{"id":40501,"date":"2016-04-14T20:53:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T04:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=40501"},"modified":"2016-04-18T20:31:50","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19T04:31:50","slug":"9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

The following 9 self-improvement books<\/a> have left an imprint on my life, and I think it will on your life, too. It’s time to read and reflect!<\/p>\n

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie <\/strong><\/h1>\n

I\u2019ve always enjoyed the relatable storytelling and writing style of Dale Carnegie. He wrote this book in 1936 and its principles for building strong relationships still appeal today. The book inspires me to be genuinely interested in other people; to be a good listener; refrain from criticizing, condemning or complaining; to give honest and sincere appreciation; and to smile. Although the book is popular in corporate circles, its message applies to all personal relationships, too.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Sweat the Small Stuff\u2026and It\u2019s All Small Stuff<\/strong> by Richard Carlson<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Carlson\u2019s book is an easy-to-read guide on how to live with random, positive anecdotes thrown in. It was my first self-help book and has been a fixture on my bookshelf for over 18 years. As I wrote my book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness<\/a><\/i>, I always kept it in mind.<\/p>\n

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business<\/strong> by Charles Duhigg <\/strong><\/h1>\n

While Chapter 16 in Redefine Yourself<\/em> <\/a>(Create New Habits) gives you some simple tools for change, The Power of Habit<\/em> provides more insight on the creation of habits and how they rule our lives. The stories are interesting and make for a quick read.<\/p>\n

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Lehrer explores the neuroscience of our decision-making processes in this book. Don\u2019t be intimidated by the research and references to anatomy\u2014his writing style is appealing, enjoyable, and the insight fascinating. Lehrer\u2019s explanation of mirror neurons will continue to resonate within me for a long time. If you\u2019re interested in how our brain operates, you\u2019ll want to add How We Decide<\/em> to your book collection.<\/p>\n

Imagine: How Creativity Works<\/strong> by Jonah Lehrer <\/strong><\/h1>\n

Imagine is less technical than Lehrer\u2019s earlier work, How We Decide<\/em>. It steers my approach to creativity within my business. If you haven\u2019t heard the creation story of the \u201cJust Do It\u201d slogan, you may want to read this today. It will change the way you approach any creative project.<\/p>\n

The 4-Hour Workweek<\/strong> by Timothy Ferriss <\/strong><\/h1>\n

Ferriss\u2019 book on how to minimize life\u2019s distractions and maximize efficiency in order to live more and work less may help you rethink your approach to life. If you can put aside some of his questionable marketing techniques, his tips and stories can help you create a more efficient life, both personally and professionally. I read the book at a time when I needed a push to finally do what I wanted most\u2014it may influence you the same way.<\/p>\n

Drive<\/strong> by Daniel H. Pink<\/strong><\/h1>\n

In Drive<\/em>, Pink explores the role of motivation and purpose in both the classroom and the workplace. Without a doubt, it greatly influenced the chapters on control and purpose in my book, and I highly recommend Pink\u2019s work for additional insight on these topics.<\/p>\n

In Defense of Food<\/strong> by Michael Pollan<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Michael Pollan is one of the leaders of the new nutrition movement. He appears in many documentaries about the food industry and is considered an expert in natural eating habits. In Defense of Food<\/em> revolutionized my nutritional approach and changed the way I look at food. If you want to redefine the way you eat, this book is the perfect place to start.<\/p>\n

Why Zebras Don\u2019t Get Ulcers<\/strong> by Robert Sapolsky<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Sapolsky lightly spins humor with academic research in this book about anatomy and stress. Why Zebras Don\u2019t Get Ulcers<\/em> has shaped my perspective on the body and stress.<\/p>\n

________<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Looking for other ways to redefine your life? Check out my recent article 50 Ways to Change Your Life Today<\/a>\u00a0too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

_________<\/p>\n

Michael Moody is the author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness<\/a> and the former fitness expert on NBC\u2019s The Biggest Loser\/MSN Chicago tour. The owner of the successful Chicago personal training business<\/a>\u00a0Michael Moody Fitness<\/a>, his fitness and life-structure programs have helped his personal training clients<\/a> lose more than 2,500 pounds since 2005. Michael has been featured in Muscle & Fitness and Today\u2019s Chicago Woman magazines, among others. During his time as the official trainer for PBS\u2019s The Whitney Reynolds Show, he also produced an inspirational segment about his travels in Guatemala.<\/em><\/p>\n

Having researched emotion and coping behaviors in university-level studies, Michael has presented various fitness, motivation, body image, and stress-management programs at Illinois State University, DePaul University, corporations, high schools, and workshops.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following 9 self-improvement books have left an imprint on my life, and I think it will on your life, too. It’s time to read and reflect! Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11211,"featured_media":40557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[4641,1064,4927,427,4926,4928,4925,492,1884,4629,4292,412,399],"yoast_head":"\n9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"9 self-improvement books that will help you with mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, bad habits, happiness, self-confidence, and more!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"9 self-improvement books that will help you with mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, bad habits, happiness, self-confidence, and more!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Michael-Moody-Fitness-128901700448\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-04-15T04:53:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-04-19T04:31:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-9.52.57-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"826\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"546\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/MichaelMoodyFit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Moody\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-9.52.57-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-9.52.57-PM.png\",\"width\":826,\"height\":546,\"caption\":\"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/\",\"name\":\"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-15T04:53:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-04-19T04:31:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/330fce1953ccdf04d5500a4a224858f0\"},\"description\":\"9 self-improvement books that will help you with mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, bad habits, happiness, self-confidence, and more!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/330fce1953ccdf04d5500a4a224858f0\",\"name\":\"Michael Moody\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/047606e8ee8e09881d53dcf20de890fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/047606e8ee8e09881d53dcf20de890fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michael Moody\"},\"description\":\"Michael Moody is the author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and the former fitness expert on NBC's The Biggest Loser\/MSN Chicago tour. The owner of a successful Chicago personal training business, his fitness and life-structure programs have helped his clients lose more than 2,500 pounds since 2005. Michael has been featured in Muscle & Fitness and Today's Chicago Woman magazines, among others. During his time as the official trainer for PBS's The Whitney Reynolds Show, he also produced an inspirational segment about his travels in Guatemala. Having researched emotion and coping behaviors in university-level studies, Michael has presented various fitness, motivation, body image, and stress-management programs at Illinois State University, DePaul University, corporations, high schools, and workshops.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.michaelmoodyfitness.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Michael-Moody-Fitness-128901700448\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/MichaelMoodyFit\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/michaelmoodyfitness\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life","description":"9 self-improvement books that will help you with mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, bad habits, happiness, self-confidence, and more!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life","og_description":"9 self-improvement books that will help you with mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, bad habits, happiness, self-confidence, and more!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Michael-Moody-Fitness-128901700448\/","article_published_time":"2016-04-15T04:53:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-04-19T04:31:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":826,"height":546,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-9.52.57-PM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/MichaelMoodyFit","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michael Moody","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-9.52.57-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-9.52.57-PM.png","width":826,"height":546,"caption":"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/","name":"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2016-04-15T04:53:54+00:00","dateModified":"2016-04-19T04:31:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/330fce1953ccdf04d5500a4a224858f0"},"description":"9 self-improvement books that will help you with mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, bad habits, happiness, self-confidence, and more!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-self-improvement-books-will-change-life\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"9 Self-Improvement Books That Will Change Your Life"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/330fce1953ccdf04d5500a4a224858f0","name":"Michael Moody","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/047606e8ee8e09881d53dcf20de890fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/047606e8ee8e09881d53dcf20de890fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Michael Moody"},"description":"Michael Moody is the author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and the former fitness expert on NBC's The Biggest Loser\/MSN Chicago tour. The owner of a successful Chicago personal training business, his fitness and life-structure programs have helped his clients lose more than 2,500 pounds since 2005. Michael has been featured in Muscle & Fitness and Today's Chicago Woman magazines, among others. During his time as the official trainer for PBS's The Whitney Reynolds Show, he also produced an inspirational segment about his travels in Guatemala. Having researched emotion and coping behaviors in university-level studies, Michael has presented various fitness, motivation, body image, and stress-management programs at Illinois State University, DePaul University, corporations, high schools, and workshops.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.michaelmoodyfitness.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Michael-Moody-Fitness-128901700448\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/MichaelMoodyFit"],"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/michaelmoodyfitness\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40501"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}