When you finally make the decision to change your life, you might think that half the work is done. But it’s often not a straight shot to success from there. Making big changes is hard. There will be lots of times where you think it’s so hard you want to give up.
You probably tell yourself that you can’t do it, that it’s not worth the effort, that you’re stuck with the life you’ve got now and you should just be happy with that.
Don’t give up! It can get easier with perseverance and one easy trick you might not have considered.
To get past the difficult times, you have to shush the negative voices in your head. This might seem easier said than done! But there is one way to quiet the voices in your head that I’ve found really helpful in my own life.
Reading.
Every time you read, you get access to a fresh perspective.
Every time you read, you hear other voices besides the ones in your head. You get to hear someone else’s thoughts and experiences of how they overcame whatever’s troubling you.
You give yourself the opportunity to grow and improve your life… one word at a time.
So where should you start? I can help with that! Below is a detailed list of 21 mindset and entrepreneurship books you can use to fill your mind with positive voices, empowering ideas, and inspiration to create a life you love and a business that thrives.
I’ve given you an epic list of motivational books on the blog before, but if you’re as voracious a reader as I am, you’ll need some more recommendations!
Let’s dig in!
Mindset Books
Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
Feel like you constantly get stuck when you’re trying to achieve your goals? Not sure how to overcome these setbacks? Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively when you’re hit with setbacks. It also teaches you the habit you need to create to achieve your goals and how to overcome a lack of money and time. Things many of us feel we’re lacking!
Buy Everything Is Figureoutable here.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
When you want to change your life, you can either make one huge sweeping change, or you can make lots of tiny little changes that build on each other. These are what James Clear calls atomic habits. Read this book to learn how you can create life-changing outcomes by making minuscule changes.
Buy it on Amazon.
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
Feel like you’re running out of steam? This book will teach you key strategies for getting rid of the bad habits that are holding you back and show you how to gain momentum with anything you’re trying to achieve.
Check it out here.
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
If you’re looking for a funny, refreshing take on self-help, check out this book. You Are a Badass will help you understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can’t change, how to change what you don’t love, and how to be a badass all the time.
Get it here.
Change Your Thinking Change Your Life by Brian Tracy
What you think has a huge effect on your success. If you think you can, you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t. Have you ever tried to make a change in your life (go on a diet, start exercising, etc.) but couldn’t follow through? There’s a reason for that, and this book dives into how you can train yourself to think and act like the successful person you truly are.
Check the book out on Amazon.
Grit: How to Keep Going When You Want to Give Up by Martin Meadows
Want to know what most successful freelancers have in common? They don’t give up! They persevere even when the going gets tough. If you’re looking for a book about grit that’s backed up by science rather than self-help sayings, then this is the one for you.
Available here.
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
Rebel? Obliger? Upholder? Questioner? Which one are you? Gretchen Rubin believes we all fit into one of these four categories. Understanding which one you are will help you make better decisions, meet deadlines, feel less stressed, and engage more effectively. (I’m a rebel, by the way ;-))
Get it on Amazon.
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Are there any mindset book roundups out there that don’t have a Brene Brown book on them these days? She knows what she’s talking about! There’s a lot of pressure on us all to be perfect, and when we don’t feel like we can be perfect, we feel vulnerable. Daring Greatly will encourage you to embrace vulnerability and imperfection so you can show up and let yourself be seen.
Available now.
Do It Scared by Ruth Soukup
Is fear holding you back from creating your dream life? Do It Scared will show you how to identify your Fear Archetype™ — the specific type of fear that keeps you stuck — and learn how to conquer it using easy-to-implement tips.
Get Do It Scared here.
Work at Home by Caitlin Pyle
Yep, that’s me. I’m going to shamelessly include my own book here because… Some people never get started on their work-at-home journey because they’re too afraid of falling prey to scams. Or they’ve grown up believing certain things about money, education, and success — they have a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset. Or they just don’t know where to get started.
Do any of those statements sound like you? If so, I wrote this book to show you how much control you have over your own income. With the mind-blowing power of the internet, it doesn’t matter where you live, what your spouse does for a living, how many kids you have, what year you graduated from college, or even if you never went to college at all.
What does matter? What’s between your ears and how you use it. The human brain is more capable than many of us believe and making the conscious decision to own and harness its power — harness your power — will transform your life.
Entrepreneurship Books
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
I know. Business finance can sometimes be a boring topic to read about. Not this book though! If you want to learn how to handle your business finances and how to pay yourself, this book will show you how — without all the boring financial jargon.
Check it out on Amazon.
She Means Business by Carrie Green
Have you got some business ideas whirling around in your head, but you don’t know what to do with them? This book will help you turn your ideas into reality and become a wildly successful entrepreneur. It’s packed full of exercises on how to get clear on your vision, move past your fears, and understand your audience so you can attract the right people.
Get it on Amazon.
Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk
Need some inspiration from other entrepreneurs who’ve changed their lives? This book offers lessons and inspiration drawn from the experiences of dozens of entrepreneurs who rejected the rat race in favor of pursuing their dreams.
Buy it on Amazon.
This Is Marketing by Seth Godin
The overwhelming impression I get from my readers and students is that they hate marketing. Like, really hate it! I get it. It’s not easy. This Is Marketing will teach you how to build trust with your target clients and why the best way to achieve your goals is to help others become who they want to be. This is a sentiment I fully stand behind.
Get the book here.
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann
I make no secret of the fact that I think that the key to success in business is understanding that it’s about how you can help other people. If you help them solve their problems, your problems will in turn be solved. The Go-Giver talks about exactly that through the story of a young go-getter named Joe.
Check it out on Amazon.
Money Mindset Books
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
Ever felt like you won’t be able to earn more than a certain amount a year? I know I have! I thought for sure that I’d never earn more than $40K a year, but over the last five years, I’ve been able to earn much, much more than that through learning different skills. Learning changes everything! I had to really change my money mindset to push past my money blocks though. This book will help you break down some mindset blocks you have regarding money.
Buy the book here.
You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
If you can’t figure out why you can’t hold on to money or how to get more of it, check out You Are a Badass at Making Money. This book will force you to take a long, hard look at the lies you tell yourself about money and provides manageable, bite-sized tips you can put into practice to get life-changing results.
Buy it on Amazon.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
Struggling to keep your head above water financially? This practical and nonjudgmental book outlines a no BS six-week program that will teach you how to crush your debt faster than you thought possible; set up no-fee, high-interest bank accounts; automate your finances so your money goes exactly where you want it to; and save hundreds or even thousands per month (and still buy what you love).
Get it here.
Productivity Books
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Does it all just feel like it’s too much sometimes? Do you feel like you have to do everything right now so you can have everything? Essentialism will show you how the pursuit of less will allow you to regain control of your own choices so you can channel your time, energy, and effort into making the highest contribution toward the activities that matter to you.
PA reader Susan says this about the book: “It’s a great book for those of us who tend to have LOTS of things going on (business ideas, social commitments, etc). As a multi-passionate idea person, I found it helped me to focus and cut out the clutter in my life that leaves me feeling overwhelmed.”
Buy Essentialism on Amazon.
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
Do you struggle to get motivated in the mornings? The Miracle Morning will show you how to wake up each day with more energy, motivation, and focus to take your life to the next level. This book could change your life!
Check it out here.
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam
We’ve all got the same number of hours to work with. The difference is that some people optimize their time so that it works for them. This book explains how to reorganize and prioritize a weekly schedule in order to meet your responsibilities, while still making time for family, hobbies, etc.
Get it here.
More of a listener than a reader? Check out Audible. You can get a 30-day free trial here!
Looking for even more recommendations? Check out this resource page where I talk about my favorite tools and resources for building your website, running your freelance business, and even keeping fit!
Your Turn
So what do you think? Are you looking forward to a trip to the library or bookstore? Have you given your finger a workout from clicking away on Amazon? I hope so! Just keep in mind that simply reading one of these mindset books (or even all of them) won’t create change all by itself. Information is powerless unless you implement it. So with each book you read, extract the “golden nuggets” — the things that move you to action — and get to work!
If you have other mindset or entrepreneurship books you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for more great books to read.
The Holy Bible is very uplifting. This is my go-to book that covers it all.
Creating a Bug Free Mind
Author: Andy Shaw.
This book is full of great information to help change your mindset. I loved it the first time and I’m reading it again..