Top 10 Self Help/Personal Development Blogs and Sites

I became interested in self help a few years ago. I originally started off looking for self help for depression but after searching on the internet, I came across all kinds of things and started to read personal development websites and blogs too.

I don't think Self Help and Personal Development are always quite the same thing. They're both about helping yourself, but personal development seems to be more about improving yourself and actively working on goals, rather than just looking for tips on coping with depression, anxiety, physical illness or conditions etc. I was originally going to include both on here but then realised I had more personal development type sites on the list, so I will probably do a separate post on self help for mental health later.

Update 23/5/24: It's now 11 years (actually exactly 11 years today!) since I wrote this post. The internet constantly changes and websites come and go. Most of these sites are still here though (although some have been updated/altered), so I hope that people can continue to find them useful. :)

 1. Personal Excellence (Formerly The Personal Excellence Blog)

This blog is run by Celestine Chua from Singapore and its purpose is to help people "achieve their highest potential and live their best life". It contains articles on a variety of subjects including achieving goals, better time management, dealing with difficult people and how to find your life purpose. There are also tips on how to life the best life for you and living a healthy life. 

Celes also runs challenges such as Live a Better Life in 30 Days (30DLBL) and 21-Day Journalling Challenge (21DJC). I took part in both of them and enjoyed them. Personal Excellence has an active community forum and you're encouraged to take part but if (like me) you prefer taking part in challenges privately or you'd rather just read the articles, there's still plenty you can get out of the site, including free e-books and a newsletter.



2. Gretchen Rubin (formerly The Happiness Project)*

Gretchin Rubin wrote a book called The Happiness Project about the year she spent trying out different theories about how to be happier. She started the blog as part of it. She posts about her life as well as happiness tips, quotes, interviews with successful people such as authors, webmasters/mistresses and videos. You can sign-up to the "Moment of Happiness", a daily happiness quotation in your inbox or even start your own Happiness Project group! I've got The Happiness Project book and like that too. Gretchen also has a book called Happier At Home which is about making her home life happier.


3. Melody Fletcher (formerly Deliberate Receiving)*

Run by Melody Fletcher, this site is about the Law of Attraction (LOA).  According to The Law of Attraction you attract everything in your life, good things and bad things, as a result of your thoughts, beliefs and "vibrations". If you change your thoughts and beliefs from negative to positive, you will raise your vibration and feel better, which will allow you to get the things you want in life. You can do this through a process called "manifesting". You can also just use it as a way to work through your negative beliefs and feel better; just improve your life in general. The subject of LOA is too big to go into just in this post but those are the basics. I started off with The Secret book by Rhonda Byrne and later came across Deliberate Receiving.

Melody explains LOA well, in fairly simple terms but there are also more in depth posts for when you want to learn more. You can start off with the articles on the homepage, which explain the basics- vibrations, emotions and more and then move on to the blog for loads of articles. Or just start anywhere you like, it's up to you! :)  The comments on the blog posts are definitely worth reading. I hardly ever commented on websites but I feel like Deliberate Receiving is a "safe place" to express yourself. It's a friendly community. You can also work with Melody personally if you feel you need some help on a particular issue/s.


4. The Possibility Of Today

Sybil Chavis decided to give up complaining for 40 days and liked the results so much it turned into 5 years! Now she gives people advice on how to make the most of the possibilities of each day and committing to "Live Today Better Than Yesterday". On her site she writes articles under different subject headings, such as Mindset, Success and Love and gives tips on forgiving others, keeping going when things get tough, and accomplishing your goals. You can also download free tools, including an e-book about going complaint free, The Possibility Of Today Manifesto and a Living Better Daily Scorecard.


5. Live A Life You Love

This is another site on LOA. Boni Lonnsburry has studied manifesting/"reality creation" for nearly 30 years and has created a process called The Map to help you live your dreams. Articles about The Map were online but some have now been taken down because Boni has written a book. However there are still plenty of articles on the site, about allowing more magic in your life, making intentions, changing any beliefs that may be holding you back and staying positive. There are also some LOA techniques, inspiring stories from others who have successfully created their reality and free gifts (e.g. Sample Intentions, Changing Beliefs and the Universal Order Form). I just bought The Map book and have started reading it. If you're interested in going deeper into the process I'd recommend reading the book but the site is a good resource too.


6. Ryze Online (site gone as of Feb '19)

Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca is "success coach" who helps people change their lives. He describes Ryze as a place for ambitious creatives and his coaching helps them to unblock their lives using "timeless wisdom in a pop package". There are lots of blog posts on subjects such as love, money, fame, sex and happiness. One of my favourites is a guest post by Megan Dougherty about the negative aspects of Twilight! When you sign-up you get a free 5 part info graphic on happiness. And if you want some personal life coaching you can book a session with Jason. 

 

I've never seen another site like this. When I first found it, I wasn't sure if it was for me but then discovered it was. If you feel like commenting on a post, you should go ahead and do it, like Deliberate Receiving I think it's a friendly community and Jason personally replies to people's posts a lot. There is swearing on Ryze though and the style may not be for everyone, he write about some subjects that are seen as controversial (porn, suicide, using feminine power to get what you want) but if it's for you, then I expect you'll know. :)


7. Alden Tan

Alden Tan's life changed after his dad died, it made him decide to live life on his own terms by following his passion and being happy. This led to him starting his blog. He doesn't like a lot of the self help/personal development stuff around  and describes his approach as a "no bullsh*t" one. He writes about doing what you love, getting self esteem and confidence and using your passion to make money. One of his passions is b-boying. Alden's blog is different to others on this list because he's not that into the Law of Attraction (although he does have a post on it, so he has tried it), at the top of his site it says, "Are you sick of the law of attraction and other sh*t?", lol. When you sign-up to the blog you get a free e-book called Revive Your Life and you can also buy Alden 's other books Ready Your Life and Zen Blogging: The little book of writing mastery.

 

Additionally you can get an email consultation with him. There is a lot of swearing on the blog and it has a harsher style than some of the others on the list, so some people may not like it. Even though I have a different personal style, I do find the posts interesting. I think it's definitely worth checking out. :)


8. Wake Up Cloud

I signed up to the newsletter a couple of years ago but later unsubscribed because it moved away from personal development and more towards building a lifestyle business. However I still belong to the Facebook page because it has articles on finding and following your passion and I think the blog is worth including on this list because the old articles are still there, and it's also a good resource if you're looking to start a business on or offline.

Wake Up Cloud is run by Henri Junttila who was once a professional poker player and now makes a living online. One of my favourite articles is The Ultimate Guide to Following Your Heart and I also like 21 Things You Can Do To Change Your Life Forever and 7 Harsh Truths They Don't Tell Your About Personal Growth (all still available on the blog). A couple of the articles on passion are How Following My Passion Changed My Life and The Best Way To Do What You Love. The personal development section includes the ones I mentioned and also What To Do When You're Scared Out Of Your Mind, and in the online business section you can find The Renaissance Guide to Creating a Wildly Successful Online Business, Why Most People Fail Online and more. For signing-up to the newsletter you get a free e-book The Beginner's Guide To Starting a Lifestyle Business and you can buy Henri's e-book Passion Blogging Guide: 11 Steps to Getting Paid to Do What You Love.


9. Facets of Joy (site now gone)

Facets of Joy is run by Joy Holland who spent five years living on a boat with her children. She describes herself as a "heart healer, clarity facilitator and practitioner of presence" and writes about experiencing the beauty of life and finding peace within. (At least that is how I understand it; it's not a site that's easily described so perhaps you'll find a different meaning). You can read blog posts under different headings e.g. Clarity, Love, Trust and Gratitude. Her posts are accompanied by beautiful pictures and many have quotes. Joy also offers free e-books; one of the books available is "The Art of Receiving Abundance". You can also sign-up for  "A Daily Whisper" to receive an original photo and "whisper" in your inbox, join an Energetic Intention Circle, take an e-course or work with Joy personally.


10. The Life of Khai (formerly Khai S. Ng- Personal Development Insights) (currently under maintenance and titled The Life of Khai: Embracing the Spectrum and Finding Your Geekigai)

This is the blog of Khai S. Ng who also runs the site Power Follows Thoughts along with his wife Yuenn. Power Follows Thoughts is  a site on the Law of Attraction. Khai's blog contains articles on personal development- how to be happy, finding your life purpose, motivating yourself, how to create good habits and more. Some recent posts have been about Khai's personal weight loss journey, how to manifest more wealth and dealing with negative thoughts. There doesn't appear to be a newsletter you can join, but you can get a free e-book on Power Follows Thoughts. I'd recommend it. I don't visit Khai's blog all the time but it's a good resource and worth having a look at.


That's it for now! Hope you find some of these links useful. :)


*Updated 28/2/19.