Uplift Your Precious Life with These 5 Books

Words: They can make you or break you.

Words: They can drastically change your perspective. 

Words: They can provoke you and motivate you.

There is an immense impact of words in your life. Just a combination of different words to frame a statement can hurt you or inspire you. If one word or one sentence has the enormous power to stir your emotions, imagine what can a library of words that is a book can do to your mind.

 A book contains thousands of words. Not each and every word may stimulate you, but there is at least a line that lingers in your mind for a pretty long time. Books of different genres have a different impact.

 We generally tend to incline towards the shelf in the book store containing storybooks. We love stories. (most of us) Some people find self-help books very boring. Even I used to. But at some point when things fall apart, you really need to dig into the self-help books. 

The authors of some of the largest selling self-help books have made their writing intriguing by adding stories with moral values and real-life incidents that are great motivators to begin self-transformation. 

The five books below hold the tremendous strength to transform a frustrated mind into an ignited mind. These books not only serve in the times of worst-case scenarios but also when a little disappointing moment depresses us. 

Having said that, the happy-go-lucky folks are welcome to read these books too. After all, life sucks at any moment for anyone. Things may get worst even when we least expect it. 

The 5 books below can uplift your spirit.

1. Claim Your Power 

This book is rather interactive than mere entertainment. The author "Mastin Kipp" tells that this book should not be your next spiritual entertainment but you should read it for your spiritual growth. The 40 days of the journey are about deep excavation into your trauma and gaining back your lost power. This book helps you to claim your power and finally find your purpose. 

This self-help book explains how to listen to your heart without solely relying on the head's voice to resolve your traumas. After reading the last page of "Claim your Power" I felt like I accomplished something far greater than any monetary or worldly gains. It leaves behind a soothing feeling in your heart if you are sincerely devoted to the 40 days journey guided by Mastin. 

2. Man's Search for Meaning 

This book is my all-time favorite. "Man's search for meaning" was suggested by my friend when we were on a road trip.

The author of this book "Victor Frankl" was a Holocaust survivor from the cruel nazi concentration camp. Surviving such a camp was an ill wind of that era. Victor while suffering such terrible punishments was adding a deeper meaning to his life. 

Despite all the sufferings, one has a one hundred percent choice of response. The way we respond to toxic things that are thrust upon us determines how our life's journey unfolds. While going through the painful time of his life, victor imagined a bright future. That added a deeper meaning to his suffering. There was more to his life than the severe pain at the camp. 

Some of the valuable things one must practically implement from this book are as follows:

1. Find the "Why" in life i.e. find your purpose.

2. Instead of playing the blame game try to respond to an unfavorable situation in an optimistic way. Change your attitude instead of trying to change the situation and see the results. 

3. After finding "why," start visualizing that "why" happening for you. 

4. Suffering is a part of the game. Face it and find the meaning it entails. 

3. 365 Days of Inspiration 

This book is a great treat for those who hate reading long books but are looking for a quick motivation on a tough day. 

You can carry this book at your workplace, take a five minutes break, reshape your thinking, and get along with your work. It is that simple. This book isn't about the long-winded explanations of any life lesson.

It's full of quotes from great men like 'Napolean Hill,' the author, and other renowned personalities. It consists of 365 quotes. You can read all at once or start from day 1 of January having a couple of quotes and reach the end of the book at the end of the year. Sometimes even one quote is enough to change the way you deal with problems. That's where the"365 days of Inspiration" comes in handy. 

This ain't a book that you read once and keep away on the shelf, never to turn back to it again. You can pick a few quotes and note them on the paper and read them aloud daily if you want. This can be a great morning Kickstarter and a bedtime motivator. 

4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck 

As you will see the title on the front cover, "The subtle art of not giving a fuck" is a counter-intuitive way to live a great life. 

'Mark Mansion,' the author of this book clarifies that our need to feel special, avoid problems, or feel that we are always right is actually the destructive approach to deal with life. We often tend to give too many fucks about the things that are trivial to us. You will learn that giving too many alternative fucks affects us badly. 

Instead, we must give a fuck about something worthy to us. Having too many options on the table perplexes us. The lesser the fucks to take care of, the more smoothly we keep drifting in the right direction.  

Here are some of the key takeaways from this book that are counter-intuitive but will help you in the long run - 

1. You are not special 

2. Accept and say "no" 

3. Things fall apart and it's ok 

4. Take responsibility 

5. Embrace the failures

6. You aren't right but more or less wrong

5. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

Mark my words, this book's gonna completely change your perspective. Moreover, I'm pretty sure that you are going to land on some important pages repeatedly. It will guide you in your personal and public life. The author of this book, 'Stephen Covey' is one of my favorite self-help writers.

 "The value of production capability in an organization is as vital as that of production." This description totally changed my way of looking at my clients and co-workers. My friend discussed some points of this book that blew my mind and I immediately picked it up for reading. 

The most important concept to me was "the circle of influence" and "the circle of concern." After reading this, I realized that I must do what I can do and not let what I can't control occupy my mind all the time. Moreover, the significance of being principal-centered is explained very well in this book.

This book can turn you into a balanced and highly effective person in all walks of life. The difference between personality and character ethics is worth reading. 

From what I understood so far, here are the 7 habits and their brief descriptions:

1. Be Proactive 

Most of the time the things get messed up in an organization or in a family when we tend to be highly reactive. Rather we should choose to be proactive. This will make our contribution effective. We must be responsible for shaping our lives. We shouldn't just keep playing the blame game.  

2. Putting First Things First 

To effectively prioritize our tasks we must put first that task that will lead us closer to our goal. Whatever else is urgent should not come in the way of what we know is important for us right now. 

3. Sharpen the Saw 

No need to work our butt off. No need to vigorously work without a break. In this generation of hustlers, the important message is to recharge ourselves. In this way, when we get back to work, we can be more effective. Sharpen the saw emphasizes effectiveness rather than just getting the things done. This concept aims at maintaining a balance between actual working and getting fully ready for work, just like the saw should be given more time to sharpen so that it gets the cutting done in less time.  

4. Win-Win Situation 

To build healthy relationships in business you must think in terms of mutual benefits. In the short term, you will gain a profit if you only take care of your demands. But if you think about the solutions that will benefit both parties then the resulting agreement will build strong and long-lasting relations.

5.  Understand to be Understood

How can you expect the other person to understand you if you aren't understanding him/her? This is a simple but very effective habit that will sustain your relations in business and private life. 

As with family, a close friend, or spouse you may take them for granted. But if you try to understand them you will notice that your relationship with them will greatly flourish. 

6. Begin with an End in Mind 

Hard work and continuity are good but a definite direction is what one should aim at. Without visualizing the desired end result in mind we won't be clear about where our efforts are leading us. To begin with, an end in mind is to imagine the outcome we want and then take steps to turn it real. 

7. Synergize 

Teamwork is always more effective than an individual effort in an organization. A combined effort can bring drastic changes. The ants who strive to find food and bring it back to their anthill works collectively. One ant can't gather enough food for all the ants but the group work pays off. The same goes for business. A new outcome is a result of the varied opinions of employees. A team effort opens the window to new changes. 

The above 5 books have had a great impact in shaping me into the person I'm today. I'm sure these books will continue to guide me and make me an even better human. Grab these books and harness their power to enhance the quality of your life. 

Note: (The Images in this post are downloaded from the royalty-free image sites)