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Do you struggle with negative thoughts? What are some of the best books that can help rewire your mind for more positivity?
Many people live as victims of their own minds, consumed with negative thoughts that seem to control them. If that sounds like you, reading positive thinking books can be an untapped solution to these struggles.
Here are Shortform’s picks of the best positive thinking books to add to your reading list.
Positive Thinking
Positive thoughts are the key to a happy life because they lead to positive words and actions. When we think positively, we treat ourselves and other people better, enjoy healthier relationships, make better choices, and are resilient in the face of adversity.
But staying positive can be difficult: We, humans, are prone to negativity bias whereby we cling to negative stimuli more readily than to positive or neutral stimuli. However, you can override this tendency by training yourself to think positively.
One way to start developing a positive outlook is to read. Reading positive thinking books can help spur a change in your perspective and teach you practical reframing strategies used by mental health counselors and professional psychotherapists.
The Power of Positive Thinking
In The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale says there is no problem or obstacle you can’t overcome with faith and a positive mindset. This self-help classic outlines the practical techniques of applied Christianity to help you take control of the events in your life rather than be directed by them.
In Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer explains that the Devil makes it his mission to corrupt our minds with negative thoughts. Luckily, we have God on our side. Meyer shows us how we can thwart Satan’s attacks and find happiness and fulfillment with God’s positivity as our guide.
Everyone has something they want to either change or improve their life. Maybe it’s a better job. Maybe it’s more security. Maybe it’s love. With the principles of The Secret, you will learn to use the power of your mind to make what you want a reality. Through practical steps and guidance for how to shift your feelings and behaviors to a stronger, more positive place, you will learn how to harness the Law of Attraction to create a better, happier life.
In Good Vibes, Good Life, Vex King argues that the key to living your dream life is to have positive vibrations or “good vibes.” When you put out good vibes like gratitude and joy, you attract good vibes back; however, when you put out bad vibes like resentment, regret, or impatience, you’ll attract bad vibes and consequently experience more hardships. The key to minimizing bad vibes and maximizing good ones, King argues, is self-love and acceptance.
In Mindset, Carol S. Dweck argues that the way you think determines the course of your life, starting as early as your preschool years. You learn one of two mindsets from your parents, teachers, and coaches: that personal qualities such as intelligence and ability are innate and unchangeable (the fixed mindset) or that you and others can change and grow (the growth mindset). Understanding and adjusting your mindset can change your career, relationships, the way you raise your children, and your overall life satisfaction.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
In The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Joseph Murphy claims that all of your life experiences are the result of the interaction between your conscious and subconscious minds: Your subconscious mind creates your life experiences according to your habitual conscious thoughts and ingrained beliefs. Murphy argues that you can dramatically improve your life by using your conscious mind to imprint positive thoughts upon your subconscious mind.
Martin Seligman’s Learned Optimism will teach you how to break out of that pessimistic, powerless mindset and replace it with an empowered mindset of optimism and confidence. Seligman is a professional psychologist, teacher, and author. His theories of learned helplessness and learned optimism are based on his own laboratory studies. He began these studies in the 1960s and has continued tweaking and reexamining them to the present day.
In this 1902 self-help classic, James Allen explores the power of thought, which says that your thoughts shape your character, your character shapes your actions, and your actions shape your circumstances. Put simply, you are what you think. Allen discusses the ways that thoughts manifest in reality and how to direct your thoughts in order to create the life you want.
Think and Grow Rich is a guide to success by Napoleon Hill, which was first published in 1937 and was immediately welcomed as an antidote to hard times. Many people still find its philosophy of positive thinking and its specific steps for achieving wealth both relevant and life-changing. Hill contends that our thoughts become our reality, and offers a plan and principles for transforming thoughts into riches, including visualization, affirmation, creating a Master Mind group, defining a goal, and planning.
In Get Out of Your Head, Jennie Allen, founder of the influential IF: Gathering discipleship conference for Christian women, presents a comprehensive strategy for winning the war for your mind. First, she uncovers Satan’s master plan for trapping you in a life of defeat by poisoning your mind with toxic thoughts. She then draws on the Bible, personal examples, and the findings of modern brain science to teach you how to “put on the mind of Christ” by literally reprogramming your brain, resulting in a victorious life that fulfills God’s plan for you.
Final Words
While you don’t have control over every thought that comes to your mind, you do have the ability to choose not to entertain negative thoughts. You also have the ability to cultivate a positive outlook: Positive thinking is a skill, and like any skill, it requires practice. If you want to banish negative thoughts from your mind, these positive thinking books will help you get off to a good start.
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