5 Books That Have Legitimately Changed My Life

Have you ever been talking to someone and they recommend something to you by saying, "It has changed my life!" Sometimes I wonder if the book/movie/article/quote they're talking about is ACTUALLY life-changing or if they're just dramatic. Or maybe their life is in shambles and anything semi-inspiring is life-changing to them! I don't know. I thought it would be fun to put together a list of books that have been truly "life-changing" for me. I'm avoiding the obvious ones (The Book of Mormon and other church literature) and sticking to the secular books I love.

1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
I read this book when I was 15 or 16, and it profoundly influenced the way I set goals and make resolutions. I love the way she talks about knowing yourself and setting goals that make you excited. I recently re-read this book, and I felt prompted to make a list of things that truly make me happy and help me experience joy. I recommend this book to anyone who ENJOYS focusing on personal development and who likes to use lists and systems to make goals.

2. Getting Things Done by David Allen
If you haven't read this book, stop what you're doing right now, buy it on Amazon, and read it with a pen and notebook in your hand. This is the only organization system that truly works for anyone and any platform. GTD is the reason I started using an inbox, it's where I developed the 2-minute rule, it's honestly changed my entire outlook towards calendars and to-do lists. And it WORKS. Buy it. Read it. Believe it.

3. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Are you seeing a trend with these books? I'm way too into the self-help genre. I read Seven Habits when I was young, and I remember being SO inspired to write a personal mission statement and to "sharpen the saw." A lot of the principles from this book seem obvious, but perfect application of them takes a lifetime. I want to be an effective person, and I feel like this book is a really practical guide to doing that.

4. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book is a nice contrast to the strategy-like approach of Stephen Covey's writing. I read Eat, Pray, Love during my first semester at college (a very lonely, difficult time in my life), and I remember reading passages about depression and anxiety and feeling like, 'This is how I've felt for so long, but I've never been able to articulate it so well!" I wouldn't say that this book inspired any specific action, but it changed the way I think and the way I see myself.

5. The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
If you're really into setting goals and personal development, you HAVE to read this book. It's all about positive psychology and understanding how you can only achieve good things if you think good things! There are a lot of books that talk about positive affirmations and power poses, but this book was the first (it was published in 1959) and I think it gives the best explanation.

What books do you like? Are there any you would recommend to me?

♡♡♡
Rebecca