Self-help books are one of the most prominent sections in any library today. They were always prevalent, but something has changed.
The industry is worth more than $10 billion at this moment. Now that’s no joke.
A shift has happened. As if every single person desperately needs some sort of assistance in maintaining their lives and needs answers to everything. From online courses to podcasts and books by many self-renowned experts, many are available.
It becomes difficult to decide which book is really effective. And which ones to choose that are tailored to your needs.
That’s where this guide can help you figure it all out. We have curated a list of the top 15 highly effective self-help books that can change your life. (For real!)
Let’s learn more about why these books tend to have these effects and understand their timeless nature.
15 Best Self-Help Books For Men
| Sr. No. | Best Self-Help Books | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Rules of Life | Dr. Jordan Peterson |
| 2 | The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck | Mark Manson |
| 3 | Man’s Search for Meaning | Viktor E. Frankl |
| 4 | Think and Grow Rich | Napoleon Hill |
| 5 | How to Win Friends and Influence People | Dale Carnegie |
| 6 | Meditations | Marcus Aurelius |
| 7 | Make Your Bed | Admiral William H. McRaven |
| 8 | Atomic Habits | James Clear |
| 9 | The Four Agreements | Don Miguel Ruiz |
| 10 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert T. Kiyosaki |
| 11 | Who Moved My Cheese | Dr. Spencer Johnson |
| 12 | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Stephen R. Covey |
| 13 | The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho |
| 14 | The 4-Hour Workweek | Tim Ferriss |
| 15 | The Power of Your Subconscious Mind | Dr. Joseph Murphy |
Why Men Need Self-Help Books
As the name suggests, these books are about helping yourself. So during changes or introspection, you might need help understanding yourself better or knowing how to become more efficient in your everyday life.
That can span from learning a new skill or managing your time effectively. It could be about any major aspect of your life that you need help with in your life currently. Let’s review the 5 prominent reasons men “need” self-help books.
- To improve their mental health.
Self-help books can provide men with strategies for managing stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges. They can also help them develop a healthier self-image and build resilience in adversity.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck helps with exactly that. Other philosophical quests and spiritual books can help you gain a new perspective on life.
- To improve their relationships.
Self-help books can help men understand their emotional needs and communicate more effectively with their partners, friends, and family members. They can also provide men with guidance on how to build and maintain healthy relationships.
How to Win Friends and Influence People is a great example of a book in this category.
- To achieve their goals.
Self-help books can help men to set realistic goals, develop a plan to achieve them, and overcome obstacles along the way. They can also provide them with motivation and inspiration to keep moving forward.
Think and Grow Rich wanders around this crucial concept of life.
- To live a more fulfilling life.
Self-help books can help men explore their values, identify their passions, and make changes that will lead to greater fulfillment. They help them develop a sense of purpose and live a life that is aligned with their values.
12 Rules of Life by Dr. Peterson goes into great depth about how you can do the same.
- To connect with other men and women in professional and personal arenas.
Self-help books can provide men with a sense of community and connection with other men who are facing similar challenges. They can also offer men a safe space to share their thoughts and feelings without judgment.
The books we are about to explore go into great depth about how you can follow the same in your everyday life. Let’s understand why these 15 books deserve their due attention and how they can help men evolve and nourish their masculinity.
15. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
Author: Dr. Joseph Murphy
We are all trained to undermine our intelligence, and most men die without ever fully utilizing their full capabilities.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind explains how the subconscious mind can be used to achieve goals, overcome challenges, and improve your life.
Murphy argues that the subconscious mind is a powerful force that can be harnessed to bring about positive change. He provides exercises and techniques that you can use to reprogram your subconscious mind and achieve your desired results.
It is one of the most popular self-help books of all time. It has sold over 30 million copies and has been translated into over 40 languages. Why? Because it helps you unlock your true capabilities and question whatever you have been taught until now.
14. The 4-Hour Workweek
Author: Tim Ferriss
Who doesn’t want to be efficient in their lives and have a proper work-life balance?
The 4-Hour Workweek isn’t some Utopian dream that this book sells. But it challenges the traditional view of work and success. Ferriss argues that it is possible to achieve financial freedom and live a fulfilling life without working long hours.
He provides a step-by-step guide on “escaping the 9-5, living anywhere, and joining the New Rich.”
By selling over 2.1 million copies worldwide, the book has found its true space in the market. It has been translated into over 40 languages and has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.
This book is more about a mindset shift. And it delivers changing how the majority usually looks at success.
13. The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
What’s a fiction novella doing in a self-help books section?
The greatest medium to bring any positive change in your life comes by the way of a powerful story. And if there is any powerful enough story that can make you want to find your own adventure in life, then this is it.
The Alchemist follows the journey of a young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago in his quest to find treasure buried near the Pyramids of Egypt.
Along the way, Santiago meets people who teach him about the importance of following your dreams, listening to your heart, and believing in yourself. A powerful twist in the end with a very important message awaits you.
12. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Author: Stephen R. Covey
Learning from the best is important. Now how about a book that perfectly summarizes everything you want to learn from the most successful?
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People outlines a seven-step personal and interpersonal development process. The book has been translated into over 40 languages and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
Its insights into human behavior and its positive message have helped her gain this book’s popularity over the years.
11. Who Moved My Cheese
Author: Dr. Spencer Johnson
If you need help with adapting to changes quickly, then this might be the perfect remedy for you.
The story revolves around two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two little people, Hem and Haw, who all search for cheese in the maze. The cheese symbolizes success and happiness.
Initially, they find a large cheese supply in one location and become comfortable with their routine. However, one day, the cheese supply disappears, forcing them to confront the need for change.
The book’s concise and straightforward narrative style makes it accessible to readers of all ages and backgrounds. With over 30 million copies sold, this book has resonated with many. As a man, this could help you have a broader point of you toward success and freedom.
10. Rich Dad Poor Dad
Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki
It’s highly unlikely not to have heard about this book.
Most of adult life is about making money and developing a mindset to achieve financial freedom. This remains a dream for many who enter old age without much money and little to no knowledge about financial investments.
Rich Dad Poor Dad, through many stories of the author’s childhood and adult life, traverses from subjects like these. About how his own biological father (poor dad) and the father of his best friend (rich dad) deal with different aspects of making money and retaining it.
You will learn about important concepts like the difference between assets and liabilities, the importance of financial independence, and the power of passive income. As a man, keeping your finances in check will be half the battle won for you and your loved ones.
9. The Four Agreements
Author: Don Miguel Ruiz
If your finances are in check, but you are not feeling mentally happy or spiritually blissful, this book can be your game changer.
Its profound teachings on personal freedom, happiness, and spiritual growth have gained widespread popularity. The book presents four guiding principles, or agreements, that can transform your life and lead to greater fulfillment and inner peace.
They are important for any man as they enter the realm of marriage or go through the difficult parenting process. This short book with these 4 life-changing agreements can help you understand deeply why they are important.
8. Atomic Habits
Author: James Clear
With social media and whatnot, sticking to a habit is one of the most difficult things in today’s times. And habits are the key if you want to achieve anything in your life.
Atomic Habits are those habits that can become such an important part of you that they will come naturally to you. That you will not require any effort in the first place to stick to them.
This may feel like a to-good-to-be-true affair, but with the help of psychology, this book covers many important aspects that can help you define those habits, find good reasons to follow them, and come up with strategies to utilize them.
You can find a downloadable summary and worksheet with the book on the official website.
7. Make Your Bed
Author: Admiral William H. McRaven
Everything big becomes big as small efforts add up. That’s where a trivial task like making your bed can change your life.
The book takes inspiration from Admiral McRaven’s commencement speech at the University of Texas, where he shared lessons learned from his Navy SEAL training and military career.
The central theme of the book revolves around the idea that making your bed every morning can set the tone for success and productivity throughout the day.
The book touches on themes like taking responsibility, embracing setbacks as opportunities for learning, maintaining a positive mindset, and supporting others in their journey. As a man, life isn’t a piece of cake in the outside world, and this book helps in tackling exactly that.
6. Meditations
Author: Marcus Aurelius
If a king is teaching you life lessons about managing a kingdom, you would want to listen. Especially when it is coming straight from the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Also renowned as the father of Stoicism.
A stoic man surrenders to none and doesn’t call himself a victim. That’s what this book from centuries ago covers. As a man, this is not just useful in managing your business but every single aspect of your life.
The book consists of a series of personal reflections and meditations that Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself, intended as a guide to living a virtuous and meaningful life.
As a Stoic practitioner, Marcus Aurelius explores various themes, including the nature of existence, the importance of self-discipline, and the acceptance of the impermanence of life.
5. How to Win Friends and Influence People
Author: Dale Carnegie
Charm is one thing that can make it or break it for you in this competitive world. People with high social intelligence often make more than people with high IQ.
So how can you adopt those traits? Because they aren’t God-gifted. They can be learned, mimicked, and used to transform your people skills. They can help you positively converse with people in your professional and personal environments.
Carnegie emphasizes the importance of empathy, active listening, and genuine interest in others’ perspectives and needs. He provides numerous real-life examples and anecdotes to illustrate his principles and showcase their effectiveness.
Every chapter of this book is a goldmine, and you can learn a lot from this as a man.
4. Think and Grow Rich
Author: Napoleon Hill
A concept that sounds unbelievable. How can anyone think and grow rich? Just by thinking? If one ponders more about it, every single idea indeed pops up as a thought.
The book explores the mindset and principles necessary for achieving financial success and abundance. It emphasizes the power of positive thinking, goal setting, and perseverance in overcoming obstacles and realizing your dreams.
This concept can help you pull yourself back whenever you lose hope or are unable to look positively at your most ambitious dreams. This book is much more than what it might look like at first glance, and it definitely deserves a spot in the top 5.
3. Man’s Search for Meaning
Author: Viktor E. Frankl
Man’s Search for Meaning has got to be one of the most important books written of all time. A psychiatrist stripped away from his identity, and put into the worst sort of camp, has got to have some profound insights.
The book is divided into two parts. In the first part, Frankl shows his prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II experience. He vividly describes the harrowing conditions, the loss of loved ones, and the constant threat to his own life.
The second part of the book focuses on Frankl’s concept of logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the search for meaning as a fundamental human motivation. He argues that finding purpose and meaning in life is essential for mental well-being and resilience.
As a man, this book can help you break your beliefs and find better reasons to believe in hope and life. This abyss of nothingness can make you feel empty, but by the end of it, the book will make you more grateful to be alive and do more as a man.
2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck
Author: Mark Manson
You might be giving a lot of importance to things that might not deserve that much of your attention.
Your unnecessary obsession with looking good or will to gain the approval of certain individuals might be pulling you back in your life.
The book challenges traditional notions of self-help by encouraging readers to embrace a different perspective on life. Manson argues that instead of constantly seeking positivity and trying to avoid negative experiences, true happiness comes from accepting the inherent struggles and uncertainties of life.
He encourages readers to prioritize their values and focus on what brings them genuine fulfillment rather than pursuing empty goals or trying to please everyone.
This will help any man find his true sense of being and feel grounded. It can be the most life-changing lesson for you at this point, and this book goes into great depth exploring that.
1. 12 Rules of Life
Author: Dr. Jordan B Peterson
Dr. Jordan Peterson has helped various men from different walks of life find the true power of masculinity. That’s where this book begins.
With over 3 decades of time poured into his philosophies, Dr. Peterson talks about the most fundamental rules any person should be following in their lives to maximize their happiness and potential as a human.
The advice begins from something as basic as walking straight to something as complex as parenting. He talks about the necessity of some fundamental rules and their meaning to make this life as powerful as possible with different layers.
With over 12 million copies sold, this book truly deserves the first spot on this list. You can find the book here.
Do Self-Help Books Actually Work?
The plethora and quantity of self-help books and other forms of content in this niche should bring this important question up. A short answer to this question is, obviously, yes.
But not all self-help books work for everyone. As these books are written with a mindset of helping people of a wide range, they are definitely not as personalized. They might not necessarily talk to you.
But one thing that remains timeless about the concepts of these books is that they demand time from you. The more time you spend with something, the more likely you are to follow that. That’s why summaries of books aren’t as effective as actually giving a few hours or days of it to these books.
And if this advice doesn’t really prove fruitful to you, at least you will end up learning a lot about human psychology.
And it’s important to learn from the right sorts of people. Psychologists or people who have spent their entire life dedicated to one subject are perhaps the best people to learn from. These authors are a few of those lot.
Pick one and see this for yourself. But be committed to finishing the book and spending time with it. They don’t have to be lectures but guidelines that can help you in different aspects of your entire life.
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Conclusion: Best Self-Help Books For Men
These 15 self-help books are undoubtedly the best in the market for men. They range from subjects like a social charm to financial freedom and mental health.
They are also great-mindset shifters. So they could be the perfect gifts. Comment down which book you are going to read next or your own favorite self-help books. Happy reading!
