Our lives don’t always turn out the way we planned them to in school. Sometimes it’s because we can’t seem to understand how to achieve our goals. Other times it’s because we’ve chosen the wrong goals, or haven’t even decided what we want, to begin with. Whatever the case, below is a list of the top self-improvement books that are sure to put you back on the right track:
1. “You Can Be Positive, Confident and Courageous: Learn to Live a More Meaningful Life” by Aaron Lumpkin
In the 21st century, it’s rare to find anyone without at least a teensy bit of self-esteem issues. Yet a successful life requires us to step past such issues, because doubt, low confidence, and fear, are all barriers between us and our goals. Aaron Lumpkin’s “You Can Be Positive, Confident and Courageous: Learn to Live a More Meaningful Life” helps you do just that.
Aaron Lumpkin turned from standing in the shadows, bearing the weight of low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts, and stepped into the light. In this book, he aims to take you with him into the arms of a more fun, more social, and more productive life.
This is a highly motivating, reader friendly self-improvement book that anyone can benefit from.
2. “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles
Still in print after 100 years of its first publication, New Thought Movement writer Wallace D. Wattles’ “The Science of Getting Rich” is one of the most influential self-help books ever written. It is divided into 17 chapters that explain how to acquire wealth by simply following proven laws of nature like positive thinking and creation.
“The Science of Getting Rich” has been named as the inspiration behind a number of famous books including Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret”, so it’s bound to make a difference in your life if you truly apply its teachings.
3. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne.
Some might cringe at the mention of this book because of all the hype surrounding it, the movie, etc. But aside from all that, when you come to the book itself, you’ll find that it is truly as inspirational and helpful as any great self-improvement book needs to be.
In “The Secret” Rhonda Byrne tried to collect what she described as ‘fragments of a great secret’ that can be observed in many religions, philosophies, and works of literature.
“The Secret” presents its premise clearly, and openly explains what you have to do, containing inspirational quotes and experiences from real people of different times as an example of how following this ‘secret’ changed their lives. It is definitely a beautiful self-improvement book that definitely deserves a chance.
4. “Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers
Taking chances is difficult, especially in situations where our whole lives can tumble down on our heads if those chances yield bad results. Most of the time however, we tend to ignore the fabulous outcomes if things went right. We could’ve gotten that raise we wanted so badly, but didn’t ask for fear of getting fired or –God Forbid- rejected. We continue living dysfunctional relationships because we are too afraid of taking the chance of moving on.
Susan Jeffers “Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway” changed the lives of millions of people by eliminating this fear of chance taking. In her book, she explains the source of this fear, how to eliminate it by becoming more positive and turning off the negative ‘chatterbox’ in your head.
So if you’re sick of your fears holding you back, then I suggest you get a copy of this book.
5. “You Can Heal Your Life Paperback” by Louise Hay
Louise Hay is considered one of the leaders of the self-improvement field. She was born to a poor mother who married her violent step-father, was raped at the age of 5, and dropped out of high school when she was 15. Yet even though her suffering did not end there (as she was also diagnosed with incurable cervical cancer), she never gave up and worked to become one of the greatest motivational speakers and self-improvement authors of all time.
In this book, Hay’s message is “If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed”, and she proves it by explaining how she cured herself of her incurable cancer and how she believes the resentment she held towards her childhood was the main reason her cancer was set-off to begin with.
This is a book that will teach you forgiveness, and how to change your views of life no matter how many hardships you’ve faced. It’s changed the lives of millions, so why can’t you join in and become one of them?
In the end, I must point out that the only person that can change your life is you. These books provide guideline that may help, but if you want to improve yourself, then you must put in the effort yourself. That’s why it’s called self-improvement.
Lizzy McConnell is a writer, part-time editor, yoga enthusiast and Francophile. She loves long fall walks, people-watching in airport cafes, and dark chocolate. She is the head writer for The Habit Hatch program: http://habithatch.com and a regular contributor to the Habit Hatch blog (http://habithatch.com/blog) She can be reached at: admin@habithatch.com.