Read These 5 Books to Change Your Life from the Inside Out
When people share books that “changed their life,” I think it’s important to clarify why and how. We all have different needs, and the books that shake us to our core are usually the ones that speak directly to whatever we’re struggling with or waking up to.
The five books I’m about to share don’t center around money, religion, space, or nature. So if those are the things you’re most interested in focusing on or need more insights on, MY life changing list won’t be yours.
The common thread between my little list is this: they helped me shed the parts of myself that weren’t really ME. They revealed what was holding me back from a life filled with joy, peace, and deep contentment.
These might not be your life-changing books if you’re looking for:
Financial advice
Religious validation
Scientific exploration of the cosmos
Therapeutic diagnosis
But if you’re craving personal truth, clarity, and transformation from the inside out…these are for you. Every lesson and breakthrough in here requires a LOT of radical self responsibility and shedding all blame, judgment, and victimhood.
Here they are, from most to “least” impactful (though they’ve all been profound):
1. A NEW EARTH – Eckhart Tolle
This book cracked me right open. I’ve read it three times now.
The first time it took me over two years. I could only digest a few pages at a time and I’m not being dramatic about this. It was that powerful.
The second time, I scribbled notes all along the margins and had a hard time putting into practice what I was understanding in concept.
The third time, I devoured it in four days and am actively putting much of it into practice. We are living in the perfect time to practice all the new ways of BEING. With the world seemingly crumbling, now is the time to see it all happening for what it is.
Each time I’ve read this book, it has brought a new level of awakening.
I plan to revisit it yearly—this is my bible.
What’s it about?
BEING.
Ego.
The you beneath all the “you.”
It peels back the layers of identity and drops you into the quiet, peaceful observer within. This book is for awakenings. And, a little hack, it gets SO GOOD in chapter three. If the first two chapters are bending your mind (they will tho), get to three. If three doesn’t do it then this book is not for you.
2. THE COURAGE TO BE DISLIKED – Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
Written as a dialogue between a youth and a philosopher, this one reads like a modern-day Confucian text. I saw myself in the youth’s questions and then was stunned by the philosopher’s responses. Talk about enlightenment and…yep, you guessed it, awakenings.
This book invites you to consider what’s actually in your control, and what isn’t.
It’s direct, intimate, and raw.
I’ve read it twice, the second time hitting harder than the first, of course.
I know I’ll be reading it again. And again. And again.
3. UNLIMITED POWER – Tony Robbins
This is where I fell MORE in love with NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).
With a background in Applied Psychology and Mental Health, I almost pursued therapy—but when I found NLP and fitness, something different clicked in my soul. It explained why the world of therapy was never going to transform my life the way I NEW deep down was possible. You can read more about that and why talk-therapy wasn’t for me in this post here.
This book, in conjunction with getting certified twice as a neurolinguistic practitioner while working with a master practitioner, helped me go from depressed, suicidal, and medicated to unmedicated and forgetting what depression even feels like.
Tony Robbins teaches tools for personal transformation in a way that’s intense, direct, and brutally honest. He interrupts patterns FAST and cuts through the noise. No fluff. No sugar-coating. Just clear frameworks for creating lasting change.
I’ve read this three times and still pull from it constantly.
Another book I’ll read as many more times as I can.
4. 101 ESSAYS THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK – Brianna Wiest
If you’re more of a random reader who prefers articles, short reads, and books that can be read out of order, this one’s perfect.
It’s a collection of short, powerful insights. Every page feels like a journal entry from the universe. It’s digestible, relatable, and wise.
I’ve read it twice and keep it nearby to flip open at random when I need a reset. It’s easy for me to find the good parts since I’ve underlined and written notes like a crazy person in this one too.
I’ve recommended and gifted it to so many people too.
5. SEVEN AND A HALF LESSONS ABOUT THE BRAIN – Lisa Feldman Barrett
Short, science-backed, and easy to absorb, this book gave me a fresh understanding of how the brain actually works. It’s the kind of book that shifts your entire approach to behavior, emotion, and what it means to be human. This one isn’t as profound as the others (in my opinion) but it’s packed with evidence, beautifully written breakdowns of complicated topics, and great stories/metaphors for all of us to lean on when our own brains are trying to understand complicated brain-systems. I love mystical, spiritual, abstract ideas AND I looooooove science. Combining the two is chefs kiss for me.
Final Note:
These books aren’t about adding more to who you are.
They’re about removing what’s in the way.
If you’re feeling disconnected, stuck, or just know there’s something more, these might be your sign.
Now I’m dyingggggg to know — what books have truly transformed YOUR life? Like which ones will you re-read? I’m not talking tiny nuggets of passive wisdom, I mean the ones where you feel like you finally have access to parts of yourself you’ve always wanted access to. The ones that GET IT. What books are part of your awakening??
XOXOXO
Chels
