Right now, there is stuff about you that you don’t even know that you don’t know. Personal growth books can be hugely helpful in this area. Books are mind opening and critical in the self-discovery journey. They do not cost much and should be considered an investment in you!
In order to create the life you want, you have to understand yourself and what you may or may not be doing to sabotage yourself. Books can single-handedly guide you to take action that will change your life for the better.
Here are five books that I’ve read or re-read recently that have had had a positive influence on how I’ve lived in 2019:
1. You Are a Badass
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
Summary from Amazon
“YOU ARE A BADASS IS THE SELF-HELP BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO DESPERATELY WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES BUT DON’T WANT TO GET BUSTED DOING IT. In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bitesized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already. The kind you’ve never made before. By the end of You Are a Badass®, you’ll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can’t change, how to change what you don’t love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.”
Why it’s special
The difference between this book and other personal growth books is the conversational tone and memorable stories of how real people did seemingly impossible things to transform their lives and get what they want. For example, there was a guy who decided he wanted to meet President Obama, poolside. He was a regular guy who didn’t hang out poolside with anyone noteworthy. But just a few years later, goodness gracious, that dude was meeting President Obama poolside.
The ideas in You Are a Badass are not new (the power of a power mindset and law of attraction) but it’s the conversational, in-your-face way that Jen writes that makes it move people.
How it changed my life
I’ve read thousands of personal growth and clinical books in my life. So, I have high standards about which ones I choose to read (there’s a lot of fluffity fluff ones that may be great for some but not me). My sister says I’m a bit of a personal-growth book snob. It’s just that the ones you find at Target are usually just rehashes of other books that I’ve already read. So, when my sister gifted me this book for Christmas last year and mentioned that she bought it at Target, I thought, yeah, it looks like it was made for Target. I mean, the cover is bright yellow with retro-modern font and “badass” is in the title. But then I read it in half a day….and then bought the audio version. Then, I bought five copies for friends.
Yes, it was that good. Jen Sincero impressed this personal growth book snob! It turns out that while I’d read so much about the law of attraction and the subconscious, I hadn’t really absorbed it or translated those ideas into actionable next steps in my own life.
After reading “You Are a Badass,” I created a meaningful, don’t-hold-back vision board, dramatically changed the way I process and share social media content and did lots of things that intimidated me such as finally finishing my book for adult children of alcoholics, being bold work and joining a public-speaking club.
Read this book and you’ll create actionable steps to create the life you want.
2. It Will Never Happen to Me: Growing Up with Addiction as Youngsters, Adolescents, and Adults
Summary from Amazon
“This ‘little green book,’ as it has come to be known to hundreds of thousands of C.O.A.s and A.C.O.A.s, is meant to help the reader understand the roles children in alcoholic families adopt, the problems they face in adulthood as a result, and what they can do to break the pattern of destruction.”
Why it’s special
About 30 years ago, social worker Claudia Black’s books were part of the groundbreaking movement for adult children of alcoholics. “It Will Never Happen to Me” speaks to children of alcoholics, spouses and friends of alcoholics or anyone with a substance use disorder about how their experiences shaped how they live today. It’s an excellent first introduction to codependency and other very common traits and challenges for my fellow adult children of alcoholics or anyone who grew up with any kind of dysfunction such as with a narcissistic parent.
How it changed my life
I first read this book in 2009 when I first started this journey; it made me realize that I was still living in the ultra-responsible adult role that I’d taken on as a young girl. In this role, I was still failing at my only job in life: taking good care of me.
I read “It Will Never Happen to Me” again in early 2019 as I celebrated 10 years on this journey of healing. It was a great reminder of the progress I’ve made, and how influential that first read really had been for me in those early days of getting educated.
See also: Best books for adult children of alcoholics and my book, 7 Things That Change Everything
3. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Summary from Amazon
“Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results. No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving – every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.”
Why it’s special
Read (or listen) to this book and you’ll discover that the secret to creating the life you want is habits and the 5,000 decisions you make every day. Making goals is easy; it’s the habits that make them anything and enable you to achieve them or not.
How it changed my life
James totally called me out on my excuses. This year, I’ve made great progress in improving my morning and evening habits, how I “show up” in all my interactions and how I prioritize my time. My goal of writing another book before end of 2019 is nothing but a few words on a piece of paper. It’s what I do every day that makes or breaks my ability to achieve this goal
4. The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time
The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington
Summary from Amazon
“In The Sleep Revolution, Arianna explores all the latest science on what exactly is going on while we sleep and dream. She takes on the sleeping pill industry, and all the ways our addiction to technology disrupts our sleep. She also offers a range of recommendations and tips from leading scientists on how we can get better and more restorative sleep and harness its incredible power.”
Why it’s special
Arianna shares the science behind sleep and the data that proves how critical sleep is to good health. You need glorious, amazing sleep, my friend, even when you’d rather be doing something else. After reading this book, you will understand why sleep is important to your mind, body and spirit.
How it changed my life
This book convinced me, when I didn’t want to be convinced, that sleep may be the single most important self-care activity for me (and probably most adult children of alcoholics. I grew up with terrible sleep habits so naturally, these habits followed me to adulthood. I stayed up late and then couldn’t fall asleep. I set my alarm clock for too early and then pressed snooze over and over.
After reading “The Sleep Revolution,” I began paying attention to the effects of sleep (or lack of) and how my days went. By math, there isn’t much difference between seven and six hours of sleep and yet my body says otherwise. I noticed a huge difference in my life experience when I slept seven hours or longer. I am calmer, sharper, more creative and an all-around better person. When I get six hours or fewer of sleep, I feel crappy, which makes me crappy in every way. I feel more frustrated with myself and further away from satisfaction. I am more likely to project these feelings onto other people. Now, I prioritize sleep and it has made me a better, healthier person.
5. The 5 Second Rule
The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
Summary from Amazon
“How to enrich your life and destroy doubt in 5 seconds. Throughout your life, you’ve had parents, coaches, teachers, friends and mentors who have pushed you to be better than your excuses and bigger than your fears. What if the secret to having the confidence and courage to enrich your life and work is simply knowing how to push yourself? The 5 Second Rule is a simple, one-size-fits-all solution for the one problem we all face—we hold ourselves back.”
Why it’s special
In this book, Mel Robbins proves that the simplest ideas can be extremely powerful. The 5-second rule got its start in Mel’s TEDX talk. She briefly mentioned how she used a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown and envisioned a rocket takeoff to motivate herself to get out of bed when she was in a deep depression. The 5-second rule went virtual and it changed people’s lives. This book covers the basics of the 5-second rule as she described in the speech as well as many stories from people who used the rule to make immediate decisions that had majorly positive effects on their lives.
How it changed my life
The 5-second rule has been extremely helpful in the small decisions I make every day that have big ramifications.
What books have been inspirational for you?
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you make purchases via one of the links, I may earn a small commission.
New here? Hello! I’m Jody Lamb, a personal growth author and blogger. If it helps you create the life you want, I’m writing about it. I’m an adult child of an alcoholic; I’m healing and enjoying the life I want! Get my book for free here. Subscribe for free access to my monthly newsletter:
Books can create a strong effect in someone’s life. The list of books you mentioned I already read a few of those and they are quite inspiring. Thanks for sharing it.
So true, Jacob!
Jody Lamb recently posted…5 books that could change your life
Fantastic books! You are a badass is my all time favorite. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
William
Books can be the best friend of human And these books can prove that!!
Aakash Shahakar recently posted…How to be successful in life | Top 7 ways to get on top |