Wouldn't you agree with me that 2020 has been a crazy year for everyone? If this time has taught us anything, that would be the value of being flexible and adaptive.

The New Year has just arrived yesterday, but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to make personal development their New Year’s Resolution. In fact, I believe all of us should try to make small incremental changes throughout the year when there is less pressure to do so.

This is where business and personal development books shine. These books can help guide you as you seek to make changes to your day-to-day life while giving you the freedom to make those changes at your own pace.

Get ready to level up this year by diving into some of the best finance and personal development books that will help you make big changes in your life.

As the saying goes: "Reading is to the mind like exercise is to the body and prayer is to the soul. We become the books we read." Hal Elrod

Therefore, I would like to implore you to never stop learning. Books provide you with incredible mentors and amazing insights into the minds of people who have been there and done it.

Since there are so many books out there, it can be overwhelming to pick the ones worth reading. After all, you need your mindset right and you need to filter the best information to make the best decisions in a chaotic and changing system.

To help you cut through heaps of books and find books worth investing in, here are 12 books that you might want to consider reading in 2021. 

1. High Perfomance Habits by Brendon Burchard 

There are so many books written about habits and the habits of successful people. However, Brendon has a unique perspective which makes this worth reading. The 6 habits which he has highly recommended in this book are worth implementing. Besides, the golden nuggets in this book will definitely help to mold you into a more successful and enlightened person.

2. Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need by Grant Sabatier

This was a book recommended by my friend and guest of The Raygacy Show, Winston Ye. He told me that this is a must-read for anyone who wants to grasp the concept of financial freedom. I believe this is necessary for everyone as it shows the nuts and bolts of financial freedom. This book allows you to turn from "I wish I could but I can't afford" to "Okay, I can definitely afford this.". Remember, you can’t master money if you don’t understand it well.

3. Escape: The 4 Stages of Becoming A Successful Entrepreneur by Anik Singal

In this book, Ani addressed a lot of soft skills which a lot of business books ignore. It's essentially a manual for being an entrepreneur, breaking down each of the key areas you need to gain skills in - Self, Catapult, Authority, and People - into further sub-categories such as time, money, paradigms and etc.

4. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How To Tell Your Story In A Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk

This might be 1 of the earliest books that Gary has written but it still has so much gold in it which most are still applicable today. Gary's no-nonsense descriptions of the various social media sites and how to use them are INDISPENSABLE! You'll definitely be able to garner information from this book and apply them in your business.

5. Sell Like Crazy: How to Get As Many Clients, Customers and Sales As You Can Possibly Handle by Sabri Suby

As a business owner, your #1 responsibility is to SELL! A perfect example would be a baker is actually not in the baking business! They're in the business of selling baked goods.

This book is centred around the idea that the main purpose of a business is to market and sell its products. Not so much of the catchy phrase of your slogan or anything else.

6. Sometimes You Win - Sometimes You Learn: Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses by John C. Maxwell 

If you have experienced failure and it still holds onto you, then this book is for YOU! Especially during this difficult period of time, all we need is to change our paradigm. And if watching Youtube videos or speaking to your family, friends or counsellor can't even help you, then this book will work magic on you.

7. Survive and Thrive: How to Secure, Scale and Succeed in Business by Gavin Preston 

If you are having a tough time in your business right now, then this will be the book for you. This book acts as a toolkit for every business owner to survive and thrive during these difficult times. I believe that's what all of us need and that's real-life stories together with practical steps on how to do it.

8. The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield with Janet Switzer

This book is one of the game-changing ones for me and even some of my friends. This book forces you to think of your small successes rather than failures. The 67 timeless principles provided by Jack are efficient and practical for everyone to implement.

9. Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Finding Your Message, Building a Tribe, and Changing the World by Russell Brunson

This is I would say every marketers' playbook. This might have been around in the market for a while but I would say that this is a great book. This book is JAM PACKED with many valuable and actionable insights! Something which I believe you should not give it a miss especially when you are just starting out.

10. Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice From the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss, Kaleo Griffith, et al.

When I first saw that Tim is launching this book, I was like "Man, I'm so getting it" though I have yet to finish his other book titled "Tools of Titans". This book is absolutely fantastic as every 20, 30 and 40-year-olds should be reading this. Why? He gives you access to some of the world’s most powerful people, which for most of us won’t have the privilege of interviewing & meeting in real life. The pieces of advice provided by his interviewees such as Gary Vee, Ray Dalio and etc are helpful and interesting.

11. Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, et al.

A well-written book for startups and small businesses. There are many tools and actionable insights outlined in the book that you can apply to your organizations regardless of the size and industry. The information provided here is easy to read and digest too. 

12. The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life: Before 8AM by Hal Elrod

This book will help both "larks" and "owls" make your morning energetic, happy, and full of joy all day long. The tips provided in this book are something which I practiced mostly during my morning shifts, but something, which you can also try as well.

I hope these books will help you in your journey towards self-love, getting motivated and getting clear on what you want to achieve in 2021. Ps. Your success lies in your own hands, so fill them with a book from time to time.

Do let me know in the comment section which books have impacted you as well.

With that, I would like to wish everyone a great year ahead.