7 Books I Want To Read Every Year Until The Day I Die

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I read vastly across all genres. Nobody puts baby in a corner — or me in just one section of the bookstore. Sometimes it's fiction, sometimes business, sometimes self-development, and sometimes intensely detailed psychology books.

Because of this eclectic reading philosophy, I've found a lot of great books that I really enjoy. Here are a few of my favorites:

1: How To Be Everything by Emily Wapnick

If you have ADHD, can't seem to pick a career, or are always brainstorming different ways to monetize your hobbies and side hustles, read this book.

"Your endless curiosity doesn't mean you are broken or flaky. What you are is a multipotentialite: someone with many interests and creative pursuits. And that is actually your biggest strength."

It paints an amazing picture of all the different ways work can, well, work in your life with real-world examples and so much-needed encouragement.

2: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

This book truly changed my life when I first read it in high school. My mom had already read her book Gifts of Imperfection, and this was the book that was my gateway drug into all things Dr. Brené Brown.

"Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path."

It taught me so much that I wanted to know about qualitative research and its importance, as well as how that data could guide best practices for individuals and practitioners alike.

It's a large part of why I found the Human Sciences department at my university and am planning to be a family therapist.

3: Everybody Always by Bob Goff

Bob Goff is who I want to be when I grow up — maybe it's because I'm an Enneagram 1 who goes to Enneagram 7 in health and he's an Enneagram 7, but either way, he's an inspiring human who loves big and writes beautifully.

"When joy is a habit, love is a reflex."

This book helped me to understand what love really looks like and also to understand the most crucial command in Christianity — love one another, everybody, and do it always.

4: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

This is a classic most people have heard of — and its principles and data still ring true. Habits are still simply made of a cue, a behavior, and a reward — it's the golden law of habit building and breaking.

"Most of the choices we make each day may feel like the products of well-considered decision making, but they're not. They're habits. And though each habit means relatively little on its own, over time, the meals we order, what we say to our kids each night, whether we save or spend, how often we exercise, and the way we organize our thoughts and work routines have enormous impacts on our health, productivity, financial security, and happiness."

This book was my segway into self-help books of the psychology variety and taught me so much about the human brain and how we aim to make things more efficient in our own minds.

5: Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

I've raved and written about this book often in the past year or so. I have it both in hard copy and on Audible and have read/listened to it going on three times right now. This book is a book that will completely change the way you think about time and what you value most in your life.

"When distraction is hard to access, you don't have to worry about willpower."

It showed me so many practical tips for making time for what matters, and for rejecting the behaviors, practices, and habits I no longer needed in my life. This book is the gospel of prioritizing and feeling less stressed about fitting everything important in.

Full of examples, personal stories, and illustrations, this book really is life-changing from the first time you start reading it.

6: Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

I've been creative writing for a while but had put off and put off sitting down and reading this book. A couple of months ago, I finally got it on Audible and listened to it in almost one sitting.

"The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by."

It's not a long book, which helps, but I would have to stop, pause, and take notes just about every minute because of the wealth of information and inspiration Austin packs into his book.

This book will easily transform the way you view art and stories, and will undoubtedly make you a better inspiration thief (ethically, of course) and storyteller.

7: The Illusion of Money by Kyle Cease

This book changed my perception of money and what my potential was in life for making it. It helped me to understand that just going after money for the sake of getting money wasn't helpful — I had to actually aim to create a good life and add value in order to do something important and also gain wealth in the process.

"The most alive I've ever felt was after I left my comedy career at its peak to become a transformational speaker. I left tons of guaranteed money and so-called security for a complete unknown. It was terrifying — but what was on the other side of that terror was a completely different life that is not only more abundant financially, but has more freedom, more ease, more passion, more impact and more joy."

Its principles still guide my entrepreneurial spirit and projects today and have made me a better person, creator, saver, and business person.

I hope this glimpse into my bookshelf has been helpful to you. There are many other books I've read and enjoyed, but these are the ones I've found myself coming back to time and time again as reference materials for how to do life better.

I hope that if you're in the market for something to read, these books can change your life the way that they've changed mine. Happy reading!