Read These 4 Books If You Want to Stop Doubting Yourself in 2021
A reading list that will help you unlock your full potential.
A reading list that will help you unlock your full potential.
Self-doubt is a bitch.
It comes at you when you least expect it and then whispers things in your ear until you’re forced to believe it.
“You are not good enough” or “There’s no point trying. You will fail.”
Yes, you can tell this voice in your head to shut up, but after a while, things get difficult. Hearing the same demotivating words over and over again becomes tiring. It’s easier to give up than to keep fighting.
I used to be the same. I let self-doubt could my vision. I let these cruel words grind my spirit down and started rejecting myself before anyone else rejected me. It started showing in my work: I wasn’t motivated enough. I had more complaints than solutions. Making excuses was the easiest way out.
And then, I discovered some amazing books that helped me shut these crazy voices in my head up. In this post, I’m sharing four books that will help you get rid of self-doubt.
If you plan to achieve great things this year, go ahead and pick these books up immediately.
(Note: The links mentioned in this article are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase these books through them, it will help me earn a small amount — at no extra cost to you. Thanks!)
1. The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
The author introduces the four agreements he claims will serve as your guide to personal freedom. They are:
- Be impeccable with your word.
- Don’t take anything personally.
- Don’t make assumptions.
- Always do your best.
The author puts forward this concept that humans are the only living creatures who like to punish themselves over and over again for the same mistake. Whether it’s unhealed trauma from the past or the fear of what’s to come next, we like to torture ourselves thinking about things not in our control.
This book is a guide on how to live a life fueled by courage. It’s a treatise on how you can rewire your mind to embrace positivity and get rid of self-doubt.
“But it is not what I am saying that is hurting you; it is that you have wounds that I touch by what I have said. You are hurting yourself. There is no way I can take this personally.”
What this book taught me
People will judge you no matter what. Rather than wasting precious time worrying about what they’ll say, it’s better to go ahead and do what you planned to do anyway.
2. The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein
I never really believed in affirmations, but this book changed my mind.
In The Universe Has Your Back, best-selling author and motivational speaker, Gabrielle Bernstein teaches readers how to transform their fear into faith in order to live a divinely guided life.
This is a powerful book that helps you identify your fears and take away their power of influencing your mood. It teaches you to trust that the Universe has the best plans in store for you. Gabby’s powerful voice forces you to reconsider your worries and embrace faith.
Even if you’re not a spiritual person, this book can change your life.
“Trust that your wounds are exactly as the Universe planned. They were divinely placed in your life in the perfect order so that you could show up for them with love and remember the light within.”
What this book taught me
You can plan, prepare, and give your best. But once you’ve done your part, there’s very little left for you to do. And yet, so many people waste time and precious energy obsessing over things they have no say in.
This book helped me get rid of the need to control everything and surrender to the Universe. It helped me embrace this new mindset that has since given me a lot of mental peace and happiness. I highly recommend this book to every person who’s feeling a little lost in their life and seek to empower themselves by getting rid of self-doubt.
3. Choose Yourself by James Altucher
When James Altucher writes a book with a tagline like “Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream,” can you expect it to be anything short of life-changing?
Choose Yourself isn’t about avoiding failure. No matter how careful you are, failure, after all, is inevitable. This book is Altucher’s guide on how you can pick yourself up after failure, reinvent yourself and your attitude, and keep pushing on towards success.
This book teaches you to stop making excuses, to accept your flaws for what they are, and to live an awesome life in spite of them. It teaches you how to “choose yourself,” even if no one else does.
“The only truly safe thing you can do is to try over and over again. To go for it, to get rejected, to repeat, to strive, to wish. Without rejection there is no frontier, there is no passion, and there is no magic.”
What this book taught me
Choose Yourself introduced this novel way of overcoming failure by a four-step process:
- Improve your approach: Find a different way to get your story across.
- Improve your authenticity: Show your audience what unique values they get when they choose your project.
- Ask for advice.
- Stay in touch: Don’t let your ego get in the way and burn brides with the people who rejected you.
I made a video covering all the lessons on moving on after failure that I learned from this book. You can watch it here.
4. You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero
This book changed my life.
But then again, what else can you expect from a book that has the words “How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life” on the cover and the clear reminder “Love yourself” at the end of every chapter?
The author does a brilliant job of addressing all the fears a person might have and deconstructs them in a way that gives you this feeling of immense power. She reminds us that no matter how bad the situation is, love and belief in our self and our skills can help us overcome just about anything.
“You are loved. Massively. Ferociously. Unconditionally. The Universe is totally freaking out about how awesome you are. It’s got you wrapped in a warm gorilla hug of adoration. It wants to give you everything you desire. It wants you to be happy. It wants you to see what it sees in you.”
What this book taught me
This book taught me to stop making excuses and start making plans. It helped me realize that no matter how hard I convince myself, I’ll never be one hundred percent ready, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give my best in whatever I do.
Change can happen today if I will it. Change can begin with my mindset.
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