The power of positive thinking refers to our mental attitude, where our thoughts are tuned towards happiness, health, happy endings in every situation. Here is a list of positive thinking books that might change your life.

These positive thinking books bestsellers will teach you how to expect good and positive results and not get discouraged when things don’t go according to plan.

In short, you are willing to try again and not ready to accept defeat easily. A positive minded person focuses on the bright side of a situation instead of the dark one, looking at the cup as half full instead of half empty.

This idea is gaining a lot of popularity today and there are several courses and good books about positive thinking. The good news is that positive thinking is not a skill that you need  to be born with. You can easily learn it from books! Let’s check out some of the top positive thinking books that you can read!

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10 Best Positive Thinking Books of all Time

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (1988) – One of the Best Books on Positive Thinking

Will Smith states that The Alchemist is his favorite book ever and that he made his children read the book several times! It is also an international best seller, being translated into 56 languages, which is also a Guinness record.

• The story is about a shepherd who follows his dream of finding treasure in the pyramids of Egypt.
• The most inspiring quote of the book is ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it’. What more could you ask for?
• The story teaches you several lessons through the course of the shepherd’s journey.
• The book stresses the logic that if you put positive energy in the universe, it will bring positive things to you, with the opposite also being true.

2. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (1946)

If there is one book that you must read for positive thinking, it is this! You will not be able to put it down.

• The main refrain of the books is that ‘He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how’, the message being that you need a reason to live in order to bear the burden of life and all its challenging situations.
• The story talks about prisoners who lose the ‘why’ of their life and totally lose out on life as a result. Each one of us has a different ‘why’ or purpose of life as one man’s destiny cannot be compared to another’s.

Never to utter these words ‘I have nothing to expect from life anymore’, nothing could be more negative or defeatist than this statement.

• The book Man’s Search for Meaning teaches you to find a meaning for your life, even though you don’t expect anything from life. The book urges you to make a fundamental change in your attitude towards life.
• It will help you take responsibility for situations, find the right answers to problems and fulfill your duties and tasks.

Note: This is one of the best inspirational positive books and is a great remedy for depression!

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3. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (1937)

Napoleon Hill offers a 10-step plan for achieving health, wealth, success and happiness.

• The book Think and Grow Rich offers inspirational advice, wisdom and help you develop a positive attitude ‘I can do it’ attitude.
• You will find answers for:

# Staying focused on goals

# Transforming problems into positive opportunities

# Overcoming failure

# Channeling your creative energy

# Maximising talents

The book contains many money making secrets that could change your life, offering a magic formula for success.

• Some of the noteworthy lessons of the book Think and Grow Rich are:

# Thoughts are powerful

# Strong desire and commitment

# Faith/Fear

# Knowledge

# Creative Imagination

4. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (1952)

It is one of the best books on positive thinking and the message in a nutshell is You can achieve anything if you have faith and the power of prayer!

• The Power of Positive Thinking is one of the most popular positive thinking books and is linked with an attitude of seeing no evil, hear no evil and wearing a happy smile on your face to melt any obstacle.
• The book suggests positive thinking, not for achieving money or fame, but rather for overcoming defeat and accomplishing real values of life.

It could bring about measurable changes in your life, as it has several practical techniques for a successful and happy life.

• The mainstay of the book The Power of Positive Thinking is Biblical quotes offering a timeless and powerful wisdom. For example, ‘If God is with us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
• It shows you how you could have constant energy and how you could harness the universal energy for power and peace.

Warning: This book is not for atheists 🙂

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5. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (1936)

It is one of the most popular books for self improvement and dealing positively with people. How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 15 million copies all over the world and still remains relevant.

• The author explains how you can influence people positively. It’s all about ways to become a better person, improving yourself and developing both personally and professionally with positive thinking.
• How to Win Friends and Influence People teaches you ways to influence people positively, without taking advantage of them.
• There are several useful stories and principles along with techniques for handling people and make an impression on them in a positive way, how to win them over without offending them.

6. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (1903)

It is a highly recommended book by many powerful and influential leaders and entrepreneurs.   As a Man Thinketh conveys a simple message of positivity and you can read this book within an hour!

• The basic message of the book is ‘As you think, you shall become’. We have the power within us to create happiness in our lives.
• The author encourages us to think positively, as this will lead you to take positive steps and achieve positive results.
• As a Man Thinketh brings out the basic law of attraction. If you focus on the positive, you attract positivity in your life and if you focus on negatives, you attract negatives.

Remember: Anxiety, impure thoughts, fear of disease and sickly thoughts will result in a sickly body!

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7. Earning Freedom by Michael Santos (2011)

Through this book, Michael Santos conveys survival strategies that made him powerful through his struggles.

• The author served 9135 days in prison and the book Earning Freedom talks about how he transformed his life from inside jail, the steps he took to develop skills that would give him strength during his confinement, so that he could serve his sentence with dignity.
• The message to take away from this book is that regardless of the challenges that we face in our personal or professional lives, each one of us is capable of setting up a principled plans for overcoming such challenges.

8. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (1997)

This book is a true account of a professor telling his life anecdotes, while at the same time nearing death due to an inevitable disease. It is a book that you would love to read over and over again throughout your life.

• The professor sits down with Mitch Albom, the writer of this book, and tells him everything that he has learnt about life.
• In spite of his painful condition, he is positive and says he is lucky to have so much time to say goodbye to all his loved ones.

Read each chapter slowly, in order to absorb everything he has to say, rather like taking one pill every day.

9. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (2008)

According to the author, ‘We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand’. Pausch was a college professor at Carnegie Mellon University and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, when he decided to write The Last Lecture.

• In this book, he reflects on his experiences and offers inspiring, wise and powerful ideas.
• He has written life stories illuminating sacrifice, self confidence, courage, positive outlook and how to deal with adversity. In every story, we get a glimpse of his life and experiences.
• Randy Pausch always maintained a positive outlook and took pleasure in every act. The book outlines his dreams and the way he went about achieving them.

Remember: You will be inspired if you read this book.

10. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle (1997)

This book is a form of guide that stresses on living in the now or the present and not in the past or future. It has been recommended by Oprah Winfrey!

• This book The Power of Now sends out a powerful message for positive thinking, saying there is no past or future, but just the Now. You will be much happier if you just focus on the present instead of thinking about the past and the future.
• There is no need to regret the past or be scared of the future, as you will not get a moment of peace by doing this. Always be in the present moment.

Note: The book is in the form of a question-and-answer format regarding the common questions we would like to ask on this subject.

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Conclusion – Positive Thinking Books Bestsellers

Successful people will vouch for the fact that they achieved their success due to positive thinking. Positive thinking is the most widely embraced philosophy in America. It underscores several political jargons, such as Obama’s famed ‘Yes we can’ and Reagan’s ‘Nothing is Impossible or Nike’s ‘Just Do it’.

It is the fundamental basis for business motivation, mind and body discipline and one of the most influential ideas for living a happy and successful life. The above is a list of best selling books about positive thinking, which form the cornerstone works of positive thinking philosophies. It is not an exhaustive list but offers a good tour for a positive outlook.