In our lives, there are always moments when we feel that we are stuck or circling in the same loop again and again. Those are the times when we need some external motivation to help us break through the spiral and find our calling. During these times, some good motivational books always come to our rescue. Books have a way of connecting to us like no other thing in this world and what better to engage in the best of the lot? Let us dive into this ocean by looking into the best books that one should read this year to get started.
1. Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
This book is a result of years of research done by Napoleon Hill on more than forty millionaires to find the reason behind their success. He aims to share his findings of research with all of us through his book. The basic idea is that we can achieve anything if we believe in it. According to this book, before achieving anything in life we must first want it and we can create whatever we want for our life. He has stressed the importance of moving ahead if defeat comes by analyzing one’s mistake, setting goals again and working for it.
Read More: Psychology Behind Goal-Setting
2. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
Carol S. Dweck after decades of research found the groundbreaking concept of Mindset. In this book, she has introduced the readers to the power of their mindsets in achieving success in their professional and personal and every other area of life. She has talked about growth mindset and fixed mindset. According to her, people with a growth mindset excel in their lives because they believe they can develop their abilities. People with a fixed mindset are less likely to achieve because they think their abilities are limited.
Read More: The Psychology Behind Achievement
3. Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Alter
Anatomy of a Breakthrough is a book that helps us to get out of our inaction. It teaches us how to deal with difficult times and work our way forward. He has done extensive research on the reason people get stuck and came out with three possible reasons. The way one feels (Heart), the way one thinks (Head), the way one acts (Behavior). He has suggested that clues to get unstuck are in front of our eyes but we do not notice them. He says if we identify those clues we can thrive in whatever we pursue in life.
Read More: 10 Best Books to read for Personality Development in 2024
4. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
This book sheds light on a very important personality trait that is important for success in life. GRIT. Angela Duckworth talks about how with passion and perseverance people can achieve their long-term goals. According to this book, people with grit show a remarkable ability to persist through adversities and maintain their motivation for their goals. A person should have hope, purpose, interest, and practice to experience a state of flow.
Read More: The Psychology of Resilience
5. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
In this book, Daniel Pink to hus research sheds light on the elements of true motivation that is autonomy (the desire to direct our own lives), purpose (the desire to serve something larger than ourselves), and mastery (the desire to get better). He feels that combining these three can truly bring fulfilment to the person and productivity to his/her work by releasing their inner drives. The idea is to create an environment where these drives can be expressed freely.
Read More: The Profound Context of Buddhism and Psychology
6. Start with Why by Simon Sinek
In this book, Simon Sinek, has focused on one question that everyone should ask themselves, why? He believes that whether it is about inspiring people around or achieving greatness in life, every answer comes with a question of why. He stresses that asking this question not only helps us understand our purpose, cause, or belief but also ensures our growth and lasting success.
Read More: The Psychology of Discipline
7. Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
Adam Grant weaves together surprising insights and extensive research about the growth of individuals. Adam stresses that growth is not about how intelligent a person is but rather a character he/she develops over time. These books talk about how to identify our inner potential and build our skills to achieve success. It focuses on a person’s success not what they have achieved but how they did that.
Read More: 10 Signs of Intelligent People, According to Psychology
8. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
This book tells about the importance of building habits, breaking through our old habits which are limiting our potential, and learning new habits which can accelerate our success. It talks about three important elements of building our habits, cues, routine, and reward. according to him, our most important habit is willpower and we can strengthen it over time.
Read More: 7 Science-Backed Strategies To Build a Habit
9. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
It is a book that covers the remarkable journey of Shonda Rhimes from being an introvert to a social elite. Here she talks about how she overcame all her fears by committing to say yes to everything for a year. This book encompasses a journey of self love which is worth giving a try. She talks about how getting out of our comfort zone can help us achieve great things in life.
Read More: Understanding Commitment and How to maintain it
10. The Magic of Thinking by David. J Schwartz
This book primarily focuses on positive thinking and its power to improve people’s lives. It focuses on the idea of always thinking big in life believing in one’s abilities and working hard to achieve one’s goals. This will ensure success in whatever one wants to do in his/her life. It tells important lessons about achieving success including building good habits, surrounding oneself with the right people, and avoiding excuses.
In conclusion, reading books and getting to know different perspectives can help us move ahead in our lives. It can help us to equip us with enough knowledge to work in our lives. Whenever it seems that life is suddenly stopped and you are not able to find the right direction. Read any of these books and I am sure you will get through your problems.
References +
- Summary of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. (n.d.). Sound Wisdom. https://www.soundwisdom.com/think-and-grow-rich-summary
- Mindset: the new psychology of success. (n.d.). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/40745
- Anatomy of a breakthrough. (n.d.). Book by Adam Alter | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Anatomy-of-a-
Breakthrough/Adam-Alter/9781982182960#:~:text=Anatomy%20of%20a%20Breakthrough%20is,they%20free%20themselves%20to%20thrive. - Book summary: Grit by Angela Duckworth | Sam Thomas Davies. (2020, May 20). Sam Thomas Davies. https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/psychology/grit/#:~:text=The%20secret%20to%20outstanding%20achievement,experiences%20with%20failure%20and%20adversity.
- Readingraphics. (2023, August 30). Book Summary – Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. Readingraphics. https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-drive/
- Book Summary: Start with Why by Simon Sinek | Sam Thomas Davies. (2023, March 20). Sam Thomas Davies. https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/business/start-with-why/
- Hidden Potential – Adam Grant. (2023, October 25). Adam Grant. https://adamgrant.net/book/hidden-potential/
- Göke, N. (2022, July 27). The Power of Habit Summary and Review – four-minute books. Four Minute Books. https://fourminutebooks.com/the-power-of-habit-summary/
- Göke, N. (2022b, August 1). Year of Yes Summary – Four-minute books. Four Minute Books. https://fourminutebooks.com/year-of-yes-summary/
- Alcera, C. (2023, February 19). Executive Summary: The Magic of Thinking Big. The Investor’s Podcast Network. https://www.theinvestorspodcast.com/billionaire-book-club-executive-summary/the-magic-of-thinking-big/