10 books that change your life

Discover 10 books that change your life.

Some people may wake up one day and say, “I need to change my life!” But for me, I had this growing feeling that there must be more to life than I was experiencing.

Craving more understanding of my life, I started seeking information. This led me to collect resources, especially books, that offered enlightenment on how to live a better life. I knew I wanted to change my life, I just didn’t know how.

These 10 books were instrumental in helping me review my philosophies on life and to implement change for the better. While I am still me, what I believe and how I choose to live my life is very different from the past.

Each book provided new insights and helped me develop my own framework for living. I hope they entice you to find a special book just right for you.

Book 1 – You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay

I first read ‘You Can Heal Your Life‘ when I was in my 20’s. That first read started to awaken me to the idea that my thoughts influenced my life. Unfortunately I didn’t do the work, so few changes followed.

The next time I called upon Louise’s advice was in my 40’s after a challenging time in my life. I bought the ‘You Can Heal Yourself’ companion book and the affirmation book ‘Heart Thoughts – A Treasury of Inner Wisdom’. This time I worked through the processes to recognise the patterns in my life and how they were holding me back. I read the positive affirmations regularly.

However, it wasn’t until I turned 50 that I started to really value Louise Hay’s positive affirmations and implement them daily into my life. I regularly refer to her list of dis-eases and causes.

‘You Can Heal Your Life’ is a wonderful book to start to explore strategies for changing your life. It will gently guide you to take responsibility for your life, recognise the patterns in your life, and strategies to implement.

Since that first purchase, I have bought this life-changing book several times. Each time I buy it I end up giving my copy away to someone who needs to hear her special messages. The book in the photo is my latest purchase, LOL.

Book 2 – The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements crossed my path about 10 years ago. I can’t remember who gave it to me to read. What this book does is challenge the beliefs we were raised with through domestication. Ruiz offers a new way to live life which enables us to achieve personal freedom from the beliefs we accepted as children.

The four agreements present new ways to live your life. They are:

1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don’t take anything personally
3. Don’t make assumptions
4. Always do your best.

Definitely easier than remembering the 10 commandments and when applied give you the power to live your best life achieving personal freedom. The four agreements shows a way to change  limiting beliefs which trap you and presents a way to free yourself through changing your beliefs to the four agreements and believing in yourself.

I bought another copy of this book earlier this year, read it in one day, and it reminded me why I live my life the way I do. It’s an easy read and great conversation starter.

Book 3 – Mindset The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, PhD

After being introduced to Positive Psychology as a school teacher on the Gold Coast, Carol Dweck’s Mindset was a trending book and a recommended reading.

My initial motivation for reading this book was to further my teaching skills but within a few chapters I was monitoring and modifying my own mindset as well as my children and partner.

The influence was instant, the way I approached situations changed and I found myself slowly integrating a growth mindset into my life. With the growth mindset I was able to see mistakes as lessons and an opportunity to grow in any area of my life.

As a consequence still to this day, whenever I hear someone say something that demonstrates a fixed mindset, I instantly challenge their way of thinking and try to help them see the situation from a growth perspective. I guess I will always be a teacher at heart.

Book 4 – Change Your Thinking by Sarah Edelman PhD

Change Your Thinking introduced me to cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Sarah’s exercises assisted me to identify faulty thinking patterns I had learned during my life.

I have since read many books about changing how I think, but this was the first which provided practical ways to think differently. One I remember I immediately applied was I stopped using the word, “should”. Still to this day I instantly correct myself.

Another change was it made me examine how self-critical I was. Lousie Hay’s You can Heal Your Life, helped me to use affirmations and mirror work to rebuild my self-love and self-care so I am no longer my worst enemy.

Book 5 – The Five Thinks We Cannot Change … and the Happiness We Find By Embracing Them by David Richo

I think it was this book, The Five Things We Cannot Change, that really helped me to mature into an understanding that I had an ego and it wasn’t in my best interest to let it rule my mind!

The five things we cannot change are called givens. These givens to life include: everything changes and ends; things do not always go according to plan; life is not always fair; pain is a part of life and lastly, people are not loving and loyal all the time.

I think it was the last given, people are not loving and loyal all the time, which really opened my eyes to my people pleasing tendencies.

Today, I still recall and apply the givens and the teachings of the Four Agreements in my everyday life. They really did assist me to change my beliefs and in doing so, to change the way I think and live.

Book 6 – Ask and It Is Given – Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks (The Teachings of Abraham)

Ask and It Is Given really opened my eyes when I first read it to the fact that I am the creator of my reality. It instilled in me a desire to learn how to live in joy.

It is an easy to read book which I have read several times. Each time I learn something new, knowing that I take on board what I need to continue my journey of finding myself and learning to manifest the life I want.

When we stop resisting and instead live the life we were meant to live, which means following our joy we manifest different outcomes. The concepts are backed up with processes to help you change your vibration and to ultimately change your thinking and change your life.

As I said before, it doesn’t matter where you are in life, you will get something out of this book.

Book 7 – Archetypes: Who are you? by Caroline Myss

I found this book after reading Women Who Run With Wolves which explores the inner life of women. One of the many books that change your life for self-awareness, Caroline Myss’s “Archetypes: Who are you?” explores ten (10) modern personal archetypes especially related to women.

Easy to read, her insight into our inner psyches is life changing.

Each archetype is examined, considering how it influences the life journey of the individual, challenges, universal lesson, defining grace, inner shadow, male counterpart, myth, lifestyle challenge, how to recognise the archetype, and making the most of the archetype (tapping into its power).

Insights about your own inner self is achieved as you work with each relevant archetype. I found the archetypes very similar to the life paths presented in numerology.

For a more extensive read on archetypes, consider Caroline’s book, “Sacred Contracts”. However, this book is a great place to start if you haven’t explored archetypes before. Enjoy.

Book 8 – Daily OM: Inspirational Thoughts for a Happy, Healthy and Fulfilling Day by Madisyn Taylor

Uplifting, inspiring and full of so much knowledge, I absolutely love this book. So much so, I gave my copy to my son for a few years. Only earlier this year, I asked for it back, since he wasn’t reading it.

Now my Daily OM is read almost daily. I randomly select a page to read to start my day before I even get out of bed.

Each one is a maximum of two pages and provides a message about how to live a conscious life. For example; An empty vessel can be filled: the power of not knowing or what about, Where you need to be: timing can be everything.

I find Daily OM thought provoking and it constantly reminds me that I know nothing. The advice of being an empty vessel is acknowledged, I am an open book and this is one book I will probably read until the day I die.

Book 9 – Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself – How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself is full of science about how the brain and mind work, but written in a way that makes it easy enough to follow.

Dr. Joe’s insights are all backed with extensive research, he uses to illustrate how we can rewire our mind to achieve our full potential in life.

His answer to breaking the habit of being yourself is through meditation. He provides exercises with detailed instructions and practical exercises to assist in making the required changes to how you think.

Many concepts are reiterated throughout the book, with lots of real life examples.

It’s a great book for those who have already started exploring meditation and are looking for a self-help book which can have a profound impact on your life.

I have also read his next book, “Becoming Supernatural” which extends the ideas of transcendental awareness.

Book 10 – The Numerology Guidebook: Uncover Your Destiny and the Blueprint of Your Life

For some reason, I have had a special connection with numbers my whole life. Hence I was a Math and Business teacher, but I also have been fascinated in the science of numerology since I was a teenager.

I have many books on numerology, my first was “Secrets of the Inner Self”. However, “The Numerology Guidebook“, provides a clear and precise introduction to numerology for beginners and covers the essentials you would want to know.

It includes how to calculate your own major numbers and links to websites which will do the calculations for you.

I love numerology and this book is a great quick reference for those who are just learning and are intrigued to understand their life path, destiny and soul urge.

If you ask yourself, “what am I here for?” then this book is for you. It really is one of the books that change your life.

There are lots of applications of numerology to explore. “The Numerology Guidebook” is entertaining and informative and may help you become more self-aware of what your life could be.

Books that change your life: Moderation in application

A final thought on books that change your life! It was suggested to me at the 2020 Mind, Body and Spirit festival in Brisbane, right before Covid-19 lockdown, that I may be reading too much and this could be affecting me negatively.

This stopped me dead in my tracks, challenging me to rethink the amount I was reading and if I was really absorbing the new information.

I generally read a few books a month. However, I took the advice on board and have made a point of slowing my reading down. This has enabled me to reflect and apply the new ideas more effectively.

This is something to consider especially with self-help books that include activities and processes to work through.

It takes time to master new ideas in your life and to implement real change in the way you think, do and be.

So I limit the amount I read each day.

Life is after all about balance. I’m sure at one point there I was addicted to reading books that change your life. I guess if you are going to have an addiction, reading at least doesn’t harm others!