Discover books for growth mindset to cultivate positive life changes. Get ready to shift your perspective, learn new skills, and overcome any challenge.

Reading books for growth mindset helps us achieve our full potential. The Mindset Theory, credited to the American psychologist Carol Dweck, presents a nuanced take on how core beliefs affect one’s reactions to successes and failures. The theory proposed two categories: growth and fixed mindsets.

• Those with a growth mindset believe they can develop basic or innate abilities through education, commitment, and hard work. 
• Those with a fixed mindset view their inborn talents, personality, and intelligence as permanent.

In second-year high school, I had two classmates: Jessa and Emmy. Jessa wasn’t studious yet topped the first and second-quarter class rankings. In contrast, I never saw Emmy without a Book. She steadily climbed from the Top 7 to the Top 4 spot. By the third quarter, she replaced Jessa in the ranks.

Jessa attributed it to Emmy’s luck; she was sure she would get her spot back. She relied on her “inborn genius,” while Emmy kept her books open. Guess who topped the fourth quarter? It was Emmy. Jessa dropped to the fourth spot.

My story is just one of the instances proving Dweck’s theory, “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.“ Your mindset determines how you interpret, manage, and evaluate your sense of the world and yourself. 

You may have already decided you have periods of experiencing both mindsets, but hopefully will conclude that a growth mindset is the only way to live. Whoever said, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” was very wrong!

That being said, there’s no shame in admitting the need for help along the way. No one gets through life without a little assistance. Check out the best self-help authors!

Best Books for Growth Mindset Ranked

1. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

It’s only fitting to start our list with Mindset, penned by the woman who introduced the Mindset Theory. Here, Dweck delves into her theory in-depth, presenting decades of research and case studies to demonstrate the correlation between mental attitudes and outcomes. She also warns readers of the hazards of adopting a “false” growth mindset (failure to understand the theory’s core message).

Mindset aims to adjust your mentality and prepare you for greater success. It’s a comprehensive book explaining the theory’s positive influence on individuals, organizations, and cultures.

“It’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.”

Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

2. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Pulitzer Prize recipient and journalist Charles Duhigg shares why and how you can change your habits in The Power of Habit. Through scientific research and case studies, Duhigg exposes how readers can take control of their lives by managing repeated behaviors. He highlights the advantages of good habits, such as efficient decision-making, that can be crucial when participating in competitive industries like sports.

As habit formation is easier than habit replacement or removal, Duhigg argues that learning the science behind it is necessary. An important concept he expounds on is the Habit Loop. It’s a neurological loop critical to understanding how humans form, change, and uphold habits.

“Rather, to change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.“

Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

3. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Should you always trust your gut feeling? That’s what psychologist Daniel Kahneman tries to clarify in Thinking, Fast and Slow. It’s a concise, accessible summary of Kahneman’s research on one of the most famous theories in behavioral science, System 1 and System 2 Thinking. System 1 is fast, automatic, and intuitive, while System 2 is slow, analytical, and rational.

Through these systems, the Nobel Prize awardee uncovers the limit of human intuition and the “mental glitches” we experience and subconsciously ignore. To avoid these glitches or frequent cognitive errors, Thinking, Fast and Slow presents thought experiments and suggests practical techniques to evaluate options and reach the best decisions.

“Intelligence is not only the ability to reason; it is also the ability to find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention when needed.”

Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow

4. Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Tony Robbins

Published by one of the most popular motivational speakers in the world, Tony Robbins’s Awaken the Giant Within is all about self-mastery and finding your purpose. It’s a step-by-step program with simple but fundamental life lessons to assist readers in achieving personal growth in all areas of their lives.

The self-help giant’s book underscores the reader’s power to decide what to focus on and what to change to reach a better future. It also adopts the Japanese philosophy, Kaizen, that nothing is perfect — there is always room for improvement. From here, Robbins coined the acronym CANI or Constant and Never Ending Improvement.

“Know that it’s your decisions, and not your conditions, that determine your destiny.“

Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!

5. The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest

You know self-sabotage is awful, and self-love should be your priority — but why can’t you do it? In The Mountain Is You, Brianna Wiest explains just that, intending to help readers reach life’s ultimate goal: self-actualization.

Drawing from her experience, Wiest advises that growth starts from within. As the reader, you are the main character determining what holds you back and why. The book then provides tools to reflect and overcome negative, destructive patterns. Wiest emphasizes self-compassion, self-esteem, and personal responsibility. The Mountain is You is an inspirational, digestible book you can read solo or read aloud with your book club members to prompt discussions.

“What you believe about your life is what you will make true about your life.“

Brianna Wiest, The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery

6. Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior by Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg

Goulston and Goldberg offer science’s antidote to the 40 most common self-defeating behaviors, polished by 20 years of psychiatric clinical practice and observation. 

Get Out of Your Own Way describes these behaviors as poison hindering us from a fulfilling life. The book features proven, practical steps to explain these impulses to let readers reflect on their destructive behaviors.

Despite being grounded in science, the authors’ clear, straight-to-the-point writing makes the book easy to understand. They present the fundamental ideas of counterproductive behaviors and give insights into detecting these behaviors in ourselves. The pair also opt for simple, easy-to-follow rules and actions for self-improvement.

“Wealth is what you take from the world; worth is what you give back.“

Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg, Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior

7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Though it was originally published in 1989, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People remains one of the most influential self-help books in the world. It has sold over 40 million copies and is available in 50 languages. 

Penned by the late Stephen Covey, the book is considered a roadmap to a successful personal and professional life. As the global coaching company FranklinCovey explains, the book continues to be a bestseller as it “ignores trends and pop psychology and focuses on timeless principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity.“

Covey underscores how to form healthy relationships, focus on critical priorities, and align one’s actions and values to be effective. Moreover, anyone can apply the seven universal principles Covey proposed, regardless of culture and upbringing.

“Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be.”

Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

8. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Atomic Habits is from the widely recognized habit expert James Clear. Rather than immediate results, the self-help book focuses on the building blocks of progress and success: habits. It’s a practical guide to forging lasting behavior changes to accomplish goals.

Clear applied established ideas from psychology, neuroscience, and biology to explain how habits are formed, altered, and eliminated. 

Atomic Habits presents actionable strategies and exercises alongside inspiring true stories to offer powerful insights. Clear reminds readers to “get 1% better every day.” After all, growth is not one giant leap; it’s your accumulated progress over time.

“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.“

James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

9. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Mason

Not all of us appreciate self-help videos, audio, and printables that oversell positive thinking. Some are realists who prefer harsh and bare truths. If you fall into the latter category, then you will find Mark Mason’s New York Times bestseller, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, a great book.

It urges readers to shift their expectations and discover that they don’t need to “have it all.” Mason demands accepting life’s truths, such as the futility of living without pain or worries and trying to do too much for fear of missing out. 

What do you do with these truths, then? You let it guide your choices and actions to solve problems. With its no-nonsense approach sprinkled with well-timed humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck guides readers to be more content and less anxious.

“Being wrong opens us up to the possibility of change. Being wrong brings the opportunity for growth.“

Mark Mason, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

10. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith

Clinical psychologist Julie Smith is an online celebrity, amassing over 1.8 million followers on her Instagram account alone. Many subscribe to her as an expert and a teacher who explains various life lessons she helps clients realize during therapy.

Her 2022 book, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? is just as engaging as her online content. She presents bite-sized information to understand how the mind works. Then, she adds pragmatic solutions to boost self-confidence and motivation for people of all ages, including young girls and boys.

“We have to focus on making good decisions, not perfect decisions. A good decision is one that moves you in the direction you want to go.”

Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

See our list of the best life-changing books to read in 2024!