As we all are aware, reading is fundamental. It’s something we were forced to do as a kid and something that, with time, we’ve learned to enjoy. Or at the very least, see the benefits of continuously learning throughout life. Because of this, every year, I resolve to read more books, but I find myself overwhelmed by the choices as soon as I begin. Where do I start? That new exciting adventure novel that they’re turning into a movie this summer? The sci-fi fantasy that will allow me to escape reality into a scary dystopian future? A taste of non-fiction with that juicy new biography that just came out?
I’ve put together a list of six must-read books that will absolutely change your life in 2017, from improving your habits to finding love, from finding out what makes life worth living to learning to listen (and be heard).
Inspirational Books to Change your Life
1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
If you’re like me, you may have a pile (*ahem* a couple of piles) of random stuff lying around the house. Every time I try to clean up, that pile is there in the corner, defying my attempts to declutter. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing [1] may be the answer to all of our clutter problems. In this #1 New York Times best-selling guide, Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers by the hand and leads them step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing.
2. Inside-Out Health: A Revolutionary Approach to Your Body
If you’ve been looking for a way to lose weight, stay fit and healthy, rid your body of pains, and achieve total wellness, then Inside-Out Health: A Revolutionary Approach to Your Body[2] is a must-read for you. Dr. Robert G. Silverman’s book challenges conventional medicine, which treats symptoms instead of systems, and provides a rationale similar to Chinese medicine. His book shows the way of using functional medicine to focus on starting inside with the gut and working our way outside for lasting health.
3. The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships
Do you find yourself thinking about what you’re going to say so much that you are not actually listening to what someone else is saying? Do you ever feel like you’re failing to connect with others and your relationships are suffering as a result? The book The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships [3] teaches us that we take it for granted that one person talks and the other person listens, and unfortunately, most of us aren’t listening as well as we think we are. Become one of the 125,000 readers who have learned from experienced therapist Mike Nichols’ easy-to-learn techniques and practical exercises for becoming a better listener, as well as making yourself heard and understood even in the most difficult of situations.
4. Are You the One for Me?: Knowing Who’s Right and Avoiding Who’s Wrong [4]
Whether you’re married and wondering if you could be happier, single and wondering how to avoid another wrong partner, or in love and wondering whether your partner is right for you, the goal is the same: find (and keep) the best partner and make your love last. Best-selling author and renowned relationship expert Barbara De Angelis has the answer for you in this groundbreaking book on relationships. Learn how to create a fulfilling relationship by first understanding yourself and the one you love, and then transforming your life with the formula for creating love that lasts.
5. When Breath Becomes Air
Get ready to be touched, inspired, and breathless. The #1 New York Times Bestselling memoir When Breath Becomes Air[5] tells the story of a young, idealistic neurosurgeon who found out he had lung cancer. In the face of insurmountable odds, he walks readers through how he chose to live the rest of his life, leaving us with the question, “What makes life worth living?” This breathtaking and touching book inspires all of us to live more meaningful lives.
6. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business[6]
Why do habits exist, and how can they be changed? What is the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, becoming more productive, and achieving success? Pulitzer Prize-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us on a thrilling journey to understanding human nature and its potential. By the end of this book, readers will understand how we can transform our businesses, communities, and our lives by harnessing the power of our habits.
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