Resources

by Dr. Joe Dispenza

This is an excellent starter book. Well-written and not hellishly long, it talks all about the Law of Attraction in depth and how to manifest what you want into your life.

I found this book utterly fascinating. It helps explain why things like meditation, focus, thoughts, words, beliefs and visualization create our realities from a scientific point of view. Dr. Joe is a big smartypants neuroscientisty researcher type guy and has been studying the science of the mind for ages. The book explains why all the woo hooery works and shows you how to put it into practice to change your life.

by Gina DeVee

This book was written by my former coach who basically changed my life and is packed full of all the transformational wisdom and ass kickery that helped yours truly get her poop in a scoop. Gina is the queen of articulating what it means to be an empowered woman (I mean, do any of us even know what that looks like?), and shows us ladies how to be our most authentic, powerful and gleeful selves by tapping into our femininity.

by Esther and Jerry Hicks

This is an excellent starter book. Well-written and not hellishly long, it talks all about the Law of Attraction in depth and how to manifest what you want into your life.

The Freak Factor is superhigh: co-author Esther Hicks was your average housewife until she suddenly started channeling this spirit named Abraham. The book, and all her work, contains the teachings of this dude Abraham, whoever the hell he is/was, but his stuff is good AND Esther is pretty entertaining in her live recordings, although the book is more straightforward. First half is teachings; second half is to-do’s.

by Don Miguel Ruiz

Good, short, based on the wisdom passed down from the author’s Toltec ancestors. Basically, it talks about the four things you need to do to live an awesome life: Be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best. It’s worth a read for sure as it lays out some very simple and profound truths that will absolutely change your life for the better if you live by them.

by Florence Scovel Shinn

This book constantly refers to The Bible and Jesus, but it’s easy to love whether or not you’re religious because it’s crammed full of valuable spiritual lessons and lots and lots of old-timey stories. The writing is real pedestrian and very grandmotherly, but I love the simplicity and how well the stories illustrate what she’s talking about. It’s short, to the point, and blunt, much like sitting down with an old lady who wants to give you a talking to about the way things are around here.

by Rasha

This book is gigantic, meaty, and super advanced. You could read one sentence and spend the rest of the week lying on the floor with your arm over your face trying to absorb it. It took me about two years to get through, but it’s the one book that I carry with me as I travel even though it weighs a ton (the rest are on my Kindle).

No matter where I open it up to, it speaks directly to what I’m going through. It’s almost creepy. I don’t recommend this book until you’re fairly well schooled in this stuff because it’s not easy reading. But I had to put it on this list because it’s one of my all-time favorites, and when you’re ready for it, it will blow your tiny mind.

by Eckhart Tolle

If you’re new to the whole Ego (or Big Snooze) thing and really want to grasp the transformative nature of being present, this is basically the bible. It challenges you to see the world in a different way and does a great job of at helping you grasp some pretty deep theories about reality and time and perspective.

This is another one where the Freak Factor is very high: Eckhart was suicidal, all ready to do himself in and then woke up one morning all enlightened and transformed and was in such a state of bliss that he spent the next two years sitting on a park bench, playing with his lip (I’m not kidding). Then he channeled this book.

by Marianne Williamson

This is a great starter book by Marianne Williamson. It’s basically her interpretation of “A Course in Miracles” which is a Christian-based, monster of a thing (I’ve only read parts of it) that saved her butt when she was down in the dumps.

I really love the way she writes and found this book hugely helpful back in the day. Its main message is that one should apply love to all their problems and it contains one of the best poems EVER on why you are an ass kicking individual called Our Deepest Fear. Whether or not you plan on reading this book, which I totally think you should, do a search for Our Deepest Fear right now, print it up and read it every single day. I mean it. It will make you weep with joy and newfound self-love.

by Debbie Ford

This awesome book is all about how to forgive, and embrace, our dark sides. We’ve all got em, and the more we hate/judge the not so appealing parts of ourselves and others, the more miserable our lives are. This book will help you understand how we are all things – good, bad, ugly, etc – and how to enjoy life more by letting the not so pleasant stuff go. She offers waaaaaaay too many exercises in my opinion, so don’t get bogged down by them, but do read it all the way through because the information in the book is priceless.

by Caroline Myss

Another doozie of a book about how our thoughts and beliefs affect our health, medical intuitive Caroline Myss provides major insight into how we can hurt and heal ourselves through energy. She uses the Hindu Chakra System, Christianity, the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life and case studies to illustrate how mind, body and spirit are interconnected and walks us through the best ways to live a healthy life. It’s a little heady at times, but Myss is a good writer with tons of experience and it’s well worth the read if you want to wrap your noggin around this stuff.

by James Allen

This is, shockingly all about the mighty mind and how to use it to master your world.

Considering the fact that if you can really truly get that skill down, you can create the most awesome life ever, reading this book, over and over and over until it becomes second nature is time well spent. It’s another old-timey one written back in ye olde day, but it’s still extremely quotable and relevant today.

by Laura Day

Another excellent offering on the art of manifesting, this short but very powerful book gives you the goods step by step, outlining exercises and practices that are easy to follow in fairly basic, non-woo woo language.

I appreciated it for getting straight to the point and spending more time on telling you what to do than why. Its author is a renowned badass on the subject of intuition, so there’s some powerful stuff about connecting to your inner smartypants in here as well.

by Twyla Tharp

Written by no-nonsense, world-renowned dance choreographer Twyla Tharp, this is one of the best spankings I ever got in the old get-your-act-together department. As the title suggests, it’s all about creating good habits, which, if you do nothing else, will completely change your life for the better. Full of stories and tips and whip cracking, this is one of my favorites. Cuz she kind of scares me.

by Richard Branson

This is an awesome read—I devoured the whole thing in one sitting. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines, is a maniac and one of the most inspiring people on two legs as far as I’m concerned.

The book details his life from when he started his little record shop to becoming one of the most famous and radical entrepreneurs who went on to buy his own island and fly hot air balloons over the ocean in the jet stream. I would like very much to party with this guy.

IMPORTANT BIOGRAPHY NOTE: I’ve listed Richard Branson’s biography because it’s one of my favorites, but pretty much any biography/autobiography about the people you personally find inspiring is totally worth reading. I could list about seventy more here, but you may not find the life and accomplishments of, say, Dolly Parton or Eleanor Roosevelt, as riveting and inspiring as I do. I strongly suggest you actually take the time to read books about the people who light you up, because it’s one of the best ways to get inspired to change your life.

by Laura Day

Long hailed as a leading master of intuition, Laura Day has worked with everyone from high-powered business people to hippies to celebrities to financial analysts to housewives. She is the queen of showing people how to access their intuition so they can make more informed decisions and design more authentic lives. This book gives all her secrets and tried and true tips on connecting with your inner GPS via exercises and case studies.

by Deepak Chopra

I’m a huge fan of not having to read too much to get the information I want, and of knowing how much I’m gonna have to do ahead of time to get where I want to go. Good old Deepak breaks achieving success down into seven, easy-to-follow steps based on spiritual principles.

This is one of my all-time favorites for its small size and profoundly potent advice. It delivers deeply spiritual and powerful information in bite-sized chunks and gives clear exercises on using it in your everyday life to achieve what you want.

by Wayne Dyer

In this book, Wayne Dyer shows how raising our frequency can be used to solve everyday problems. He draws from various spiritual traditions and the pontifications of several spiritual thought leaders to lead us through the process of making our lives a lot more pleasant and meaningful. Full of explanations, examples and exercises, this book is an excellent guide to staying in The Zone while you go about your life.

by Steven Pressfield

Written by novelist Steven Pressfield, this is a classic for writers, musicians and artists of all kinds, including you, no matter who you are, because you are the artist creating your own life. Hence, read this thing if you want to blast past your fears and insecurities and resistance to being your biggest, badassiest self. It’s a hugely insightful, cheese-free and very enjoyable book (the guy is a real writer fer cryin out loud). He even uses some curse words here and there.

by Louise Hay

Louise Hay is the godmother of self-help; she was doing it way back when it still wasn’t cool, cured herself of cancer using her highly-lauded principles of self-love and now has her own empire with a publishing company and everything. This book is one of my faves, even though it’s super woo-woo, full of affirmations and general gooeyness, but in the ever-critical self-love department, it doesn’t get any better than this. The back of the book is all about the body and how all our injuries and dis-eases can be traced back to negative thought patterns. So if you break your leg, you can look it up and see that it’s because you’re scared of moving forward (or something, don’t quote me on that) and get an affirmation from Louise on how to heal yourself. I have a friend who completely cured himself of something the doctors were baffled by through reading this book and doing what it says.

by Cami Walker

This book was written by a woman who was told by her mentor to give something away, every day, for twenty-nine days, to help heal herself of multiple sclerosis. The book chronicles her incredible journey and the profound effect tithing had on her life and the lives of others who’ve tried it. She started a blog to chart her journey and encouraged her followers to write in and do the same, which turned into a full-on movement, which led to this bestselling book.

by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer

The title of this book is a tad misleading because it’s about so much more than money, yet since most people want to make more money, the good news is they’ll pick it up and get way more than they bargained for by reading it and doing what it says. While it does indeed teach you how to create money, it also gives clear instruction on meditation, clearing blocks, manifesting, working with energy, gaining clarity, etc. All of which contribute to manifesting money, as well as pretty much everything else, into your life.

Easy to read and follow with simple exercises and deceptively deep concepts broken down, this is an awesome starter book as well as one to always have around to provide important reminders and re-alignment.

by Wallace D. Wattles

The very first sentence of this book made me slam it shut and leave it untouched for years. It reads: “Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich.” Hello? How gross is that?! It offended me to my hippie core, until I understood what it was really saying and that, erm, you kind of can’t —not if you want to fully express yourself, anyway. “Rich” simply means that you have everything you need to share your gifts fully with the world and stay at the highest vibration while you do it, whatever that looks like for you. This is now easily the book I recommend to people the most, and the one I read over and over. But you have to let a lot go because it will absolutely go up your nose if you’re still working on your issues around it being OK to make money.

by Napoleon Hill

This is the other contender for the Best Wealth Consciousness Book Ever, and another old-timey one. I forgot to mention that Wallace Wattle’s book is old-timey, too, but hello, look at the guy’s name.

Anyway, Napoleon Hill interviewed the most successful businessmen at the time to gather the information for this incredible, how-to guide. I read this book over and over, too. It’s very to the point, a total ass-kicker, and breaks everything down into simple, easy-to-follow instructions. Do what he says (and really do all of it) and you will be large and in charge.

by Marianne Williamson

A beautifully written book on the spiritual side of wealth, money and profit by the ever-stellar Marianne Williamson. She is one of my faves. I demand you see her speak if you ever get the chance.

by Lynne Twist

Written by an extremely smart smartypants, activist and fundraiser, Lynne Twist shares her fascinating take on money as gleaned from her decades working with everyone from top CEOs to tribal people who don’t even know what money is.

by T. Harv Eker

Not the best written book ever, fairly selly and packed to the gills with cheese and yet, I highly recommend it. T Harv (what the hell kind of name is that anyway?) does a great job of listing off the thoughts that either lead us to financial success or financial failure.

by Gregg Levoy

I read this and thought, “What a lovely book.” I like this guy’s voice a ton. He does an excellent job of getting you to feel around and tap into your deeper purpose by asking lots of great questions and looking at things from all sorts of angles. Written in an easy to read, conversational tone, it’s like having a really really smart best friend sit down with you and help you figure out what the hell to do with your life.

by Martha Beck

I’ve seen Martha speak and have read a lot of her stuff and really love her voice—so refreshing and brilliant and hilarious.

This book is awesome, really walks you through some good steps and asks some great questions to get you the clarity you seek. She’s big on looking past just what’s going on in your head and connecting with your body to get clarity and guidance from there as well. She’s had a super successful coaching institute for ages and is one of my favorites in the field.

by Studs Terkel

Back when I was flopping around trying to figure out what the hell to do with my life, I found it really helpful to look at how others were living to see if any of it sounded like it would be a good fit for me too. I found this book to be extremely enlightening, fun to read and fascinating. It’s basically a bunch of mini biographies that focus on the various lifestyles and occupations of the people interviewed. Pulling from all walks of life, it delves deep into the hopes, dreams and realities of the American public, focusing mostly on what they like and dislike about their chosen careers.

by David Deida

This one’s kind of out-there, but if you want to get in touch with what it really means to be a woman in a romantic relationship, I highly recommend it.

Deida writes it as a woman writing a letter to her lover (I know, weird, and it kind of is), but it’s deeply sensual in an opening-your-heart kind of way and is a really interesting approach to explaining femininity. It took me a while to be able to deal with it but once I did, I loved it. Guys should read it too if they want to understand the ladies better.

by Katherine Woodward Thomas

This is by far the best book I've read on attracting love and is actually a great book for attracting pretty much everything you want in life. It's super easy to digest and is delivered in 49 short and to-the-point chapters, each with easy to implement and rather profound exercises at the end. The book helps you to bust yourself on your limiting beliefs around intimacy and relationships, walks you through releasing them, guides you through meditations, journaling, visualizing what you want, writing mantras, taking scary action - you know, all that little stuff that hugely changes your life.

by Byron Katie

READ THIS BOOK. I demand it. It is the Holy Grail of being happy in your relationships. Based on what Katie calls “The Work”—which is essentially just asking yourself four simple, yet profound, questions—this book spends about ten pages walking you through the steps of The Work and a couple hundred on case studies. It’s basically like watching Katie perform her magic on all sorts of people, from those who’ve been brutally raped to people who’ve lost their children to those who want happier marriages. She walks them through her process and they suddenly find peace and freedom. It’s so cool AND The Work is a piece of cake. When you read it, I recommend reading the case studies first and then doing The Work on yourself instead of the other way around. Seeing her do it over and over will make it much easier for you to get better results when you try it on yourself.

by David Deida

This book is made for a man, but the ladies must read it, too, if they really want to understand how men work. I thought it was brilliant and fascinating and explained SO much about the opposite sex that made me respect men even more. And the guys I’ve suggested it to said it was massively empowering. It speaks to, and explains, the highest version of masculinity, reminding us ladies why we love the fellas so much and reminding men how truly awesome they are/can be.