Eps 28: 12 Mindset Books to Motivate and Inspire You

I love a good book and I hope you do too. Do you know what I love more than a good book?

Mindset books that specifically target your beliefs and motivation.

I’ve curated a list of my absolute favourite mindset books, and I can’t wait to share the wisdom, motivation, and pure joy these authors brought into my life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Understand how mindset books serve as powerful catalysts for reshaping your beliefs.
• Gain insights into how these mindset books personally influenced my mindset and motivation.
• My key takeaways you can learn from these 12 transformative books

Rediscovering the Joy of Reading

Now let’s dive into these mindset books, because I actually have managed to listen to quite a lot of audiobooks this year.

But only in the last couple of months have I dived back into my Kindle or physical books, and it’s really made me appreciate that I frankly miss reading voraciously.

And I know my list for 2024 is going to be a heck of a lot more reading for me.

I love how reading lights up your brain, and how mindset books in particular help you create alternative thought patterns for you.

How reading them gets you to often intellectually dissect a long-held belief and maybe recreate it, rethink it, challenge it.

Also, just how you get to learn, every single sentence of a really great book can help you learn.

And as I said, reading mindset books in particular are just an opportunity for growth.

In particular, the books that I’m about to share with you have been some of my favourite for quite a while and have really contributed to my shifting mindset and my motivation.

Mindset Books – my Top 12 Recommendations 

1. “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins:

Some days you just don’t have it. And that’s when you got to put one of these books either in your ears as an audiobook or you’ve got to pull it out and read a few chapters to get back on track.

For me, one of the mindset books that did this hugely for me when I was training for my Half Iron Man was none other than Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

It is a New York Times bestseller. I remember seeing it in, Audible, my audio books and being like, what the heck is this about?

Man, did this mindset book get me through some tough runs and bike training, because David Goggins is, oh man, well, he is something else.

Not only is this an incredible lesson, it was one of the most motivating books ever, perfect for days that I just didn’t have as much excitement about my training.

It’s also the first audiobook that had discussions with the author after every chapter, which made it a far more immersive experience.

So, he didn’t actually read the audiobook out, somebody else did, and then he’d interview him about what he spoke about in that chapter.

The biggest thing that I took out of this was David reveals that most of us tap into only 40 percent of our capabilities and I mean 40 percent of what we’re actually capable of.

And then he shows you how to reach your full potential.

I also really like that there’s this kind of twist near the end of the book after this guy who’s an ex navy seal has run like 100 mile races, who’s just pushed himself to the limits in every extreme and excelled in every area.

Then he kind of comes away with the simple thing of how to look after his body after all of this when he is in critical health, and it just kind of made him really human.

It was just this simple thing, I won’t, I won’t spoil it, I mean it’s nothing outrageous, but even for somebody like him to come back to the simple thing, to just get back on track and live a fulfilling life and take it easy and more importantly just look after yourself was really real to me.

So highly recommend Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. He also has a bunch of YouTube videos as I understand it, and just really great for a motivational pep talk.

2. “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker:

Another book that really helped me to prioritize sleep was Matthew Walker’s, Why We Sleep, and it’s basically the new science of sleep and dreams. And it was a complete eye opener for me.

It made me appreciate that a good quality sleep is really the answer to all our problems. Not drugs, not medication, uh, not healthcare.

I mean, all of those things have their place, right? But most of us who are having any sort of problems, so much of that could be solved by sleep, which ironically, we just don’t do a very good job of.

Matthew has this brilliant. British accent that I could listen to for hours and did actually put me to sleep one evening, which he actually encourages.

So, he covers off on not only the different types of sleep cycles we go through, but every area of our life that sleep can affect.

And more importantly what happens when we don’t get enough of it, which was the real eye opener, because it is nasty.

And then he goes beyond this to talk about systemic problems in areas like driving, hospitals, and children’s health that are affected when sleep isn’t given priority.

This book will probably change your life and definitely your sleep. So if that sounds like something you need help with, go read it.

3. “How to Be F*cking Awesome” by Dan Meredith:

The third mindset book is by Dan Meredith and it’s How To be F*cking Awesome.

The tagline is sticking a finger up to the law of attraction and a thumb up to action. It’s short, it’s sharp, it’s funny, and it’s about if you need a good kick in the ass.

It’s really for you. It’s got a lot of laughs too. Again, Dan is British. He tells it how it is. It’s likable read and it’s powerful. It’s really, honestly you could power through that in an afternoon.

4. “The Alter Ego Effect” by Todd Herman:

The next mindset book is by Todd Herman and this was a game changer for me.

It’s called The Alter Ego Effect, the power of secret identities to transform your life. And this came out just at the right time for me again to tap into my superhuman athlete ego for triathlons.

You can use Todd’s method to step into who you want to be for anything, just like Beyonce did when she used Sasha Fierce to become the powerhouse that she is today.

In short, Todd takes you through how to develop your alter ego when you need it most, and then how to go on and embody and eventually become the person you really want to be.

And what I really like about this is essentially, he doesn’t want you to use this alter ego for long.

He wants you to use it, for example, if you have a real fear around stepping on to stage, you get to develop this alter ego that steps on stage for you, and is the powerhouse that you want to be, or the confident, likable, funny, engaging person that you want to be on stage.

But what I really like is that the true meaning behind the book is You know, if you do this for long enough, you ultimately become and step up to be that person.

And then one day you are embodying all those habits and characteristics that you felt you didn’t have. And that’s the beauty of it. So you can use this in so many areas of life, and it’s a really, really good read.

And I think it’s probably one of those books you want to revisit each time you want to maybe develop a new alter ego in another area of your life where you want to improve.

5. “Exactly What to Say” by Phil Jones:

The next mindset book on my list is Exactly What To Say. The magic words for influence and impact. This is by Phil Jones.

Now this is another short powerful book on how to use the magic of words to really get anything that you want more of in life.

It’s particularly great for entrepreneurs who want to understand how to use the power of language and behavioural psychology to sell to more customers. by knowing their triggers, their doubts and fears.

And at the end of the day, it’s a lesson in having empathy and insight and using this to your advantage, in a good way, of course. So, highly recommend. Again, short, sweet, powerful.

6. “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill:

Ahhh, one of my favourites! Think and Grow Rich, the classic original version by Napoleon Hill.

This is an oldie but a goodie. This is a classic mindset book that I read when I was in my late teens.

It was written in 1937 and Sure, it sounds dated and sure It’s blatantly sexist and male-dominated but it is one of those books that you need on your bookshelf, and you should be referring to regularly.

By the way, there are many newer versions. There are versions for women, there are versions that are just much more probably applicable to where you might be right now.

But if you can kind of put all that stuff aside and just let the actual lesson sink in, it is gold. There was something about listening to the audio version of this book, by the way, that just kind of made it a great refresher. from actually reading the book.

I believe that it is completely free on YouTube as well, with Napoleon Hill reading it, like behind this bureaucratic desk in black and white with this crazy kind of old accent.

But honestly, you could just listen to a chapter a night, and it just gets you to totally commit and go after a life you dream of with absolute certainty backed up by deliberate action. So, if you’re needing that in your life, definitely check out Think and Grow Rich.

7. “Finish What You Start” by Peter Hollens:

I really enjoyed Finish What You Start by Peter Hollens. This is the art of following through, taking action, executing, and self discipline. This is a brilliant short book.

You might be seeing a theme here, but you know, honestly, if you can power through a book and take lessons out of it, and that’s what you have time for, go for it.

It was a refreshing reminder for me, actually, all of these things, the follow through, taking action, executing self discipline.

And how I could do them even better like even when I thought I was doing them well, this was like no you can do them even better .

Essentially it’s like the best hacks and tips you’ve probably heard before but all pulled together with great examples for you to apply to your life in one book.

It’s really motivating hugely motivating and it’s a great read to head into the new year. So finish what you start go grab it.

8. “Becoming” by Michelle Obama:

This is a bloody brilliant book to listen to. It’s narrated by Michelle herself, so I’d highly recommend over the written book to get the audio as well.

It’s almost 19 hours, so this was definitely on the long side. And I just loved consuming it in the car, out on walks, while I was out training, it’s a brilliant book.

It’s a fascinating insight into her life from childhood through to her teenage years to meeting Obama and life in the White House.

And more importantly, it shows that her character strength, her charm. Her warmth and determination existed in her from the get-go and it’ll just inspire you.

9. “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis:

I’m going to put it out there, Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.

Tagline is, stop believing the lies about who you are so you can become who you were meant to be.

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t love this book initially, although I did appreciate it and I had a few good laughs, but I actually really do appreciate Rachel Hollis and Since writing this book.

She’s gone through a really shite time and come out the other end, sort of fighting and showing what she’s made of, which I always really appreciate.

Many parts of this book didn’t fully resonate with me or apply to my life or attitude, but I think Maybe I should read it again now that I have kids.

If you’ve had somebody cheat on you, if you’ve been through a divorce, if you’ve had money problems, if you’ve gone through dieting or weight gain, or you have a myriad of insecurities, I can see how this would be an incredibly powerful book.

I mean it’s sold millions and I do think it’s for women who want to live a better life and first need to get out of their own way to do this.

She’s bold and she’s powerful and she’s raw and refreshing, and she also writes it as if she’s your BFF. So definitely a great read.

10. “Everything is Fucked” by Mark Manson:

The second to last book in my list is Everything is Fucked, a book about hope by Mark Manson. He also wrote The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, which is brilliant, and I think I really love this book.

It was not only brilliant, but it was funny and poignant and enlightening. And again, it’s a short read and it’s the perfect option when you need a good kick up the arse about your own situation, how to handle it, and how to live your best life rather than moan and crap on about what you don’t have.

Mark’s gone on to do incredibly well. I believe that he helped write Will Smith’s biography and he’s now, I think he’s even got a Netflix program and is a prolific writer.

I actually met him a few times and he’s just an awesome guy So it’s incredible to see how he’s gone on because he was a digital nomad when I met him and living that life and it’s just insane.

11. “How to Fight a Hydra” by Josh Kaufman:

And finally, How to Fight a Hydra. This is from Josh Kaufman, it’s face your fears, pursue your ambitions, and become the hero you are destined to be.

I’m a big fan of heroic and ancient stories like Odysseus, and so when Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA, by the way, also a great book, put out this short book, and it’s really short, with the mythical Hydra to prove a point, I wanted to read it.

It’s all about getting out of your own way and fighting back against your own inner demons, fears, and naysaying, to be the hero of your own story.

So, you know, maybe you want to combine that one with the alter ego effect.

These mindset books have all had a big impact on me and my motivation, my behaviours and beliefs and I just really hope that one of them will just make it for you.

12. Suck it up, Princess, by me!

I’ve just got to put in a plug for my own, haven’t I? I would love for you to pick up a copy of Suck It Up, Princess.

This book is actually all about getting out of your own way and living your best life no matter what.

It is part memoir of some of my most inspiring, amusing, challenging, and motivational times in my life, as well as a bit of a self-help book.

And it’s a beautiful mix of stories that will hopefully prompt you to take action and go after your dreams. And also, just teach you that you are fully capable of leading the life that you desire.

You have everything within you that you need. To do whatever you wish. So yeah, Suck It Up Princess. I wrote it during COVID and lockdown.

I fully loved reliving a lot of my life examples and finding the lessons and meanings and insights in it because you get to draw on the richness of your life, find the gold and continue to take that with you into the future to accomplish anything you really want.

And I certainly think that several of these mindset books should be on your to read list in 2024.

Or maybe you just smash them out over the Christmas holidays and just do yourself a favour and go for it.

If you want your own personal motivation, inspiration, and momentum in 2024, then you should consider coming to join me in Momentum.

Give me 10 weeks and I will 10x your life. Full details are at lifepilot.co/momentum. I would love to have you as part of it. We start January 15th, so don’t delay.

And in the meantime, if you just want to figure out how to have more of your perfect days and if you don’t even know what your perfect day looks like which trust me is the key and the start to designing a life that you freaking love and get to live every day then you should download my free Perfect Day Exercise book.

It is awesome. It’s short and the exercise that you do will potentially change your life for the better And pretty quickly.

Because be careful what you wish for. It can come true really quick when you decide on it. Head across to lifepilot.co/perfect. You can always grab that free download and share it with a friend.