It turns out she couldn’t say “yes” to the things that scared her — namely, the hundreds of public appearances, media interviews, and speaking engagements that were asked of her. As an introvert, Rhimes went to extreme lengths to evade all such demands, until one day an offhand remark made by her sister challenged Rhimes to embark on the Year of Yes: an entire year where she would simply say “yes” to everything, instead of “no.” This is the candid story of what happened before, during, and after her Year of Yes. With Rhimes’ signature humor, it sparkles with wisdom, warmth, and the strength of self-empowerment. As for whether or not you should give this book a shot to inspire yourself, we simply say: yes.

A seminal self-help text from 1975, A Course in Miracles is a do-it-yourself class, but in book form. In this class, you’ll work against the concept of isolation and separation, and focus instead on bridging connections to others (or a higher power if it suits your fancy). Removing the ice-cold protections we’ve created for ourselves ironically can help us survive longer, by letting go of the toxic behaviors that keeps us stressed. The key to all to this miraculous release? Forgiveness, as Drs. Schucman and Thetford say. Once achieved, A Course in Miracles promises a new state of being in which happiness and positivity is a norm, not a luxury. It would be easy to see the title of this one and think that it’s another feel-good book about accepting yourself for who you are — but you’d be wrong. By its own admission, The Body is Not an Apology will not teach you self-acceptance, because acceptance does not go far enough.

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Since change isn’t easy for most, the book offers a lot of intention-setting tips to help readers determine the motives behind their goals. Attaching an emotion to the things you want in life, health-related or otherwise, makes it easier to stay the course when the going gets tough. It really seems like half the top ten on any list should not be made up of fake books/votes as is the case here. By my count, at least 37 of the top 100 are fake votes. Drawing from both her raw personal experience and ancient Buddhist teachings, Chödrön offers an alternative perspective on suffering, in opposition to the Western view to avoid pain at all costs. Most crucially, she offers a clear explanation of the Buddhist practice of self-compassion. The question at the heart of this beloved self-help book, as personal finance blogger Grant Sabatier puts it, is simple: how much money are you willing to trade your life for? Work is essentially a swap of energy and time for money. How much does that mean to you? If you figure out this “why” behind your spending, it will enable you to easily lay down the stepping-stones for intelligent investment and budgeting decisions. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life … And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven

In Give and Take, Grant examines the long history of givers, takers, and matchers — that is, people who give, people who take, and people who attempt to balance the two. What he’s found may just surprise you: throughout history, there is a long precedent for success among the givers. But even more important than their own personal success, Grant reveals that when givers win, so does everybody else. It’s only when we stop focusing on own self-interest and start ensuring that others within our community can succeed as well that we begin to truly reap the best rewards — for ourselves, as well as those around us. It’s a radical approach that has the power to transform not only your own life, but the whole world. In 10% Happier, Harris talks about how he used meditation as a means of quieting that voice. Exploring neuroscience, network news, and the fringes of America's spiritual scenes, what Harris presents is his journey to contentment. Even though it’s not a traditional weight loss book, that component being included at all might turn some people offBased on a strong foundation of original research, and engagingly presented with candid storytelling, The Gifts of Imperfection provides methods for letting go of the notion of a "perfect life" and encourages individuals to look for unique details that make their life their own. It provides readers with blueprints for cultivating feelings of self-worth and acceptance, while letting go of shame and self-destructive thinking, allowing people to embrace the perfection of imperfection. With the next decade upon us, you might already be thinking about reinvention and looking forward to putting a new you out there. But lasting change is truly hard to achieve, as many people with optimistic New Year’s resolutions soon find out. In Switch, Chip and Dan Heath examine just why this is. Story-driven and research-based, this self-help book is a revealing, informative inquest into the psychology and sociology of change. More than that, it’s a guide to how you can achieve permanent change — the kind with a capital C. Switch keeps this complicated subject simple and accessible, devoting its chapters to the three critical elements of change (the rational mind, the emotional mind, and the environment that influences our behavior). Indeed, change starts here — simply by reading this book.

A Cat’s Guide to Money: Everything You Need to Know to Master Your Purrsonal Finances, Explained by Cats by Lillian Karabaic ⭐ Indie Spotlight While this self-help book could be considered a guide to help with weight loss, it’s really so much more. Chopra does talk about losing weight and also gives a pretty regimented recommendation on what to eat. But he also digs deeper into the reasoning behind our desire to seek this transformation, and fulfillment is at the center of this argument. This 14th-century poem chronicles the gradual overcoming of the middle-aged and burned-out Dante’s spiritual weariness. Guided by his mentor Virgil, he journeys from Hell to Paradise, where he is eventually reunited with his beloved Beatrice. The epic can be read as a cautionary Christian tale or as an extended revenge fantasy in which many of Dante’s personal enemies get their gruesome come-uppance. But we can also read it as an archetypal story of spiritual growth and self-overcoming. The doubting Dante is systematically re-educated by his many encounters in Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. The inhabitants of Hell show him how not to live his life, and the costs of their bad choices. In the end, purged of his own weaknesses, Dante reaches a higher spiritual plane and glimpses the divine.

25 of the best self-help books, according to Goodreads

We are not our thoughts, argues Tolle in this bestselling book. Most of our thoughts, Tolle writes, revolve around the past or the future. Our past furnishes us with an identity, while the future holds “the promise of salvation”. Both are illusions, because the present moment is all we ever really have. We therefore need to learn to be present as “watchers” of our minds, witnessing our thought patterns rather than identifying with them. That way, we can relearn to live truly in the now. Tolle talks a lot about the ego and how to separate ourselves from it. His examples and recommended exercises are not just hocus pocus; they really work and are something anyone can do. Whether yoursuffering is rooted in jealousy, anger, grief, sadness, anxiety, or depression, Tolle will help you see life from varied perspectives, awakening you to your life’s purpose. This is a great book for the young in preparation for life and as a self-examination of character, values and choices. For the older it is a reminder that life is what you make it, and it's never too late to make the right choices for ourselves.