5 Inspirational Books That Completely Changed Me + Why You Should Read Them.

5 Inspirational books to read to completely change your life.

Reading has always been one of my favourite ways to relax. I actually consider reading to be a must for everyone. There are so many gems hidden in between the pages of books. Gems that you won’t find elsewhere. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always made it a habit to read at least one new book every week, historical fiction happens to be one of my favourite genre to read, followed by romance. Self-help and Inspirational books to read to completely change your life, were never in my agenda.

I basically saw them as overly serious books for matured folks but guess what, I grew up! Growing up and the whole process of adulting comes with different vibes and mine came with the urge to explore, do more, be better and invariably live my best life which is basically the idea behind this blog www.giftcollins.com. In order to achieve the aforementioned, I turned to self-help and inspirational books to read to completely change your life to learn how to be my best self in this oh-so-crazy-adult-life. And learn I did!

These inspirational books to read to completely change your life opened my eyes to endless possibilities, to realise that I should always put “ME” first, to appreciate every gain and every loss, to learn there’s always two sides to every coin and lastly to always strive to be the best version of myself and to appreciate the shit life throws at me because it’s okay to encounter shit on one’s journey to success but it not okay to take or let shit keep you down from your success.

Girl Boss by Sophia Amoroso

An all time favourite read! I especially love this book because of the highly relatable way it was written. Flipping and reading through each page felt like I was actually sitting down with Sophia (the author) and having a conversation. Girl Boss is a deep book for every girl who wants to be her own boss.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The first time I read this book was about 8 years back. I was about 14 years old then. I honestly didn’t understand the book. It was an interesting read but at that age I couldn’t see beyond it being an interesting read. Fast forward to 2015, I read the Alchemist again and I was gobsmacked. This time around, I saw more than the storyline, I saw the amazing life lessons hidden in this book.

The Alchemist taught me to always follow my dreams and not follow the crowd.

“If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

Taught me that gratitude is an important part of living.

“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.”

Reaffirmed my belief in the Bible passage that’s says “faith without works is dead” and that to achieve your dreams, you must always take action.

“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action.”

Taught me that it’s okay to fall but it’s never okay to stay down.

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.“

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson.

This is one book I judged by its title and cover and I am glad to say I judged right.

Mark Manson in his book the subtle art of not giving a fuck, teaches you about finding what’s important and letting everything else go. Just like its name says, this book teaches you the art of not giving a f*ck.

The most important lesson I learnt from this book is mindfulness. I find that sometimes I am overwhelmed not because I have so much to do but because I cloud my mind with irrelevant distractions. I learnt how to be mindful and to avoid meaningless distractions from social media and focus on what’s important.

You’re A Badass by Jen Sincero

This book is a gem. I got to know about it one day during a book sharing exercise of The Bloggers Advocate WhatsApp group. When I opened it and saw over 500 pages, I was like what! Who writes an inspirational book of over half a thousand pages. I was discouraged and for a long time I didn’t bother to read until a few months ago. And when I did, I couldn’t stop berating myself for waiting so long to read it.

You’re a badass is a comprehensive self-help book that teaches you to be your own personal hype man/woman. Jen talks about finding love, being self-made and so much more. The most important lesson I learnt from this book is that no one can cheer you as much as you can cheer yourself. So be your personal cheerleader and spend time encouraging yourself to be the best.

Girl Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis

Now when I started reading this book, I was excited especially when I found out it was written by a fellow blogger, I was like go girl! She is also a Christian so it was an added bonus. I started reading Girl wash your face and I loved the first 2-3 chapters.

Rachel gave very inspiring statements in chapter 1. She says;

“You are meant to be the hero of your own story.”

and only you, are ultimately responsible for who you become and how happy you are.”

should be the very first of your priorities.”

I was completely fired up and in my head I was practically screaming yes girl!

But sadly, I don’t agree with everything written in this book. Now you might be wondering why I included a book I don’t completely agree with in my list of Inspirational books that changed me. It is because this book changed me. I used to belong to the class of people who agrees with every word written in an inspirational book or quote because I believe they know what they are saying but this book taught me to first believe in my truth and to know that my truth is more important than that of someone else’s.

In this book, Rachel constantly talks about weight loss and she made it seem, being plus size was intolerable and hence every girl should diet and have a weight loss plan. She says “to eat less and exercise more”. While this isn’t so bad, I don’t completely agree with it. rather, I believe everyone should strive to be healthy whether slim or fat.

Aside that, I loved the way this book was written. I loved how every chapter begins with a lie she once believed and how she overcame it. I love that she gave us examples using her life and oh her wit! Rachel’s style of writing made this book a truly interesting read.

These five books completely changed the way I look at certain issues. They are the perfect inspirational books to read to completely change your life.

Perfect for every one looking forward to self growth, productivity, mindfulness, self-care and living their best lives.

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Are you into inspirational books, if yes, which are your favourites and why?.

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