Five Best Self Improvement Books to Win at Life

Stephanie Penney

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With so many self-help books on the market, finding the right one can be a problem in itself. But fear not. Here is our top five pick of the best self improvement books which may well change your outlook — if not your life.

How to pick the best book for you

Have you found yourself searching the internet for “the best self improvement books”, and found the endless results overwhelming? Unfortunately, not all self-help books are created equal. Some are a collection of recycled information regurgitated in a non-inspiring way. Some promise the world but actually deliver very little.

Here are three tips for selecting the best book for you:

• This first tip may sound obvious, but look for a book that focuses on the challenge or problem that you want to address.
• Consider whether the author(s) is credible. For example, a book which promises to help you achieve financial success, written by someone going through multiple bankruptcy’s is a potential red flag.
• Look for a book written in a style that’s suitable for your particular needs.

Best Self Improvement Books

Here’s our list of the top five confidence boosters. Sit back, read and enjoy.

1. If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy?, Raj Raghunathan

This enlightening book has science at its heart, and attempts to answer the age old question of ‘if you’re smart, why aren’t you happy?’. People generally presume that ‘intelligent’ people are able to make better decisions in life. Decisions that should lead to a happier life. But the reality, according to Raj, often proves otherwise.Raj studied the careers of his university classmates 15 years post-graduation, to identify whether their academic successes had ultimately led to career success. He focuses on seven common areas that successful people should be wary of and suggests seven potential habits that can be adopted to improve outcomes.This is a wonderful self improvement book if you are on the lookout for an alternative perspective on success and achieving happiness.

2. Make Your Bed, Admiral William H. McRaven

A great read for anyone looking for a spark of inspiration, Make Your Bed was developed from a Texas University graduation speech that went viral across social media.

Admiral Willian H. McRaven is a retired navy seal whose ethos is based on the idea of completing mundane tasks to achieve holistic success. He encourages you to do the little things, for example making your bed, in order to develop a successful mindset. The book shows us that success isn’t just an unattainable ideal for other people, but is in fact accessible to everyone who strives towards it.The book lists 10 simple tasks that can boost your mood, change your outlook and possibly impact the world. “You can change the world one step at a time, with the first step at your bedside.”

3. Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear

In Atomic Habits, James Clear highlights ways of overcoming old habits and suggests methods of establishing new alternatives.While the book is rooted in science, it is lightened up with humour, and is both practical and persuasive. He provides practical tips for breaking free from toxic habits and teaches you how to embrace a new mindset to achieve your goals. It’s not that your goals are unattainable, or that you’re incapable of reaching your desired peak performance; it’s the system you’re using to reach them that needs to be tweaked.The book uses many different case studies from accomplished Olympian athletes, entrepreneurs, actors, comedians and scientists to illustrate the power of making positive changes.

4. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, David Goggins

David Goggins is an inspiration to so many people having overcome some of the most unimaginable challenges.The book focuses on the power of endurance, resilience and motivation, qualities which were developed during his career has a Navy Seal and later as a ultramarathon runner, ultra distance cyclist, triathlete and public speaker.

5. Who Moved My Cheese?, Spencer Johnson

While this may be an oldie in comparison to some of the more modern releases on this list, Who Moved My Cheese? is a humorous classic for a reason.It focuses on four characters who live in a maze, used as a metaphor to depict our world, occupied chasing around for cheese in order to stay happy. The cheese is used to illustrate the daily necessities we strive towards: money, power, relationships, career, status etc.The message of the story is based on the characters’ reactions when unanticipated changes deprive them of their ‘cheeses’. Rather than being stagnant and dwelling on things from the past, the book teaches us to identify change and prepare for it ahead of time.

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