10 Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime

Is it time to make a big or small change in your life? Are you just looking for a good read that will inspire you at the same time? These titles are essential for everyone to read at some point throughout their lifetime.

1. Stumbling On Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Stumbling on Happiness

It turns out it’s completely normal to try and imagine what life will be like tomorrow, next month or five years from now. The problem is, we try pretty hard to judge whether or not we’ll like what we find when our futures finally arrive. Will we be happy?

Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert takes us on a scientific journey through the phenomenon of imagination, and how it relates to the way we perceive the world and the future of our existence.

2. The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

The Road Less Traveled

The road we take to figuring out who we are and where we fit in this world is not a one-time journey. Life is hard, and sometimes new experiences send us down a completely new path, almost like starting over.

The author guides readers through the emotional and spiritual challenges we all face throughout life, everything from relationships to values to growth and change. The book shows rather than tell us how to become less dependent on those we care about so we can get back to loving and caring about them, and ourselves.

3. It’s All in Your Head by Suzanne O’Sullivan

It’s All in Your Head by Suzanne O’Sullivan

Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat, heart pounding, no memory whatsoever of the nightmare you may or may not have had, and wondered, even for a brief moment, if you were dying? Perhaps your body is playing tricks on you. Or is it all in your head?

Many people show up to the doctor’s office with physical symptoms no one can diagnose or explain. Dr. Suzanne O’Sullivan introduces readers to patients like these, who seemed to have lived relatively normal lives until random, sometimes debilitating symptoms appeared. The relationship between the mind and body is one worth understanding.

4. Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink- The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

We make hundreds of decisions every day. Do we jump out of bed the second the alarm goes off, or hit the snooze button? Do we have yogurt and granola for breakfast, or a doughnut coated in frosting?

Malcolm Gladwell explores the way we think, and how sometimes we make decisions without really considering the consequences. Are you someone who can make snap decisions without a second thought, or do you crack under the pressure? The thought process that goes into the decisions we make is more complex than we thought.

5. What Comes Next and How to Like It by Abigail Thomas

What Comes Next and How to Like It by Abigail Thomas

Tragedy strikes all of us at one time or another, in both major and minor fashion. There is no way to predict what life might throw our way next. There is no way to know. So to live the best life, we have to somehow figure out how to “like” the unknown.

This is not your stereotypical self-help book. This is instead a personal account of loss and acceptance that teaches by example. You won’t find it difficult to relate to Thomas’s narrative about expecting, and accepting, the unexpected.

6. You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself by Harry Beckwith

You, Inc.- The Art of Selling Yourself by Harry Beckwith

A good leader is someone who acts with his or her own personal mission in mind. Selling is an art, and in order to do it right, you have to have a valid reason for doing it at all. You have to know yourself before you can sell something you’ve created.

This isn’t a book filled with dry business strategies to help you be successful. It is a highly motivational collection of advice for personal development and self-improvement, showcasing that at the heart of every successful endeavor is a person who truly cares about everything it stands for.

7. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Success is not defined by your career status. It is not about who you are married to or how renowned you might be in your field. Success is about knowing and embracing who you are, even if that means dropping everything in order to find it.

Gilbert’s journey of leaving behind everything she used to define herself and her success will inspire you to begin searching for and holding tightly onto the things you truly love and care about the most.

8. The Joy of Simple Living by Jeff Davidson

The Joy of Simple Living by Jeff Davidson

Are you way too stressed out lately? Whether you know it or not, it could be because your life is just too complicated. You have too much going on, or too much stuff, or too many negative people hanging around that don’t really need to be there.

This book is for anyone who feels the need to declutter their spaces and their lives, both at home and in the workplace. It offers tips for living a simpler and happier life and finding contentment in what’s left over after the clutter is gone.

9. This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein

This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein

Have you ever secretly wished to yourself that the world would change, but found that you weren’t exactly sure what needed to be changed? More importantly, what role would you even be able to play in a change you cannot pinpoint?

Naomi Klein gives real and easy to understand accounts of how the world’s politics and economy function, and what kinds of radical changes need to be made in order to preserve the world. She also goes so far as to present what will happen if change doesn’t come soon.

10. Overachievement by John Eliot

Overachievement by John Eliot

That feeling you get when you have too much to do and not enough time to do it is actually a good feeling, though it might not seem like it. A lack of stress is much less motivating than just the right amount of it.

Unlike most modern advice you will hear about managing stress and becoming your best self, John Eliot tells readers that the best way to perform is to embrace the feeling of being overwhelmed and let it carry you on to victory.

These books will help you improve your emotional health and will motivate you to make positive changes in your life, over and over again.