5 Brilliant Books for a Better You in the New Year

“No matter how small you start, start something that matters.” - Brendon Burchard

If you let it, this book will quite simply change your life. An experienced performance coach and personal development trainer, in researching this book, Brendon spent more than 3 years studying what makes high performers truly GREAT.

He focused on which of their habits had the most significant effect on their lives and really “moved the needle”. He learned that high performers are not born...they are made.

The result of his research is a wonderful, highly actionable book on how to think (and live) a more productive and fulfilling life.

This book breaks down step-by-step the exercises and habits you can practice to become a high performer too.

It doesn’t matter if your focus is on want to achieve in your career, how you would like your relationships to look, or even just how you just want to feel at the end of each day. 

It’s full of tips on things like how to maintain high energy levels throughout the day, how to create a sense of “I must accomplish this” to drive you forward, and how to maintain a sense of gratitude while still striving for more. I

f there is only one book you read next year on how to do and be “more”, I would highly recommend High Performance Habits be it.

For you audiophiles, the audio version read by Brendon himself is also fantastic!

“You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings.” - Elizabeth Gilbert

Ah, Elizabeth Gilbert. The woman who inspired a revolution of self-reflection (and not a few international trips).

Eat Pray Love is one of those books that found me in just the right moment of my life. I was struggling with the anxiety and uncertainty of my chosen profession and the fact that I felt very much rudderless and out of control of my life.

Then comes this successful woman, who did all the right things, and is now starting over.

About 15 years older than me when I read it, reading about her journey of self-love and the permission she gave herself to only think about what she needed for a while was such a freeing concept.

I too have always loved travel for the new experiences it brings, but I’d never thought about how sometimes to find yourself you need to go somewhere where no one knows you.

Where no one is placing preconceived notions on you. It sounds so obvious to say it, but it was a radical idea to me (and one that inspired my own year-long trip to South America years later).

This is another book I reread every few years, and it always offers up some new piece of wisdom that resonates now.

I love that this is a book that grows as you do and I genuinely encourage everyone to at least try it.

It may not rock your world, but if it does, it does so to the core. And you don't want to miss that.

“People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the real badasses.” - Brené Brown

If you have ever spent time binge-watching TED talks, you have most likely come across Brené Brown.

Her TED talk on the power of vulnerability is as watchable for its humor as it is compelling for its insight into why most people shy away from vulnerability.

For the literary-minded though, her books are where her insights truly shine. One favorite that will challenge the way you think about courage is her 2015 work, Rising Strong.

This book is for anyone who has ever struggled to come back after a fall or a loss. By sharing both personal and professional stories, Brené’s book gives you insight into those who have walked this path before, faced these same struggles and come out triumphant (and more self-aware) on the other side.

Whether you are getting over a past heartbreak, a career disappointment, or even family hardship, Rising Strong will help you tap into that your inner strength and begin the process of rebuilding with courage.

"Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become." - James Clear

I’m no stranger to self-improvement books. Especially ones that deal with behavioral psychology (I can’t get enough of them!)

So when I received a very clever marketing email from the author, James Clear, I figured what did I have to lose?

I thought I was already well-versed on the subject of habits, but let’s give James and Atomic Habits a try and see what he’s got. 

Apparently, quite a lot.

There are a couple of key concepts that he introduces in the book that, whether it was the timing or the writing, really resonated. And they did it a deep enough way they silenced the monkey on my shoulder who normally lets me know that a slip up is just around the corner, so watch out.

And I must say, that monkey-less peace is bliss. 

If you are struggling to make a profound change in your life through better habits (or by getting rid of bad ones that have plagued you for a while), you really do need to read Atomic Habits.

“Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns.” - Tara Brach

So much of the New Year's mentally of “New Year, New You” stems from unhappiness in the present.

But what if this year you chose to focus on how to have yourself truly accept the present and what is wonderful (and painful) about it instead?

Focused on guided meditations and “fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales”, Tara Brach’s book Radical Acceptance is a mix of how-to meditation techniques and supporting stories of how others left their own cycle of feeling they weren’t enough.

With an incredibly accessible writing style, this book is an equally wonderful read for those who have practiced meditation before and those who are just curiously starting to reach into that world.

If you have always wished you could approach yourself and your own mistakes with the same compassion and understanding you would offer a best friend, this book is a fantastic place to start.