I don’t know about you, but I did NOT read as much as I wanted to this year (2021). One of my goals for the New Year is to read more; more specifically, to read at least 20 books. And while I absolutely love fiction, this post is geared towards life changing books that will help you build the life of your dreams.

Are you ready?

Life Changing Books

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

As the name suggests, The Four Agreements aims to give readers four codes of conduct to live by that can rapidly change lives. The agreements are as follows:

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

Without even reading the book, you can picture the difference this world would be if these were agreements we upheld.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kyosaki

If you want to uplevel your money mindset this year, then this is one of the books you should add to your list. Rich Dad Poor Dad gives a unique perspective about finances through the lense of Robert Kiyosaki’s two dads – one being his biological dad (poor dad) and the other being his best friend’s dad (rich dad).

There are a few main points of this book:

1. You don’t need to earn a high income in order to be considered rich.
2. Rich people don’t work for their money, they make money work for them.
3. It’s what we do with money once we make it that counts.

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

I finished this book a few weeks before the New Year and absolutely loved it! It was a short, but powerful read about how we can create our morning routine. Hal Elrod shares his SAVERS method to help you learn the effective portions of a morning routine that will give you a productive day.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant

This life changing book guides its readers through how we can get better at being comfortable with things we don’t know and release the stress of being wrong. It’s okay to be wrong.

He challenges you to think about the ability to rethink and unlearn things that you once knew. This is because when we’re challenged with something we deeply believe in, we tend to feel threatened instead of considering other possibilities.

He wants you to challenge what you know and ask questions about the world.

As I’m sure you can imagine, this book can be pretty impactful and applicable on a day-to-day basis.

Start with Why by Simon Sinek

I actually watched the Start with Why Ted Talk that Simon Sinek gave, then learned that he had a more in-depth book. The overall theme of the book is how leaders can inspire action in others through “The Golden Circle.”

The Golden Circle is a ring of 3 circles, and each circle contains a word. The biggest circle is “what,” the middle circle is “how,” and the smallest, most inner circle, is “why.”

Simply put, Apple knows what they do. They make quality tech products. They also know how they do it. Lastly, they know why they do it (aka…their mission).

We should aim to apply this concept in our daily actions!

Crazy Faith by Mike Todd

Ever since I watched the Relationship Goals series by Pastor Mike Todd from Transformation Church, I was hooked.

He recently had a Crazy Faith series at his church, and also released a book on the topic. He encourages you to trust in the purpose that God has for you and to step out in faith. That even when it seems impossible or crazy, that you continue to have crazy faith in what God can do for you in your life.

The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone

This is another book that I have, but haven’t read yet! In this book, Grant Cardone says that we should be setting targets & taking actions that are each 10x greater than what we think we’re capable of. Because many times we aren’t setting goals that are high enough in our lives.

I’m excited to read this book because I’m interested in hearing what he has to say about taking massive action. I don’t think massive action is the only way we can achieve our goals or “fulfill our potential,” but I’d like to hear what exactly it is that’s being taught!

The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma

This book stresses the importance of, you guessed it, a morning routine! More specifically, a routine that starts at 5am.

There are also a few main ideas in this book:

1. There are four things that the top 5% focus on…their talents, working without distractions, improving themselves, and prioritizing small consistent wins
2. a method to split the first hour of your day for maximum productivity
3. techniques to ensure you remain productive throughout the rest of the day

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Deep Work teaches its readers how to concentrate and have deep focus even in a world full of distractions. It give you actionable items that you can start to apply! It covers how you can schedule your own deep work blocks, how to rewire your brain for deep work, and even implementing how you’ll shutdown at the end of a workday so you can actually recharge.

Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty

This is another book I have on my list to read! Jay Shetty intends to help individuals live more purposeful, productive, and happier lives. To do this, he uses his experiences from being a monk for 3 years.

He challenges us to develop a monk mind, in which we focus on the root of our problems, we remain disciplined, look for long term solutions, and are drive by purpose. Those are just a few of the concepts!!

Final Thoughts

Which life changing books are you adding to your list this year? Do you have a book you feel should’ve been on this list? I’d love to hear it!! Drop them in the comments below!