My 5 Best Self Help Books

I read my first Self Help book 9 years ago. My Dad gave me ‘Feel The Fear & Do It Anyway’ by Susan Jeffers.

Before that I never really read much…

I couldn’t get into the Harry Potter books other kids were reading, even the classic ‘Goosebumps’ that people born in the late 80’s/early 90’s might remember.

Reading self help books seemed to hit a cord with me. I was always an ‘over thinker’ and self help books made me think more. It helped me analyse, discover more about myself and most importantly grow.

I could never understand why people read story books. Surely fiction and non fiction books don’t teach you anything? Every book I read I wanted it to teach me something.

As the years went on I started to read more, and I believe the books I’ve read over the past have played a big part in my growth.

I couldn’t put a number on it, but including the books I’ve ‘skim read’ and also including audio books I think the number of self help books I’ve digested exceeds the 100 mark.

I’ve gone through my collection, thought about every self help book I’ve ever read and narrowed it down to 5 life changing recommendations I suggest you look into.

Ready?

In no particular order….

1. Money & The Law Of Attractions – By Esther & Jeremy Hicks

I’ve always had issues with Money.

Tracing back I think it’s due to my Dad’s outlook on Money. My Dad was almost addicted to money, saving it mostly and always worried about losing it. Before he took his own life, he changed. He gave a lot of money away, bought things he’d never normally buy and went the opposite way.

My Dad had a life long fear around money, and the lack of it.

I think I developed this fear, but I also developed a rebellion to my Dad’s behaviour. 4 years after losing him, I started to make a good amount of money. My business was booming, and I was bringing in more than I would ever imagine. Sure I wasn’t a millionaire, but one month I generated £20,000 without working much at all. I rebelled.

Every penny I made, I spent. In fact let me rephrase that, I spent more than I made.

Reflecting on it my opinion of money was simple. What’s the point of saving it? My Dad saved for his future and took his own life, why should I save?

After reading this book I became aware of my behaviour. My financial intelligence was poor, and I needed to change my opinion of money.

I still worried about the ‘lack of’ money even when I generated a lot, and I overspent to enhance the fear and money worries.

This book taught me money is an energy. You can attract money but most importantly you mustn’t worry about money. Money in, money out is the principle.

Now I save money, I don’t overspend but I also don’t restrain from spending. I know money is coming in and I know money going out helps the process.

I’ve started to effortlessly attract money using the principles in this book, and also used the principles to improve other areas of my life.

I highly recommend you get it…

2. The Chimp Paradox – By Steve Peters

This book got recommended to me 5 times at the tail end of last year. I couldn’t ignore it anymore, my Mum bought it for me at Christmas.

After just finishing it it’s really opened my eyes to mind management, and made me understand better how I work (and how others do too).

The key take away from the book? Your inner child.

A lot of people ignore their inner child, that voice quietly telling them to take risks and also have fun. The adult takes over and shuts down the thoughts of the inner child.

I learned to have fun more, to celebrate my wins and most importantly shift attention away from work.

When I improved my work/life balance, my business and productivity levels in fact increased.

If I do something good, I celebrate. I reward myself and this increases self esteem and also makes me enjoy myself. It could be as simple as eating ice cream (every inner child loves ice cream), playing some football, the odd video game and watching a film. Having children is the biggest excuse to listen to your inner child. I’ve started to enjoy time with Freddie more, and when we go to the Park I have more fun than he does…

Listen to that inner child, enjoy life more and reward yourself.

This is scratching the surface on what this book delivers, and it’s one you may need to read more than once…

3. F**K IT (The Spiritual Way) – By John C. Parkin

I remember reading this book in a pretty bad place.

We’d just moved into our new house, business wasn’t going as well as it once was and I felt lost. All in all, I felt everything was against me.

I looked my situation, I looked at certain things that was happening at the time and it got me down.

This book opened my eyes to the F**K IT mentality, something I’ve never been good at. I always over thought things, I was always a people pleaser and I always overcomplicated situations in my head.

Lighten up, stop being so serious.

The things you worry about typically stem from the stories you’re telling yourself.

F**K IT.

This book shines the mentality on career, relationships, parenting and more. Well recommended.

4. Six Pillars of Self Esteem – By Nathaniel Branden

Confidence and self esteem is something I’ve always struggled with.

I inherited a great deal of insecurities from my parents, and worried about a lot growing up.

This book helped me better understand self esteem and to realise in comes from within. No compliment, no physical improvement and no external solution can improve your self esteem long term. It comes from true understanding of yourself.

If you want to find out the true principles to self esteem and most importantly if you want to improve it, then take a look at this book. I’m reading it for the second time right now.

5. Stop Worrying & Start Living – By Dale Carnegie

I’ve already mentioned it, worry crippled me.

I worried what people thought, I worried about the money I wasn’t making, I worried about the way I looked, I worried about everything.

Worry is simply based around fear. It’s a series of stories and scenarios that don’t exist, but you create in your mind.

I was late to read Stop Worrying and Start Living, another Christmas present from my Mum last year. I’d heard people talk about in and the principles shared my Dale Carnegie but the book is well worth the read.

Also check out my video on Worry below.

Bonus: The Power of Now By Eckhart Tolle

One I didn’t include in the video but one I recommend. The Power of Now opened my eyes to the importance of presence. The past and future don’t exist. Everything happens within the now.

I was always too busy checking my phone, being connected online, planning for the future and worrying about the past. But being truly present is a gift, a gift that will help you grow.

Life Changing Books

So there we have it, some of my favourite life changing books I’d recommend to you.

I’m always looking to grow, so what books changed your life and why? Comment below and let me know!