5 Life-changing Books to read in 2022
Emotional intelligence, willpower and setting powerful habits – Here’s a list of the most meaningful, impactful books you should pick up in 2022
Text: Rebecca Morais
Lady reading a book
You might have promised yourself to read more this year, or you may be looking for some inspiration for your next commute book as we gradually head back to the office. To mix up your reading list and provide you with some get-up-and-go, we researched the most life-changing books to sink your teeth into.
Our shortlist of self-help books will dabble into developing your emotional intelligence, working better with others, leading a successful life, and ways to kick bad habits as well as adapting to overwhelming situations. Read on for our read-worthy lit.
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
A psychologist turned journalist for the New York Times shares his guide on making sense of senselessness and understanding of the realm of irrationality. There are two main trends identified from his perspective: one portraying a growing calamity in our shared emotional life while the other offering some helpful remedies. The book dives into the latter – offering ideas about how we can understand ourselves better.
"Emotional Intelligence" positions why EQ indeed trumps IQ in the modern world.
There are five elements outlined under emotional intelligence:
It is being aware of different aspects of the self-including traits, behaviours, and feelings. Essentially, it is a psychological state in which one becomes the focus of attention.
2. Managing Emotions
You can't control your emotions with a dial (if only we could!). So don't suppress but keep in view how you feel and manage them.
3. Motivating Oneself
Just get going. You may be able to trick yourself into feeling motivated by changing your behaviour.
4. Recognizing Emotions in Others
There are several ways to tell how others feel, mainly by observing what they say and behave, including their body language.
5. Handling Relationships
Emotional intelligence is a valuable concept that can foster better relationships.
Who's this book for: If you're looking to manage your emotions, better understand the people around you and their feelings, this is the book for you.
How successful people think by John C
How successful people think by John C
A Wall Street Journal bestseller, How Successful People Think, is the perfect, compact read for today's fast-paced world. Leadership expert John C. Maxwell teaches you how to be more creative and when to question popular thinking.
The book outlines 11 keys to successful thinking - cultivating big-picture thinking, engaging in focused thinking, harnessing creative thinking, employing realistic thinking, utilizing strategic thinking, exploring possibility thinking, learning from reflective thinking, questioning popular thinking, benefiting from shared thinking, practicing unselfish thinking and relying on bottom-line review.
There are a few things one must do in order to change its thinking habits:
1. Exposure to new ideas
In order for an individual to reach its full potential, it must continuously grow and develop.
2. Connect with extraordinary people
Interacting with a mentor or someone you admire builds networks and provides insight
3. Choose your path
Having a clear sense of direction helps with strategic thinking and setting one’s goals.
4. Make your emotions in tune with your mindset
Your state of mind is on a higher level of consciousness which means when you’re in control of your state of mind, you’re the master of your emotions.
Who's this book for: Someone looking to capture the big picture while focussing your thinking. You'll learn how to unlock creative potential, grow shared ideas, and derive lessons from the past to understand the future better. With these eleven keys to more effective thinking, you'll see the path to personal success.
The willpower instinct-how self-control works...by Kelly McGonigal
After years of watching her students struggle with their choices, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal realized that much of what people believe about willpower sabotages their success. The book explains everything related to willpower with the latest research in psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine.
The main takeaways from the book are as follows:
1. Willpower is centred in a specific region of the brain.
It uses more energy than almost any other brain region, and therefore it gets exhausted and strained after prolonged use each day.
2. Heart rate variability is the most closely correlated metric to willpower
To boost your willpower, get moving and exercise!
3. Your brain's dopamine system is the root of most willpower
You are pretty much hardwired to prefer an immediate reward. However, you can get around this by delaying the short-term reward for 10 minutes and then using that time to compare the two competing bonuses objectively, without interference from your brain's powerful short-term reward system.
4. It's far easier to resist temptations if you do not repress them
Instead, focus on them until they go away by themselves.
Who's this book for: People in the thrall of a compulsion, habit or addiction they wish to change.
Good habits, bad habits - The science of making positive changes that stick by Wendy Wood
Good habits, bad habits: The science of making positive changes that stick by Wendy Wood
Wendy Wood draws on three decades of original research to explain the fascinating science of how we form habits and offers the key to unlocking our habitual minds to make the changes we seek. A potent mix of neuroscience, case studies, and experiments conducted in her lab, Good Habits, Bad Habits is a comprehensive, accessible, and above all, convenient book that will change the way you think about almost every aspect of your life.
Here's a quick rundown of the parts which resonated with us:
1. Habits are pretty much the admin files in your computer
They free our minds to do more pressing tasks because brainpower is a limited, depletable resource.
2. We spend most of our time on autopilot
Your mind is constantly filtering and bringing to your attention information and stimuli that affirm your pre-existing beliefs and present you with repeated thoughts and impulses that mimic and mirror what you've done in the past.
3. One part of the brain makes initial decisions, and another persists
When we learn a task, we rely on prefrontal & hippocampus regions, brain areas associated with decision-making and executive control.
Who's this book for: Someone looking to kick a bad habit or develop a healthy one. Your subconscious mind is the gatekeeper of your comfort zone.
The Highly Sensitive Person - How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
Most of us feel hyper-stimulated every now and then, but it’s an everyday thing for highly sensitive people. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Elaine Aron, who identifies as a highly sensitive person herself, shows you how to identify this trait in yourself and make the most of it in everyday situations.
Here's a summary of a couple of key takeaways from the book:
1. Reframe your past experiences in a positive light and gain greater self-esteem in the process
Cognitive reframing is a technique used where you alter your mindset so you're able to look at a situation, person, or relationship from a slightly different perspective. You can also boost self-esteem in this process.
2. Sensitivity affects both work and personal relationships
Typical of highly sensitive individuals living in our fast-paced, unforgiving culture, we secretly kept asking ourselves, “What is wrong with me?”, “Why am I so overwhelmed?”, and “Why can’t I cope with this?” When you’re more aware of your sensitivity, your relationships will grow.
3. Dealing with over-stimulation
Highly sensitive people tend to know a lot about overstimulation. We need some time alone, in our own private spaces, in order to recharge, process, and collect ourselves after a stressful period or after overstimulation.
Who's this book for: For those who have a keen imagination but are labelled shy or sensitive, highly empathic individuals who perform poorly when being observed even though they are usually competent and are easily overwhelmed, this is the book for you.
