7 Books That Have Changed My Life
“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.”
Vera Nazarian
We’ve all got at least one book that’s left an imprint on us.
Whether they inspire us with new possibilities, change our perspective on life (or ourselves), or allow us to travel to another world without ever leaving our home — books have the power to expand our minds and open hearts.
I personally count books as some of my greatest mentors, offering perfective and invaluable advice to help inspire guide my personal, professional, and emotional journey.
If you come to my weekly classes there’s a good chance you can probably guess one or two of my favorites, but some others may surprise you.
From spiritual classics to wise words for the entrepreneur in us all, I hope these books impact your life the way they have mine.
1. It Starts with Food by Melissa Urban and Dallas Hartwig
I firmly believe it’s very difficult to do our deeper inner and spiritual work without getting our physical vessel in alignment.
What we eat determines how our brain functions and our brain is what we use to help access our deeper self. The two are deeply connected and my deepest spiritual awakenings have come as a result of changing the way I ate.
I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Whole30 in 2013 but I did my first one with a friend and the rest was history. For me this was like going to a mini-nutrition school which set me up with tools that will serve me for the rest of my life.
The first in the Whole30 collection, this book changed my life.
2. Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss
In Many Lives, Many Masters, psychologist Brian Weiss shares many true stories from his patients’ past life experiences. This book changed the way I think about life and death, which ultimately changed the way I think about absolutely everything.
After reading this book, I had a new perspective on life — it no longer felt so finite, and my emotions and connections did not feel so vulnerable.
3. The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
Did you know the conventional path of working 9 to 5 until retirement isn’t your only option?
Honestly, I didn’t until I read Tim Ferris’ book.
And it kind of blew my mind.
It opened up my mind to some pretty novel (to me) ideas like making money while you sleep, remote work, choosing the lifestyle you want, and working less while having more. Through Tim sharing the account of his own life’s path, it helped give me myself permission to dream about new possibilities for myself.
Tim’s perspective helped me break down the firm beliefs I had around the idea of “success” — what it looked like and how to find it. Most importantly, it gave me back my power to create a life that I loved.
4. A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
If you’ve followed my journey for any length of time, you’ll probably already know that this is one of my all-time favorite books.
My original copy is lovingly worn — full of bent pages, highlights, hand-written notes, and coffee stains. Every time I come back to it I learn something new.
Spiritual in nature, it taught me some great life lessons about human nature, psychology, and mindset. What really resonated with me is the idea that, ultimately, love is the only thing that matters.
Reading it with a clear mind was a true awakening. This is the sort of book you’ll want to read slowly, taking in every word. You could easily overlook its magic.
5. The Firestarter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte
This book is all about creating the life you really want based on how you want to feel. Like, really feel.
Written as a workbook, this gem is brimming with thought-provoking and transformative exercises to spark motivation and clarity for wherever you want your life to go.
I read this earlier in my personal development journey before I started my businesses and was trying to gain clarity on what I wanted my life and work to look like. I love Danielle’s perspective on how to build our life and dreams based on our core desired feelings.
6. Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth
If you’ve ever struggled with your relationship with food, this is my top recommendation. My favorite book for healing food issues and constant dieting, this book presents simple guidelines to help us free ourselves from food rules and the constant battle with our bodies.
I learned about this book on Oprah and it blew my mind. Through Geneen’s thoughtful writing and approach, I felt like someone was really speaking to me, and realized that I wasn’t as alone in my journey as I thought.
7. Loving What Is by Byron Katie
Two of my friends and mentors — Suzy Batiz of PooPourri, and Melissa Urban of Whole30 — recommended this book and I’m forever grateful. Loving What Is helped me to pay attention to the stories and beliefs that were running my mind, and where in my life I was focusing on everyone else’s business but my own.
It helped me to reframe nearly every circumstance in life, so that I could look at it for the reality of what it is, not what I assume it to be. This book really helped me to live more peacefully by feeling more in control of my racing thoughts and being able to bring them back to reality.
When I started Self-Care Society, it was built on the knowledge that we already have the answers… we often just need a little inspiration to help uncover them. These books have done that and then some for me, changing my life and perspective with every re-read. I can only hope you find them equally as powerful should you decide to give any a shot.
Let’s keep the conversation going in the community today. I’d love to learn more about the books that have changed your life — and see if any of these reads resonated with you, as well.
If you’re not a member, our community is a beautiful space of like-minded people learning and growing together on their unique self-care journeys — asking for support, sharing learned wisdom, and generally coming together in a place of acceptance and love.
Book clubs, advice, recommendations, and beyond, you’re bound to find some inspiration, and we’d be honored to see you there.
More Self-Care Resources You Might Enjoy…
- 93 Thought-Provoking Journaling Prompts
- Self-Care Mad Libs: Daily Affirmations Pep Talk Generator
- 6 Free Examples of Self Care That You Can Do Today
- 10 Self-Care Micro-Habits To Transform Your Day
Please Note: These are all genuine endorsements, and books I love. We link to Amazon for convenience and a small affiliate commission in some cases, but if any of the recommendations inspire you, we encourage you to support the authors directly or your favorite local bookseller. xo
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