I probably define PD more broadly than most people, since to me any form of intentional growth falls into the realm of PD.
There are a lot of generic PD books on topics like success, motivation, and goals. I've read hundreds of such books, and I find the vast majority of them worthless and highly forgettable. I think the reason there's such a glut of these books is that they're easy to write. Throw together an obvious lesson with a personal story, and you've written a chapter; repeat 10x to complete a book. Many seminars use a similar pattern.
I prefer to read PD material that's targeted to specific result areas such as weight training, communication skills, growing a business, time management, psychic development, etc. In those kinds of books, I often find good ideas that can be readily applied.
On the other hand, it's equally problematic to be too cynical. Sometimes good ideas can be found in strange places. |