3 personal growth books to get you started for 2019

Aside from baking cookies and singing holiday songs, one of the other big traditions at this time of year is to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions.

Of course, it’s one thing to decide to lose weight or find romance, and quite another to actually work toward those resolutions.

Fortunately, there is an entire bookstore’s worth of self-help books that can help you figure out what you need to do to actually accomplish the goals you’ve set out for yourself. Here are just a few to get you started in the right direction.

1.The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Do you have an ever-growing list of projects you want to start or finish, personal goals that never seem to get met, or tasks that get constantly postponed because you just aren’t feeling like you want to even start them? If so, this book by popular blogger Mark Manson might give you the motivational push you need.

Despite the rather startling title, Manson actually has some interesting ideas about how we start building toward success. He talks about what he calls the do-something principle, which essentially means that doing something toward that project, goal, or task will then motivate you to do another thing, and so on. If you have trouble getting started on your New Year’s resolutions, this might be the book that can spark you to do so.

Do you have an ever-growing list of projects you want to start or finish, personal goals that never seem to get met, or tasks that get constantly postponed because you just aren’t feeling like you want to even start them? If so, this book by popular blogger Mark Manson might give you the motivational push you need. Despite the rather startling title, Manson actually has some interesting ideas about how we start building toward success. He talks about what he calls the do-something principle, which essentially means that doing something toward that project, goal, or task will then motivate you to do another thing, and so on. If you have trouble getting started on your New Year’s resolutions, this might be the book that can spark you to do so.

2. Radical Acceptance

All of us have, in one way or another, past experiences that influence our current behavior. Unfortunately, we can have difficulty dealing with those past experiences that are painful, resulting in recurrent feelings of sadness and anxiety. Psychologist Tara Brach refers to these experiences as dogs in the cellar that still inform our current behavior.

The more we try to shut out the cries of these deeply rooted dogs, or emotions, the louder they become. Brach suggests starting by acknowledging that you are not feeling OK, even if you can’t pinpoint which one of those dogs is affecting your current mood. Accepting that something is not right is the first step toward dealing with difficult emotions. This book can be a big help if you are just starting the process of wrangling with painful past episodes in your life.

All of us have, in one way or another, past experiences that influence our current behavior. Unfortunately, we can have difficulty dealing with those past experiences that are painful, resulting in recurrent feelings of sadness and anxiety. Psychologist Tara Brach refers to these experiences as dogs in the cellar that still inform our current behavior. The more we try to shut out the cries of these deeply rooted dogs, or emotions, the louder they become. Brach suggests starting by acknowledging that you are not feeling OK, even if you can’t pinpoint which one of those dogs is affecting your current mood. Accepting that something is not right is the first step toward dealing with difficult emotions. This book can be a big help if you are just starting the process of wrangling with painful past episodes in your life.

3. Solve for Happy

If you prefer self-help advice that is practical, rather than philosophical or spiritual, Solve for Happy is chock full of actionable advice to get to a better mindset. The author, Mo Gawdat, uses his background as an engineer to present straightforward advice to find the happiness already inside of you. As just one example, he suggests having a no-nonsense conversation with your brain if it brings forth an unhappy or negative thought.

Start by questioning if that thought is actually true, based on external reality. If not, Gawdat suggests ignoring that particular thought and telling your brain to instead bring you a more positive thought. This is the perfect self-help book for people who are more about results than process.

The holidays can be a hectic time, with little space to yourself.
Now might be the time to give yourself the gift of one of these books to help
you move forward into 2019 with the right mindset.