10 books to start the year off right

New Year's Day is a meditative day for me. I don't make resolutions, but I like to look back on the year that has just ended, dream about the year to come, and think about the person I would like to become.

If you are like me, this article is for you. Here I share with you 10 books that have given me a great spark and inspired me to think about the future with determination and enthusiasm.

1. The Precipice : Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity

This book is among my favorite books of all time. I still often wonder how the author managed to give me so much hope by explaining in detail the probabilities of humanity becoming extinct in the short to medium term. It was an absolutely brilliant book that changed my worldview forever.

I got it from the website 80000hours.organd I have since subscribed to their newsletter and podcast. It's a wealth of information, and I really admire the members of the organization. To kick-start your year, it's hard to do better.

2. The Power of Now

I didn't expect to like this book so much, because in some ways it really had the potential to get on my nerves. But I kept an open mind, and it became the first book that made me understand what meditation is all about.

Try the following exercise from the book. Close your eyes, and ask yourself, "I wonder what my next thought will be." And observe how long it takes for that thought to come.

Pretty cool, right?

I'm actually thinking about reading it again soon. Several days after reading it, I was able to put myself in a meditative state as often as I wanted, and it was great.

3. The Sleep Revolution

Unless I develop a health problem, I predict that I will be very sleep-deprived in the future, and that's because of this book by Arianna Huffington. Ever since I read it, I looooove to sleep, and I allow myself to do so as much as I want, whenever I want.

This is certainly not the only book that tries to convince us to get more sleep, but it's the only one I've read, and oh was it effective. So if you want to get more sleep this year, start with this one.

4. Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating

Another book that changed my life. For a long time I found eating complicated, as I'm sure many other women do. I was afraid of eating too much of this, not enough of that, I was afraid of getting fat, and in general, I believed all the nonsense about weight and diet that we hear all day long.

It's Christy Harrison's mission to change that, and in my case, it really worked. You have no idea how much mental space has been freed up because of it. If food is a sensitive topic for you, this is probably the book that will do you the most good.

5. La retraite à 40 ans ("Retirement at 40")

I decided pretty quickly that I wasn't going to try to follow this book's guidelines because I actually want to work (I haven't really started after all), but this book is undoubtedly extremely inspiring. Frankly, it seems ridiculously easy to retire at 40 (or at least much earlier than we expected). And even if it's not our goal, this book reminds us that we have a lot more freedom than we think, and that many things are optional, including work.

6. The Joy Diet : 10 Practices for a Happier Life

I still remember the moment I finished this book. I was dancing alone at home, making a salad. My cats must have thought I was pretty weird.

Today, I do not follow any of the 10 daily practices suggested by The Joy Diet.But that doesn't take anything away from the book. It makes you happy (the proof: my beautiful pink glasses), and it shows that joy is within reach.

7. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

An absolute must.

I thought we were all born with a certain IQ and that our success depended on it. Carol Dweck explains very convincingly that I was mistaken. Intelligence is a resource that can be developed. I have never been so happy to learn that I was wrong.

A must-read if you want to have a career that lives up to your dreams, or simply if you want to stop being jealous of other people's intelligence and do what you have to do.

8. Stumbling on Happiness

Perhaps you knew that constantly chasing happiness is not necessarily a good idea. But do you know why?

Dan Gilbert explains it very well in Stumbling on Happiness. And he does it with so much humor that you'll forget you're reading a psychology book. A good tool to take yourself less seriously and, perhaps, to re-align your priorities.

9. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

I listened to an interview by Tim Ferriss with Mark Manson today. I knew Mark Manson was famous, but I didn't know how famous. I also didn't know that his success is mainly due to The Subtle Ark of Giving of F*ck (excellent title by the way, don't you think?)

I read this book several years ago, and I really loved it. It explains why, contrary to what we hear, in order to be happier, we must not fight, we must not try to be better than we are. We just need to give a little less of a fuck. But in a smart way.

Maybe I should read it again, too.

10. The Defining Decade

I read it when I was twenty. I want to say that it burst my bubble, but that wouldn't be accurate. It told me what I already knew, which is that a lot happens in your twenties. That it's not the time to sit back and wait for life to fall into your lap: it's the time to actively move towards what you want and to try things if you don't know what you want.

It had the effect of a slap in the face. It inspired me to make decisions that I have never regretted. It changed my life too.

Conclusion

I hope you will find in this little list some good ideas to start the year in glory.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have some to suggest? Write to me on social media, or leave a comment just below!

Happy New Year to you all!