Self-confidence has always been the most coveted quality a person can have. To someone, it could be her most prized, intangible possession. It makes her feel empowered and ready to take on the world.
The thing is, there is no fast and hard rule to building self-confidence. This journey proceeds differently for each of us. But one thing is for sure. Reading self-help books from well-acclaimed authors and the willingness to apply them to practice is a good start. So, here are must-read books to build your confidence.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thanks for your support.
Table of Contents
1. The Power of Self-Confidence by Brian Tracy
One must-carried book is Brian Tracy’s The Power of Self-Confidence. It teaches you that Self-Confidence is about helping you boost your mental fitness. It happens and develops in your mind. It is an eternal exercise.
If you are struggling with honing your confidence in yourself, this book could be of great help. You get to be asked questions such as “Would you ask a girl out?”; Make a phone call? Close that deal?”. Intimidating, isn’t it? It makes you squirm by merely thinking of doing those things.
But it is a great start for you. Self-confidence indeed is a powerful thing. It makes you move out of your comfort zone. And one way to go about this is to read this precious book from Brian Tracy.
2. Take Control of Your Life by Mel Robbins
One of the reasons we lack self-confidence is the existence of fear. Of course, this is normal. Everybody is scared of something. But if we don’t control this, it might control us.
Thus, Mel Robbins introduced tips on how to pacify the fears we have by walking us through six sessions in her book. These are composed of real-life situations shared by six individuals.
Here, you will learn how to navigate your fears, how to get to the bottom of a problem, and most of all, how to self-articulate.
3. LINCHPIN: How to drive your career and create a remarkable future by Seth Godin
My journey to building my confidence started with this book as well. It is a masterpiece of Seth Godin I cannot seem to live without. Indeed, building your confidence has something to do with your being indispensable. Linchpin covers tips and guidance on how to become an indispensable member of an organization or a community.
I learned that if you are skilled, people will most likely look for you for help. If you go out of your way to help others, you are likely irreplaceable. They seek you out. They are likely to rely on you. With that, you get a sense of self-importance and respect from your colleagues.
4. The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie
A gateway to building self-confidence is knowing how to communicate well. Once you are able to overcome your fear of public speaking, you would be able to heighten your confidence as well. That’s why this is my favorite must-read book to build confidence.
And one of the ways to do just that is to read and internalize one of the books by Dale Carnegie. The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking teaches us that eloquence is not innate. It is acquired. This means that everybody can access and develop it.
Thus, do not be too worried if you feel you’re not good at this department. You can excel, too, and ultimately become more self-confident.
5. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
Worries are like thieves; they rob you of happiness and your sense of being. You forget to live in the moment and network with others. It pushes you to that little corner and unsettles you.
If you are struggling with this, Dale Carnegie’s book offers true-to-life experiences or case studies and tips on how people come face to face with their fears once and for all.
One of the quotes from this book that resonates with me is “Our thoughts make us what we are.” Indeed, to build self-confidence, one must start by killing negative thoughts. It is an arduous process but you’ll get there once you start right away.
6. The Subtle Art of not giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
It’s human nature to give too much attention to almost anything. You worry too much about others’ thoughts toward you. You care with great abandon about your looks, your speech, someone else’s life, John Doe’s life, or Jane Doe’s life. This is where problems happen which can detriment your budding self-confidence.
Building self-confidence comes with the knowledge that the world does not revolve around you. Thus, caring too much about almost everything is a futile exercise. That is why this book by Mark Manson, he urged people to reserve our “care” or “attention” to those that bring value to our lives.
7. You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
Just to give you a glimpse of what this treasure has to offer, Jen Sincero wrote that if you want to live a life you’ve never had, you have to do things you’ve never done.
Building self-confidence never fails to make people shiver, cower, and be puzzled. Some of us don’t know where to start. Well, this is what I have to say. Again, there’s no fast and hard rule when it comes to building self-confidence.
You have to start by writing those things that scare you. Then, one by one, face them head-on. If you fear speaking with other people, trick your brain by thinking that you are speaking with a family member. It is going to be awkward, for sure. But once you start taking the reins, it will get better.
8. Confidence Hacks by Barrie Davenport
People need clear and doable steps to build or boost self-confidence. I find Barrie Davenport’s Confidence Hacks helpful and effective. So, don’t lose sight of this book. This could be a lifesaver for one of you.
As Barrie Davenport mentioned in her book, action is the cure for low confidence. Merely incorporating small steps into your routine can therefore help you build yourself and eventually live the life you have been yearning for.
PRO TIP: If you have no time to read all these books Blinkist is the best app for you. When you love to learn and read books but you just don’t have the time, use apps such as Blinkist to help you read more books. I love it because I can read anywhere and whenever I want. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Sharing is Caring
Which of these must-read books to build your confidence will you start with?
Self-confidence makes a person. When you are in control of your emotions, actions, or situations, it makes you feel unstoppable. Take one step at a time.
Know that you are not alone in this journey. Even the seemingly confident, unstoppable people in the world go through this from time to time. What makes them different from the rest is they tackle their fears head-on and make use of them to further boost their worth. But if they can, why can’t you.
These seem awesome books. I love to get more suggestions and add them to not run out of ideas. Thank you for sharing these self-help books.
Been looking for some self-help books and I am so glad to be able to drop by here. Thanks for the list! I will take note of this.