5 Books To Read To Start Your Year off Right

Many people make the New Year’s resolution to read more, but with so many books, it can be challenging to know which ones will give you the most impact in your life. These five books can help you start off the year on the right foot and keep the momentum going far into the year.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Bessel van der Kolk’s incredible The Body Keeps the Score centers on the link between our bodies and brains. It offers an excellent overview of how lingering trauma can manifest in the body and how we can go on to live productive and pain-free lives.

Trauma manifests itself in many different places and ways, often culminating in physical pain. We might find ourselves holding tension in certain areas or even feeling ongoing pain or stress that hinders our day-to-day life. The author’s innovative work takes a holistic approach to our entire health picture, allowing readers to heal both mentally and physically. 

This book is an excellent option for people who have gone through tremendous stress in their lives. But it can also be valuable for those who simply want to learn more about self-care and the brain-body link.

Discipline Is Destiny

Ryan Holiday’s book about stoicism and discipline can help you stay more motivated with easy-to-apply principles that could positively impact your life. One of the key takeaways from Holiday’s book is that you don’t need to be exceptional in everything you do. Instead, the most significant part of the battle is simply having the discipline to try.

Over time, you’ll start to see results in both your productivity and your life. With actionable steps and straightforward language, Discipline Is Destiny is an easy read that can have enormous ramifications for your life down the road.

One of the key takeaways is that it’s the little things that matter most. Waking up on time and making your bed might seem small, but the discipline it takes to do that can make all the difference.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

James Clear’s Atomic Habits breaks down our day-to-day lives into smaller habits that make all the difference. It stands in a league of its own simply because it takes away many of the overwhelming aspects of doing great things, replacing them with smaller bite-sized chunks.

Additionally, Atomic Habits focuses on little habits that can make large differences. The practices outlined in this book can prompt other good habits with a compounding effect. 

Clear outlines of what you need to do to make the habits stick, including a rewards system that will make them more attractive. His work helps you understand why some habits stick and others do not.

If you want to introduce more powerful habits into your life and see some considerable changes in the new year, make sure to pick up a copy of this book.

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

For ages, all across the world, every powerful civilization has understood the importance of breathwork for self-soothing and relaxation. James Nestor’s Breath takes a hard look at why breathing is so important and can even supersede other healthy things we do, like exercise and diet.

Nestor digs deep into different traditions and finds commonality between them, giving the reader a concise and actionable roadmap to improve their breathing and overall health. You might even see physical benefits, like standing up straighter as a result of breathing more correctly.

Breath takes a simple thing, breathing correctly, and shows how it impacts nearly every area of your life. 

Time Wise: Productivity Secrets of the World’s Most Successful People

Amantha Imber can help you find more time in your day, stress out less, and accomplish more with her book on exceptionally powerful habits and why they matter. Imber already has an excellent podcast, “How I Work,” where she interviews movers and shakers to find out how they maximize their time for the better.

Time Wise itself is a compilation of Imber’s interviews, plus practical advice on how to apply these tips in your own life. You’ll find yourself realizing your true potential while relaxing more and spending time focusing on what really matters.

If you find yourself stressed at the end of the day with a to-do list that you’ve barely touched, this book was made for you. You’ll skate through your objectives and still have time to focus on family and friends.

Final Thoughts

Ring in the new year with a bang with these five books to start your year off right. All of them are highly acclaimed, and inspirational, and contain easy-to-apply advice that anyone can incorporate into their own lives with absolute success. You’ll be inspired, fired up, and ready to embrace a whole new year throughout January and beyond.

 

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