Rather than a theoretical philosophy, positivity is a way of life. Granted, it can seem a tad bit discouraging and overwhelming. However, you must cultivate the art of positive thinking because it’s inherent in human nature to have a negative mindset. The good news is that, like any other skill, you can master positivity.
If you’re wondering why positive thinking isn’t an innate skill, think of it this way. Early humans lacked the luxury of putting their best foot forward. They had to keep an eye out for the array of possible dangers and use their feet as the first instinct for safety.
Since then, humanity has evolved significantly. That’s because wild animals, ranging from lions, elephants, tigers, and snakes to cheetahs, don’t comprise the life-threatening dangers you’re likely to encounter in your day-to-day.
Human beings have inherited the tendency and fear to assess in great detail the things that can go wrong or their imperfections. Despite common assumptions, positive thinking and optimism are not synonymous. Optimism encompasses hope whereby you project your future wishes for a positive outcome.
Contrarily, positive thinking entails mindfulness. That means focusing on the present and choosing to notice the amazing things surrounding you, and valuing them more.
Coupled with optimism, positive thinking can considerably elevate your level of self-reliance, mental and emotional strength, happiness, and overall wellbeing. You live a fulfilling life filled with inner peace, clarity, self-love, and self-acceptance. Without further ado, let’s explore the best books about positive thinking.
1. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living: Dale Carnegie
What you may not realize about worrying is that it gives you the illusion that if you worry, you can control the outcome in your favor. It, thereby, creates feelings of responsibility and reliability. For that reason, it’s not surprising that you become irked when someone tells you not to worry because everything will work out in the end. The irritability stems from the fact that it’s nearly impossible to let go of the semblance of control and security that comes from worrying about something.
In this book, Dale brings awareness to the thin line between responsible and excessive worrying. You gain invaluable insight into:
- Cultivating positive thinking
- Assessing and coming up with viable solutions to problems
- Learning to take each day as it comes
- The repercussions of excessive worrying
- Fighting battles by leading with the truth rather than erroneous problems
- Powerful words that can have a tremendous positive impact on your life
- Embracing and celebrating your uniqueness
- Loving yourself for who you are and creating room for positive relationships
The book breaks down stress and worries and gives you an in-depth understanding of why the two are a recipe for proactive behaviors and an unhealthy body and mind. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is a must-read for anyone who desires a fulfilling life based on positive thinking.
2. The New Psychology of Success: Carol S. Dweck
If you’re looking for one of the books on positive thinking that focuses on mindset shift, your search ends here with The New Psychology of Success. Carol discusses how to overcome a defeatist attitude and evolve into a positive thinker.
For instance, you can choose to focus on your positive traits while embracing your flaws and working on the things you can change. Many people hold a defeatist mindset that stems from the setbacks they experience in life.
What they don’t realize is that a negative mindset doesn’t protect them from the pain and grief that comes with failure in any shape or form. Defeatist thinking stunts your growth and progress.
After all, when you’re pessimistic every day, it’s impossible to make strides in life. Carol mentions that regardless of your capability and ability, the effort is what ultimately fuels it and converts it into accomplishment.
3. Man’s Search for Meaning: Viktor E. Frankl
As one of the best positive thinking books, Man’s Search for Meaning gives you insight into finding your purpose in life. After all, many people are constantly searching for their purpose, something that sets their soul on fire and gives their life meaning. Only until you find your purpose will you live a fulfilling life and become a positive thinker.
4. The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self: Alex Lickerman
The two most positive thoughts or affirmations that are instrumental to a significant mindset shift are:
- You can handle anything life throws at you
- You’ll always find your way regardless of what happens
These two thoughts sum up the definition of unwavering self-confidence. After all, that’s all it takes to create powerful self-belief, have the mental and emotional strength to overcome adversity, and develop positive thoughts about the future.
You’re probably familiar with the popular phrase, ‘work in progress.’ Nevertheless, developing unmatched emotional and mental strength is a goal to achieve and maintain. The Undefeated Mind: on the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self is a worthwhile investment if you desire to have a positive outlook on life that includes yourself and others.
5. The Magic of Believing: Claude M Bristol
It’s a no-brainer that a major source of unhappiness is allowing others to live rent-free in your thoughts. That impacts how you feel, which dictates your actions. The Magic of Believing is instrumental in helping control your self-beliefs and thoughts.
The phrases, ‘believe in yourself!’ and ‘you can do it!’ have been repeated countless times throughout your life. However, only a few people grasp the true power behind these words and the art of weaving them into your everyday life.
Positive thinking and self-belief are two peas in a pod. One of the main directives of your subconscious mind is to prevent skewed perceptions of reality. That’s because your thoughts manifest into your reality.
In this book, you’ll cultivate self-belief that will build confidence. You’ll believe in your strengths and your resilience to get through any setback in life.
6. Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude: Napoleon Hill
When most people envision success, becoming wealthy is the first thing that comes to mind. Nevertheless, the truth is that success goes beyond the assets you own or your bank account balance. You’re typically propelled on a path that revolves around acquiring more money and assets.
Happiness is part of the success you strive for. For instance, a successful relationship with yourself is defined as success, increased self-love, and inner peace is success. Having a successful marriage, friendships, and relationship with your children is success.
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude is one of the best books for positive thinking because it alters your attitude on life, allowing you to become successful in anything you set your mind to achieve.
Napoleon mentions that there’s the benefit of equal measure or greater in every heartache, adversity, or failure. The benefit comes in the form of the lessons learned and the strength developed.
7. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: Joseph Murphy
Knowing that 80% to 90% of your mind is subconscious thoughts can be a tad scary. After all, you don’t know what or who lurks in there. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind is one of the best books on positive thinking. It allows you to tap into your subconscious and harness its power. Joseph mentions that other people can only trigger you is through your thoughts.
8. Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking: S.J. Scott
Working in a cluttered environment, cooking a meal without knowing the available ingredients, and removing your car from the garage if it’s littered with junk are unpleasant scenarios.
Likewise, your mind cannot come up with amazing ideas if your mind is cluttered with the following:
- Feeling anxious
- Feeling unworthy
- Frustration
- Vanity
- Being overly self-conscious
- Imposter syndrome
- Scenarios of revenge
- Excessive worrying
- Overthinking
Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking will allow you to free your mind of all the thoughts weighing you down. It paves the way for positive thinking.
9. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Series): Richard Carlson
We all inevitably worry about the future. Nonetheless, the future is unpredictable. After all, you can’t predict adversity even though you can do your best to avoid them in the present. At times, you can come up with viable solutions from worrying. However, letting go of fear and frustration boils down to living in a comfortable level of numbness.
In this book, you’ll learn to shift your focus away from trivial matters for increased peace of mind. Life is filled with explosions, some of which are preventable, whereas others are not.
Your overall wellbeing, happiness, and peace of mind are of utmost importance. Achieving that entails a conscious effort to redirect your thoughts from the negative to the positive.
10. Eliminate Negative Thinking: How to Overcome Negativity, Control Your Thoughts, And Stop Overthinking. Shift Your Focus into Positive Thinking, Self-Acceptance, And Radical Self Love: Derick Howell
For a wealth of people, happiness is a dream but achievable. In the positive thinking book, Eliminate Negative Thinking, your thoughts about the future and your perception of others are challenged. It inspires you to move forward with confidence and achieve your goals and dreams. While it might seem bizarre, you can feel stuck even when everything is going well in your life.
Likewise, you can be a positive thinker even when nothing is going as planned. The words you use to describe your experiences determine how they affect your life. They also significantly affect how you handle the problems that crop up, whether big or small.
11. The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom: Jonathan Haidt
If you’re not aware, ‘ego’ stems from a Latin word with the same spelling that translates to ‘I am.’ Therefore, when you describe a person as having a large ego, it implies they are vain. Vanity is one of the easiest ways to:
- Be disliked by most people
- Lose the chance to achieve your goals
- Alienate your loved ones
- Contrarily, with a strong ego, you will:
If your goal is to establish a strong ego that will allow you to live a more fulfilling and happier life, then The Happiness Hypothesis book was written with you in mind.
12. Excuses Be Gone: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits: Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
One of the tell-tale signs of a positive thinker is finding ways to deal with problems. When you look for excuses rather than find solutions, you’re giving up your power to external forces. That means you lose control over the outcome.
Additionally, a positive thinker has the desire and courage to be the best they can be. They have the burning urge to progress while appreciating their growth. A positive thinker takes control of their life by honoring their freedom to do what fulfills their heart’s desires, values their word, and doesn’t fear commitment.
If your goal is self-improvement, then this positive thinking book is your Holy Grail. It’ll inspire you to keep progressing as you enjoy the journey rather than focus on the destination.
Conclusion
Although positive thinking is excellent in the short term, only a few people embrace it as a lifestyle, particularly when facing obstacles. They don’t realize that just like other habits, becoming a positive thinker entails being intentional and consistent to reap the benefits in the long run.
These best books on positive thinking will inspire you to keep going and develop a positive attitude and mindset despite the challenges life throws at you.
