My introduction to personal development came at a time of crisis. Growing up, my parents both struggled financially and after their divorce, my father and I were living in the carpeted attic of a halfway house. I was 14, so just a kid, but feeling more and more like I needed to define my own path. We were surrounded by folks who were transitioning from prison, overcoming addiction, and looking for their own way out.
One night, one of these neighbors was up late, blasting ACDC and throwing beer cans out of the window. My dad was fed up, and he went to confront the guy, who was this big biker with a burning skull tattoo on his neck. He shoved my dad back and threatened to kill him in front of me. Fortunately, we were able to call the police and find a temporary place to stay until we were safe, but that moment is what pushed me to finally ask, How did we end up here? Why do people do what they do? The next morning I rode my skateboard to the library and started a 30-year journey of studying everything I could about human behavior.
At first, the self-help shelves were a revelation. I started taking more responsibility and focusing on what I could control. I found hope, motivation, and a vision of a brighter future. I cobbled together a personal development journey that carried me through high school and college.
Now I’ve read everything, and I’m perfectly enlightened.
OK, that’s a lie. Over time, I also found that most of these books are like walking on a treadmill that feeds you red velvet cupcakes, providing a quick surge of energy and an inevitable, empty crash. After college, I started to lapse back into a default disappointment because I wasn’t immediately reaching the new heights promised by these self-help gurus. I became the cliché twenty-something who moved to a big city, took up temp jobs, and spent my evenings trying to break into the famously lucrative world of slam poetry. I didn’t know it yet, but there was an empty corner of my personal library, and discovering new depths would make all the difference.
My latest solution, alas, was to become part of the problem, publishing my own book earlier this year: The Accomplished Creative: Overcome Imposter Syndrome, Forge Courage, and Tap Into Limitless Creativity. Does it sound just like any over-hyped paperback you’d buy at an airport and forget in an Uber? Sure. But what I attempted to create was aimed at the jaded self-help junkie like myself—the reader who has read so many titles in this genre that they can anticipate every platitude and cliché from a mile away.
But I’m not telling you to read my book. Honestly, there are a thousand others that deserve to be higher up on your stack. Instead, here is my challenge to you: The next time you walk into a physical or virtual book store, breeze right past the personal development section and don’t stop until the lights start to dim, the air around you gets cold, and you can’t see another human soul through the fog.
Yes, I’m suggesting that you read philosophy.
I know, I know: Many philosophers are insufferable. I might as well be asking you to practice an all-thumbtack diet while mastering the art of forehead percussion. But here’s the thing: You just need to find the right philosopher, the one who slows your skimming, primes your pulse, and rearranges your universe before you have a chance to escape.
At the very least, when someone asks you what you’ve been reading, you can casually say, “Oh, just postmodern deontology,” and marvel at how quickly their eyes glaze over. Really, forget about “Riz”—being simultaneously the weirdest and most boring person at the party is a superpower.
Not sure where to start? Here are my top three recommendations, in ascending order of difficulty and density:
“The Gateway Drug”: How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur: A hilarious and insightful guide to living a good life based on the moral philosophy of The Good Place, the hit TV show created by the author. Learn how to avoid the Bad Place, earn points for your actions, and cope with ethical dilemmas using the wisdom of Kant, Aristotle, Hume, and Chidi. Whether you’re a show fan or just curious about philosophy, these books will make you laugh, think, and maybe even become a better person.
Key quote: “The best thing about Aristotle’s ‘constant learning, constant trying, constant searching” is what results from it: a mature yet still pliable person, brimming with experiences both old and new, who doesn’t rely solely on familiar routines or dated information about how the world works.”
My personal development takeaway: While Schur acknowledges where Aristotle and other philosophers are problematic, he’s highlighting an essential point about the philosophical frameworks that have stood the test of time beyond “familiar routines or dated information” of trendy titles. He applies humor and contemporary examples to illustrate why ancient philosophy endures.
“The Foundation”: Plato’s Republic: Alfred North Whitehead once remarked that all Western philosophy was a “footnote to Plato.” While this statement probably led Alfred’s friends to refer to him as “Captain Overstatement,” many philosophy pundits love to cite this quote to justify their seventy-fifth rereading of The Republic. This classic work of political philosophy explores the nature of justice, the ideal state, and the role of the philosopher. Written as a dialogue between Socrates and his friends, this book covers topics such as education, art, censorship, democracy, tyranny, and the fate of poets (spoiler alert: they don’t fare well). Plato’s Republic is a masterpiece of logic, rhetoric, and vision that has influenced Western thought for centuries.
Key quote: “And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: Behold! Human beings living in an underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads.”
My personal development takeaway: From Plato’s famous Allegory of the Cave, this passage describes the condition of the prisoners in the cave, unaware of the true reality beyond their senses, and they are content with the shadows and illusions that they see on the wall. Plato (writing to represent the words of Socrates) challenges us to question our own assumptions and beliefs and to seek the truth that lies beyond our limited perception.
“The Deep Dive”: Women of Color and Philosophy: A Critical Reader edited by Naomi Zack: I first discovered this text as a grad student in cultural studies. Through a collection of essays, these scholars examine the methods and subjects of philosophy from perspectives informed by their experiences, including Black, Asian Pacific, Latinx, and Native voices. They challenge the dominant paradigms of philosophy and offer new insights on topics such as race, gender, identity, culture, ethics, and politics. Women of Color and Philosophy is a dense but rewarding book that expands the scope and diversity of philosophical inquiry.
Key quote: “The question of who I am is not only a question of how I see myself, but also of how others see me, and how I see myself in relation to others. The question of who I am is not only a question of what I am but also of what I do and what I can do. The question of who I am is not only a question of identity but also of the agency.” — Ofelia Schutte
My personal development takeaway: While this book as a whole challenges me to interrogate my many privileges and imagine the world from a radically different perspective, Ofelia Schutte’s essay cuts to the core: Who the hell do I think I am? It might not be the takeaway she intended, thinking in terms of race and class, but the existential inquiries of self, perception, and agency are especially potent for anyone who struggles with imposter syndrome—hell, I wrote a whole book inspired by that line of reasoning.
A note to the Stoicism bros: I know, I know, I left out Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and the whole lot. In just choosing three books for my Philosophy Starter Pack, I’m sneaking past Stoicism because it already has plenty of press lately. If you object or feel annoyed, ask yourself why you should care about the blighted opinion of a stranger on the internet and what merit remains in arguing into the wind or something.
If you’ve never delved into philosophy, once you ascend through these three titles and make it through, you’ll not only be hooked, you will look up from your Kindle with a new lens on the world. You might not find quick steps, easy fixes, or feel-good formulas, but you will find … yourself? Is that corny?
Yes, that’s insanely corny, I forgot I wrote that.
You will find … an experience that’s like stepping off the treadmill and picking up the heaviest barbell in the room. At first, it’s uncomfortable, but eventually, you overdo it and get a back spasm and have to lie down and stare at the ceiling with a bag of frozen peas icing your spine, wondering if your metaphors are getting away from you. But then you recover, get some guidance to adjust your form, and over time you get stronger and more resilient. You can still return to the treadmill of pop psychology, but now your strides are longer and more muscular, and every move feels more meaningful.
Big Bang and Beyond – The Philosophy of Pierre Boucher(Opens in a new browser tab)
When I look back at who I was at 14, even three decades and hundreds of books later, I realize that part of me will always be frozen in time, processing trauma, searching for meaning. But there’s a throughline in the hard-won experience and borrowed wisdom that got me here: Choosing “courage over comfort,” as Brene Brown would say. For every two or three books I read on being a better speaker, leader, or entrepreneur, I find myself reaching for a philosophical tome that is challenging, startling, and leaves me happily baffled. It’s not the easiest path to personal development—it’s a steep, rocky climb with little company and thin air—but when you pause to process at the summit, the view is breathtaking.