5 Best Self-Improvement Books That Changed My Life

Last Updated on May 18, 2022 by Thalia

From as young as I can remember, I’ve always loved reading. Books allow me to tap into my imagination and escape into another world.

But since starting my creative business, I no longer have a monogamous relationship with fiction books.

I now find myself gravitating more towards the personal development and self-help aisle than the page-turner beach reads.

Yes, reading self-improvement books can sometimes feel like a chore.

Personal development is exhausting at times and sometimes seems quite arduous.

But for me, there is something about reading self-improvement books.

They fill me with positive energy.

By the closing chapter, I feel somewhat accomplished. I say to myself, “I managed to finish this hefty book, I’m clearly capable of something!” It makes me feel motivated and inspired to start improving and growing as a person.

So while recently reading Why We Argue and How To Stop by Jerry Manney, I reflected on the other self-help books I’ve read in the past couple of years. There were some that I loved, and some that I didn’t love so much.

And there were some that provided me with guidance in a time when I needed it most.

It’s these self-improvement books that have stayed with me and changed my life for the better.

So I wanted to share them with you in the hopes that they will also inspire you on your personal development journey.

Here are the 5 best self-improvement books that I think everyone needs to read at least once.

Table of Contents

The 5 best self-improvement books that changed my life

Me saying that these self-improvement books have changed my life is not an understatement.

They have given my life more meaning, boosted my self-awareness and provided me with self-love.

Whenever I read a personal development book, I always underline the words and lines that mean the most to me. I then transfer my underlinings into Notion where I can easily access them. And I always find myself coming back to these 5 books and re-reading the quotes I so thoughtfully underlined.

So it is these 5 self-improvement books that I consider to be the best:

1 | Atomic Habits by James Clear

The best life-changing self-improvement book

Just as the title says, Atomic Habits is all about habits. How to build good ones and break bad ones.

You might be thinking how can a book on habits be so popular?

Because James Clear shows us that habit-building can be easy and fun. It’s not as boring or arduous as you might think.

And by making these tiny changes, you are setting yourself up to achieve remarkable results.

Highlights

Easy to read and digestible

The contents of the book is laid out well

Includes diagrams

Summary at the end of each chapter

Tips and advice are all extremely actionable

I’ve previously written a review so you know it’s worth a read

so you know it’s worth a read Million copy #1 bestseller

→ Price: £12 (paperback) with free delivery on Amazon

My thoughts

Atomic Habits has literally changed the way I view habits. I now build habits to work for me rather than against me.

And in all honesty, Atomic Habits was actually the motivating factor behind my blog.

Before I read this book, I was constantly comparing myself to others online and copying what female entrepreneurs were doing to be productive. Long story short, the hustle culture didn’t work for me and I thought there was something wrong with me.

But when I read Atomic Habits, James Clear made me feel less alone. It wasn’t the fact that there was something wrong with me, it was the fact that these “productivity hacks from others” didn’t suit my personality.

So I applied his advice on building habits to my own work ethic. I then started to view productivity as unique to the individual and build it around my own personality and lifestyle.

My mindful approach to productivity was born and so was the basis of my blog. I wanted to show others that there is a more sustainable way of working and this is where it all started.

So yes, like the cover says, Atomic Habits is truly life-changing!

“There is a version of every habit that can bring you joy and satisfaction. Find it. Habits need to be enjoyable if they are going to stick… tailoring your habits to your personality is a good start.” James Clear | Atomic Habits

The best overall self-improvement book

Quite simply put, The Gifts of Imperfection teaches us how to live a wholehearted life.

And to do that, we need to embrace our flaws, vulnerabilities and imperfections. We need to step into our truth, own our story and live a truly authentic life.

And the daily tools needed for this are courage, compassion and connection; our gifts of imperfection.

Highlights

Actionable and digestible advice

Spread out over 10 chapters, otherwise known as guideposts

There’s a dig deep section at the end of each guidepost which encourages you to explore each topic on a deeper level

Includes top tips, questions to ask yourself and resources for further reading

Space at the back to make a note of the pages that spoke to you the most

10th Anniversary Edition features a foreword by Brené herself

I’ve previously written a review so you know it’s worth a read

→ Price: £10.79 (paperback) with free delivery on Amazon

My thoughts

I’m a devoted Brené Brown fan. I’ve read a few of her books, listened to her podcast and have watched her talk on TED and Netflix.

Brené provides me with so much guidance. The guidance that I don’t usually get from other people in my life or social media.

And in The Gifts of Imperfection Brené Brown proves once again that she has a way with words.

She speaks directly to the soul and sparks something inside.

I honestly still get shivers from this book.

It taught me how to start letting go of the things holding me back, like fear, comparison and perfectionism and start cultivating the things I need more of, like intuition, gratitude and laughter.

Seriously what more do you want from a book?

“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” Brené Brown | The Gifts of Imperfection

The best self-improvement book for cultivating creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert takes on the role of a life coach in Big Magic.

She shares her unique perspective on living a creative life that is led by curiosity and not by fear. Big Magic consists of Gilbert’s past life lessons, real stories and her timeless wisdom to draw out a road map of how we can gain the courage to pursue our own creative endeavours.

Highlights

Not your typical boring self-help book

Features a bright, colourful cover which will look great on any bookshelf

More like a guidebook teaching you how to deal with your doubts, how to observe ideas and how to act upon them without fear

Gilbert writes as though she is writing to a friend

Matter-of-fact, screw-the-norm tone of voice

Written by the author of the international bestseller, Eat Pray Love

I’ve previously written a review so you know it’s worth a read

→ Price: £8.05 (paperback) with free delivery on Amazon

My thoughts

Big Magic taught me that I should never feel embarrassed about building a creative business. I’m doing it for me because I enjoy being creative and that is all that matters.

There seems to be such a stigma around creative work and I’m glad Elizabeth Gilbert has finally spoken up about the fact that it should be treated the same as non-creative work.

So if you feel like you’re hiding your true creative self, then read Big Magic and cultivate the creativity you need to live a life that is truly your own.

“Always remember that people’s judgements about you, are none of your business.” Elizabeth Gilbert | Big Magic

The best self-improvement book for your mindset

Mindset by Carol Dweck is a fundamental book that everyone should read.

It explores the power of our mindset and how success doesn’t just depend on our abilities or talent but rather on how we approach our goals; with a fixed or growth mindset⁣.

This book is all about changing the way we think to fulfil our potential.

Highlights

The whole book is simply mind-blowing

Explores the difference between a fixed and growth mindset

Includes chapters for every area of our life

Uses well-known and famous people as examples to back up her points e.g. Michael Jordan

Includes diagrams

The book has recently been updated

I’ve previously written a review so you know it’s worth a read

→ Price: £9.31 (paperback) with free delivery on Amazon

My thoughts

I must admit that I was slightly apprehensive about reading this book at first.

Carol is one of the world’s leading researchers in personality and social & development psychology so I felt that it would be highly academic and difficult to understand.

But it’s the complete opposite. Carol wanted this book to be digestible and easy to follow.

And that’s exactly what it is.

So if you’re going to buy one of the self-help books from this list, make sure it’s this one, and invest in your mindset.

“Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind.” CArol Dweck | Mindset

The best self-improvement book for your thinking

Adopting a stoic practice to your life can reduce anxiety, help you avoid distractions and teach you gratitude.

However, there’s so much written on Stoicism it can be hard to know where to start.

Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic makes learning about Stoicism digestible and intentional.

This isn’t a typical book as it’s not split into chapters. Instead, The Daily Stoic is separated into a page-a-day to make practising Stoicism more manageable.

Each page features a powerful lesson or quote from the Ancient Stoics including Marcus Aurelius, the playwright Seneca and philosopher Epictetus, among others.

These thought-provoking observations help you “to tackle any problem, approach any goal and find the serenity, self-knowledge and resilience you need to live well.” (The Daily Stoic)

Highlights

Includes 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance and the art of living

Features lessons from the Ancient Stoics including Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus

Page-a-day guide; no need to read it all in one go

It’s dated daily from 1st January to 31st December

Daily doses of practical, uplifting philosophy

From the best selling author of The Obstacle Is The Way

There’s a guided Daily Stoic Journal that accompanies the book to make it even easier for you to practice mindfulness

→ Price: £9.34 (paperback) with free delivery on Amazon

My thoughts

I haven’t finished The Daily Stoic yet as it’s a year-long process.

However, it’s already been incredibly life-changing for both me and my partner. It has positively impacted our minds in a way where we are learning to ignore the things we can’t control and focus only on what we can change.

So if you’re looking to cultivate more meaning and self-awareness this year, then The Daily Stoic is the best self-help book for you.

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius

Why read self-improvement books?

Self-improvement books lead to positive change.

They help you learn more about yourself while also providing you with the guidance and skills you need to help improve different areas of your life.

I honestly wouldn’t be the person I am today without the help of these books.

Brené Brown has worked wonders on my mind, soul and well-being.

James Clear has changed my entire perspective on habits and what it means to be productive.

Elizabeth Gilbert has provided me with the confidence I need to continue pursuing my creative business.

Carol Dweck has opened my eyes up to what it is to truly have a growth mindset.

And I continue to look inwards as I learn more about how Stoicism can change my thinking for the better.

Final thoughts

I hope you feel inspired by this post and have the motivation to kick start your self-development journey. Or continue the one you’re already on.

If you’re looking to cultivate your best year yet, then I honestly can’t recommend these self-improvement books enough.

They will provide you with the guidance and awareness you need to grow.

And just to recap, the books I mentioned in this post are:

I can’t wait to hear if you end up reading one of these books. Hopefully, you will fall in love with them just much as I have, and continue to turn to them in times of need.

Until next week,

♡ Thalia xx

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7 Books That Changed My Life

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I started reading books at a very young age. As far as I remember, I always had a pile of them on my nightstand, and that’s still the case.

But reading when you’re a kid vs. reading when you’re an adult are two different experiences.

See, I always liked the fantasy genre — Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter, etc. For a little kid, a world of magic and adventure is all he can ask for. These were the books I’d devour most of the time.

One summer, while helping my parents move some stuff out of the basement, I stumbled upon a box filled with my mother’s old books. She’s a bibliophile like me.

But I didn’t find Robert Jordan, Sanderson or Rowling in there. I found Goethe, Nietzsche, and Tolstoy.

A whole new world opened up in front of me. This time, this world had nuance, complexity, and a direct relationship with our reality.

Up until this point, I never thought of books as tools for self-improvement.

I was reading for entertainment. I couldn’t fathom that a bunch of papers glued together could change your life.

Obviously, I was wrong. Right now, I can list seven books from the top of my head that added something valuable to my life.

And this is precisely what this post is about. I aim to recount the books that changed my life and perhaps will do the same for you!

How Books Can Change Your Life

Of course, people are complicated. Not everyone may see the value in some of these books depending on where you are in your life right now.

And that’s totally fine!

We all need different things in different stages of our journey.

This is why I didn’t write “books that will change your life”. All of them have the potential to do so, though.

The most important thing is to apply the lessons. Reading them is just the beginning!

7 Books That Changed My Life

You’ll notice that I’ve listed a lot of different and seemingly out-of-place books, including genres like:

Fiction

Finance

Self-Improvement

Philosophy

Marketing

The world is fascinating and multidimensional. To fully grasp our reality, we have to consider all points of view.

I even dare to say that this will probably be the most interesting book list.

Let’s start!

1. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco

Following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if you truly want to ascend the pyramid, you need to get your finances in order.

That means having a steady 9-5 job, keeping your expenses to a minimum, and saving 10% every month… right?

Well, this is what I thought I had to do. When I was a broke college student, I scoured the interwebs to find ways to survive.

Back then, finance blogs were saying things like “don’t drink Starbucks coffee and you’ll save $2000 per year”.

When I found MJ’s forum (and read his book), my mindset completely changed. You won’t find the typical advice you’ll get from most goo-roos.

“The Millionaire Fastlane” offers paradigm-shifting ideas about wealth and value. These ideas are unintuitive and go against pretty much everything we’ve learned in school about money.

Once you finish reading it, the way you make decisions and your worldview as a whole will drastically change. They did for me !

2. Cashvertising by Whitman

This isn’t a book about marketing and advertising. This is a practical manual about influence and propaganda.

I’m a copywriter by trade. I work in advertising so when I bought this book, I expected to read the same ole theoretical fluff about marketing.

Instead, I found no-bs and to the point methods and tactics about persuasion. The author has a deep understanding of human nature based on real-world data.

We are constantly bombarded with ads, promotions, and whatnot. Knowing the underlying mechanics could perhaps shed some light to your consumerism habits.

I, for once, will think twice about buying a product when I see the price tag $99 (you’ll learn why once you read the books