Top-10 Life-changing books

Life-changing books have the ability to do just that — change your life in ways you didn’t think possible. They offer advice from people who have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.

If you want to revolutionize your life for the better, look no further than the following list of books. The ability to change can be one piece of advice away.

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Atomic Habits

“Habits are the key to our destinies.” In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear explains how we tend to think we need drastic change to become better when really, it is our daily actions that are the game-changers.

Creating a habit is a simple concept to understand yet can be difficult to implement. Nonetheless, Clear does an excellent job of explaining the science behind habits while giving an action plan to follow.

According to Clear, there are four parts to a habit: cue, craving, response, and reward. Every habit is formed by repeating this cycle until it becomes automatic. This includes both good and bad habits by the way.

One of the majors takeaways from this life-changing book is that it gives you simple steps to implement during each stage of the habit cycle.

This means that you don’t have to rely on motivation or self-discipline, but instead, on an effective system.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

An all-time classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of the OG books in the personal development arena.

Stephen R. Covey teaches that the world is driven by fundamental, unchanging, and universal principles. The author also explains that people who live effectively — that is people who fulfill their potential on a consistent basis — display 7 habits that align with these fundamental principles.

The 7 habits of highly effective people are:

1. Be proactive — Acknowledge that you have the responsibility, and the ability, to create your own destiny
2. Begin with the end in mind — Visualize what kind of life you wish you have lived when you are in your last days, then reverse-engineer
3. Put first things first — Learn to differentiate the important from the urgent, and prioritize accordingly
4. Think win-win — Always aim to have agreements where everybody benefits
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood — Learn how to listen before your speak
6. Synergize — No masterpiece is achieved in isolation. Learn how to recruit others to help you achieve greatness
7. Sharpen the saw — Constantly review your progress so you can hone the habits that need sharpening

This life-changing book has been a best seller for years, and with good reason. It gives you the fundamentals of leading an effective life according to universal principles.

The Compound Effect

Similar to Atomic Habits, The Compound Effect highlights how daily actions have a huge impact on our lives.

Darren Hardy, the author, explains that just like the compound principle on money — where an asset generates income on itself incrementally — , daily actions accumulate on top of one another until they generate massive results.

Here is one of the best examples from the book to explain this principle:

Imagine you have a bucket filled with clear water.

Now, imagine you start adding one drop of ink to the bucket every day.

Given that, in the beginning, the amount of water on the bucket is larger than the amount of ink, the water will remain clear for some time. However, at some point, the water will get murky. And, if you keep adding droplets of ink every day, eventually, the water will be completely tinted.

The same happens with habits. One day, your daily actions will catch up to you — for better or worse.

For example, if you start eating healthy and going to the gym, you won’t see results at first, but after a couple of months, you will notice the changes in your body.

The opposite is also true. If you start eating junk food every day, you won’t notice a big difference at first. But, keep this behaviour for long enough and your belly will start to show.

The Compound Effect is excellent reading for those who need a gentle slap in the face to motivate them to change.

It shows that you don’t need massive action to make a difference, but that little steps are meaningful.

The Total Money Makeover

For better or for worse, money is a big part of our lives. Because of this, I included three books on the subject on this list. And The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsay, is one of the best books — in my opinion — for basic personal finances.

If you are new to the money game, want to pay off your debt, want to save more, or want to invest but are not sure where to start, this is the book for you.

It is also great reading for couples, as it has a section dedicated to shared finances. It is no coincidence that money is one of the main causes of divorce, so having this type of information is beneficial for any established relationship.

This book has a no-nonsense, simple approach to money. As its title suggests, it is meant for those who want a total money makeover, are tired of excuses, and are serious about changing their financial situation for the better.

Money Master the Game

Tony Robbins is a famous life coach that causes mixed feelings in people. Regardless of how you feel about Robbins, his book Money Master the Game is one of the best books to read if you want to take your personal finances to the next level.

In Money Master the Game, Robbins explains the concept of making money at different stages of life. His advice ranges from the very basics of finances to powerful investment strategies. So people on all levels of the money game can benefit from this reading.

What’s more, Robbin shares insights from Ray Dalio — founder of Bridgewater Associates and one of the top investors of our times.

This book is excellent for anyone looking to understand how money works and how to take their personal finances to the next level.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Another classic, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is one of the best-selling books on personal finances of all times.

Basically, Rich Dad, Poor Dad focuses on the idea that wealthy people don’t work for money, but instead, they learn how to make money work for them.

Kiyosaki teaches the concepts of building wealth while telling his personal story. Growing up, Kiyosaki had his biological father or “Poor dad” who was highly educated and worked for the government, and his friend’s father or “Rich Dad” who didn’t have a traditional education but was very good at creating businesses and investing.

One of the key aspects of the book is the quadrant of wealth:

The quadrant of wealth showcases how people make money. The first quadrant “E”, stands for Employee, the second quadrant “S” stands for Self-employed or Solopreneur, the third quadrant “B” stands for Business, and last, but not least, “I” stands for Investor.

The author explains that people on the left side of the quadrant exchange their time for money. While people on the right side of the quadrant learn how to make assets generate money for them.

If you are flirting with the idea of quitting your job and starting your own business, this reading is for you.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

This book was first written in 1936 by Dale Carnegie, yet the principles still stand until this day.

In spite of all the information and technology available to us, we still struggle to make genuine connections with people.

In his life-changing book, Carnegie takes us back to the basics of good relationships. Concepts such as “don’t complain or criticize”, “show appreciation”, and “have a genuine interest in the other person” might seem obvious to the reader, but they are much needed in today’s society nonetheless.

If you struggle with social anxiety, or your awkwardness gets the best of you, this is an excellent resource to help you connect with others.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

In 2014, Marie Kondo took the world by storm. In a world full of noise — and stuff — Kondo offered a radical, yet wonderfully simple solution to make space in our lives for what really matters.

With her foolproof, 5-step system, Kondo invites her audience to get rid of most of their possessions in a journey that can be described as spiritual.

One of the most amazing aspects of this book is the number of testimonials praising Kondo’s methodology. Marie Kondo has impacted a lot of lives with her teachings. And since we are talking about life-changing books, what can be more life-changing than “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”?

Pick up this book if you struggle to keep your house clean, or if you feel overwhelmed but don’t know where to start.

Flow

Ever wonder how some people can get so much done? They are probably in a state of flow.

In his book Flow, author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes Flow as the state where we are so focused on what we are doing, that time flies by. This is generally due to the fact that we are enjoying ourselves.

Csikszentmihalyi denotes that it is almost impossible to truly excel at something unless we are in a state of flow.

He also mentions that there are specific characteristics for an activity to induce “flow”. Such characteristics are:

• Clear goals
• Immediate feedback
• The balance between challenge and skill
• Deep concentration
• Being in the present
• The feeling of control over the task
• The sense of time becomes distorted
• Egolessness

The good news is that there are ways we can replicate these requirements in activities that we don’t find enjoyable. Which makes it much easier to do them.

This life-changing book is great reading if you are struggling with procrastination or feeling unmotivated.

The Four Agreements

In his book The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz teaches that we have inherited toxic beliefs about ourselves and others from our ancestors and society.

Ruiz bases his teachings on the wisdom of the Toltecs — an ancient civilization in Mexico.

The author points out that we are domesticated from childhood with old agreements we didn’t agree to. And in turn, he describes how to break these old agreements and create new ones based on the following principles:

1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don’t take anything personally
3. Don’t make assumptions
4. Always do your best

According to Ruiz, these simple yet remarkable principles make for a much better life and make this reading, indeed, life-changing.