Books are magical. They allow you to travel without the need to move, to visualise concepts without an image, and to cultivate new perspectives from people you have never met. Reading, like attending motivational speeches, also work as a mood booster - especially with these 5 positivity-inducing books that’ll fuel you for the rest of 2020. Read on!

1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie 

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Dale Carnegie wrote several great self-help books in his life, but How To Win Friends and Influence People ranks top. The book explains that good communication does not have anything to do with natural talent or smooth words, but knowing the right tactics to use when interacting with others. Our summarised takeaways (and what you can expect from this book) are:

1. Don’t criticize, complain or condemn. 

2. With honest sincerity, make the other person feel important.

3. Show respect for the other’s opinions and decisions. 

Favourite quote: “The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.”

2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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If fiction is up your alley, The Alchemist is a book you’ll need to add to the reading list. The story follows a shepherd boy named Santiago, and his journey in pursuit of a worldly treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. He meets different characters along his way and learns many different perspectives that reflect similar ideologies to everyday reality. To anyone trying to figure out his or her place and purpose in life, here’s a quick summary of what the book covers: 

1. Always move forward with actions and not just words or thoughts.

2. Fear is a bigger obstacle than the actual obstacle itself.

3. Focus on your journey and nothing else.

Favourite Quote: “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

3. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

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According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai - a reason for living or as others explain it as ‘a reason to jump out of bed every morning’. Finding that ikigai is not just key to living a longer and happier life, but to also make every day meaningful and worthy. The book draws reference from an Island in Japan, Okinawa, where it’s common for inhabitants to live a life beyond the age of 100. Here are a few lessons you can expect to read on: 

1. Never worry or try to control the past or the future because life flows in the present.

2. Mental strength is key.

3. Everything is perishable, non-constant and imperfect - and embrace that.

Favourite Quote: “Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.”

4. The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale 

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The Power of Positive Thinking is the ideal representation of what is meant by ‘old is gold’. Published in 1952, this book shaped the entire self-improvement genre in writing as a whole. Ideas in The Power of Positive Thinking are reflected, re-interpreted, or used symbolically throughout many books of the same genre. Here are a few notable ones:

1. Expect the best, and you’ll get the best. Expect the worst, and you’ll get the worst. Choose the former.

2. Use the power of positive words to work on being optimistic.

3. Defeat is never permanent until you say so.

Favourite Quote: “The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”

5. The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme to Help

You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness

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The ‘Chimp’ in the title refers to the sabotage that resides in our subconscious mind and preys on the host’s minuscule inadequacy. What the book does is that it teaches one to alter the negative voice with a powerful mind management model to improve your self-esteem, be positive and happier, and live a more successful life. The key lessons that this book will you are:

1. How to recognise how your mind is working.

2. How to understand and manage your emotions

3. How to become the best person you have always wanted to be. 

Favourite Quote: “Don’t be disheartened if you have setbacks; instead, learn from them and always celebrate any successes. Remember: you always have a choice.”