9 Best Self Help Books for Young Women And Young Adults in their 20s – 2024

Buy Best Self Help Books for Young Women and Young Adults. #5 is a game changer and my favorite. Must read, if you want to make an impact.

Best Self Help Books for Young Women and Young Adults in their 20s

This list of the best self help books for young women and young adults is not just another list of self improvement books. I have prepared it just because I felt that it is the need of the hour.

Having been worked in corporate, I have seen many young female colleagues and young adults how they struggle to make an impact. Despite the fact that they are talented and hard-working, somehow they are not noticed many a time. Just because they are too nice, never say no to anything and don’t speak up their mind when it is required.

I’m not saying that it applies to each and every woman. I have also seen women who are highly professional at work. They clearly put their points on the table and say no to extra work if it doesn’t fit their plate. But the number of this kind of women is very few.

The main reason is, how girls are conditioned since childhood to be always nice and soft. Being nice and soft is not bad but considering the situation in which a person is, is also important. Sometimes being too nice, makes a person doormat in a corporate world as well as in personal life.

It happens not only with women but with men as well. The only difference is that it happens less with men and more with women.

It’s not an advice or a suggestion that I wanted to make.

Some of you might not find me eligible to talk about this topic (being a man, but Yes, I’m a fellow human being).

I’m writing this piece because of my passion to equip each and every person with the right tools and resources to be a better version in life.

Related Posts:

To set the mood, listen to this talk by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. In this TED talk, she looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions — and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite.


After doing a lot of in-depth research, I have created a list of the best self help books for young women, especially in their 20s (or are in 20s at least at their hearts, if not age). As a teen, you must have read many popular fiction books for teens, but here are some of the must-read self improvement books for women.

I have not read all of these self help books but I have done a great deal of research to prepare this list and the forum is open for discussion if you want to present your views. I’ll be more than happy to learn from you.

Here, we go! 

Top 9 Best Self Help Books for Young Women and Young Adults in their 20s

1. How Women Rise?: Break The 12 Habits Holding You Back

How Women Rise Book

About Author

Sally Helgesen is a world’s premier expert on women’s leadership. Helgesen has coached women, facilitated workshops and conducted research about women’s leadership for over 30 years. She has written more than five books on the topic of Women Leadership and Issues.

Her clients include Microsoft, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Prudential Financial, Pfizer, Textron, Hewlett Packard, The World Bank, and more. She has given seminars at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Smith College, and her work has been featured in Fortune, The New York Times, Fast Company, and Business Week.

Marshall Goldsmith is America’s preeminent Executive Coach. He is a New York Times Best Selling Author of “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” and “Triggers” in the leadership and success category.

Triggers hit #1 on The Wall Street Journal’s best-seller list and was chosen by Amazon as the Best Business Book of the year in 2015. What Got You Here won the Harold Longman Award for the Best Business Book of the year.

How Women Rise Book Summary

This self improvement book is a combination of Sally’s work on Women Leadership and Marshall’s principles from his international bestseller “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”. This could be one of the top 10 personal development books for women trying to achieve the next level in their careers.

Both of them have put in their years of experience and efforts in this groundbreaking book.

The habits and challenges, Marshall talks about in ‘What Got You Here’, apply to both men and women. But in this top rated book, he talks about challenges which are specifically faced by women, because those challenges are different as women move forward in their careers.

Sally and Marshall talk about habits which hold women back while advancing in their careers and what steps they can take to avoid those mistakes.

As per this self help book, women in particular struggle with the habits like:

1. Reluctance to Claim Your Achievements
2. Expecting Others to Spontaneously Notice and Reward Your Hard Work
3. Overvaluing Expertise
4. Building Rather than Leveraging Relationships
5. Failing to Enlist Allies from Day One
6. Putting Your Job Before Your Career
7. The Disease to Please
8. The Perfection Trap
9. Minimizing
10. Too Much
11. Ruminating
12. Letting Your Radar Distract You

These are not just habits but are similar to traps which can hold you back from progressing in your career. All of them may not apply to you but even if one of them is slowing you down, you better work to overcome it.

If you wish to read more about this one of the best selling self help books for young women, you can read what Sally says about this concept of How Women Rise.

Here’s a link to ‘How Women Rise‘ book summary for your reference if you want to know more about the book.

How Women Rise Book Reviews

“A myth-busting “how to” for the next generation of women leaders, and those who want to see them succeed. These ideas will transform our workplaces, our careers, and our lives.” ―Rita McGrath, Professor at Columbia Business School and a Thinkers50 Top Ten Business Thinker

“How Women Rise is a great read for any woman who wants to identify self-defeating behaviors that are holding her back, gain insight into why she engages in those behaviors, and develop skills to confidently achieve her goals.” ―Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., Author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office and See Jane Lead

“The most powerful thing you can do for your career is to change what’s in your control. Together, Marshall and Sally help women understand what they can change about their own behavior today to make greater contributions tomorrow. How Women Rise is a how-to guide for any woman seeking her next success.” ―Deanna Mulligan, CEO, Guardian Life

My Take on ‘How Women Rise’

I have not read this book personally, but I have read another book by Marshall, Triggers. It’s one of the best self help books of all time for men and women. Therefore, I can vouch for Marshall.

Triggers is one of my all-time favorite books. I love the way he writes about such trivial topics of self-improvement and personal development. He makes it really easy for you to understand so that you can take massive action and improve.

You can read my review about the book Triggers here.

I believe that “How Women Rise”, one of the best self help books for young women, is an amazing book and I myself would love to read it.

The amazing thing about this self help book is that it addresses the challenges faced by women in their career and how they can easily overcome them. This makes it one of the best self help books for women and you must give it a read.

Buy How Women Rise Book on Amazon

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2. Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead

Lean In BookAbout Author

Sheryl Kara Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook and a member of the board of directors at Facebook. She is also a technology executive, activist, and author. Before joining Facebook, She worked with Google and the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Lawrence Summers.

She’s an MBA from Harvard Business School. She was included in the list of the 100 most influential people in the world, Time magazine 2012 and was shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2013.

Lean In Book Summary

In their professional careers, women majorly face two kinds of challenges. One is balancing family life and work at the same time. Second, to deal with gender bias at work.

Many intelligent and hard-working women start to think of leaving their professional careers in order to take care of their family. As they advance in their careers, it becomes challenging to balance growing pressure at work and increasing family demands.

Along with this, women also face challenges like gender bias, sexism, race, class and sexual identity at work.

In ‘Lean In’, one of the top 10 self improvement books for young women, Sheryl provides a solution to these issues and guides women on how to find the perfect balance in life. This book is one of the Life-Changing Inspirational Books Every Woman Should Read.

Sheryl provides personal anecdotes from her own successful career about how she overcame all such challenges.

Sheryl backs her views with strong arguments, flawless narration and personal touch that makes the book an engaging read and enhances its value.

She also talks about other powerful women in the world like Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo and Peggy McIntosh in this book. And all this make it a must read self improvement book for women, especially young women.

To know more about this best selling self help book, you can read this review by The Guardian and New York Times

You can watch videos on Lean In YouTube Channel “Lean In Org

You can also try this Audio Book on YouTube.

Famous Lean In Book Quotes By Sheryl Sandberg

“Guilt management can be just important as time management for mothers.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg

“Every job will demand some sacrifice. The key is to avoid unnecessary sacrifice.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg

“Done is better than perfect.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg

“Fortune does favor the bold and you’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg

“Motivation comes from working on things we care about. It also comes from working with people we care about.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg

Lean In Book Reviews

“If you loved Sheryl Sandberg’s incredible TEDTalk on why we have too few women leaders, or simply believe as I do that we need equality in the boardroom, then this book is for you. As Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg has first-hand experience of why having more women in leadership roles is good for business as well as society. Lean In is essential reading for anyone interested in righting the injustice of this inequality”  – Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, the Virgin Group

“For the past five years, I’ve sat at a desk next to Sheryl and I’ve learned something from her almost every day. She has a remarkable intelligence that can cut through complex processes and find solutions to the hardest problems. Lean In combines Sheryl’s ability to synthesize information with her understanding of how to get the best out of people. The book is smart and honest and funny. Her words will help all readers-especially men-to become better and more effective leaders”  – Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, and CEO, Facebook

My Take on ‘Lean In’

This book is a part of 100 Books To Read In A Lifetime: 100 leadership & success books on Amazon

I was watching a talk by Sheryl “Why we have too few women leaders” which I have shared at the beginning of this article too. I must say that I was really impressed by her way to approach the challenges faced by women professionally and personally at large.

Being a feminist is not the way to tackle these challenges but encouraging gender equality is the most effective solution. In her talk and in this amazing book, she beautifully talks about how women can push through such challenges.

I believe this self help book is not just for women, but men should also read it to understand what kind of challenges women face and become more sensitive towards them.

Susan Adams has beautifully articulated lessons from the book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead in an article on Forbes, 10 Things Sheryl Sandberg Gets Exactly Right In ‘Lean In’

Buy Lean In Book on Amazon

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3. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Big Magic Book

About Author

Elizabeth Gilbert is #1 bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and many other international bestselling fiction and non-fiction books. Her story collection Pilgrims was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award; The Last American Man was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her follow-up memoir to Eat Pray Love, Committed, was #1 New York Times bestseller.

She has published two novels, Stern Men and The Signature of All Things, which was long-listed for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and shortlisted for the Welcome Book Prize.

Here’s a link to Elizabeth Gilbert’s interview with Marie Forleo on Fear, Authenticity and Big Magic.

Big Magic Book Summary

Elizabeth Gilbert has written this best selling book after listening to the stories of numerous people about how they fail to follow their passion and be more creative. On researching about it, she found that it’s fear which prevents people from taking that one step towards their dreams.

“Big Magic” is broken into six sections: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity.

In this self help book, she talks that being courageous is more important than being fearless. She talks about how being dedicated to your craft is more important than successes or failures.

She presents a very beautiful idea that arguing for your limitations will actually make your creativity limited and stop you from growing.

Being perfect is everyone’s dream but making it a reason for not exploring your passion just because you are not perfect is a trap. Nobody is ever perfect at their craft, even the experts keep on improving every single day.

You ask any of the renowned experts about their perfection and they will tell you that they are still learning.

Whether you long to write a book, create art, cope with challenges at work, embark on a long-held dream or simply make your everyday life more vivid and rewarding, Big Magic will take you on a journey of exploration filled with wonder and unexpected joys.

You can also read about this best selling self help book on the New York Times and The Washington Post.

Listen to the author herself about the Big Magic:

You can also try this Audio Book on YouTube.

My Take on ‘Big Magic’

What I love the most about this book is, it talks about the real reason why people tend to leave their creative side away. And that’s fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of not being perfect.

Fear is obvious and all of us have it at one point or the other but what is more important is to tackle it before it sabotages you. Yes, fear can eat away your creative being and can literally make you a robot.

In this one of the best self confidence books, you’ll find great ideas about how you can address your fears and emerge as a better version of yourself.

You’ll learn how to explore your creative side without any fear, rather become more courageous and passionate to do what you truly love to make your life meaningful. Read this book to create Big Magic in your life!

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4. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project Book

About Author

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature.

She started her career in law and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when she realized she wanted to be a writer.

She’s the author of many best selling books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, and The Happiness Project.

The Happiness Project Book Summary

It’s a #1 New York Times Bestseller, has sold over 3 million copies and considered as one of the top books on happiness and positive thinking.

In this life-changing book, Gretchen talks about how she worked on different areas of her life every single month, throughout the year.

She shares her experience about what worked and what didn’t. The most wonderful thing about this book is, she tells about her own personal experience from day to day life. One can easily relate to that.

In this book, you’ll find 12 different ideas around which Gretchen has experimented with Happiness in her life.

January: Boost Energy
February: Remember Love
March: Aim Higher
April: Lighten Up
May: Be Serious About Play
June: Make Time for Friends
July: Buy Some Happiness
August: Contemplate the Heavens
September: Pursue a Passion
October: Pay Attention
November: Keep a Contented Heart
December: Boot Camp Perfect

One learning which I had from this book and I love is “the perfect is the enemy of the good”. All our lives, we strive to be perfect and in that race, we often ignore the good.

Taking small positive steps can eventually lead to the accomplishment of higher goals. If you can do something good, just do it, don’t wait to make it perfect. Keep doing it and gradually you will become better at it.

Gretchen has beautifully expressed it through this book by showing how she practiced Happiness with small baby steps each month and at the end of the year, she had created a bigger impact in her life.

Listen to Gretchen talking about The Happiness Project, one of the most amazing and best self help books for women on personal development:

The Happiness Project Book Quotes

“Look for happiness under your own roof.” ~ Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

“Laughter is more than just a pleasurable activity…When people laugh together, they tend to talk and touch more and to make eye contact more frequently.” ~ Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.” ~ Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

“The days are long, but the years are short.” ~ Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project
“Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense.” ~ Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

“One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.” ~ Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

The Happiness Project Book Reviews

“An enlightening, laugh-aloud read. . . . Filled with open, honest glimpses into [Rubin’s] real life, woven together with constant doses of humor.”  – Terry Hong, Christian Science Monitor

“For those who generally loathe the self-help genre, Rubin’s book is a breath of peppermint-scented air. Well-researched and sharply written. . . . Rubin takes an orderly, methodical approach to forging her own path to a happier state of mind.” – Kim Crow, Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Wonderful. . . . Rubin shows how you can be happier, starting right now, with small, actionable steps accessible to everyone.” —Julie Morgenstern, New York Times bestselling author of Organizing from the Inside Out

My Take on ‘The Happiness Project’

I stumbled upon this book while skimming through my office’s library. When I saw this book “The Happiness Project”, I asked myself, “Can there be a project around happiness?”. That sounded interesting and worth exploring.

Later on, I found out that it’s one of the best self-help books on Happiness.

Throughout our life, we have been told to practice this great virtue called “Happiness”. But I never thought that somebody could even experiment with Happiness and achieve such amazing results.

If you wish to be Happy in your day to day life and want to learn how you can do it, then this book is a must for you, one of the best self help books for women as well as men on Happiness.

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5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Book

About Author

As told by Mark Manson himself:

“I am the NYTimes bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, a blogger, and internet entrepreneur. I write about big ideas and give life advice that doesn’t suck. Some people say I’m an idiot. Other people say I saved their life. Read and decide for yourself.”

Mark’s Interview with Marie Forleo:

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Book Summary

This book is a no Bull Shit Guide, throwing reality of life straight into your face. It unveils the hard and true reality of one’s life. And it’s considered as one of the top 10 self help books on productivity and self-confidence.

It’s a very impressive book just like its title. It sold more than 2 million copies in its first year and has been a #1 NY Times Best Seller.

As Mark Manson says about his book, “Life is not about getting rid of problems, it’s about finding better problems. It’s not about avoiding failure, it’s about getting better at failure. It’s not about knowing everything, but becoming more comfortable in not knowing anything.”

This best selling personal development book will teach you how to accept your imperfections and eventually don’t care about them. Rather give your precious attention to the things which really matter to you. Things which matter for your personal development and growth.

Here’s a Book Summary about The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck on YouTube:

The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck Book Quotes

“Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for.” ~ Mark Manson

“The more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it.” ~ Mark Manson

“Hope to live with good problems instead of living without problems.” ~ Mark Manson
“No person ever feels the need to prove his happiness. If he is happy, then he surely is.” ~ Mark Manson

“When you find the problems you enjoy, you try and solve them. And that is true happiness.” ~ Mark Manson

“We can only succeed at a thing we know that we can fail at. If we don’t want to fail then it clearly means that we don’t want to succeed.” ~ Mark Manson

The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck Book Reviews

“Resilience, happiness and freedom come from knowing what to care about–and most importantly, what not to care about. This is a masterful, philosophical and practical book that will give readers the wisdom to be able to do just that.” – Ryan Holiday, New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy

“This book hits you like a much-needed slap in the face from your best friend: hilarious, vulgar, and immensely thought-provoking. Only read if you’re willing to set aside all excuses and take an active role in living a f***ing better life.” – Steve Kamb, bestselling author of Level Up Your Life and founder of NerdFitness.com

My Take on ‘The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck’

The main principle on which this book is based is what you should really care about and what you should not, in your life. That’s what I like the most.

You have a limited amount of your precious time and attention. So, use it for something that is really worth it, rather than wasting your energy on useless things, people or situations.

If you want to learn this art of using your precious attention for stuff that really matters, then this one of the best self help books is a must for women and men.

Buy The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck Book on Amazon

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6. You are a BadAss: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

 You Are Badass Book

About Author

Jen Sincero is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, success coach and motivational speaker who’s helped countless people transform their personal and professional lives.

She is an author of You Are a Badass®: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life (2013) and You Are a Badass® at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth (2017). 

Here’s a link to her Interview with The Guardian

You Are A BadAss Book Summary

It’s the best selling self help book and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. It has been a #1 New York Time Bestseller. It’s a how-to guide to make some serious changes in your life. It could be one of the top 10 best self help books for young women.

If you are like someone who cares too much about what others think of you, then this book is for you to learn how to change that behavior and live a happy life.

This book talks about some of the greatest lessons of life which one should learn early in life. Lessons which make you become a BadAss.

  • A person who is not affected by the opinions of others, rather understands, accepts and respects his or her own true self and grows in life.
  • A person who focuses on what he or she wants in life and is obsessed to work for it day in and day out.
  • A person who doesn’t play the blame game for his or her life’s circumstances rather takes action and changes his or her life for the better.
  • A person who doesn’t seek validation to be happy rather does what he or she loves and enjoys it.

This book has 27 chapters full of inspiring stories, life advice and to do exercises.

You can view the book summary given below to understand more about this book:

You can also listen to the Audio Book on YouTube

You Are A BadAss Quotes By Jen Sincero

“Our thoughts become our words, our words become our beliefs, our beliefs become our actions, our actions become our habits, and our habits become our realities.” ~ Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass

“If you’re serious about changing your life, you’ll find a way. If you’re not, you’ll find an excuse.” ~ Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass

“You need to go from wanting to change your life to deciding to change your life.” ~ Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass

“Who you surround yourself with greatly affects how you see your world and how high you set the bar for yourself.” ~ Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass

“You need to have a ten-ton gorilla of desire behind your decision or else you’ll wimp out the second things get hard.” ~ Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass

“What other people think about you has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.” ~ Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass

You Are A BadAss Book Reviews

“I adore Jen’s realistic and funny take on all matters of living an awesome life. She has such a gift for writing in a very digestible way that will appeal to everyone. If you’re looking for purple unicorns and rainbows you won’t find them here, what you will find are practical and easy ways to connect with your inner badass and change your life.”  — Madisyn Taylor, Co-Founder, DailyOM

“If touchy-feely self-help tomes make you feel, shall we say, less than inspired, this no-nonsense manifesto to awesomeness might be just what you’re looking for. Filled with blunt and sassy advice, do-it-yourself exercises in personal transformation, and a whole lot of hilarity, You Are a Badass will silence your inner critic, and help you build a life worthy of the kind of Facebook news feed that others envy. Take a day off from looking for your inner goddess, and spending some time cultivating your outer badass instead.” —Bustle.com

My Take on ‘You Are A BadAss’

If you want to develop an attitude which is immune to external influences and opinions of others, then this book is for you.

This book is written by a woman herself and it covers life’s perspective from a woman’s angle. And because of that reason, it is one of the best self help books for women. Women, who have read it, know that.

Buy You Are A BadAss Book on Amazon

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7. The Magic of Thinking Big

The Magic of Thinking Big Book

About Author

Dr. David J Schwartz was a world-renowned motivational speaker and personal development expert. He was born in the United States in 1927.  He became a professor at Georgia State University, and later founded his own consultancy firm, Creative Educational Services Inc.

CES Inc. specialized in leadership development and life strategy, subjects on which Swchartz wrote several highly-acclaimed books about. He passed away in 1987.

The Magic of Thinking Big Book Summary

This book is a practical self-help guide on Personal Development: how to work better, earn better, manage better, love better and live better. Think big and live big.

It has sold over 6 million copies worldwide and has impacted millions of lives. This is one of the best and top 10 Classic self help books on Success.

This classic book on self improvement is all about reminding yourself that you are much better than you think you are. And it is one of the Life-Changing Books Every Woman Should Read.

Most of the people suffer from a disease called Excusitis as explained in the book. People make excuses for not doing something great in life. This book tells you how to kill all the excuses and work towards your dreams.

This book teaches you how to strongly believe in yourself, avoid excuses and remove fears in order to succeed in any endeavor of your life.

“Capacity is a state of mind. How much we can do depends on how much we think we can do. When you really believe you can do more, your mind thinks creatively and shows you the way.”
– The Magic of Thinking Big

This book shows how the right attitude and thought process is the key to any kind of success in life. Always think like a leader if you want to make a bigger impact by influencing a large number of people.

You can watch the book summary of The Magic Of Thinking Big on YouTube:

Book summary in Hindi:

Audio Book on YouTube

Audio Book on YouTube in Hindi

The Magic of Thinking Big Quotes By David J. Schwartz

“Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success.” ~ David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

“Go deep into your study of people, and you’ll discover unsuccessful people suffer a mind-deadening thought disease. We call this disease excusitis.” ~ David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

“Worry, tension, embarrassment, panic, all stem from mismanaged, negative imagination.” ~ David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

“You win when you refuse to fight petty people. Fighting little people reduces you to their size.” ~ David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

“The only thing that counts about one’s vocabulary, is the effect his words and phrases have on his own and others’ thinking.” ~ David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

“Every day thousands of people bury good ideas because they are afraid to act on them. And afterwards, the ghosts of these ideas come back to haunt them.” ~ David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

“Believe, really believe you can move a mountain and you can. Not many people believe that they can move mountains. So, as a result, not many people do.” ~ David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big

My Take on ‘The Magic Of Thinking Big’

This book is important to read in 20s because it will help you learn how thinking big can eventually improve the overall quality of your life. You create life as per your belief. If you understand the importance of your beliefs, you can do anything in this universe.

If you are willing to make your life worthwhile and make an impact, then this is for you, one of the all-time top rated personal development self help books.

Buy The Magic of Thinking Big Book on Amazon

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8. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Daring Greatly Book

About the Author

Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Endowed Chair. She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.

She is the author of four books: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, and Braving the Wilderness. Her new book, Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts., is scheduled for publication in October 2018. 

Listen to Brene herself talking about vulnerability during a TedTalk: 

Daring Greatly Brene Brown Book Summary

Daring Greatly is the result of more than a decade of extensive social research, across every area of our lives including home, relationships, work, and parenting. This book teaches to be courageous and vulnerability of life to emerge stronger even when the chances of winning are bleak.

In this top self-confidence book, Brene busts the myth about vulnerability. People think that vulnerability is a weakness which is not true. In fact, when you embrace vulnerability and take action, you become even more strong and reclaim your life. You not only open doors to a better life but also unleash a better version of yourself.

You can listen to this amazing interview of Brene Brown to know more about her book Daring Greatly:

Audio Book on YouTube

Top Daring Greatly Brene Brown Quotes

“Nothing has transformed my life more than realizing that it’s a waste of time to evaluate my worthiness by weighing the reaction of the people in the stands.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“Vulnerability is not knowing victory or defeat, it’s understanding the necessity of both; it’s engaging. It’s being all in.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“The willingness to show up changes us, It makes us a little braver each time.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“It’s worse to spend your life on the outside looking in, wondering what if, than it is to try and dare greatly and risk the chance of failure. Dare greatly; get in the arena and try.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“Daring greatly is being brave and afraid every minute of the day at the exact same time.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

“The irony is that we attempt to disown our difficult stories, to appear more or less acceptable, but our wholeness — even our wholeheartedness — actually depends on the integration of all our experiences, including the falls.” ~ Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

Daring Greatly Brene Brown Book Reviews

“A wonderful book: urgent, essential and fun to read. I couldn’t put it down, and it continues to resonate with me'” – Seth Godin, Author of Linchpin

“Brené writes with wisdom, wit, candor and a deep sense of humanity. You should read this book. I double dare you” – Sir Ken Robinson

“The brilliantly insightful Brené draws upon extensive research and personal experience to explore the paradoxes of courage. I can’t stop thinking about this book” – Gretchen Rubin, Author of The Happiness Project

“In an age of constant pressure to conform and pretend, Daring Greatly offers a compelling alternative. Dare to read this book!” – Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup

My Take on ‘Daring Greatly’

I have been through similar situations in my life. There was a time when I used to keep hiding behind my fear of being vulnerable. I was afraid of coming in front of people and share my thoughts.

But when I embraced my vulnerability, I could explore a new me. A new version of myself that enjoyed talking to people and people who listened to me also loved it. It was an eye-opener for me.

If you want to understand how you can embrace your vulnerabilities, build self confidence and emerge stronger, then you must read this one of the top self help books on personal growth for young women in their 20s. 

Buy Daring Greatly Brene Brown Book on Amazon

Check out this one of the Best Self Help Books for Young Women here:

India: Buy Daring Greatly Book on Amazon India

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9. Mindset by Dr Carol Dweck

Mindset - Psychology of success

About Author

Carol Dweck is an academician and a psychology researcher who has worked at a number of illustrious educational institutions. She holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and has a number of publications to her credit.

Some of them are Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential, Self-theories: Their Role In Motivation, Personality and Development and Handbook of Competence and Motivation.

She has invested decades in her research on achievement and success.

Mindset Book Summary

It’s the best selling book on Amazon and has sold over a million copies worldwide.

The core idea, this book talks about is two types of mindset: Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset

Here’s a talk by Carol in which explains this beautifully:

People with a fixed mindset give in to limited thinking and blame others for their circumstances.

However, people with the growth mindset believe in unending possibilities and understand that they can achieve in life whatever they want. They learn from their failures and don’t repeat the same mistakes. They always look forward and keep moving.

In this top self help book on personal growth, Carol talks about these two types of mindset in various areas of life like Sports, Business, Relationships, Parenting, and Teaching. She explains all these categories with relevant real-life examples.

In this book, you’ll also learn how to change your mindset to become a person with Growth Mindset rather than Fixed Mindset.

If you want to know more about the book, you can view this summary on YouTube:

Book summary in Hindi

Mindset Book Reviews

“A good book is one whose advice you believe. A great book is one whose advice you follow. This is a book that can change your life, as its ideas have changed mine.”—Robert J. Sternberg, co-author of Teaching for Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, and Success

“An essential read for parents, teachers [and] coaches . . . as well as for those who would like to increase their own feelings of success and fulfillment.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“One of the most influential books ever about motivation.”—Po Bronson, author of NurtureShock

“If you manage people or are a parent (which is a form of managing people), drop everything and read Mindset.”—Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start 2.0

My Take on ‘Mindset’

I personally believe that Mindset is everything. No matter what you do in your entire life, it is all dependent on your Mindset. Irrespective of what kind of resources and knowledge you have, you can never be truly successful until you have a mindset of growth.

A limited or fixed mindset will always force you to blame others for your miseries and struggles.

But when you change your mindset to the growth mindset, everything around you tends to change and you start getting the taste of real success.

It’s a must-read self help book for women of all ages if you want to learn how to change your mindset to the growth mindset in order to change your life for the better.

Buy Mindset Book on Amazon

Check out this one of the Best Self Improvement Books for Young Women here:

India: Buy Mindset Book on Amazon India

Outside India: Buy Mindset Book on Amazon Global

Conclusion

These are some of the best self help books for young women that I have mentioned in this article, all of them talk about different aspects of life.

If one talks about overcoming fear, then another talks about emerging stronger by using your vulnerabilities.

If one talks about thinking big, then other talks about preparing a growth mindset.

If one talks about being happy, then other talks about don’t giving a f*ck about things that don’t matter.

If one talks about being fierce, then other talks about maintaining a balance in life.

Although I have mentioned them as the best self-help books for women, these books are relevant for men too.

The sequence in the article doesn’t signify any ranking, so you can start by reading any of these books.

You can learn about various aspects of life from these amazing best self help books for young women as well as men.

I feel all of these books are worth reading. However, there is one book which is my personal favorite and that’s The Happiness Project.

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So, how do you find this list of best self help books for young women in their 20s? 🙂

Which of these self help books stand out for you? Let me know in the comment section. I wish I could add my own Amazon Best-Selling Book Rewire for Massive Success here. Maybe sometime in the future, when it reaches millions 🙂

You can also refer to the top 100 best self help books on Amazon here.

I’m sure, you must have read many great books. Do you feel that any other book should have been included in this list of Best Self Help Books for Young Women? Please feel free to let me know about it and why do you love it by leaving a comment below. It will help in making the list of Best Self Help Books for Young Women richer and beneficial for fellow readers.

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