My top 5 books for Self Improvement
I don’t really love the term ‘self-help’ because to me, it implies something has to be wrong in the first place.. I prefer ‘self improvement’ because I don’t believe there is a human on the planet that has no further space to improve. I see it as an ever evolving journey as people’s paths are constantly adapting. I’ve put a lot of work & effort in to self improvement personally and feel so passionate about it as a topic. I absolutely love the idea of being able to help people so here are some books that are a great starting point! I hope you like them. Let me know what you think in the comments or email me – I always love to hear from you!
ROXIE NAFOUSI
MANIFEST:
I would class this as a better version of The Secret. It’s far less faffy, OTT and totally relatable – I absolutely loved it. I’ve told anyone with even a slight interest in the topic to read it and this is me now telling everyone, with or without the existing interest in the topic – you should read it! I’ve always been a believer of manifestation and positive belief before knowing much about it and totally believe in it being real. It isn’t just magically changing your life at the click of a finger (unfortunately – still trying to work that one out) but it is absolutely a great basis for giving yourself the right mental attitude to start. Roxie has totally changed her life around which she discusses honestly and has developed a real passion for manifesting and all that surrounds it, which truly comes across in the book and in any interviews/podcasts that I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to as well. Roxie has recently released her second book in January 2023 which I have ordered!
JAMES CLEAR
ATOMIC HABITS:
This has a real hook of a start in my opinion and just really is such a simple notion that is a great basis for your day to day life. It feels quite painfully obvious when you read on and ask yourself why you hadn’t really considered it sooner. You don’t have to focus on the conquering of the world, merely work on the positive little habits that you think will help you get a step closer to it. Some books like this can waffle a bit but I thought this was excellently written and not too complicated to cause boredom. I really thoroughly enjoyed it and again think it is a great ‘mind set tool’ type of book. It is an easy read and one book that I really couldn’t put down because it just fascinated me – I can’t even properly explain why! But I’m convinced you will enjoy it too.
MO GAWDAT
SOLVE FOR HAPPY:
This book is absolutely fascinating. For such a tragic incident to have brought such a treasure of a book, it is a must read. Mo has 2 interviews with Steven Barlett on Diary of a CEO Podcast which I also recommend viewing (I will be writing a top 5 podcasts blog shortly too!) Both incredibly inspiring as well as exceptionally intelligent, the book can at times be harder to understand/ requires more time to process the key points. I wouldn’t let that put you off as it is again a must read, however I would say it requires full attention rather than dropping in and out of, ideally. Mo worked for Google for many years and it is very clear to see how intelligent he is. The fact of life is that sometimes it is truly awful, cruel, cold and heart breaking. This book can hopefully bring some comfort to you, as well as an enlightened outlook – as it truly and honestly did for me.
MARK MANSON
THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK:
I remember reading this many years ago and loving it – somehow misplaced so I purchased it along with his new book ‘Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope’ (which I’m yet to read but I’m confident it will be a gooden) The book is comical, relatable and a very good read. I find Mark very likeable and it’s easy to relate to the issues discussed as well as make sense of the logic given to try and overcome any of the mental hurdles we all can have with overcoming caring ‘too much’ on the wrong things. It is a very ‘frank’ take on the topic as I’m sure you can tell by the title. I absolutely love that and really enjoy the humour which I’m sure most people would – particularly those who would rather avoid anything too scientific or airy fairy. I would consider this a great starting point of all 5 if you are unsure how interested in ‘self improvement’ you are and want to just dip your toe.. I would say: dip it here to begin with!
DR JULIE SMITH
WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD ME THIS BEFORE:
You may have come across her short psychology related videos on Instagram or Tik Tok. Short and snappy insights in to how our minds work and how to try & improve them (usually to be kinder to ourselves) I feel the book reads in a similar way. It isn’t too complicated to make sense of despite referring to various scientific/psychological stories and is actually a very easy read. The book itself is quite long but easily broken down in to different topics such as motivation, emotional pain, self doubt etc if you should feel particularly drawn to an area. I actually did Psychology & Business as my degree (that makes me sound far more intelligent & qualified to comment than I actually am!) as the topic itself has always fascinated me and the truth of it is, it relates to absolutely everyone. There is no one that is consistently above basic psychological flaws where our minds play nasty tricks on us. I would say wherever you are at on the playing field, this is a great tool to improve your awareness and strive for a more peaceful & kinder mindset to yourself.
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I may receive commission on some of these items but I ONLY recommend products that I use and really rate! Alternatively, I make it clear if it is a wish list rather than tried & tested!
