The Best Books to Boost Your Self-Confidence

If you want to restore a positive outlook, regain your confidence, and recognize the shining aspects of your personality, books are great resources for motivation. They help strengthen your self-confidence and guide you toward achieving your life goals.

Seven Books to Read for Building Self-Confidence

Using written teachings from experts is an effective way to improve confidence—provided that we not only read these books but also implement their recommendations practically in our daily personal and social interactions. By incorporating the teachings of the books listed below into your behavior, you’ll have a practical method for developing inner strength.

1. The Confidence Gap by Russ Harris

Russ Harris teaches us how to free ourselves from misconceptions about confidence, change how we handle stressful situations, take control of our thoughts, and use our core values as major motivations in life.

2. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

One sign of low self-confidence is constantly comparing yourself to others. Brené Brown, a speaker and writer, aims to teach individuals to love themselves as they are and abandon superficiality.

Superficiality means that many people only see others' positive traits while interacting with them. However, behind this pleasant facade, there may be mistakes and bad habits.

This book teaches you to let go of your ideal self and accept your true self. It also helps you change how you view others' lives, focus on your own, and enhance your self-confidence.

3. Presence by Amy Cuddy

In life, we often face situations where we must speak with others—whether in a work meeting or giving a speech to a large crowd. In such cases, the most important task is to maintain confidence and express what we want to say.

This book offers practical, psychology-based methods for enhancing confidence in speaking, expressing desires, and persuading others.

4. Unfck Yourself by Gary John Bishop*

We’re constantly bombarded with terms like success, progress, effort, wealth, and self-improvement. As a result, we strive to achieve all these ideals. This approach makes us forget our most valuable asset—ourselves.

This book teaches us to stop self-criticism and suppressing our limited capabilities. Self-criticism not only doesn’t solve any issues but also adds to our burdens. To build self-confidence, the first step is believing in yourself.

5. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This book was a bestseller on the New York Times list for a long time. Reading it sparks the question in your mind: What do you really want from life, and what makes you happy?

After reading this book, your life will transform. You’ll learn to dedicate each month to practicing and developing one habit—from waking up early to focusing on your diet. By prioritizing self-care, you’ll pave the way for increased self-confidence.

6. It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr

Todd Parr, in this book for children, tries to teach our kids from an early age to love themselves. Childhood is a crucial part of life, and neglecting it can lead to many problems during adolescence, adulthood, and even old age.

One of the main reasons for low self-confidence is self-criticism and lack of self-love. Reading this book helps children develop a better attitude toward themselves, their moral qualities, and their abilities.

7. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

The most significant cause of low self-confidence is having a troubled mind. Often, our weaknesses don’t arise from a lack of confidence but from the belief that we’re weaker than we truly are.

Although this book doesn’t directly address confidence, it teaches ways to improve your mindset.

By adopting the methods introduced in Emotional Intelligence, you can improve your perspective and strengthen your self-confidence.