The most recommended books for self confidence

Sometimes things happen in life that bring us to our knees – illness, relationships fail, job losses.

And we may feel small, overwhelmed, incapable. In this awesome book about living audaciously, Jones advises the reader to write their own oriki, or personal hype mantra.

When we are at our lowest, we need to look back and see how far we’ve come, remind ourselves of who we were, who we are, and who we will be.

Just as we have the power to write our own orikis, we have the power to write our own next steps. That’s pretty bad-ass.

I found Brad Stulberg’s latest book when I was researching my book and immediately toned down my prose to meet the challenge of distilling practices nearly impossible to explain in simple terms anyone can understand. Sound impossible? Brad makes it look effortless. There’s just enough science balanced by personal experience and other anecdotes that what could have been a PhD dissertation (was it?) reads with ease. The power and simplicity make it elegant and ever so useful.

As Martha Beck says in her book, “Integrity is the cure for psychological suffering. Period.”

I honestly believe that living in integrity is the first truth about being resilient. It’s so much harder to be resilient when we are living out of sync with our values and our most authentic selves. Living a lie causes stress and anxiety and leads to chronic illnesses.

I like how Martha spells out living purposefully and intentionally. I started reading The Way of Integrity to prepare for an interview with Martha on the Holistic Wealth podcast. In The Way of Integrity, Martha outlines a four-stage process that anyone can use to find integrity, and with it, a sense of purpose, emotional healing, and a life free of mental suffering.

Much of what plagues us—people pleasing, worry and anxiety, negative habits—all point to what happens when we are out of touch with what truly… show more.

Wildoak is the story of a young girl, Maggie, finding her voice despite a stutter.

As someone who struggled with a stutter for many years, I found this book to be especially endearing, honest, and moving. Maggie is the kind of hero I needed. I taught 8th grade for many years, and this is the kind of book I would have rushed to put in any student’s hands.

I am a big fan of this book! Selena uses a voice that is warm, positive, and personal to share her ideas. 

From building confidence, to interacting with others, and dealing with challenges and setbacks, this is a career “must read.” It’s ostensibly about confidence, but really, it’s way more. I was an organizational behavior for years teaching MBA students, and this has all of the topical coverage you’d want to convey in any course related to leadership and career success. 

But instead of being boring like a textbook, it stays focused on crisp actionable advice for improving how you think, interact, and achieve. Not to mention, her use of short examples and anecdotes makes it a fast fun read too. Highly recommended.

Hair Love is a heartwarming and gentle book about a little girl named Zuri and her father struggling to do her hair. It is filled with an abundance of humorous and joyful moments, but where the book really shines for me is in its unabashed celebration of Zuri’s hair. In a country where Black femmes are constantly being labeled as less-than, the importance of this book cannot be overstated.

A familiar favorite, The Dot by author-illustrator Paul Reynolds tells the story of a young girl named Vashti who believes she cannot draw. Her art teacher, seeing Vashti struggle, helps her develop confidence in herself by telling her to try drawing just a single dot and to sign her name at the bottom. The next day, Vashti finds that her dot had been hung up above her teacher’s desk, inspiring her to try painting another dot, and then another, and then another. Soon she has created an entire collection of many different dots. And in a moving twist, Vashti’s artwork inspires children who also think they cannot draw to give it a try.

The Dot by Paul Reynolds is one of our favorite books to teach the SEL themes of self-confidence and growth mindset; showcasing all that can happen when we choose to believe in ourselves and persist in the… show more.

You know the expression “True beauty is on the inside”? When I have felt insecure about my appearance, hearing from a well-intentioned friend that “true beauty is on the inside” has not consoled me. It is a beautiful idea… in theory.

In practice, this way of thinking can be harmful because it shifts focus away from systemic and cultural beauty ideals that privilege particular identities and body types and suggests that if I don’t feel good about myself, the true problem is my attitude.

Orgad and Gill skillfully show that this kind of thinking props up a “confidence culture” that lets organizations and institutions off the hook for devaluing women. I finished the book more confident than ever—showing that smart feminist analysis is more empowering than any diet or mascara. 

Sitting on the bookshelf horizontally (swing on top)—I was intrigued the moment I laid eyes on it and it did not disappoint. 

Just about every book I own is structured the same with the spine is always on the side of the book. But this book has the spine on top!  I opened the book and flipped the pages up as Mel falls down the tree. Then, through the clever illustrations and design of the text, I wound up turning the book upside and found myself flipping the pages down to make Mel fly back up the tree.  What sorcery was this?

I’ve seen many illustrators try to have readers turn a book, but I have never had such a smooth and seamless experience!

Oh my, oh my, oh my!!! What a celebration indeed!! Such gorgeous, lyrical language. And the illustrations—often connected to the seasons—are vibrant and alive. This story is a poem that encourages a child to celebrate the people they come from and the color they are. I love how the specific words, the soothing alliteration, and the connections with nature and family invite us to read further. And the descriptions of the color brown sing. Finally, as someone who spent a childhood hiking trails and connecting with the outdoors, one of my favorite spreads is where the father and daughter take a mountain hike. We do not see enough brown families spending time in nature in children’s books. What a joy to see this representation.