As an introvert, I’ve cherished my time with books the most. A good book and some peaceful alone time became my safe haven. My reading journey started around my seventh grade and I remember starting off with Stephanie Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ series and some of Meg Cabot’s books.
I was drawn to fiction at the time and I still remember spending about 3-4 hours at a stretch reading those books. It was a good time. As I’ve grown out of the fiction burrow, I gravitate more towards non-fiction these days. I loved reading off of paperback books but recently I made a switch to an e-reader. I read on my Kindle now and I must say it is one of the best purchases of my life.
Since I read a lot of non-fiction and self-improvement books, I like to keep a note handy to take down notes from each chapter for better retainment of the content. I know I sound like a nerd but my brain isn’t really that reliable at times.
If you’re not into non-fiction, that is completely fine as most people tend to read fiction more as a story can keep them hooked. It is just an individual’s personal preference and varies from person to person. I usually read for about 30 mins to 1 hour either in the morning or at night before I hit the sack.
Gradually, this became a habit as I had already set the timing and place for my reading session, and knowing this made me follow through.
1. Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King
This book is all about cultivating self-love and discovering your higher purpose. Vex King is an Instagram influencer talking from his personal experiences and intuitive wisdom to inspire others to live a life with mindfulness and manifest the life they desire. It is put in such simple words with tried and tested techniques to manifest whatever you want in life with a concept called ‘Law of Vibration’. It contains a list of interactive exercises to keep you engaged and addresses many modern-day issues the youth face.
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is one of Paulo Coelho’s best-selling books. It is narrated as a story to better understand the wisdom behind each action. It talks about Love, Intuition, Desire, Purpose, Fear, Attitude, and your Personal Legend. Everyone on this earth has a personal legend and you were born to fulfill this purpose. It talks about how life will test you at each stage and how to persevere to fulfill your destiny. My summary doesn’t do justice to how much more you can learn from the book so this is one of those books that you must read before you die.
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
This one is a personal favorite of mine. It talks about how you can form habits that can change your life in the long run. It is quite simple and to the point with actionable steps. Instead of just throwing in habits into your routine, it emphasizes the type of person you’d like to become as a result of these habits. It boils down to how tiny recurring actions can impact your life and how to enjoy the process and create a system that benefits you over a short period of time.
4. The Secret by Rhonda Bryne
I’m sure most of y’all have heard of this book and I personally find it very interesting. The book is based on the universal law or principle called the ‘Law of Attraction’. It includes the secrets that the most successful people in the world have followed to achieve what they desired in life. The concept is quite to the point and paves a path you can follow to receive anything that you set your mind to. In short, it advocates – ‘Your thoughts define your reality’. Though not many agree with this theory, I found it quite life-changing as I’ve manifested quite a few things using the Law of Attraction myself.
5. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Life is very simple, we’re the ones who complicate it. We have been conditioned time and again by society and our parents to act a certain way and learn the difference between what is acceptable and what isn’t. The author states four simple agreements to live by for a meaningful life. From this read, I came to the conclusion that wisdom doesn’t have to be complex at all. It only takes these four truths to uncover the true meaning behind our complex reality. It is a must-read!
Sometimes you just need to wind down and read to escape your reality. They say that the books that you read when you’re young are the ones that live with you forever. Let’s be reading buddies and follow along each other’s reading journeys, you can add me on my Good Reads account “@DarshanaAnanth“. Happy Reading!
Take care.