These days, it’s kind of unusual to ask for help. I mean, Google has everything anyway, right? If you get lost, you can just look for your position in Google Maps and navigate your way from there. Or if you’re craving something, you can just order with a few clicks or look up a recipe online. But still, life’s bigger questions such as “What the hell should I do with my life?” or “How do I motivate myself to do better?” really can’t be answered by a simple internet search (as much as we’d like it). Let’s face it. Life and adulting in particular are both too hard and sometimes, we just really need a helping hand.
So we’ve listed some of our favorite self-help books that can help us get through life’s hurdles. I know self-help books can tend to be boring and a little bit on the indulgent side, but don’t worry, these aren’t the cringey titles written by self-righteous pricks who only make you feel bad about yourself.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” is the kind of self-help book that won’t treat your mistakes and failures like wake-up calls for self-improvement. Instead, it stresses the fact that failures are failures, and we have to be okay with that. Mark Manson instills in his readers that positive thinking only leads to a miserable life and we have to instead seek things that we really care about and focus on them.
F*ck Feelings: One Shrink’s Practical Advice for Managing All Life’s Impossible Problems by Miachael I. Bennett and Sarah Bennett
Written by a father-and-daughter tandem (a psychologist and a comedy writer), this book will make you exchange your unattainable quest for perfection for realistic ways of self-improvement. The book will help you swallow the hard truth that you can never be perfect and make you realize that you’re right where you’re supposed to be.
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
How-tos are usually boring lists of preachy stuff that people who seem to have figured out their own lives make, but this book is definitely not one of those. Jen Sincero entertains with her witty and funny guides on self-improvement. By the end of the book, you’re guaranteed to be thoroughly motivated all while wearing a determined smile on your face.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg wrote a book that tackles the scientific bases of habits: why they exist and how having the right ones can actually turn our lives around. He talks about a lot sciencey stuff in a not-so-technical way, which is easy to understand and with narratives about companies like Procter & Gamble and Alcoa. We may not know it, but these businesses’ successes can inform our day-to-day habits.
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
In this book, Malcolm Gladwell writes about the importance on focusing on your own success rather than actively comparing yourself to others. He writes stories of people’s lives and how their successes are determined not only by their own perseverance but also by the environment that they are in.
By Bea Amador