Uncertainty exhausts us. It may not be the exhaustion resulting from working hard but rather one that results from holding oneself back, questioning decisions, and constantly doubting one’s capabilities. These symptoms are not uncommon and, thankfully, it is not permanent either.
Reading books, alone will not solve the problems, they have the power to change your outlook on life, and thus yourself. In this blog we introduce you to certain self-help books that will definitely help you in achieving your goals.
1. Six Pillars of Self-Esteem – Nathaniel Branden
According to psychologist Nathaniel Branden, it was his whole life’s work to understand how some people walk through life with an inner self-assurance, whereas others find themselves fettered up in the prison of self-doubt. What’s the solution here? He states Six key elements: conscious living, self-acceptance, self-responsibility, self-assertiveness, purpose, and integrity. Remove any one of these from your life, and suddenly confidence becomes difficult to sustain. Master all six of them, and a transformation will begin that will last forever. What’s special about this particular self-esteem book is that it refuses to give you an easy way out. It’s not like that confidence is found somewhere, or discovered. Instead, confidence must be earned through hard work. Through determination. Through commitment. It’s tough reading sometimes, but very worthwhile.
2. You are a Badass – Jen Sincero
Just because of the name seems a bit odd, the content inside doesn’t get wrong. Yes, Jen Sincero is witty and sarcastic – but she is also quite precise in terms of how we sabotage ourselves. This book focuses on the narrative that we all carry around: everything we learn from parents, school, or from the failures in life – all those unconscious beliefs that run our life without us being fully aware of it. Sincero’s strength lies in her ability to make us understand these unconscious beliefs, and offer us some advice on how to change them.
3. Daring Greatly – Brene Brown
Brené Brown has the ability to make you feel uneasy before she makes you feel heard, and that is why her writing is so powerful. In her book Daring Greatly, Brown states that vulnerability is not something that strips away confidence. Vulnerability is confidence in its purest form. For most people, we are taught to act like we know everything and that there is nothing that can let us down. Brown explains how all of this armor ends up taking away the essence of our personality that makes us interesting to others. She says that true confidence comes from facing your fears head-on, not by hibernating in the cocoon of your comfort zone.
4. Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers
Written years ago but still relevant. The basic idea behind it borders on the shamefully obvious thought: fear never goes away. To wait until you have the confidence to take action is a deception, confidence comes once you’ve taken the action that scared you. Repeating it makes you an expert in the same action.
In Susan Jeffers’ book, she describes the process of breaking free from this vicious cycle with such elegance and insight. Practical exercises are given for overcoming obstacles head-on rather than going around them. If you’re always “preparing to prepare,” her book opens the door to progress.
5. The Confidence Gap – Russ Harris
It is a different work relative to others. Instead of attempting to shut up the voice of self-doubt or replacing your negative thoughts with positive ones, he teaches you to see them without being consumed by them. Gap in the book’s title refers to the difference between your level of confidence and the one you want to reach. What he discovered was that majority of the people do not take action until that gap is filled. What this book suggests is that one should act despite the existence of the gap and slowly build one’s confidence.
6. Presence – Amy Cuddy
The connection between physical stance, breathing and self-image that Cuddy discusses is an interactive process. Our physical stances convey messages not only to other people – we get those messages ourselves. There’s an assurance that doesn’t have to be fake when one’s physical and psychological aspects are connected. More than just a guide to nonverbal communication, this book is about finding a way to make you feel right at home in whatever situation you’re in – whether you’ve already proved your rightness in this situation or not. A definite must-read for everybody who gets scared talking in front of large audiences.
7. Zero to Success in 369 Days – Dr. Ajayakumar & Praveen parameswar
Developed under the Success 369 Method concept, the book (and, indeed, the whole mentoring course) is based on a layered transformation approach to confidence. What makes this particular book stand out from all others on the market is its clear understanding that success is a step-by-step process rather than something that needs to be achieved in a matter of days. The book provides a roadmap to 45 milestones that will take you through 369 days, each milestone rooted in personal reflection, leadership lessons from practice, and tough introspective questions aimed at helping you to know yourself and your path towards success.
Each of the three stages, namely Clarity, Congruence, and Catalysis, builds on top of each other and follows the logical sequence of personal development that starts with the understanding of oneself and one’s motivations and moves to aligning behaviors to those motivations. This is complemented perfectly by an AI mentoring tool that acts like a dialogue partner always ready to help in case of any reflections, blocks, and doubts.
Conclusion
Just eye balling through pages will not help you, for sure. For imbibing the values to your life you should be involved in the process of reading. The points which strikes you must be noted, try using a sticky note or something just for scribbling your personal thoughts about the content read, it really helps. If you start a book, try your maximum to complete it. The best book to improve self confidence, only guides you, makes a path for your, sticking on to the path depends on your strength and determination.
