5 Mind-Expanding and Self-Transforming Books to Read This Holiday

Holidays are the perfect time to relax and not think about work at all, but that seldom really happens, doesn’t it? (Insert last minute Christmas shopping here, and that write-up you need to finish by this week).

If you’re hustlers like us that has the urge of learning something new and expanding your knowledge about this chaotic yet beautiful world we live in, then one way to do that is by holding a book in your hand, and a cuppa tea on the other. I do not know where to begin to let you understand how reading books can make you a much smarter and better person, times a hundred.

So, to help you get your hands dirty (by flipping pages), here are 5 mind-expanding and self-transforming books we recommend you read this holiday season to prepare yourself for the great adventures in life, career, and businesses that 2016 will bring.

1. Cosmos by Carl Sagan

If you’re fascinated with the depth of space—forbidding, mysterious, dark—this classic 1980’s novel by Carl Sagan is perfect for expanding your outlook on life. It implores you to think about our place in the vast universe, and even though we’ve come so far as a species, we’re still very far behind in learning about our world, the future, and of ourselves.

2. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

You know that feeling when you’re doing something you really love? It’s like five hours just feels like five minutes. As if everything you are doing makes you feel right and contented. Mr. C, the Godfather of positive psychology calls these meaningful moments “optimal experiences,” or a “Flow” state. In this book, he talks about how we can achieve Flow in our personal and professional lives for us lead a life with greater meaning and value. If you’re searching for something like that right now, this book is the one to read.

3. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Habit—that little thing a person does everyday without the need to have a conscious thought. For example, waking up at the same time everyday, or operating a DVD player, even the bad ones like smoking. Habits come out as complex tasks at first, but once we get the hang of it, it becomes second nature to us. Charles Duhigg has written an entertaining book to help us understand the science of this. He teaches us to understand how habits work, and how transform old ones to new to create a better life, and even have to power to influence group behavior and achieve success.

4. Give and Take by Adam Grant

There are two kinds of people in this world—givers and takers. And living in this competitive world, we have come to believe that it is motivation and drive that gives people the opportunity to be ahead of others. However, success depends entirely on how we approach our interactions with other people. Author Adam Grant shows us in this book that even though takers, the egoistic self-promoters, get recognized for their efforts, it is usually the givers, the selfless altruistic beings, that are dominating the success ladder in life and business.

5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book will do more than just expand your mind, it will change you life… if you let it. Legendary author, Paulo Coelho takes you on a journey across the Egyptian dessert to follow your heart’s greatest dream, and discover a whole lot more about yourself and the essence of life while your at it.

Pro tip: Prefer to read just one book at a time. Sometimes when we see something awesome, we tend to want to start on it all at once. Don’t stress yourself. Commit to reading and finishing one book.

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