5 Motivational Books I've Read Recently
Reading has been a huge escape for me during the current difficult climate we all face. While I love a good fictional story, I've been turning to non-fiction books to keep my mood up and my thoughts positive. Yes, things are all really strange right now during COVID-19, but I have hope that soon everything will go back to normal and I still want to be motivated, determined, and focused on self-growth despite the times.
These are a few of the top inspirational books I've read recently, plus a few more on my to-be-read bookshelf. I hope these books help you during this unsteady time. I hope they inspire you to keep your head up, change your mindset, and encourage you to focus on self-growth and improving yourself as well.
1. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
As our daily lives have all changed and we're working from home and navigating unfamiliar territories, the message in this book is so important: No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. We all have our own struggles and our own fears, but we are also so strong, brave, and capable of whatever life throws at us. This book is particularly powerful as a reminder that we may not be perfect right now and it's okay to be vulnerable.
2. What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey
“There is one irrefutable law of the universe: We are each responsible for our own life. If you’re holding anyone else accountable for your happiness, you’re wasting your time. You must be fearless enough to give yourself the love you didn’t receive.”
I think this is the perfect book for what we're going through at the moment. No, the message here is not ground-breaking, or anything new that you haven't heard before, but I still loved it. It deals with some hard-hitting topics but is mostly light-hearted, simple, and beautiful. This book is a collection of little life lessons and a curation of Oprah's favourites things. While that may seem unimportant and even selfish, it reminds you to keep a positive outlook on life. To enjoy the little things. To live with intention.
3. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
“Be grateful for what you have now. As you begin to think about all the things in your life you are grateful for, you will be amazed at the never ending thoughts that come back to you of more things to be grateful for. You have to make a start, and then the law of attraction will receive those grateful thoughts and give you more just like them.”
The Secret explains that like things attract, therefore positive thoughts create positive outcomes while negative thoughts would create that negative reality. Particularly poignant in times like these, it's so important to keep your thoughts positive and focus on the good. by controlling your thoughts and ensuring that they are of a positive nature, anything, in any aspect of life, is achievable
4. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
“You, and only you, are ultimately responsible for who you become and how happy you are.”
Reading this book kind of feels like you're talking to your best friend and they're giving you the best advice you've ever heard. Again, It's not really saying anything you haven't heard before but the message is still important. I love reading anything that will help me with my personal development as I'm a big believer in doing all I can to grow as a person and learn more about myself each and every day.
5.The Last Lecture
“The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have. ”
I'm sure we're all a little guilty of being naive when everything is going right. It's when everything goes wrong where we start to feel a bit more introspective and thoughtful. We get content and complacent in simply living rather than thinking of living life to the fullest. The Last Lecture is a tough read about a professor with just months to live and his view on all the ways we can be better, improve ourselves, and continue to be the best version of ourselves.
To Be Read
1. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
2. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
3. Becoming by Michelle Obama
4. Educated by Tara Westover
5. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
6. Rising Strong by Brene Brown
7. The One Thing by Gary Keller
What have you read recently that's really helped you through the current climate? I'd love to add more to my 'to-be-read' list!
-Emilee