With school starting soon, you may have pit in your stomach dreading the inevitable. You may also feel like your shit is nowhere near together. Don't worry, I got you. These four books changed my life forever and gave me some serious inspiration when I was lacking it most. After reading these, there is no doubt that you will feel more than ready to tackle the school year ahead, and absolutely slay it.
1. "The Joy Of Living" by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
This book is written by, arguably, the happiest man on earth. What is his secret? Happiness is an inside job. Through Buddhist teachings integrated flawlessly with science, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche's words will motivate you to reevaluate what is important. In the end, what truly matters isn't the fast car or multi-million-dollar house, but the relationships you have with yourself and those around you.
2. "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz
Don Miguel Ruiz is one of my favorite authors because he presents thoughtful information is an easy to follow, comprehensive way. "The Four Agreements" chronicles how to free yourself from yourself and how to stop holding yourself back from what you want in life. Although the concepts appear rather simple, they have a lot of depth. This book is such an inspirational read and will truly be a game changer for everyone—especially those battling inner demons.
3. "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Don't be fooled by the title—this book means business. "Skinny Bitch" is a no-BS guide to getting your life together, starting with how you feed yourself. The book is marketed in a way that disguises how informative it actually is—you don't even realize how much you learned until you take a moment to let it all sink in. This book will seriously blow your mind. "Skinny Bitch" is sassy, entertaining and informative. It will will leave you hungry for more—literally. While you're reading, you will learn tons about our food industry—along with a plethora of nutritional information that will forever change the way you look at your food.
Bonus: Check out "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" for tons of recipes that abide by the "rules" set up in "Skinny Bitch."
4. "How to be a Straight A Student" by Cal Newport
Sigh. With school starting up again soon, you may be dreading late nights of studying and endless piles of work to do. Fear not: this book will give you fool-proof tips on how to get the most out of your time spent studying and better yet—how to study less and score higher. Newport interviewed high-performing Ivy League students and curated their top tips on how they achieve impeccable grades. This book helped me so much and I now have a 4.0 GPA because of everything I learned while reading.