self-confidence; it’s something everyone points to when they say why they don’t succeed. hence our need to create this particular post on self-confidence books.
because let’s face it. At one time or another we’ve all blamed ourselves and our lack of confidence for why something didn’t go according to plan in our lives.
You are reading: Best books to build confidence
It could have been that date that didn’t go so well, the job interview that failed, or even that business deal that failed. Whatever the case, a lack of trust is often to blame.
We tell ourselves, “I just don’t have enough confidence.”
but that’s not true. It is not true, because confidence is not something you have, but something you create.
confidence is a state of mind
Confidence is a state of mind, a feeling and a way of being that can be created at will.
Once you understand this, you can activate your confidence at any time. And when you know how to do it, you’ll start to find more of the success you seek.
Now I can tell you this truth over and over again until I turn blue, but it will never be real to you until you have deeply ingrained this fact in your own mind.
And the best way to ingrain this fact in your own mind is to become a confident student.
no, you don’t have to enroll in university courses to become a confident student.
To become a confident student all you have to do is…read. you should read and study books on the topic of trust.
simple, right? so where should you start?
start here
start with this list. I’ve put together a list of the best self-confidence books I’ve ever come across. Sure, there are hundreds of books on trust, but let’s be honest, who (other than PhD students) has time to read hundreds of books on a single topic?
exactly, hardly anyone!
So if you want to master confidence and improve your self-esteem, just read a few of the following recommended books on confidence and you should be good to go. You don’t have to read hundreds of books on trust to learn the basics. trust me, this handful of books will do the trick.
Each book provides something different, however, each one also confirms what I just said…
I mean, how confident you are is completely up to you, because confidence is in your head.
Then, check out the 20 books to read if you ever want to master your self-confidence:
20 best books on how to build self-confidence
[full disclosure: each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. if you make a purchase using the included links, we may earn a commission.]1. feel the fear and do it anyway
‘fear the fear and do it anyway’ is a classic book by the late dr. susan jeffers in this book, susan jeffers offers sound advice for overcoming the paralysis and inaction that stem from fear and lack of confidence. Susan Jeffers draws her knowledge from many years of research and lectures on the topic of transforming fear, indecision, and even anger into power, action, and extreme confidence.
The book contains a handful of ideas and practical exercises that you can implement right away to help you realize that confidence is something to be nurtured and cultivated, like a muscle.
This book is both an eye opener and a solid book to start your journey towards building your confidence.
2. how to stop worrying and start living
Fear, doubt, and worry can be debilitating. Possessing just one of these problems can, in fact, keep the best of us from reaching the heights of success we seek. how is that? because fear and doubt kill self-confidence. And if success demands anything, it demands self-confidence.
this book is made up of many recipes mr. Carnegie met at the night classes that he would teach adult students how to overcome worry.
‘how to start worrying and start living’ is a cure for anyone who wants to remove the debilitating effects of fear and worry from their lives, to strengthen their confidence and move forward with success in life.
3. unstoppable confidence
This book addresses NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) to help you get out of your comfort zone and master your self-confidence. If you’re not familiar with NLP, it’s basically a scientific approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy that offers practical ways you can change the way you think, view past events, and approach your life.
much of this book uses ideas and concepts that tony robbins suggests for improving self-confidence, and they will work for you too. “unstoppable confidence” can teach you how to harness confidence levels that will make you, well…unstoppable.
4. think and get rich
“think and grow rich” is much more than a book of confidence, it is a book of success. However, the author, Napoleon Hill, understood that success requires a solid foundation based on self-confidence.
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As such, the book provides a handful of powerful ideas and formulas that can help you gain the confidence you’ll need to start being more successful and, yes, even richer in your life.
This book is a must read for everyone. If you practice your self-confidence formula alone, you can dramatically improve your confidence in no time.
5. how to talk to someone
many people trust almost everything they do. But some people, when it comes to talking to people, get quiet, anxious, and seem less sure of themselves.
If you’ve ever felt a lack of confidence when communicating with colleagues, strangers, or people of the opposite sex, this book can help you quash those feelings of uncertainty. Not only does this book educate you on the nuances of confidence, it gives you practical and effective tactics you can employ right away that will make him appear poised and confident, even if he’s not 100% in his mind. In other words, this book will help you fake it until you make it.
Being confident when talking to people is one of the most important skills you can acquire to successfully navigate your way to the top of your career. so if you know you lack confidence in the “people department” then you should read this book.
6. the magic of thinking big
david schwartz ph.d. has created a masterful book with ‘the magic of thinking big’, which is why the book has sold over 6 million copies.
In this book, Dr. schwartz touches on many key areas that we all need to improve on in order to begin to be successful in life. much of the book revolves around improving the way you think about situations, people, and your future. it’s about how to improve your attitude and outlook, which in turn will help you start taking the necessary steps to reach your big goals.
chapters 3 ‘build confidence and destroy fear’, chapter 10 ‘get in the habit of action’, chapter 11 ‘turn defeat into victory’ and chapter 13 ‘think like a leader’ are the most effective chapters for building your self-confidence.
Overall, this is one of my favorite books on self-confidence, and it’s probably the only book on building confidence that you can’t miss.
7. how to build self-confidence and influence people when speaking in public
dale carnegie has created the perfect set of tools to help people increase their confidence at will. This book contains plenty of confidence-building tips to help him gain balance, boost his memory, improve delivery of his message, and appear more charming to everyone he interacts with.
This book was created to teach people how to overcome their fear of public speaking; however, the strategies he provides to help you increase your confidence to speak in front of large audiences can also be applied to overcome other confidence issues in other areas of your life.
how do you ask? because when you master public speaking, you at the same time eliminate your shyness and gain the courage and confidence to deal with people. In short, the trust gained in one department will help you gain the trust you may need in others.
8. you’re a bastard
‘you are a badass’ by jen candid, not specifically geared towards improving confidence; however, it covers a wide range of self-improvement topics that, when combined, can help you strengthen your overall sense of self, and with that, your confidence.
Within the book there is a chapter specifically on trust, entitled “Fear is for fools.” This chapter provides excellent insights into fear and trust that can help you significantly increase your confidence.
9. presence
amy cuddy is the famous ted talk teacher who first introduced us to power poses and using our physiology to increase our confidence levels.
Well, she helps deliver a similar message in this book, and she does it in detail and backs it all up with solid research.
When you read this book, prepare to learn about the power of your personal story, how to overcome impostor syndrome, and how to use your posture to boost your confidence.
As a confident student, this is one book you won’t want to miss.
10. the trust gap
This book is a great trusted book to complement the others already mentioned. this book does what it says, it fills the trust gap.
how do you do this? well, it does that by giving readers a different perspective on how to deal with their confidence or lack of it. Russ Harris offers a novel solution to trust by encouraging you to form a different relationship with his trust, rather than trying to force yourself to overcome his trust limitations.
In this book, you’ll learn about the power of mindfulness and some techniques to keep your negative thoughts and feelings at bay so your confidence levels soar.
This book is well worth reading and will really help fill in some of the confidence gaps we all face.
11. the power of self-confidence
brian tracy is a seasoned sales and business guru who knows a thing or two about success. The truth is, it’s hard to lose with Brian Tracy on your side. he has brought to light countless resources ranging from self-discipline to time management to self-confidence.
And in almost all of his resources, you’ll hear him mention the importance of your inner game, how you think, and how you feel about yourself.
This book will certainly help you understand why having faith in your abilities and believing in yourself is so essential.
read this book and develop the unshakable confidence that you know in your heart that you are capable of exercising.
12. the art of extraordinary confidence
Comfort is the kiss of death for success. And in this book, you’ll learn why.
As such, you’ll find plenty of warnings in this book to get out of your comfort zone, and doing so will dramatically strengthen your confidence levels.
if you agree with real language, truth and zero impact, you will enjoy this book. be warned though, this is not a pg book. he’ll talk to you like an adult, so get ready for a good shove.
13. the six pillars of self-esteem
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This book will awaken you to what true confidence is. author, nathaniel branden provides firm answers to the questions we all have related to our confidence and self-esteem.
If you’re looking for answers, you’ll find them here. You’ll learn what self-esteem really is, why it’s so important to cultivate it, how you can increase your own self-esteem levels, and what role our external environment (other people) plays in our confidence levels. .
no doubt, you’re bound to find plenty of “aha!” in this book and a solid foundation for building her self-esteem and, with it, her confidence.
become extroverted, even if you are shy -> click here
14. unleash the warrior inside you
‘unleash your inner warrior’ is written by former navy seal richard machowicz. And as you might suspect, he provides tons of strategies to boost the confidence he gained during his time in the military.
richard has you break down your fears into smaller, bite-sized components, making them much easier to attack. he also spends time educating his readers on the importance of mindset.
As a fan of the warrior ethic, I enjoy how the author combats those areas of our lives that can hold us back from doing what we most need to do to achieve our goals. if you want more confidence, read this book, you can’t go wrong.
15. psychocybernetics
Don’t let the name of this book scare you. It may sound overwhelming and super-scientific, but rest assured that the material it contains will be easy to digest and, better yet, easy to implement to build your self-confidence.
The author of the book, Maxwell Maltz has a Ph.D. and lays out his years of experience and observation on how powerful self-image is when it comes to helping us achieve the results we seek.
You will learn about the power of perception, self-esteem, and the important role our self-image can play in our ability to achieve. On top of this, you’ll learn some powerful strategies you can employ to immediately and positively impact your confidence levels. So if you’re looking for a time-tested book on trust that’s grounded in science, this is a book everyone should read.
16. the power of positive thinking
I know what you think, what positive thinking has to do with confidence. but out here. This book undoubtedly belongs in this selection of the best books on confidence due to the wisdom provided chapter after chapter by the late great Norman Vincent Peale specifically to help his readers lead more positive and confident lives.
Now, just as a heads up, the wisdom provided in this great book also has religious overtones; however, this is exactly where much of the power of this book comes into play. So if you’re not religious or interested in biblical references, you can skip this book and read all the others, but I guarantee you’ll cut yourself short if you do. If you’ve read every confidence book in the world and yet still feel like you’re falling short in the confidence department, then you’ll definitely want to invest in this book. it will help you conquer your confidence and self-esteem challenges and instill in you the faith to conquer your internal/external fears.
17. negative self-talk and how to change it
This is a great book to add to your library of books that can help you boost your confidence levels. the premise of the books revolves around what negative self-talk is, why you should work to minimize the amount you do, and how to do it.
It really is a great tool/book to consider to help you build your confidence because of the important role our internal dialogue plays in how we feel about ourselves. Essentially, a lot of negative self-talk leads to feeling less safe and less negative self-talk essentially leads to feeling more safe.
As such, this is a book worth having to help you control your negative inner voice and positively improve your confidence levels as a result.
18. the 5 second rule
mel robbins brings a whole new definition to trust in this book. she will help dispel the myth that confidence is simply a lack of belief in yourself, but rather, it is the willingness or unwillingness to try.
Without a doubt, you will come out of this book and realize that trust is related to action. and you will begin to realize that trust does not start with belief, but trust starts with action. And since Mel’s book is primarily about action, we can’t deny that we added her book to our invaluable list of books on trust.
So, use this book to strive to be better than your excuses and bigger than your fears.
19. dare a lot
brené brown’s daring is the wake-up call we all need. she doesn’t mince words and definitely counts it as in this book. that’s why she made the cut for our no b.s. self-confidence book list The most important thing you’ll get from this book is that it’s okay to be vulnerable. her book offers a great mix of solid research and informal storytelling that will help you make yourself more vulnerable. And the more vulnerable you allow yourself to be, the more confident you will feel when you realize that you can handle whatever life throws your way.
So, if you’re looking for a book that will challenge you to get out of your comfort zone, bigger than your anxieties, and help you live and lead with more confidence, then this book is a must read.
20. go without fear
“go fearlessly” is a synthesis of the best confidence-building strategies from many of the self-confidence books just mentioned. it was written by yours truly, after riding the trust rollercoaster for many years. After going from being outgoing and confident to feeling shy and withdrawn for many years, I set out to rediscover the confidence and courage I had in my youth. After learning how to get back to being the confident, outgoing person I knew I was capable of being, I decided to share what I learned.
This book doesn’t waste your time with long stories or background information, it gives you exactly what you need to know, now, so you can start building your confidence as soon as possible.
If there was ever a shortcut to mastering self-confidence, this book would be it. it’s a trust-building workbook, a tool, and a true call to action.
so, if you’re looking for a place with no b.s. guide to help you start living his life like a lion, and not like a lamb, get this book and ‘go without fear’! your future self will thank you.
Final words on these self-confidence books
There you have it, the 20 best books you can read to start mastering the one thing that can make a difference in how much success you’ll find in your life; confidence.
After reading these books to improve your self-confidence, you will realize that having a sense of confidence is nothing more than a feeling of power within yourself, a feeling of certainty that you can achieve almost anything. .
read these books and you will finally come to understand what trust really is, and learn that you have the power to create it at any time.
for your success!
make an effort
ps: If you enjoyed this article on the best books on self-confidence, you’ll also enjoy this article on “7 ways to gain confidence instantly.”
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