In the process of completing my 200 hr yoga teacher training, I have read a LOT of self-help books. Truthfully, I kind of had a thing for them before yoga teacher training (see this post here for ways to unstuck yourself).
Self-help books have a bad rep, but I think it is a simple, inexpensive way to ask some big questions. If you want to believe in yourself, if you want tools to really dig in and figure out how to live the life you want, if you feel like you keep looking for love in all the wrong places, if you want to feel confident in your higher calling…well, books are a good place to start.
In fact, I believe in the power of self-help books more than a blog or checklist. Books require you to pay attention, to lean in more to the experience, to use the brain fully. Plus, they take longer, so it means you have to engage with the material over a long time period.
The list below is 10 of my recommendations, each one with a different goal and purpose. There are some about money, some about God, some about meditation, some about “gardening.” Truly, something for everyone.
*Please note there are affiliate links below. Thank you for your support.*
Here are 10 books that will help you change your life:
1- The Great Work of Your Life: The Guide for a Journey to Your True Calling.
By Stephen Cope
I mean, if this book doesn’t promise or what?! Sharing stories of amazing people who leaned into their “dharma” (what and who they were designed uniquely to be), Cope inspires readers to realize who they are and the power inside them if they let it out. I felt so empowered and confident in myself after reading this.
2- Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World.
By Bob Goff
This is definitely a Christian book, but certainly one that inspires us to live our best lives. With charming stories of ways to connect to the people in our backyard combined with real-life examples of what love looks like and acts like, I found myself googling how to meet Bob Goff in person after I read this. I wanted more of his life lessons.
3- 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess.
By Jen Hatmaker
Jen Hatmaker is, by far, hands-down my favorite Christian author ever. Her self-deprecating humor combined with her belief in the sheer enormity of God’s love and acceptance is a recipe for good stuff. Plus, she is a mom who is in the thick of it all, right there with me. I recommend starting your life with Jen with this book. “7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence. Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. They would spend thirty days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven.”
4- Love Your Life, Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want.
By Rachel Cruze
I have mentioned this book before, recommended by a friend. It’s a simple concept, but I was so glad I read it. If you feel like you need money tips and long for financial freedom, try this one.
5- 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice Inside My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help that Really Works.
By Dan Harris
If you want to really understand what meditation is and how it can work (yes, even for those of us who go to offices and have high-stress jobs and can’t go live in a yurt in the middle of the Tibetan mountains), get this.
6- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.
By Elizabeth Gilbert
There aren’t as many practical tips in this book but if you want something you will highlight quotes every two pages and repeat to yourself over and over; if you want to encourage yourself to get the hell out of your own way and be who you were made to be, purchase this book and put it on your bedside table. Forever.
7- Hallelujah: Rediscovering Mercy.
By Anne Lamott
I first fell in love with Anne Lamott when I read her book on writing. But as I grew to love her, I have come to cherish her books. They make me laugh out loud and cry even louder. Here is what Amazon says about this particular book:
In Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by “facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves.” It’s up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere—”within us and outside us, all around us”—and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other. While that can be difficult to do, Lamott argues that it’s crucial, as “kindness towards others, beginning with myself, buys us a shot at a warm and generous heart, the greatest prize of all.”
8- You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life.
By Jen Sincero
I listened to the author read this out-loud and she has the best lisp and dry sense of humor I have experienced. She was kind of cute in her delivery, actually, and I felt like she was a friend rooting me on. So often now, years after first experiencing this book, I think about it. I think about what I am putting out to the universe and how I may actually be limiting myself in real ways.
9- The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.
By Brene Brown
If you haven’t run into or read a Brene Brown book yet, then, clearly, you are a newbie in the self-help world. Brene is the foremost leading (only?) researcher on shame and vulnerability. They are two really messy topics that no one likes to think about but, when we do, tackling our own shame can lead to freedom. Start with this Brene book, one of her earliest, as it has real tips and exercises.
10- Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life.
By Lara Casey
As I have said before, I believe that we have so much control over how we live our lives that we tend to get scared of that fact and, instead, fill up with mindless things so we don’t have to claim ownership. But until we learn and begin to build the tools for HOW to change our lives in meaningful ways, does it matter? Lara’s book will have you look at where you spend your time, what you were meant to do, what feeds you, what makes a full life, and then give you ways to actually build a calendar and schedule to get there. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Lara has a strong Christian faith, and that is a big part of her suggestions and life motivation.
Enjoy the time reflecting on yourself and your life, and go out there and live big and bold, friends!
Last Updated on August 30, 2019 by Mrs. Family Trip