7 Books You Should Read When You are Feeling Low

Books are an integral part of our life, it had been there for centuries and is packed with knowledge. It teaches us about every little thing that is a part of life. We can also consider it a blessing to mankind. We are humans so it is natural for us to feel low at some point in life. At that particular period, we can turn towards motivational books. Motivational books help us to think positively, it boosts our confidence. It plays a quintessential role to make us realize how powerful we can be. Today, I have 7 books that everyone should read at least once.

1. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins

Ever since a child, David Goggins had defied the odds and has come on top, even in spite of all the hurdles life has thrown at him. not once, has he put himself in the fetal position and cried “boohoo poopy pants much oppression”. He implored a better technique of “taking souls” of those who come in his way from achieving whatever he wants – showing them that nothing can stop him, not even the greatest of the challenges they(instructors, racists) can think for him. In Can’t Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.

2. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

Dr. Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking is a very analytical yet mostly religious approach to conditioning one’s mind toward successful living. Instead of recommending a set of superficial instructions, the author reaches a much deeper level to provide the reader with an excellent set of guidelines, to be adopted into our core habits. You can be of any religion but you will find the teachings here similar. This book emphasizes many principles of life that one cannot neglect on his way to progress: the power of prayer, expecting the best, having faith, believing in the Higher Power (God), relaxing to get work done, being a comfortable person and interested in people to get people like you…, just to name a few.

3. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

This book was published in 1902 originally. Statements being uttered in the book carry a heavy deal of wisdom while gently they touch your soul. Here are some of them:
-The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state.
-Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.
-Not what he wished and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

• A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.
• When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food.
• Clean thoughts make clean habits.
• The so-called saint who does not wash his body is not a saint.
• Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment.
• One man is an oppressor because many are slaves, let us despise the slaves…
• You will become as small as your controlling desire, as great as your dominant aspiration.

4. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Interesting book about how the mind works, errors in judgment and memory, and what to do to not fall prey to our minds` shortcuts (literally).
Take-home messages: Quick thinking and multitasking increase the error rate. For the mind to comprehend something; it must be relative. Focusing on what we want is very important. What we assume as making a logical decision may just be misjudgment under influence.
Very entertaining book and teaches one a lot about oneself`s own mind.

5. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

The Richest Man In Babylon by George Clason was originally written in 1926. Through the narratives of Bansir, and his broke musician friend, we can see the standard folk who try to figure out how to get out of debt, the salary slavery, and finally, attain wealth. Clason also uses the narrative of the richest man in Babylon Arkad who was initially poor but later learned how to accumulate wealth. Through Arkad, the rest of Babylon gets to understand the secrets of wealth accumulation. Clason’s book is a timeless classic and most of its message still holds true today. It teaches the values of saving, overcoming poor habits such as procrastination, and being able to take advantage of opportunities. It is amazing how he was able to vividly elucidate the Babylonian lifestyle as if he were there in that society. However, importantly, he was able to bring out these timeless values that anyone can apply today and in years to come. It is interesting that the ancient idea of compounding is what we today see as saving or making an investment.

6. The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield

This short book is filled with short chapters—someone or two paragraphs long, some a few pages—that are primarily to motivate people who are or aspire to be writers or painters or another kind of artist. But it’s also inspirational to folks who want to start exercising or lose weight or quit some addiction. The basic message is, essentially, you can’t keep saying stuff to yourself like, “I’ll start the novel tomorrow.” “I’ll start exercising/eating well tomorrow.” It’s all about overcoming Resistance to whatever goal(s) you have.
According to one segment, “Resistance is directly proportional to love. If you’re feeling massive Resistance, the good news is, it means there’s tremendous love there too. If you didn’t love the project that is terrifying you, you wouldn’t feel anything. The opposite of love isn’t hated; it’s indifference.”
This book is a lot of encouragement to delay gratification and work toward long-term goals. Drugs, alcohol, sex, and so on are ways to occupy our minds and our time and put off other goals we might have in mind, like starting a business or furthering our education, or finishing that novel we’re writing. It’s the kind of book you can flip a few pages through to remind yourself why you aren’t spending all your free time watching movies and drinking margaritas, which is easy, and therefore, fun. Working on bettering ourselves takes, well, work.

7. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

It does not matter that you love or hate Apple but I would still suggest you read it. It’s the story of a creative genius, including a balanced account of his complex personality. Steve Jobs was a vegan hippie artist who didn’t really care about money. He was also a ruthless Corporate titan with a cruel streak a mile wide.
It’s the story of his successes and failures. His failures were relatively rare but he did have some humbling moments. His successes were remarkable. The book gives great insight into his successes – what inspired his creativity, how he seemingly willed his way through obstacles, how he motivated and persuaded others, and some of the wreckage he would leave behind.