10 Life-Changing Books to Help You Stay Optimistic

"1. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle 'Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.' 'Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.' 'You are not your mind.' 'The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.' 'Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world.' 2. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero 'Your thoughts are the most powerful tools you have.' 'What you choose to focus on becomes your reality.' 'Love yourself. Be yourself. Let that be enough.' 'You are responsible for what you say and do. You are not responsible for whether or not people freak out about it.' 'Don’t waste your precious time giving one single crap about what anybody else thinks of you.'"

"3. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert 'You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures.' 'Creative living is choosing the path of curiosity over the path of fear.' 'You do not need anybody’s permission to live a creative life.' 'Done is better than good.' 'Perfectionism stops people from completing their work, yes—but even worse, it often stops people from beginning their work.' 4. Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven 'If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.' 'You can't change the world alone—you will need some help.' 'If you want to be successful in life, never, ever give up.' 'Stand up to the bullies. Don’t back down from sharks.' 'One person can change the world by giving people hope.'"

"5. Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman 'Optimism is a learned skill.' 'The way we explain events to ourselves determines how we feel about them.' 'Habits of thinking need not be forever.' 'Optimists recover from setbacks faster.' 'Your beliefs can shape your reality.' 6. Start Where You Are by Pema Chödrön 'You are the sky. Everything else—it’s just the weather.' 'Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.' 'When things fall apart, that's often when the real work begins.' 'Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals.' 'We work on ourselves in order to help others.'"

"7. The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu 'Joy is much bigger than happiness.' 'The more time you spend thinking about yourself, the more suffering you will experience.' 'We grow in kindness when our kindness is tested.' 'Gratitude is the foundation of joy.' 'Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.' 8. Choose Yourself by James Altucher 'Don’t wait for someone to choose you. Choose yourself.' 'You can’t predict the future, but you can create it.' 'Every day, wake up and ask: What am I grateful for?' 'Your life is a business. Treat it like one.' 'You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.'"

"9. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor 'Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can.' 'The more you believe in your own ability to succeed, the more likely it is that you will.' 'Train your brain to scan for the positives in life.' 'Social support is your single greatest asset.' 'Success flows from happiness, not the other way around.' 10. Untamed by Glennon Doyle 'The braver I am, the luckier I get.' 'You can be shattered and then you can put yourself back together piece by piece.' 'We can do hard things.' 'You are not crazy. You are a goddamn cheetah.' 'The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.'"