Summer Reading List - Books on How to Live Your Best Life
To live your best life, you have to be clear on what fulfills you. What brings you joy? What makes your heart happy? To help you answer these important questions, it’s useful to find some trusted teachers, mentors, and guides that can support you on this important journey of self-discovery. In fact, helping you to answer these questions is one of the main reasons our founder and CEO, Jennifer Adams, decided to write How High Can You Soar.
Coming up from humble beginnings, Jennifer chose to follow her dreams and transformed her life – by giving herself permission to dream big, work hard, and turn her dreams into reality! Along the way, she received help from many caring individuals who mentored her and shared their wisdom. She also read dozens of books on the topic of personal growth that helped to inspire and motivate her to pursue her best life.
Here’s a list of some of Jennifer’s favorite books, and why they’ve made such an impact:
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
The Secret teaches that the power of attraction is in full force all around you, every second of every day. It is a universal law: you attract more of what you choose to put out into the world. So, taking full ownership of the energy you emit is a critical step in realizing your dreams and living your best life.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
As an adult, you face choices every day. The decisions you make – both big and small – can seriously impact your happiness, health, relationships, and career. In short, these choices determine your future. The sooner you commit to taking charge and being accountable for every aspect of your life, the closer you will be to fulfillment. The Power of Now inspires you to be in the present and take responsibility for your Now – it’s up to you to write your next chapter.
A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
Living your best life means letting go of your limiting beliefs. Once you’re able to do that, what does that leave? Well, what’s left is pure potential. The pure potential of you. A clean slate to ask yourself, “What do I want from my life?” Williamson’s book motivates you to ask yourself this question and strive to fulfill your potential.
Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman
Mindset is a choice. Making a conscious effort to reflect positivity – especially with those who are closest to you – changes your relationships for the better. When you have a positive mindset the payback is immense, and it energizes and enhances your overall well-being, decision making, and resilience.
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
Canfield’s book encourages you to take action! When you procrastinate and leave things unfinished, you can develop feelings of guilt, negativity, and stress. These mental distractions can weigh you down, and leave you feeling bad about yourself. Create healthy habits that will get you to your finish line, and help you achieve your goals.
Getting in the Gap by Dr. Wayne Dyer
Your mind is powerful, and can even go into overdrive at times. Occasionally, you just need a complete reset. Quieting your mind opens you up to new possibilities, and it’s an effective way to regain your positive power. Getting in the Gap helps you understand the importance of quieting your mind – how it creates a fertile space for your imagination which can aid you in problem-solving and manifesting your goals.
Presence by Amy Cuddy, PhD
Social psychologist and Harvard professor Amy Cuddy researched and studied impostor syndrome in depth, and wrote about it in her book Presence. (She also has a popular TED talk about the topic which you can check out here.) By realizing that most people experience this feeling at some time or another, it becomes easier to recognize it in yourself. Once you can see it for what it is, then you can take action to break down that limiting belief before it becomes habitual. This feeling of being an impostor never completely goes away; it just changes in intensity the more you evolve, and as your dreams reach greater heights. Don’t let impostor syndrome steal your power and talents! And if you need an extra confidence boost, try the “power poses” Dr. Cuddy shares in her book and TED talk.
No matter where you started out or where you find yourself now, you have the power to rewrite your future. Learn from those who have found success in their journeys. This summer, we encourage you to sit down with some inspiring books – like those listed above – which offer practical tools and ideas on how to live your best life. Happy reading!
