A new year can mean a new you, sure. But it can also cause anxiety. What if you can’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions? What if the new year brings with it something as mammoth and awful as Covid-19? To allay that stress, these reads help you nix negative thinking patterns and help you reframe – while setting up your new round around the sun for success.
Studies show that engaging in self-reflection can boost your well-being, empathy, communication and adaptability, all key things to take in your stride when tackling a new year of challenges. Try these new year books and open up a new world of mental clarity and resilience.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Per author James Clear, changing your entire life doesn’t need to mean making sweeping changes to the way you do things. Rather, the journey is won, he says, through incremental changes, like adding just two push-ups to your routine or waking up just five minutes earlier. This achievable approach has inspired many, from CEOs and athletes to distinguished scientists who are productive, motivated and happy.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Yes, it’s a memoir. But who better to learn from than an accomplished black woman and former First Lady? This book is a labour of deep reflection and storytelling and chronicles the way that her life and experiences have shaped her into the powerful person she is today. A book that many women have loved.
READ MORE: 12 Books To Help You Survive Year-End Fatigue
The Year Of Magical Thinking By Joan Didion
Perfect for anyone who wants to reframe their thinking when the going gets tough. Joan Didion deals with loss and working through grief in this retelling of making sense of life. A book that delves into the human experience.
Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
This feminist text is prime reading for anyone looking to claim their power and take up meaningful space in the world. Author Clarissa Pinkola Estés details the ‘wild woman’, a presence in the female psyche that gives women their creativity, energy and power. It also delves into tapping into this power and using it healthily.
Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling
A coming-of-age autobiography with lessons on harnessing your own power and running with it. She spills about her own struggles fitting into Hollywood’s marker of what’s hot and how she worked to overcome those obstacles. A quirky read that will inspire.
READ MORE: 18 Mental Health Books For Anxiety, People-Pleasing And More
The Most Powerful Woman In The Room Is You by Lydia Fenet
A book for the career woman who wants more from her professional life, this read will show you how to sell yourself authentically, stop apologising, to network, as well as how to take ownership of your position – and how to perfect your poker face.
Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven
Based off the viral graduation speech the author made, this book expands on simple habits and truths of life that’ll inspire you to take on the world in a new way. Building from McRaven’s powerful speech, this book will inspire readers to achieve more with thoughtful determination, hard work and the spirit of service.
The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma
Leadership and elite performance expert Robin Sharma delves into the mythical land of productivity: mornings. It’s a novelised story of two struggling people who meet and become apprentices of an eccentric tycoon, but the lessons learned could help you start your day up for success, unlock a formula that’ll have you inspired earlier in the day and take valuable time for yourself.
READ MORE: The Books WH Editors Are Loving Right Now, Plus Must-Have Reading Tools
Quiet by Susan Cain
If you’re an introvert, you’ll find solace, hope and guidance in this book. It dives into the way introverts are often set up for failure in society and works to reframe that thinking with powerful prompts that’ll help change the way you see yourself and the way you approach the world.
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith
Drawing on years of experience as a clinical psychologist, online sensation Dr Julie Smith shares all the tools you need to get through life’s ups and downs. It’s got secrets from her therapist’s chair, along with coping techniques to help build resilience, no matter what life throws your way. A best-selling book that nearly everyone recommends. Pick it up.
The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
This book, lauded by many, reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that create needless suffering and hold you back from your wins. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements detail a code of conduct that can transform your life.
Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals by Rachel Hollis
This book poses a challenge to stop talking yourself out of your dreams, identify your excuses and let go of them as well as find new behaviours to adopt on your way to success. It’s written by a founder of a multimillion-dollar company, so any advice would be helpful.
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