COVID-19 cases are on the rise. With this, staying home is more critical than ever. While, home check out these self-help books to add to your reading list. Quarantine is the perfect time to dive deep into the topics of the books listed in this article!
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power is a fan favorite by many across the globe. If you haven’t taken the time to read this bestselling book, quarantine is the perfect time to get started. Author Robert Greene has amassed a collection of lessons from powerful historical figures throughout history. Through these lessons, Greene aims to help readers identify ways in which the idea of power presents itself into our daily lives.
Power is a societal entity that everyone has to battle with, even at the early stages of life. We see its formation in our daily lives, including our time at work, and with family and friends. At times, we can even have this battle with ourselves. Greene states that we are either fighting to hold onto power or we are being overpowered by those around us. Greene teaches readers how to play the game of power and explains key tactics on how to not be played as a pawn in the game of life. Examples of a few laws of power you’ll see in the book include turning weaknesses into strengths and the art of planning.
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
The War of Art dives deep into the heart of the creative and tunes into the fears that render their work incomplete (that is, if the work was actually begun).
Pressfield gives a deeper look into the hearts and minds of artists. He explains struggles artists may face, including battling a sense of low self esteem, financial hardship in attempts to sell created work and many more related topics that readers can identify with.
A key theme throughout this book is the idea of residence. In this context, what meaning does it give? In the field of creative work, creatives battle with residence, a feeling that, with great force, pulls them away from their craft. This force can present itself in various ways and Pressfield explains the various ways it can appear throughout the book. This idea of resistance is what pulls the artist away from their craft, keeps their self esteem low and what keeps them from properly growing in their field of passion.
Many who aren’t creatives can very much so see this form of resistance inviting itself in other spaces of their lives. With this, The Art of War presents itself as a book that could be beneficial for people of various interests, hobbies and/or passions. Pressfield allows readers to identify their fears, understand them and eradicate them from their lives in order to achieve their goals in life. Creative or not this book is a great read for anyone looking to overcome fear and enjoy their passions in life.
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
In essence, the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown is about a key subject that has presented itself in recent years: essentialism.
What is essentialism? Oftentimes, people want more of practically everything. Paired with this idea, instant gratification has left many people captivated by the idea of having things in excess. This has trickled into the way we view tasks and work. There’s a big narrative that we as a society have developed that more is better. This includes our work. Essentialism challenges this idea because it is the idea of getting the right things done, not excess tasks. Agmosts the younger generation, the idea of achieving more at a younger age has caused a low sense of self worth.
On social media, many young account users post accomplishments that most in that age range have not achieved. Examples include buying a large home at 18 or becoming a millionaire at 19. This has left a negative impact on our youth and also those up in age. Essentialism allives us from the burden of comparing ourselves to others and our personal achievements.
As mentioned earlier, essentialism is about achieving the essentials. This creates a solid foundation for things that need to be accomplished. With this foundation, we create a sustainable environment for achieving tasks at a higher level. Quarantine is the perfect time to sit down with ourselves to identify and understand our basic needs and how to accomplish them.
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Created by award winning business reporter Charles Duhigg, this book deserves the attention of everyone in society. Duhigg allows readers to connect habits with science in efforts to understand how habits are formed, maintained and to understand the power that they hold.
The book allows you to dive deep into the minds of neuroscientists to unearth how habits work and the impact they have on the human brain. It also shows how top athletes, public figures and top business have implemented habit forming and used them to their advantage in order to advance further in their careers, organizations and life missions.
At its core, this best seller explains how to form habits in order to advance in our own lifes. This includes our endless (and unsuccessful) attempts at building our ideal body shape in the gym, perhaps admitting we struggle in speaking a language we’ve been learning for years, and the most famous habit of all, procrastination. Duhigg breaks down how these habits are formed, how to get rid of them and how to build proper ones. There’s no better time to read The Power of Habit than now!
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
With over 8 million copies sold in the US, The Four Agreements is a book that is praised by many, earning a spot in “O” The Oprah Magazine.
In this book, author Don Miuel Ruiz dives deep into four key ideas that play a vital role in how we experience life. Those ideas are: be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions and always do your best. Ruiz explains each idea in detail throughout the book and challenges readers to keep the mindset encouraged in his book for just one day. Many may come to find that this is a challenge they will struggle with as they go about their day.
This book will help you learn more about what it means to live a life free of fear and how to acknowledge our self-worth.