Top 5 Recommendations – Self-Help Books
In today’s post, I’m excited to share some great recommendations for self-help books I have read, enjoyed, or learned from!
Even if it’s not a genre you read regularly, there are plenty of books out there that can help in certain situations or changes in life. In my aim to pick up more non-fiction books in recent years, I’ve read several books that I have found useful. Now, I’d love to share them with you!
Lean In
Whilst I would say that Lean In was written to target female readership, I would recommend it to anybody with an interest in workplace culture. Sheryl advocates for women to step up, but as is often the case, we have to feel comfortable with doing so. We are still in a position where women hold minority positions in senior roles. Therefore, a culture of openness and transparency must prevail.
To understand the female experience, I would encourage anybody to read this book. Not only does it include insight from a woman who has been a senior member of high-profile companies, but the author is very candid about the fact that some female benefits didn’t even cross her mind until she found herself in a position of needing them. If a woman can’t think of these things, such as closer parking spaces for pregnant women, then men are unlikely to.
this is exactly why we need new voices and perspectives in senior positions!
Stolen Focus
Stolen Focus is a recent read, but one I would recommend to all. Given the world and environment we live in, we must recognise that lack of focus isn’t just an individual problem.
We live in a world where everybody is vying for our attention throughout our day. We are on-call 24/7. Gone are the days when we digested around 3 newspapers worth of information a day. Now, it is more like hundreds. It’s no wonder we struggle to focus because we are overloaded.
Many Self-help books in the genre point the finger, but Stolen Focus, in addition to providing recommendations of steps we can take on an individual level, acknowledges these external factors.
The Motivation Code
I read The Motivation Code as I was interested in my motivation code. If you are unfamiliar, you can complete a narrative-based survey at https://motivationcode.com/ and learn which motivators are most powerful for you.
Taking this and reading up on my motivations affirmed some of the things that are important to me. There were a couple of surprises too, which in hindsight, makes sense.
But this book has more value than that. I decided to read up on the rest of the possible motivators, and that has given me a lot of perspective on what motivators my colleagues have. It’s helped me work out ways to appeal to their motivations to get the job done. For that reason, I would especially recommend this book to people managers.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
The title of this book is a bit misleading. Rather than not giving a damn about anything, the book is more about prioritising what does matter to you.
This book is good at making you consider your values rather than plodding along in life. It’s also very easy to read and approachable for all readers. It’s funny and a bit crass in language, but I enjoyed it!
This book does have a lot of polarised reviews. I will disclose that here. Maybe you’ll just have to try it for yourself.
The Chimp Paradox
I didn’t love The Chimp Paradox on the whole, but it is a book that has value.
I was reading this book from a perspective of a former psychology student. Some of the science in this book, in my opinion, is a bit simplistic. But, that may work for those who aren’t interested in science at all. The principles are all sound.
I also like how the book encourages separation from negative traits and behaviours by personifying them in the Chimp. It helps acknowledge they exist but removes any guilt or negativity associated.
This book comes in two parts. First comes the science and the explanation of the war that can’t occur between the rational human brain and the emotional, impulsive Chimp. After that, the book branches out to elaborate on the ‘solar system’ of the brain. Here, we look at things such as the role of relationships and how the earlier science can be applied to different scenarios we may encounter in life.
If you’re looking for a self-help book recommendation, then I hope one of these five appeals to you.
Have you read any other self-help books that you’d like to recommend to others?
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