Reading is a powerful, personal gateway to a new you and, more than ever, positive thinking books are showing up on international reading lists such as the New York Times bestseller list, which proves more people are seeking out ways to change their attitude and transform their life for the better.
Some of our favourite positive thinking books that we’re confident will help to change your life include:
1. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (1952)
Having retained its spot on the New York Times bestseller list for more 186 consecutive weeks, Norman Vincent Peale’s most renowned work, The Power of Positive Thinking, is essential for anyone looking to change their outlook on life. Rather than being a quick-fix towards a positive attitude, Peale’s book provides readers with comprehensive techniques to developing and maintaining long-term optimism through positive influence such as visualisation to achieve fulfillment. The book explores how to expect the best and get it, believe in yourself, worry less, improve both personal and professional relationships, how to take control of your life, and how to reach your goals.
2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (1937)
Inspired by businessman Andrew Carnegie, Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. Despite being predominately focused towards increasing your income, Hill’s book can be used to help you achieve success in all areas of your life. Based on his previous book, The Law of Success (1925), in which Hill wrote about findings based on his research of successful people, Think and Grow Rich focuses on desire and persistence and emphasises that you achieve success by knowing “very clearly where you want to go” and focusing on long-term goals.
3. Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers (2007)
Possibly one of the most well-known names in self-help, Susan Jeffers was an American psychologist and author whose best-selling Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway has sold millions of copies worldwide. The book focuses on identifying fear and identifying methods of ridding fear from your life. The book also covers how to banish the victim mentality from your life and expand your ‘comfort’ zone while creating more meaning in your life. Whether you’re worried about getting up in front of an audience, changing jobs, leaving a relationship or ageing and what the future holds, this is the book for you.
4. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (1960)
Focusing on the relationship between the mind and body, Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics explores how goal setting is the key to success and happiness. Maltz believed that by establishing an ‘inner goal’, you could develop your ‘outer goal’. In simple terms, Maltz teaches us that a positive attitude and success go hand-in-hand, as well as how to improve self-esteem and self-image which will help you achieve a happier and more confident outlook on life.
5. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (1903)
James Allen created what now many refer to as the Secret or the Law of Attraction. In his best-selling book, As a Man Thinketh, Allen reveals how thoughts determine reality, which means by focusing on positive things in your life, you will encourage positivity in your life. Similarly, if you think negatively, you will experience negativity in your life. In this accessible book, you find out how to take control of your thoughts and rid your life of failure and frustration with positive thinking.
6. The Magic by Rhonda Byrne (2012)
The third instalment in Rhonda Byrne’s best-selling series, The Magic follows The Power (2010) and The Secret (2006), and its basis is “the power of gratitude” with insight sourced from an ancient text. The series has secured Byrne a spot in Mind Body Spirit magazine’s annual list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. While we advise you to read all of Rhonda’s books, The Magic is particularly poignant as it takes you on a 28-day journey where Byrne teaches you how to transform every aspect of your life for ultimate happiness. This book is guided meditation, almost, at its best.
7. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (1997)
With other three million copies sold and a recommendation from Oprah Winfrey, Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now teaches you how to expel stress from your everyday life and live in the moment, which means avoiding worrying about the past or the future. The book is somewhat spiritual and, throughout, makes numerous suggestions to help you reach happiness, including how to slow down life by avoiding multi-tasking and spending more time in nature. More than anything, The Power of Now is about accepting who you are and achieving peace in your life by freeing yourself from worry.
8. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson (1998)
Every day, we stress ourselves out about small things that, in hindsight, don’t seem to matter all that much – and that’s because they don’t. In his best-selling book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, author Richard Carlson provides bite-size suggestions for how you can reduce stress in your life and stop getting so worked up about the little things. He will guide you through ways you can handle stressful situations for a healthier, happier you, including doing “one thing at a time” and learning from problems by treating them as “potential teachers”. By the end of this book, you will feel calmer.
9. SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully by Jane McGonigal (2016)
Love games? Then you’ll enjoy Jane McGonigal’s best-selling SuperBetter. In this book, McGonigal explores the theory that you should live life as you should play a game, focusing on optimism, creativity, courage, and determination to achieve happiness. Throughout the book, Jane focuses on the positive things in life and how you can harness the power of your mind to achieve anything you put your mind to. You will need to explore different strategies to find out what works best for you.
10. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (2009)
“A celebration of the beauty of life”, Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is based on Miller editing his life as if he were a character in a movie. Based on personal experience, throughout the book, Miller challenges readers to reconsider what their aim is in life and how to pursue that objective without getting stuck in a rut. The book is conversational and available in audio format.
Whether you’re looking to embrace positivity in all areas of your life, ask for the raise you deserve or want to find out how to pursue your dreams with success, the above books are all helpful and insightful reads that will help you to think positively and, therefore, achieve happiness and success.