you and your friends have completely different impressions? Some of you will be amused, some will be inspired, and some of you will be sad. After reading this book, your communication skills will improve, and you will have less trouble accepting people as they are. It describes six basic personality types and their combinations which create our personality. The book is based on a process communication model created by Dr. Taibi Kahler, which has been tested on more than 1 million people and used by NASA to create the most effective teams for more than twenty years. 

Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing  by Bronnie Ware 

Excellent and definitely one-of-a-kind book. Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last twelve weeks of their lives. The true stories in the book will make you realize that you do not want to waste your life on the wrong things.This eye-opening book will make you rethink the way you want to live your life

The power of your subconscious mind by Joseph Murphy 

This book is the missing link between what you want and what you really get out of your life. If you neglect your subconscious mind and use only the conscious part of your mind there is no chance that you will ever live the life you really want. A conscious mind can focus only on a small part of the world around you, while your subconscious mind is doing everything else. It makes something useful out of the information you feed it with, directs your focus on the things important to you, and much more. If you are not aware of the power of your subconscious mind, this book will help you learn how to use it in the right way. Dr. Joseph Murphy has been acclaimed as a major figure in the human potential movement and one of the best-selling authors in the mid-twentieth century. 

Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert A. Johnson 

If you ever did something completely crazy and asked yourself, “What the hell was I thinking about?” this is the book for you. This book explains why we do crazy things sometimes, especially in moments when everything seems to go perfectly right. Robert Alex Johnson was an American Jungian analyst and author. His books have sold in more than 2.5 million copies.

Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life by Judith Orloff 

This book will help you find your way to overcome negativity and manage stress. One thing that I really like about this book is a dissection of different types of emotional vampires. It is not fun when you recognize yourself in one of these examples, but it is necessary to make a change. Dr. Orloff is a New York Times best-selling author who specializes in

A New Earth: Awakening Your Life’s Purpose  by Eckhart Tolle 

Ego loses control over you when you become aware of it. If you want to understand and control your own ego, or you want to discover how to deal with ego-controlled persons, this is the book for you. The urge to be right all the time, sticking to your opinions even when you know they are wrong, comparing with others all the time, talking to others in a disrespectful way, and many more examples—these are all common ego manifestations. This book has already helped millions, and it will help you too. Spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany and educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. At the age of twenty-nine, a profound inner transformation radically changed the course of his life.

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman 

This is a world classic on emotional intelligence. Living a good life goes hand in hand with your social skills and emotional intelligence. The quality of our relationships depends on our capability to understand others as well as ourselves. This book will help you understand why emotional intelligence often matters more than IQ. Daniel Goleman was a science reporter for The New York Times, was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and received the American Psychological Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his media writing.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)  by Don Miguel Ruiz 

This book will help you break your self-limiting beliefs and focus on the things that will help you live in a better way. The 50,000 book reviews with an average of 4.8 stars say everything (one in 200 persons leaves a review normally). The wisdom don Miguel has brought to the world has earned him respect around the globe. He has dedicated his life to sharing his message through practical concepts in order to promote transformation and ultimately change lives for the better. 

A few more great books related to self-discovery:

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson 

This book is excellent. It will make you rethink your priorities, tell you exactly what you can do to live better, and how to make the world a better place. Nobody will do hard work for you. Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist, cultural critic, and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. His main areas of study are the psychology of religious and ideological belief and the assessment and improvement of personality and performance.

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story  by Dan Harris 

The author describes dangerous situations that he went through as a journalist, which consequently pushed him to the abuse of various substances and the ways that helped him to get back on track. Dan Harris is a correspondent for ABC News and the co-anchor for the weekend edition of Good Morning America. Before that, he was the anchor of the Sunday edition of World News. He regularly contributes to stories for such shows as Nightline, 20/20, World News with Diane Sawyer, and GMA. Harris has reported from all over the planet, covering wars in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, and Iraq, and producing investigative reports in Haiti, Cambodia, and the Congo. If you are interested in meditation, this is an excellent book, to begin with.

The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream  by Paolo Coelho 

A famous novel about self-discovery inspired millions through the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. Truly enjoyable read for everyone. Paolo Coelho was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Being the author of thirty books that have sold over 320 million copies in 170 countries, he has become one of the most widely read authors in the world today.

Siddartha by Herman Hesse 

This inspiring novel is a great read for anyone on a journey to find themselves. A fictional character, a young boy named Siddartha goes on his way to self-discovery, leaving his home and parents behind. Abandoning his old way of life and spiritual leaders and passing through the temptations of the materialistic world without finding what he was looking for, Siddartha eventually discovers his own path to spiritual enlightenment. As far as I see it, the main idea of this story is that we all have our own way of self-discovery, and only we can find it. Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) was born in Germany and later became a citizen of Switzerland. As a Western man profoundly affected by the mysticism of Eastern thought, he wrote many novels, stories, and essays that bear a vital spiritual force that has captured the imagination and loyalty of many generations of readers.

To Have or to Be  by Erich Fromm 

Written in 1976, this timeless book explores the human obsession with “having” over “being.” The obsession with materialistic things can pull us away from our core values and make us prioritize the wrong things. This book will help you to readjust your focus on the truly important things in life. Erich Seligmann Fromm (March 23, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a German social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was associated with the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory.