In 2019, I really buckled down to get some reading done. It may still be an unimpressive amount of books compared to extremely avid readers, but considering that they were mostly non-fiction, and mostly about personal development topics, I overall feel pretty good about it.

I set the goal of reading 12 books this year (one a month seemed reasonable), and as 2019 comes to a close, I’m currently finishing up #17. Needless to say, I’m setting a higher goal for 2020.

But we’re not here to talk about my reading habits, we’re here to talk about my top picks of the personal development books I read in 2019! I settled on 4 books - two that were published this year, and two that were not - that made the biggest impact in not only my mindset, but also the actions I was inspired to take after reading them. They are books that I would highly recommend, for various reasons, so let’s get into it!

(If you’re curious to see all the books I read in 2019, feel free to check out my GoodReads account.)

Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert

This is obviously not a new book, but it’s one I finally got around to reading and it completely reframed the way I look at creativity and how I express it. In a strange way, it gave me permission to get a little creative in my life again. I now see creativity as a component of my self-care practice, and feel free to get involved with creative pursuits without expectation or worry about if I’m actually good at the thing. If you’ve been feeling creatively stuck, or need a gentle reminder about what it really means to create, I recommend you pick up this book and give it a thorough read-through.

Better Than Before - Gretchen Rubin

This is the other book that isn’t newly published, but it’s definitely one that I feel doesn’t get the attention it deserves. You may recognize Gretchen Rubin’s name, as she’s the author of the bestseller The Happiness Project (which I have yet to pick up), but Better Than Before was an amazing read that inspired and empowered me to take my habits to the next level. It goes over why habits are so important, and then offers a whole slew of practical strategies that you can start implementing right away to help you set up (and keep) some great habits. Most of the major concepts are also, at one point or another, phrased in great quotable snippets that you can snap you back to what you’ve learned without having to reread an entire chapter.

Atomic Habits - James Clear

Unsurprisingly, this book is also all about habits. Despite having already read a few other books on habits (like the one mentioned above and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg), it was still an absolutely fantastic read. While Better Than Before offers many, many strategies, Atomic Habits is based on a simple framework that is easy to remember long after you finish the book, whether you’re looking to build new habits, or break old ones. I also loved that the book touched on many other related topics and provided some really great insight on things like goal-setting and willpower (and why both those things are less important than you might think). Both the main purpose of the book and the related nuggets of wisdom found inside it’s pages made it quite possibly my favourite read of 2019!

Everything Is Figureoutable - Marie Forleo

I’ve been watching Marie’s YouTube show, MarieTV, for a couple of years on-and-off now, so I already knew I liked her approach. But just because someone is an engaging storyteller on video, that does not mean they’re going to be a great writer, so I am happy to report that Marie Forleo’s first book is definitely worth the read, even if you’ve already consumed hours of her free, online content.

As you might guess by the title, the book is centred around the philosophy that you are 100% capable and resourceful enough to figure it out, whatever ‘it’ may be to you. It’s a topic like that risks sounding cheesy and overly peppy, but I found the book to feel grounded in reality and an effective way for me to embody resourcefulness more in my own life. Like Atomic Habits, this is a book that carries many little nuggets of wisdom in it’s pages.

Now, I’d love to hear what you think! Any of the books above catch your interest? What was your favourite read of 2019 and why? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,