From being a pessimist to being an optimist
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With all that is going on during the pandemic, I turned to books for some comfort. Books are your companion when you are alone. Similarly, books are my best companion in moments when I feel down. For years and now, we all live a judgemental society that puts you under pressure. Gradually, I was pushed to think I am never good enough and had a constant seeking of approval from others. Six months back, I was losing my sanity and so I felt the urge to take matters into my own hands. That was when I turned to the comfort of books. I have been reading self-help and personal growth books every week as part of the #bookaweekchallenge. Below are the books that influenced my mindset on a huge level.
Attitude is everything - Jeff Keller
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As the title says, Attitude is in fact everything and says a lot about a person’s personality. There are two main things that I learned from this book.
A positive mindset is a starting up to achieve anything.
Our vocabulary affects our emotions, our beliefs, and our effectiveness in life.
To become unstoppable, we all need to have a positive belief system. One major shift towards being positive was working on my everyday vocabulary usage. I consciously have taken the effort to always use positive vocabulary while talking to people and during difficulties. This had a huge impact on me in terms of my thinking process and I knew I was going to an optimistic self. if we preserve towards success and make adjustments to our previous failure we can definitely achieve them.
“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” — Hugh Downs
The Power of Habit — Charles Duhigg
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This book led to change my habit in a profound level. The book structures every case studies in a pattern. Cue -> Routine -> Reward Small rewards will change our routine and are a steady application of a small advantage. I changed my routine of watching late-night youtube videos and waking up tired. Only by changing my weekly routine which yoga class enrollment, I had the push in myself to sleep early at night just so that I don't miss my favorite yoga class.
Once you understand that habits can be rebuilt, the power of habit becomes easier to grasp, and the only option left is to get to work.
The Power of your subconscious mind — Dr. Joseph Murphy
With many affirmative exercises, this book is my go-to rescue book. Whenever I feel down, I re-read this book again and again.
Our minds work 24 hours, the more you pour healthy thoughts into it the happier it becomes.
Affirmation Routine
After reading this book, I have made a conscious effort to busy your mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace, and goodwill. Another practice that I inculcated into my morning routine is affirmations. After my yoga class and during meditation exercise, I speak some affirmation every morning and this has kept me grounded and peaceful.
The law of your mind is the law of belief
Good Vibes, Good Life — Vex King
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This book has taught me a lot about “self-love” and how it is the balance between accepting yourself as you are while knowing you deserve better and then working towards it. It also emphasizes the importance of taking time to relax.
The balance between mindset and action will enable you to vibrate higher
The Universe is abundant in all areas; the illusion of fear is the only limitation we have
I started to incorporate the Gratitude session into my morning routine. It is one of the simplest, and yet most powerful, habits you can cultivate. By doing this, I could condition my mind to see the good in every situation. Soon enough, you will see the bright side of things and feel better about life.
Embrace your uniqueness. and faith is a conscious choice that one take to be optimistic.
How to win friends and influence people — Dale Carnegie
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Appreciation & Feel of Importance is all that I learned from this book.
One of the most neglected virtues of our daily existence is appreciation
Always make the other person feel important
My step towards appreciation is to a conscious effort to appreciate my colleagues and my family members for their big/small wins. For the feeling of Importance, I learned that if we need to make another person interested in relevant topics then we need to provide our interest to their’s first. One such effort I too took was speaking to my colleagues and show interest in their work and provide support so much so that they ask about my projects and provide feedback too. This effort has expanded my horizons.
If you find yourself feeling down or stressful it is always fruitful to turn yourself to be with books. There are plenty of self-help books in today’s world but 5 books I mentioned here have reduced my stress and changed my mindset relatively.
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