5 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life

By Lesya Li

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“For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography, and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world, in all periods of time.” ― Louis L’Amour

Someone recently asked me what I was like back in school. With my eyes rolling and letting the hazy thoughts take me down the memory lane I couldn’t help but recall just how “big of a fan” I was of those days long gone now. I was never a big fan of a school program; it was never enough for me. It felt outdated and boring. That’s why you’d often find me at a local library reading as many books of my choosing as I wanted; my love affair with books started then and carried on till present moment.

I see books as those astonishing portals to better connecting with people and ideas through space and time if you will. And with my insomnia getting worse by day and mine reading one book or 2 books per week – I’ve decided to start sharing some of my thoughts on the books I’ve read recently or the ones that had a massive positive impact on my life and those around me.

5 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life

1.How to Win Friends and Influence People

Millions of people around the globe have turned their lives around all thanks to the teachings of Dale Carnegie. This is one of my favorite books of all time which I think should be a mandatory read for any human. It’s all about connecting and relating to others in a meaningful way. I’ve read this book more than I can count (which is more than ten times so to speak); I am certain that 90 percent of what Carnegie shares there seamlessly became second nature to me over time. It helped tremendously with getting along with people – so many great people to meet, so little time – so make each connection meaningful and worthwhile.

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” ― Dale Carnegie

2. Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway: How to Turn Your Fear and Indecision into Confidence and Action

This book landed on my lap back in 1997 and ever since then became a good point of reference to turn to; it’s a fantastic book talking about turning fear into great source of power; it’s about getting unstuck from your current situation and taking giants steps changing life for the better; I’ve also listened to this book at least four times already, and like I said, it’s always a good point of reference to come back to.

“Every time you encounter something that forces you to “handle it,” your self-esteem is raised considerably. You learn to trust that you will survive, no matter what happens. And in this way your fears are diminished immeasurably.” ― Susan Jeffers

3. Stop Saying You’re Fine: The No-Bs Guide to Getting What You Want

It’s the first book written by the brilliant Mel Robbins who’s TED talk I came across a few years ago; it impacted me dramatically, so did the book. It brings your attention to the ways we could make better choices in our life today affecting brighter tomorrows by taking action, launching yourself fearlessly; it starts with first acknowledging – no, you are not “fine” and you won’t tolerate the way things currently are, therefore, you take action and raise standards, never looking back. That’s how change takes place.

“That’s what it takes to get what you want. Not big scary leaps once a year. It takes small, but irritating moves every single day.” ― Mel Robbins

4. Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action

“Start With WHY” is a must-read not only if you run a company struggling to define or redefine its “organizing idea” – what it stands for so people can relate to it and care that it exists in the first place; it also asks smart questions helping you define your core passions and what makes you come alive and how to bring your gifts to the world in a meaningful way.

“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it. People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” – Simon Sinek

5. Hippo: The Human Focused Digital Book

I have read lots of books. Some books I have read twice or three times. Some books I read once a year… To me, a good book is a source of inspiration. It’s that breath of fresh air to your thoughts, the fuel that gets you going when you need it the most… To me, the definition of a good book is like finding rare, special friend, a comrade. And I think I found just that in this book Hippo: The Human Focused Digital Book.

I love it when the author takes you by the hand on a journey of deep dives, sharp bends, and discoveries… to the places you never knew existed. In this digital age, when everything moves faster than ever before… it’s hard to slow down, take a deep breath, THINK and just let yourself be. “But how do we prevent this acceleration from eroding away our humanity?” – a wonderful question. This book gives us the answer. Hippobook is a perfect blend of philosophy, psychology, design thinking. It’s a powerful outlook that reaches out into the future. The future, where the tech gets off the way and brings the soul back into creating better things. Simple, yet significant. I will definitely read this book again. Soon.