As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2020 (in the midst of a global pandemic no less), I wanted to share some books I’ve read recently and over the years (as well as ones that come highly recommended) that have helped me remain inspired and goal-focused.

Before we get into my mini reviews and takeaways from each book, I want to remind you all that there is no timeline for success. I watched one of Mel Robbins’ videos recently (she’s not on this list but is also a wealth of wisdom and empowerment) and a point that stuck out to me was when she said:

“You can’t fail at your dreams because they’re meant to be pursued—not achieved.”

So when reading these books, if you’re feeling “behind,” please know that each day is teaching you something and helping you grow as a person. Be sure to lean into that part of goal setting more so than worrying yourself about whether or not you reach the actual goal.

Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

I’m going to preface this with admitting I am a Marie fangirl. I watch MarieTV on Facebook or listen to the podcast on Spotify regularly. I find her to be relatable in a way that a lot of personal development and motivational speakers are not. She addresses things such as how institutional racism and misogyny play a role in leaving some more disadvantaged as others, but she also encourages readers to not allow challenges to be turned into excuses.

More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth

I fell in love with Elaine Welteroth when the Project Runway revival debuted last year on Bravo. I was immediately attracted to her personality. When she released More Than Enough last summer, I knew I had to read it and promptly borrowed it from the library. This book is one that many of us probably could’ve benefitted from as younger women, and that’s a point she takes very seriously as you read the book. Elaine shares her personal journey to demonstrate that by believing in yourself and challenging constructs you can grow into the person you’re meant to be regardless of what society thinks.

Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein

I’ll admit that this book was hard for me to stay with at times because manifesting is a new approach for me. But two major takeaways were: releasing limiting beliefs and not trying to force things. In order for the Universe to bless us and guide us to our ultimate purpose, we have to get out of our own way and the Universe’s way too—something that’s incredibly hard for a controlling personality like mine. Despite my struggles in reading this book, I found those points were incredibly useful in changing my mindset.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

This book is still on my #TBR (to be read) shelf next to a few others, but it’s come highly recommended by friends and in the Powersheets Facebook group. As one writer from Inc.com says: “Rather than optimizing your life for the finish line, James Clear recommends and teaches you how to optimize your life for the BEGINNING of your journey.” The idea being that motivation kicks in after you get going on something (in this case: a goal)—motivation is not the thing to get you going. This is a bit counter-intuitive to what society has led us to believe, so I’m excited to see how this can help revolutionize my own goal setting journey.

Grace, Not Perfection by Emily Ley

I read this book back in early 2017 at a time when my life was really weird. I had gone through incredibly dramatic changes at my job in 2016 and was still struggling with adjusting to motherhood. Perfectionism is something that society engrains in us as being the ideal. Reading this book helped me understand the meaning of grace on a cellular level. I finally felt like I understood what my mom meant growing up anytime she used the word grace. This book helped slowly pull back some of the fake constructs I had set up for myself because I thought I was supposed to do certain things.

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

I have still not gotten to Year of Yes even though it was published in 2015, was a New York Times bestseller, and continues to be high on Amazon genre lists [Cue: Ducking from tomatoes in shame]. In the Daily Beast’s review of Year of Yes, it’s described as “A self-help book dressed in casual clothes, lessons for living a better life told through relatable personal essays from the woman who set out to, in the course of a year, make her own better.” I think what attracted me most to adding this book to my #TBR was that it’s about challenging limitations and challenging our own beliefs in an effort to experiment, explore and grow—something that I find myself more and more attracted to despite my conditioning to be fearful of failure or shame.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic was another book I was not able to read until recently, but I’m so glad it came back to knock on my door this year. I had heard of Big Magic back in late 2016 and it was mentioned a lot in 2017, but, like the ideas that Gilbert talks about in Big Magic, sometimes a book isn’t meant for you at a moment when it is for everyone else. It’s clear that this book was meant for me at this moment in my life and I’m grateful to have taken away all of the valuable lessons in it. One of my favorite quotes:

“Perfectionism is a particularly evil lure for women, who, I believe, hold themselves to an even higher standard of performance than do men. There are many reasons why women’s voices and visions are not more widely represented today in creative fields. Some of that exclusion is due to regular old misogyny, but it’s also true that—all too often—women are the ones holding themselves back from participating in the first place. Holding back their ideas, holding back their contributions, holding back their leadership and their talents. Too many women still seem to believe that they are not allowed to put themselves forward at all, until both they and their work are perfect and beyond criticism. Meanwhile, putting forth work that is far from perfect rarely stops men from participating in the global cultural conversation. Just sayin’. And I don’t say this as a criticism of men, by the way. I like that feature in men—their absurd overconfidence, the way they will casually decide, “Well, I’m 41 percent qualified for this task, so give me the job!”

Love Your Life Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze

I read Rachel Cruze’s Love Your Life Not Theirs a few months after finishing Dave Ramsey’s (Rachel’s father) Financial Peace University, which was a life-changing experience for me. I found Rachel’s book to rehash a lot of the ideas her dad covers in FPU, as well as Total Money Makeover (also by her father), but this book is written in a relatable way for a younger audience. It addresses some of the temptation to “keep up” on social media, as well as the over-abundance of consumerism that social media exposes us to. I think I also found Rachel’s honesty about her propensity toward being a spender rather than a saver to be surprising, refreshing and relatable. If getting serious about your finances is a goal, this book is an easy read to remind you why you’re making those sacrifices and lifestyle changes.

Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop

So while the link above will take you the physical copy of Unfu*k Yourself, I must highly recommend that you listen to the audiobook instead. Gary John Bishop’s accent and no-bullshit attitude are so much more powerful when you can hear his voice through your AirPods. When I listened to the audiobook last year, I felt like it really set me on the track of kicking negative self-talk and limiting beliefs to the curb. In the journey of self-growth and goal setting, I’ve found that eliminating the two are crucial steps in making any progress toward where or who you want to be.

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You can clickthrough on these books to purchase them for yourself or to learn more about them. Should you choose to purchase through my affiliate link, I may earn a small percentage of your purchase. It will not cost you anything extra but helps me pay for expenses such as website maintenance.

Have you read any of these books? Or, have you stumbled upon one that you want to read now?