With each passing day, your to-do list gets longer. Your stress heightens. Even though you want to do more, you fail to achieve it because of various reasons. To help you get out of this loop and attain the best in life, here are the 15 best books ever that will help build your mindset and create the life you want.
All of us come across a phase in life when it feels like things are getting out of hand. You feel heavy, especially because you fail to fix your shortcomings, even after trying again and again.
This is a feeling of utter despair and hopelessness. Your mind tells you to quit but your heart doesn’t approve. Because deep down you just know that this isn’t it, that you are meant for more and your story doesn’t get a tragic ending.
The vision you hold and the reality you are in contradict so badly that you end up in a dilemma – you don’t know whether to quit or stick to it and try again.
In such hopeless situations, books can be your savior. For sure they saved me when I was going through such times.
Yes, there are endless non-fictional books that can help in your personal development.
I developed the habit of reading non-fictional books to improve my professional career. And, it has helped me greatly.
So, I’ve come up with this extensive list of 15 best books ever to build your mindset. After all, the way you prepare yourself mentally reflects in all your actions.
However, before I get into my list of favorite books to help you in your journey, let’s understand how non-fiction books can guide you on this path and why should you read them at all.
15 Best Books Ever For You To Build Your Mindset
In good times and bad, in sickness and in health, books can be your best companion.
Your friends may betray you. Your family and relatives may misunderstand you. Your neighbors may conspire to harm you. But books always benefit you.
When it comes to self-improvement and developing yourself, numerous books can help you.
However, the books in this blog will specifically aid you in building a strong and resilient mindset so that you may fall as many times as life happens but you would not give up if it’s truly your dream.
What are Non-Fiction Books?
Books can be broadly classified into fictional books and non-fictional books. The non-fictional books are those that serve to inform.
Regardless of the subject matter, the primary purpose of non-fiction books is to provide detailed information on specific topics. Reading non-fiction gives you in-depth knowledge.
Writing non-fiction books started during the Bronze Age specifically in 740 BC. Back then, Akkadian literature was producing the Babylonian Chronicles, where a detailed account of the lives of kings, philosophers, and the working mechanisms of the emperors was noted.
Thanks to the writers of the Bronze Age civilization for bringing non-fiction. Had I not read non-fiction, I wouldn’t have been able to grasp the nitty-gritty of freelancing, blogging, and business mechanisms until now.
Can Reading Non-Fiction Books Develop Your Mindset?
“Why should I read non-fiction? I don’t want to bore myself.”
This is how most people react to non-fiction & self-help books. I always liked reading non-fiction. But that didn’t help in my self-improvement.
Soon, I started developing a habit of reading non-fictional books at least for 30 minutes every day. And, this is how I built the habit of reading that improved my mindset and perspective toward life:
1. Expanding knowledge base
When you read non-fiction, you get exposed to ideas, facts, and information about the world. You gain insights into various aspects of life. This enhances your knowledge base and enriches you as a human being.
2. Critical thinking development
Reading non-fiction often challenges your existing beliefs and encourages critical thinking. You start looking at things from a different perspective. This strengthens your cognitive abilities and you learn to present opinions reasonably.
3. Empathy and perspective taking
Reading books lets you enter into the shoes of the author and understand concepts from different perspectives. Knowing about different people, and their different backgrounds, cultures, and circumstances builds your empathy. Your perspective on human emotions broadens.
4. Inspiration and motivation
Since non-fictional books often share stories of human lives, they give great insights into stories of struggle and hardships and how different people have overcome them. These instances are powerful for you to find inspiration. They evoke motivation and fuel your spirit to pursue your ambition.
5. Personal growth and self-reflection
While reading non-fictional books, you start reflecting on yourself and your personal growth. You explore topics related to self-help, psychology, and mindfulness. This develops self-awareness and you start indulging in self-reflection to become a better version of yourself.
15 Best Books Ever that Can Change Your Life
Now that you’ve understood the importance of reading books and how they help you build your mindset, it’s time to focus on the books that will get you there.
And, here you go:
1. I’m Not Single, I Have a Dog: Dating Tales from the Bark Side by Susan Hartzler
If you’re finding happiness by purchasing material goods, it’s high time you read this book.
Here, the 60-year-old protagonist, Susan Hartzler learns that true happiness doesn’t lie in material goods but in having good friends and a dog by her side.
After recovering from several romantic relationships, Susan visits the animal shelter only to find a dog which later becomes her solace. She believes that the dog will help her renew her sense of purpose in life.
This book teaches you to put yourself first and love yourself unconditionally.
2. Becoming by Michelle Obama
If you’re looking for an inspirational book to push you to work hard, ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama is the one for you.
This is her memoir describing the experiences she has had. It talks about how she spent her life in Chicago and the kind of experiences she encountered to become the first African American First Lady in the USA.
Learn how she aimed to create the history at White House while standing up for women and young girls. Know about both her triumphs and times of distress.
3. What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey
How many of you can accept yourself just the way you are?
Honestly, most of you struggle to stand naked in front of your original self. Either you’re ashamed or disgusted to encounter your failures or transformations.
Here, Oprah Winfrey has done a remarkable job in this book to motivate you and teach you to accept yourself.
The book teaches you your worth and helps you to be kind to yourself. Through this book, you will learn more about the most important pursuits of life like resilience, joy, gratitude, power, and possibility.
When you finish reading it, you’ll be clear about what you love doing and how should you move forward with it.
4. Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too: A Book by Jomny Sun
This is an illustrated and charming story of an alien sent from space to Earth to observe.
Here, he gathers different experiences while meeting different types of people and discovers new perspectives on life, love, and happiness. Most importantly, he also learns about how to feel better about himself.
Although the alien always feels different on Earth, he learns to feel at home on Earth at the end.
5. How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Fearlessness, Confidence, and Freedom from Perfectionism by Stephen Guise
If coloring has been your favorite activity since childhood, you’ll know that sometimes colors spread out of the lines by mistake. But who designated this color straying from the lines as a mistake?
Well, this book shows how perfection is an illusion and how much it limits your mindset. Guise guides you to embrace your imperfections while minimizing self-judgment. He shows how it’s okay to be imperfect and why you should never be so harsh on yourself.
Through this book, you get to learn how small little actions can empower you and help you make peace with a contended life.
6. The Confidence Code by Katty Kat and Claire Shipman
Unfortunately, many women around you feel low, especially after achieving great heights. They suffer from the self-guilt of acquiring professional success.
This book is the ideal guide for them. Right from instilling confidence in a woman’s mind to being able to achieve success at any stage of your life, this book gives you a detailed guideline.
To support the arguments, you’ll find cutting-edge research on gender, genetics, cognition, and human behavior.
So, if you lack confidence, grab this book and see how your entire thought process changes over time.
7. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
In this book, the author uses the metaphor of a library to explain the phase between life and death.
He illustrates that every book in the library gives you a chance to see a kind of life you could have lived had you made better choices in life.
The protagonist of the book makes sudden abrupt decisions and faces consequences only to follow a new career path, work on her dreams, and sort out relationship hassles.
8. Goodbye, Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations by Jonny Sun
This is another masterpiece by Jonny Sun that’ll touch your heart and change your way of life.
It is a collection of essays, poems, and short stories about mental health, and happiness. The book also shows you the importance of belonging.
What makes this book stand out from the crowd is the heartfelt style of writing. The author has discussed heavy topics like depression, loneliness, and anxiety in a humorous way.
9. How to Break Up With Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life by Catherine Price
Let’s face it. Your phone addiction has taken over your life. It is the first thing you wake up and look into in the morning. Again, it is the last thing you use before bed.
Once you get your hands on your phone ‘just to check’, you end up mindlessly scrolling for the next 45 minutes or even more.
If you want to stop this worst habit and become more productive, this book is perfect for you. It helps you with a practical hands-on approach to breaking up your toxic relationship with your phone and developing healthy habits.
The book shows how small customized changes in your phone can make a huge difference in your life.
10. The Mountain is You: Self-Sabotage into Self-Mastery by Brianna West
Believe it or not, the truth is you’re responsible for self-sabotaging yourself. Now, the question is: Why do you do it and how can you stop it?
In this book, the author uses a mountain as a metaphor to describe how you must climb on it to overcome challenges that come your way.
By the time you reach the middle of the book, you’ll discover that it’s crucial to excavate trauma, build resilience, and make adjustments before scaling your mountain.
11. Daring To Take Up Space by Daniell Koepke
This book is a collection of poetry that makes you understand your worth. You are enough for yourself and Daniell Koepke has brilliantly explained it.
The thoughts of fear, anxiety, strength, perseverance, self-love, and acceptance are pretty well summed up in this book.
This easy-to-read book will be a reminder that there is enough room for you to take and make space for yourself in this world.
12. 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
If your purpose to read non-fictional books is to grow your mindset, this is by far the most suitable one.
Every word of this book breathes how to commit to change, pursue purpose over passion, and consider wisdom in everyday life. The chapters of this book talk about becoming aware of your cognitive bias.
Each mini-essay will make you think about life and its true meaning.
13. How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety by Ellen Hendriksen
If you’re too shy to face the world, this book is for you. Through this book, you’ll learn how to be yourself.
Here, you’ll find science-backed tips and real-time stories of people who have fought hard to rise above their social anxiety.
By the time you reach the end of the book, you’ll feel that you have enough in life to accomplish your desires and goals. All you need is a new approach to overcoming obstacles and looking at life.
14. Never Get Angry Again by David J. Lieberman
We all are humans. It’s quite possible to get swayed in the wrong path even though you don’t intend to.
In this book, the author discusses how you can get rid of anger by using practical tools.
Explore techniques on how to get back to normalcy when you’re emotionally drained or experiencing any frustrated or angry situation.
15. The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
You’ll be surprised to know that there are ten secrets to approach work and life. And, all these secret methods give you a sense of accomplishment after completing the task.
This is what is discussed in this book in detail. Enjoy an inspiring and enlightening read filled with engaging stories on overcoming adversities to bring out the best in yourself.
Conclusion
So, start developing a reading habit to give these best books ever a chance in your reading list and see the transformation for yourself.
No one is born brilliant. Even a knife requires a whetstone to get sharpened.
Similarly, as a human being, if you have to develop yourself and enhance your growth mindset, these books will be your savior.
Have some more books on your list? Share them with me.
I’d be happy to add them to this list.
