10 Personal Growth Books To Inspire You This Year

Now that we've rung in the New Year, a lot of us have our goals on our minds (blame it on Capricorn season). Whether your own aims for 2022 involve relationships, career, emotional healing, or spiritual growth, we have 10 books you'll want to check out to help keep your resolutions fresh in your mind. Head to your local bookstore to pick up these top-rated self-improvement books for healing, improving, and living your best life.

The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are by Alicia Menendez ($14)

It's no secret that women are taught by society to value their likability, often above other attributes, like intelligence and ambition. In her book, Menendez radically uncovers the ways that worrying about our own likability contribute to us holding ourselves back in all areas of our lives — and provides tips and tricks for how to get out of the trap.

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown ($18)

Brené Brown's work is probably a staple in your book collection if you're into self-improvement and personal growth, and her latest book should absolutely be on your to-read list. In Atlas of the Heart, Brown details eighty-seven emotions that make us human, so you can learn how to identify and work with each of these important and universal feelings. The result is a book that helps the reader reflect on her own emotions, and apply her findings in her relationships with others.

Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There by Tara Schuster ($16)

This is a book for anyone who's ever needed a little more self-love in their life. In Schuster's book, she recalls how reaching great success as a young adult didn't negate her deeper need for self-love and nurturing. From this guide to reparenting yourself, you'll learn how to cultivate gratitude, how to identify and combat self-limited beliefs, and ultimately, how to create a life you love.

How To Do The Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal From Your Past, and Create Your Self by Dr. Nicole Le Pera ($18)

Known on social media as "The Holistic Psychologist," Dr. Le Para has created a community around recognizing unhealthy dynamics in relationships and thought patterns, and learning to self-heal the wounds that make those patterns entrenched. In her book, you'll learn how to identify unhealthy patterns in yourself, how to get to the root of the issue, and how to heal from within using a combination of psychological techniques and mindfulness practices.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert ($10)

A list of personal growth books on Brit + Co — the online destination for maker and creatives — would hardly be complete without this classic from Elizabeth Gilbert. Big Magic is a guide to living the creative life, whether that means having a job as an artist or taking more risks with your own personal hobbies and ideas.

Grit by Angela Duckworth ($10)

Another classic, Grit is all about building that human skill that many people think is only for military leaders and endurance athletes. Duckworth turns this idea on its head by recognizing that grit can be strengthened just like any other muscle, providing ample inspiration for sticking with your goals and vision no matter the obstacles.

Deep Work by Cal Newport ($19)

Our world extolls the benefits of multitasking. We have side hustles, we explore endless options, we post on Twitter while working at our day jobs... but is all of this distraction actually good for us? In Newport's book, he examines the importance of truly focusing on one important task, getting lost in the endeavor as we complete it — and cultivating pride in a job well done at the end.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb ($17)

Lori Gottlieb is herself a therapist, but she goes to therapy as well. She details her observations of this exercise in her bestselling book Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, revealing the human truth that we all have a lot more in common than we might think.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear ($12)

Atomic Habits is a cult favorite for a reason. Using evidence-based tools and techniques, Clear shows us how to build the habits that will make us more successful, and break those that continue to hold us back.

10% Happier Revised Edition: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris ($12)

Dan Harris had a panic attack on national television, which sounds absolutely horrible — but actually, it opened his eyes to the need for meditation and mindfulness in his life, and has ultimately made his life better in the long run. In his book, he details this discovery and shares tips and tricks for cultivating calm and serenity in everyday life.

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