To Live Confidently, Vulnerable, Passionate and Free. These Self Help Books Guided The Way.
I will admit that I didn’t have many debilitating hurdles to jump over in my self help journey. I’m also absolutely not done on that journey, it lasts a lifetime and changes with every season. These authors have given me tools that I’ve collected in my toolbox over the years and I want to share them with you. As a business owner, a wife, a friend and for myself I’ve learned so much from the following books.
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Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
I would be remiss if I didn’t start out with this life changing book, I literally have Daring Greatly tattoo’d on my side. Based off of the Man in the Arena Speech by Theodore Roosevelt, this book came at a transformative time in my life at 22 years old. If you haven’t watched Brene’s two TED talks I would recommend going to Youtube immediately. This talk first is about vulnerability and really put her on the map with its over 10 million views. The follow up is this TED Talk where she talks about the lessons in Daring Greatly.
I saw her speak in April of 2012, about a month after her second TED talk and right before Daring Greatly came out. We read the book in our office and I loved the courage and vulnerability each Chapter has so many take-aways and I’m sure reading it as a parent some day will be even more powerful. Find Daring Greatly on Amazon.
Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
The tactical advice in this book is phenomenal. The book is split into 3 section, excuses to let go of, behaviors to adopt and skills to acquire which you use all of it to grow in confidence and believing in yourself. Personally I loved the 2nd section the most as it really gave me items to work towards and on. This book is great for moms, business owners, dreamers, girls who want to work hard, etc. Find it on Amazon here.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Now I admit, I haven’t read this one YET but it has been so highly recommended and I listed to about 5 podcasts that James went on and I am thoroughly impressed. It basically has two 1 star reviews and those people much be delusional. I bought it and its very high in my “to read” pile. I’m looking forward to the portions on overcoming lack of motivation and willpower. Needed over here! Find it on Amazon here and read along with me!
Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Gallup
At my job we all took the Strengths Finder quiz and then read this book to accompany it. This was one of my first forays into a leadership book and I learned a TON! When you take the quiz (it’s really long) you get 5 traits spit out that describe you then throughout the book you can learn how those traits can help you be a leader. Those are your strengths. Mine are Includer, Connectedness, Adaptability, Positivity, Empathy which are ALL in the Relationship Building domain. It was a great book that got down to the nitty gritty. Find the book on Amazon here.
The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama
This WAS my first ever self help book, I got it in college and it’s traveled with me through every move and attempt to de-clutter. It’s such a great book talking about how you can find happiness in everyday life. How to get through anxiety, discouragement and insecurity. It holds just fond memories for me, and it’s very easy to read. This is a great book for new into the self help journey readers. Find it on Amazon here.
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell
John Maxwell is basically the grandfather of self help books, his voice literally sounds like what I imagine God sounds like (forget Morgan Freeman’s voice). I listened to a podcast with him on it and I now read the books in his voice like I’m listening to him. This book I have read slow, chapter by chapter with about a week or more in between, it’s a lot to take in, so valuable but you need time to process and slow it down. These are grand life lesson like “you must see value in yourself to to add value to yourself.” One section I haven’t read yet but am excited for is the Rubber Band, “growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you could be.” OOF gut check. Find it on Amazon here.
A Simplified Life by Emily Ley
The tagline is literally, Tactical Tools for Intentional Living. YES! Bring it on! This book puts all the work you want to do into action, dinner routines, cleaning, how to wrangle the kiddos, laundry. It’s everything you need, buy any friend who is frazzled and stressed about doing too much this book and she will thank you endlessly. I love this book! It’ll keep coming in handy when there are children in the future as well. Find it on Amazon here and buy it for EVERYONE for Christmas. I’m a huge fan of Emily Ley’s and her planners as well. Check out her company’s website Simplified for more information!
All of these books are great for personal reading, sharing with a friend or gifting to a loved one. This is just a small selection of books that have made a different for my life, I hope you get something out of them too! What books have you loved and recommend? Leave a comment below letting me know!
