Read it and Smile: Motivational books can be insightful despite their cliche reputation

As someone who stays away from the cult of the self-help industry, if someone told me to crack open a motivational book like “The Mountain is You,” I’d probably laugh at them — how could a book fix my problems? I’ve never believed that reading could cure my anxiety or sadness, but as senioritis settles in, I read three motivational books to amend my burnout: “How to be a Badass, ” “Your Time to Thrive” and “The Mountain is You.”

Reading each book, I could barely finish a page without rolling my eyes at some of the cliches: “breathe when you feel anxious” and “love yourself.” Not exactly revolutionary. But, the more I read, the more the advice applied to my life.

I read “How to be a Badass” by Jen Sicnero first. Raving reviews from friends and Amazon ads have drawn me to the novel to learn about quitting self-doubt and exuding confidence. It focuses on what to cut out of your life and what to keep to become your best self.

Starting the book was difficult, mostly because I had a hard time relating. The advice was repetitive and surface-level, but I chugged along. A few chapters in, I found something that applied to me — the struggle of hindering your own success. I resonated with Sicnero’s emphasis on self-forgiveness and how living in the past holds you back, which I plan to utilize in when I enter into college. 

Then I moved on to my second book, “The Mountain is You” by Brianna Wiest. This book also focused on the dangers of self-sabotage and tactics for overcoming life challenges. The author compares climbing a mountain to overcoming trauma and fear, to building resilience at what the author calls the “top of the mountain.”

As someone who struggles with seeing challenges realistically, it really helped when the book focused on self-sabotage and how common it is. I’d never realized that I also struggle with self-sabotaging tendencies like getting too focused on what other people think. I learned that my self-deprecating humor is actually a form of self-sabotage and those negative thoughts keep me from having positive energy in my life.  

The third and final book I read was “Your Time to Thrive” by Marina Khidekel and the editors of Thrive Global. I was skeptical when I first opened the book because it promised I would “unlock my full potential” — gag. But after swallowing that cliche and moving on, I tried to continue to keep an open mind.

The book asked questions like “What steps are you going to take now?” with spaces to respond — almost like a guided journal. This forced me to listen to some of their tips and reflect on the “microsteps” I could take to improve myself. 

The book emphasizes sleep with quotes from successful people like Tom Brady and Mike Posner about habits that improve their sleep cycle. They explain how sleep can impact your performance in every aspect of your life and how it’s a simple first step in bettering yourself. 

After reading this, I took some of their advice and limited my screen time before bed and even tried journaling. My sleep schedule actually improved, I found myself having more energy in the mornings. 

While reading all of these books didn’t exactly unlock my full potential or jumpstart a major change in my life, they did give me realistic tips like taking more time for myself and creating routines to fix bad habits and improve my lifestyle. 

Although I’m not one to read self-help books like this or believe they’d affect me, and my life is by no means flipped upside down, these give a solid foundation to becoming a more sound person. The small tips to start cutting out the bad in my life, microstep my way through days and remember “I’m a badass,” are a start.