I have been looking forward to sharing my 2020 self-help audiobooks list for a while but, with the world turning upside down and the start of confinement, my plans fell through. Like many of you, I stayed home juggling homeschooling, work and trying to make the best of the situation đ
With things settling in and school starting part time again, I got back to my writing routine and I am happy to finally be able to share this with you!
Why Audiobooks and Not Just Books?
So yes. Initially, this post was going to be all about books.
I am a book lover, through and through. I would happily spend half of my waking hours sitting in a cosy nook sipping tea and reading a good book.
ExceptâŚ
Life doesnât really allow us to do that, does it?Â
At least, not right now.
A question of priorities
At the moment, I consider myself lucky if I can get out for a 30 minute walk on my own.
So, letâs say that sitting around with a book doesnât make the cut.
While I love working on my personal growth and development, there are other areas of my life that come first these days:
- Health + Family
- Work
- Tidy house
- Writing
- âŚ.And then Personal Growth (reading, etc.)
I consider health to be the foundation of my life. If I donât eat right or stay inactive for too long, other areas of my life will sooner or later fall apart. When I am healthy, I have the energy to be there for my family, perform well at work, and am in the right mindset to attend to other things and people in my life.
On the other hand, if I start putting my health on the backburner, I will eventually suffer from aches, pains and other challenges that will keep me so busy that everything else will fall apart. I wonât have the energy to look after my son, spend quality time with family and friends, do well at work and even less so work on personal development.
Family also comes at the top of my list followed by work and keeping a tidy and clean home. Itâs basic hygiene and I canât think straight in a messy house so this one is a no-brainer.
So, with trying to stay healthy, spending time with my family, keeping up with work, house chores and part time homeschooling (due to covid), there is no time left to read books.
This is where self-help audiobooks come in.
My love for audiobooks
Two years or so ago, a friend told me how he got hooked on audiobooks and how it had changed the way he learns. At the time, I didnât think much of it. I even wondered why you would want to listen to audiobooks when you could simply read books.
Fast forward to 2019. I donât remember how or when, but I know this is the year I realized how genius self-help audiobooks were.
They are key to my personal development journey because they allow me to keep learning even when I am busy. I listen to them on walks, runs, while doing chores or any other activity that doesnât require brain power and allows me to focus on what I listen to.Â
There are quite a few other reasons why I am an audiobook convert:
- They take no space: goodbye clutter
- I learn faster: I can âlistenâ to more books that I can read in the same amount of time
- I can hit replay a hundred times on parts that are inspiring and transformative
- They make my run seem easier đ
- They inspire me: if the book is read by the author in a motivational manner, it uplifts and inspires me.
Now, that doesnât mean I will never buy a proper book again. In fact, I am looking forward to quieter times so I can go back to reading. However, I know that I will keep using a mix of both self-help audiobooks and books in the future.
Self-help Audiobooks to Become Your Best Self
The audiobooks that are on this list are a mix of bestsellers and non-bestsellers. The best indicator of a qualitative listen for me are the reviews and ratings and this is what I have focused on.
I have selected books in five different areas.Â
I believe that the combined lessons learned from those 5 areas can help you become a well-rounded person and put you on your way to becoming a better version of yourself:
- Simple Living
- Purpose
- Spirituality
- ProductivityÂ
- Empowerment (inspiration)
So without further ado, here goes the list.
Simple living Self-Help Audiobooks
Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy – Alli Worthington
This book is right up your ally if you are exhausted by the demands of modern life and find yourself running everywhere and everyday; to work, to daycare, then home again to cook a rushed dinner before crashing down at night barely able to keep your eyes open in front of Netflix, only to start all over the next day.
In Breaking Busy, Alli Worthington, shares practical wisdom on how to break the cycle of busyness and find balance, peace and purpose.
This book will:
- Help you to stop confusing busy for productive
- Helps examine the motives that drive us to be meaninglessly busy
- Allow us to âstop chasing what leaves you emptyâ and start doing what you came here to do.
- Help you find peace in a world of busy
- Help you go from crazy busy to confident calm with a strong sense of purpose
The Minimalist Way: Minimalism Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Make Room for Joy
Even if my family and I have been practicing minimalism for a few years, there are always new things and strategies to learn and new people to be inspired by.Â
The Minimalist Way is the number one best seller in the âhoardingâ category for this year. The reason I picked it is because the author takes a much broader perspective on the minimalist lifestyle. This book has less to do with stuff and more with other areas of your life such as family, time management, finances and more.
Zen: The Art of Simple Living : 100 Daily Practices from a Japanese Zen Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy
Western minimalism actually stems from zen buddhism principles, so it only makes sense that we would want to learn about simple living from zen monks themselves.
This book is an easy and quick âlistenâ for whoever is looking for simple, gradual ways to simplify their daily lives and achieve a calm mind, rebalance and remember what truly matters in life.
Atomic habits : An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
âTiny Changes, Remarkable Resultsâ is the tagline of James Clearâs acclaimed book Atomic Habits. In his book, James Clear reveals the amazing power of small habit stacking and how life changing the compounding effect can be.
A no nonsense, practical book with real life stories, research and great tools on how to âform good habits, break bad ones and master the tiny behaviorsâ that lead to incredible results.
Spirituality Self-Help Audiobooks
The Warriorâs Meditation: The Best Secret in Self-Improvement, Cognitive Enhancement, and Stress Relief, Taught by a Master of Four Samurai Arts
I have been meditating for five years but have never read / listened to an (audio)book on the topic because I have never found one worth reading.Â
However, I feel like itâs time to shake things up a little. I am ready for a new meditation routine and I am hoping to be inspired by Richard Haightâs.
I was drawn to the Warriorâs Meditation for three reasons:
- the great review from top contributors.
- The simplified version of a meditation that can be done anytime, anywhere.
- The fresh and interesting perspective on the benefits of meditation
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
This audiobook takes you on a journey beyond yourself and into the power of your untapped consciousness. In his book, Michael Singer shows you how to center yourself in the present moment to find inner peace and achieve happiness and self-realization.
Through this audiobook, you will:
- Understand your relationship with your thoughts and emotions
- Learn that you are not your thoughts and that there is, therefore, no reason to let them control your life.
- Get tools to free yourself from emotional and energetic patterns that limit your consciousness
- Get tools to center yourself in the present moment and let go of the past
- Learn how to achieve inner peace, joy and self-realization
Purpose Self-Help Audiobooks
The path made clear
Have you ever wondered what you came here on earth for? Do you have this nagging feeling that there is more to life? Are you desperately searching for your lifeâs purpose?Â
Then this might be the audiobook for you.
The premise of The Path Made Clear is that âthere is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. Itâs why you were born and how you become truly alive.â
Oprah takes us on an inspiring life-changing journey to discover our lifeâs purpose so we can fulfill your destiny and live an elevated life filled with meaning.Â
Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose
Believe bigger is another audiobook I have been wanting to listen to.
With her own personal journey as the backdrop, Marshawn Evans Daniels takes us on a journey of courage to find our lifeâs purpose through adversity and challenges.
In this book, you will:
- Learn how to reclaim your life and find your higher purpose through adversity
- Understand how lifeâs challenges happen for a reason and are there to redirect you
- Learn about the five stages of divine reinvention
- Learn how to become more resilient and confidentÂ
Productivity + Success Self-Help Audiobooks
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life
Recently, I have been looking for ways to get more done in less time and I have chosen this book in the hope that it would help me do just that.
âHal Elrod is a genius and his book The Miracle Morning has been magical in my life. What Hal has done is taken the best practices, developed over centuries of human consciousness development, and condensed the ‘best of the best’ into a daily morning ritual. A ritual that is now part of my day.â â Robert Kiyosaki, bestselling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad
Thousands of people have been using the Miracle Morning technique to transform every area of their lives and âwake up to their full potentialâ.
The miracle equation
This is the last book from the same author as the Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod, sharing his miracle equation to achieve long lasting success.Â
He used this exact formula himself to overcome life-threatening health challenges, near financial collapse and achieve greatness beyond what you ever thought was possible.
Empowerment Self-Help Audiobooks
Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths For a Better Life – Humble the Poet
This book compiles 101 short, accessible and inspiring lessons âfor reaching our full potentialâ.
It reminds us to look at the bigger picture and see life through a different lens.Â
âUnlearnâ includes empowering advice such as:
- âFitting in is a pointless activity
- Donât trust everything you feel
- Killing expectations births happiness
- Comparisons are killer
- Baby steps add up
- You decide your worthâ
Unfu*k Yourself : Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life – Gary John Bishop
The title gives away the premise of the book that is to âget out of our own headâ so we can finally lead the life we were meant to have.
But how do we do that?Â
Gary John Bishop shows us the way with his âBS-free self-empowerment guide with an honest, tough-love approachâ to help move past our self-beliefs and limitations and âwake up to the miracle we areâ.
I hope that these self-help audiobooks will be bring more calm, joy and purpose into your life this year. Enjoy the listen!
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