Best Books to Change Your Mindset: Picks That Shifted My Perspective

When I first picked up The Happiness Trap, I thought it would be another “think positive” manual. Instead, it turned my assumptions upside down. Russ Harris explains why chasing happiness often backfires and how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help us live with more presence and meaning. His message hit me hard: happiness isn’t the prize at the finish line, it’s what shows up when you stop running in circles.

What I love most is how practical it feels. As someone who’s juggled family life, career changes, and the occasional stage performance in theater, I know how easy it is to get trapped in my head. Harris’s exercises, like noticing thoughts instead of wrestling them, were game changers. The book reminded me that it’s okay to carry some discomfort with us, as long as we keep moving toward what truly matters.

Brené Brown has this uncanny ability to sound like both a researcher and your funniest friend at the kitchen table. The Gifts of Imperfection made me rethink the way I measure my worth. For years, I felt that I had to be the “perfect” banker, the perfect dad, even the perfect teammate on the cricket field. Brené’s message was like a deep exhale: you don’t have to earn your right to belong.

Her idea of wholehearted living, showing up with courage, compassion, and connection, has quietly seeped into how I parent. I’ve caught myself telling my kids that mistakes aren’t proof of weakness, but proof of being alive and learning. And honestly? That advice was just as much for me as it was for them.

I first stumbled upon Simon Sinek through his TED Talk, but reading Start With Why felt like diving deeper into the engine room of purpose. His simple but powerful framework, why, how, what, made me reflect not just on leadership, but on how I live my own life.

It took me back to my banking days when I worked with leaders who could crunch numbers all day but couldn’t explain why they were doing what they did. Contrast that with my cricket captain back in the day, who could rally us from exhaustion to victory just by reminding us why we were playing. That “why” isn’t just business strategy, it’s fuel for everything.

This classic was like having a wise grandfather sit me down and say, “Enough with the endless worrying, kid.” Carnegie’s stories may be old-fashioned, but the lessons are timeless. One principle that stuck with me: “Live in day-tight compartments.” Stop dragging the mistakes of yesterday into today, and don’t borrow tomorrow’s troubles. Simple, but harder than it sounds.

I actually started applying this on days when I felt overwhelmed by deadlines. Instead of spiraling, I’d ask myself, “What’s the one thing I can do well today?” It reminded me of batting in cricket, you don’t play the whole match at once, you play one ball at a time. That small shift cut my stress in half.

Out of all the happiness books I’ve read, this one feels the most grounded in science. Lyubomirsky digs into what actually works, backed by research, and lays out practical activities that boost well-being, things like savoring small moments, practicing optimism, and nurturing relationships.

For me, this book made happiness feel less abstract. I realized I didn’t need to wait for some life-changing event. Joy could come from savoring my daughter’s off-key singing or laughing with friends over an old movie. Reading it was like being given permission to find happiness in the everyday, not in some future destination.