Last year I really dove deep into personal development. I was super unhappy where I was at both physically and mentally. I was continually comparing myself to other girls, lacking confidence and having others make decisions for me on my life. I was happy, yes, but if I would have known then what I know now, or figured out about myself along the journey, I would have had a completely different head space. This article I am going to talk more about the mental side of my transformation rather than getting myself physically back into shape, although they mirror each other and are equally important, and how reading these so-called personal development books helped so much in my journey to where I am today. Over the course of reading these four books I will go on to explain, I gained so much more confidence, learned to love myself more, learned to stand up for myself and what MY goals are and what I want (not what others want for me), learned more about The Lord and becoming love like Jesus in a world that sometimes tries to shut it out and so, so much more. I don’t think these books are any secrets or magic on what we don’t already know, but I found myself to REALIZE these things, ponder them, LEARN from them and implement them into my life.
Now here are the top four books I fell in love with, LEARNED from and played a dramatic role in my personal development journey:
1) Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Let me tell you, Rachel Hollis is AMAZING! I have never met this woman and I feel like she is one of my BEST FRIENDS! She has a way in her books to reeeeally connect with you. I don’t have enough good things to say about this woman. Anyways, Girl, Wash Your Face is about getting readers to move beyond their self-limits they place on themselves and learning to embrace an empowering mindset to take charge of YOUR life and being able to CHANGE your life. It also goes on to tell you that people will treat you like you ALLOW them to treat you, so demand the respect you deserve, and you EARNED. Rachel Hollis continues to go on in the book about how YOU must choose to be happy, grateful and fulfilled. You limit yourself to what you think, believe and respect yourself. If you are new to Rachel Hollis, self-help books or personal development books, this is a MUST READ.
2) Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
Of course, my next book is yet again, a Rachel Hollis book. I’m telling ya ladies, this woman knows how to speak you!! Girl, Stop Apologizing dives deep into the realization that you CANNOT let anyone hold you back from YOUR dreams and what sets your soul on fire. The book is divided into three different sections: excuses to let go of, behaviors to adopt and skills to acquire. This one really opened my eyes and made me figure out what I want, not what others want for me and I have nothing to apologize for putting myself and my goals and dreams first. I HIGHLY recommend reading this!!
3) You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
This book was a constant reminder to me to FRICKEN LOVE MYSELF! In this book, Jen teaches you how to be your OWN personal cheerleader and to kick booty doing so! This book also helps you become fully self-aware, figure out what you want and to give the boot to the unnecessary opinions.
4) Everybody, Always by Bob Goff
This book is so sweet and will definitely bring you even closer to your faith. Essentially this book is a small how-to guide on how to walk the path of love and love how Jesus does. This book is packed full of personal stories from Bob Goff. This book definitely brings the teachings of the Bible closer to our hearts and celebrating how far you have come. I loved loved this book and recommend it to ALL ages!
All four of these books are so exceptional and I LOVED reading them all! I learned so much about myself and what I am capable of achieving. I learned to love myself more. I learned to believe in myself. I gained confidence. And I learned to not let my DREAMS get in the way of anything. I truly believe reading any of these books will help set your 2020 year up to a really great start! I own all four of them, soooo if you ever want to read one, I’m always a text away!