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Best Self-Help and Personal Growth Books of 2022
These popular self-improvement books will help you tackle ambitious resolutions.
Published on March 17, 2023
Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most
Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most
Cassie HolmesTime is one of our most precious and nonrenewable resources, and we often wish we had more of it. Holmes offers time management advice built upon her popular course at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. “Happier Hour” doesn’t teach us how to make more free time, instead it shows us how to make the most of the time we have, leading to greater fulfillment in our personal lives, careers, and relationships. In a sea of self-help books about achievement and success, Holmes teaches us how to prioritize what brings us joy.
Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Tunde OyeneyinYou don't have to own a Peloton to appreciate SPEAK. Oyeneyin, a popular Peloton instructor, breaks down the acronym — which stands for Surrender, Power, Empathy, Authenticity and Knowledge — by devoting a chapter to each, while doing what she’s known for: encouraging folks to become their best selves. If you struggle with trusting your instincts or embracing your power, let Oyeneyin’s words of wisdom steer you toward a healthier, happier path.
Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness
Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness
Steve MagnessThe author of “Peak Performance” and “The Passion Paradox” returns with more valuable insight on achievement and confidence. “Do Hard Things” redefines resilience, offering strategies backed by neuroscience, psychology, and real-world experience. Learn how to harness vulnerability, mindfulness, and other tangible practices that are counterintuitive to the typical idea of toughness.
Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships is (Mostly) Wrong
Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships is (Mostly) Wrong
Eric Barker“Plays Well with Others” uses science to bust the four biggest relationship myths — “don’t judge a book by its cover,” “love conquers all,” “a friend in need is a friend indeed,” and “no man is an island.” Through case studies and exhaustive research, Barker exposes the truths about humans’ perception skills being far worse than we think, and shares key strategies for overcoming this fault to improve the quality of our relationships.
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
Julie SmithImproving and guarding our mental health should be everyone's top priority. Smith’s experience as a clinical psychologist fuels her insight on holistic well-being. Whether you have anxiety and depression or you’re simply struggling to cope with life’s demands, this book is a pathway to resilience. Smith’s words are kind but firm — perfect for motivating us to prioritize our mental health.
Illogical: Saying Yes to a Life Without Limits
Emmanuel AchoNFL star and bestselling author of “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” is here to help you overcome a seemingly unlikely hurdle to reaching your goals: logic. In “Illogical," Acho shares diverse examples from his life and other luminaries who overcame the odds. Learn how to achieve success by not letting conventional wisdom and self-imposed limits stand in your way.
Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work
Deborah LiuLiu generously shares the lessons learned as a woman who rose through the ranks of the tech world. The CEO of Ancestry and former VP of Facebook is empowering without placating, and she gets real about the challenges women face in systems created for men. But women don’t have to settle, asserts Liu, whose 10 rules for thriving at the executive level and beyond can teach readers how to reclaim their power and succeed with dignity.
Stimulus Wreck: Rebuilding After a Financial Disaster
Gabe DunnIf stagnant wages and rising inflation have you worried about making ends meet, this sympathetic money advice will help get you on the right track. “Bad with Money” podcast host Dunn has invested years learning how to get their finances in order and sought all avenues on the path to financial stability; in “Stimulus Wreck,” they guide you through the myriad of resources they find helpful.
How Are You, Really?: Living Your Truth One Answer at a Time
Jenna KutcherIf you’re feeling burnt out or that hustle culture paralyzes you, then you’ll appreciate Kutcher’s words of wisdom. This book helps you get on the right path without being daunted by the journey ahead. The road might have some bumps, but with a solid map and plenty of platitudes, Kutcher guides you to greater fulfillment so you can embrace your true desires.
Chingona: Owning Your Inner Badass for Healing and Justice
Alma Zaragoza-PettyDrawing on her experiences as a Mexican American woman and first-gen college graduate (who now holds a doctoral degree), Zaragoza-Petty explores how women, particularly multicultural and immigrant women, can find their inner chingona, or “badass.” Above all, “Chingona” is a reminder that only by reflecting on our pain can we heal and repurpose those struggles for a greater purpose. A blend of memoir and self-help, this book strikes the right balance between empathic and empowering.
The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters
Joanna GainesIn her memoir, the designer and home-improvement star (“Fixer Upper”) shares how writing her story helped her grow and heal from past trauma. Gaines passes on the lessons she learned by being vulnerable, embracing empathy, and focusing on being present. “Our story may crack us open, but it also pieces us back together,” she writes, encouraging readers to find strength in self-discovery by telling their own stories.
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential
Tiago ForteWhile it’s great to have instant access to vast amounts of information, it can also be overwhelming. Productivity expert Forte shows you how to filter out the noise so you can retain, organize, and apply what’s most important. His game-changing system will help you organize your knowledge, boost your productivity, and find your flow.
How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself
Dr. Corey YeagerIt’s easy to plow ahead with our goals without stopping to consider who we truly are and what we want. “How Am I Doing?” can change that. Yeager, a psychotherapist for the Detroit Pistons, poses 40 questions that help us reflect on our mindset, habits, and desires. These inner conversations can offer just the clarity we need to realign our actions and feelings, putting us one step closer to fulfillment.
Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind
Fariha RoisinRóisín, a renowned poet and novelist, pulls back the curtain on the wellness industry to examine who it actually serves. As a Bangladeshi Muslim growing up in Australia, Róisín experienced firsthand how Western health and wellness methods heavily borrow from Black, Brown, and Indigenous cultures, but too often exclude the BIPOC community from its benefits. Sharing her own traumatic experiences seeking care, Róisín delivers a powerful rallying call for more equitable access to wellness.
The Moms Are Not Alright: Inside America's New Parenting Crisis
Anne Helen Petersen“I’m tired and scared and anxious and unmotivated and proud and grateful and desperately sad and hopeless,” says one of the many mothers interviewed by culture writer Petersen (“Can’t Even”) for this Scribd Original. The raw stories these moms share about their experiences raising children during the chaos of the pandemic and more are eye-opening, moving, and reassuring.
The Power of Conflict: Speak Your Mind and Get the Results You Want
Jon TafferConflict isn’t fun, but avoiding it only makes matters worse. Challenge yourself not only to face it, but embrace it. Taffer, bestselling author of “Don’t Bullsh*t Yourself” and star of the hit TV show “Bar Rescue,” offers easy-to-follow tips on how to navigate difficult conversations and diffuse tension. He also explains how conflict can be an adaptive tool to change minds and strengthen relationships.
You're Cute When You're Mad: Simple Steps for Confronting Sexism
Celeste HeadleeCompliments based on a person’s gender can be just as damaging as overt insults. Journalist Headlee supplies practical advice for dealing with microaggressions and mansplaining in the workplace in this Scribd Original. “You’re Cute When You’re Mad” isn’t just for women: it’s for anyone who wants to create a more equitable and inclusive society.
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working
Shauna NiequistShortly after her 40th birthday, the universe threw Niequist a series of unexpected and devastating curveballs. After realizing her core beliefs and practices would no longer help her navigate through middle age, chronic pain, and heartbreak, she developed a new set of tools rooted in courage and self-compassion. “I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet” honestly portrays the difficulty of unlearning what’s no longer helpful and is an inspiring read for anyone on their midlife self-care journey.
Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise
Justin ZornFrom Florence Nightingale's recognition of noisy hospitals causing stress in recovering soldiers to a WHO study correlating noise pollution with lessened lifespan, it turns out that silence truly is golden when it comes to our health. Zorn and Marz’s powerful tips to cultivate more moments of silence in daily life make this book worth spending some quiet time with.
The 12-Hour Walk: Invest One Day, Conquer Your Mind, and Unlock Your Best Life
Colin O'BradyStuck in a rut, stressed out, short on time — our reasons for settling are never-ending, but “The 12-Hour Walk” is a lifeline. A record-setting adventurer and athlete, O’Brady offers valuable lessons gleaned from decades of exploration and endurance. Learn how to change your mindset, ditch your hum-drum existence, and strive for a fuller, more invigorating life (climbing Everest not required).
Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom
Keith BoykinBoykin has quit unfulfilling jobs and let go of harmful mentalities long before these concepts became part of what's now referred to as the Great Resignation. And he wants you to know that it's okay if you, too, decide to call it quits on what doesn't suit you. This Scribd Original highlights Boykin's journey in moving away from high-profile, lucrative jobs to put his personal freedom first.