We’re big fans of self-improvement. In fact, as you know, it forms the third mighty pillar of the SuperFastDiet program: SuperLife. As MasterFasters, you well-know the value of mastering your mindset and improving yourself. And now that you’re so far along in your weight loss and life journeys, we thought we’d share some of our favourite books with you. A little MasterFaster book club, if you will. Now, keep in mind, these aren’t just any old self-improvement and mindset books, these are the ones we (and our Super Staffers) have read that have helped us discover our inner strength, make huge strides in our motivation and mindset and have actually had a massive impact on our lives. This isn’t just fun fluffy stuff babes, this is nitty gritty hard-core life changing stuff. So… read them with caution. They may cause miracles!
1. Positive psychology in a nutshell – Ilona Boniwell
This is a great introductory text on the basics of positive psychology, how it works, why it works and the science behind it. It’s not a textbook, but more of a descriptive read that includes a few exercises that’ll help to get you started. If you enjoyed Dr. Tim Sharp’s SuperLife program and exercises, you’ll love this book. It also gives you a bunch of activities to try so you can start incorporating positive psychology into your life.
2. You are a badass – Jen Sincero
This book rounds up ideas from a whole bunch of different systems, including positive psychology, self help and spirituality. She explains it in ways that are easy to understand without using terms that might make some people uncomfortable like “God”, “manifesting” or “The Universe”. Basically, Sincero’s book is a great intro to positive psychology techniques that you can apply straight away in your own life to help you find meaning, purpose and help you be more present in your life. She’s got a great sense of humour that makes these new ideas easy to understand, and plus, she reminds you what a badass you are at the end every chapter. It’s also available as an audio book on Audible, in case you don’t have loads of time to read. Highly recommended.
3. Mastering your mean girl – Melissa Ambrosini
For those of you who enjoyed our lessons about silencing your inner critic and getting the mean girl in your thoughts to “bugger off”, this is our recommendation. If you suffer with self-sabotage, can’t seem to quiet the niggly nag in your head, or always circle back to self criticism and believing you’re not good enough, this book is for you. Ambrosini’s activities are simple and easy to understand, and they’re all designed to help you push through those limiting self beliefs and help you become the person you always knew you could be. She’s got an upbeat way of talking that helps build your confidence and make you smile.
4. Average to A+ – Alex Linley
If you enjoyed the SuperLife lessons on finding your strengths and playing to them, then this book will help you take that concept a little further. It’s all about discovering your strengths and making the most of them, in a variety of different situations: as a partner, parent, worker, it’ll help you to figure out how to use your strengths to your benefit and how they can help you create a more fulfilling, purposeful, happy life.
5. Authentic happiness – Martin Seligman
Martin Seligman is the founder of the positive psychology movement, and the creator of the VIA strengths survey. This book is considered to be one of the best introductory texts on positive psychology ever written. Seligman weaves together stories of how he came to study positive psychology with lessons on how and why it works, and activities that you can start incorporating into your own life. He explains the research in simple, easy to understand terms and includes lessons on how to get started straight away. Highly recommended.
6. Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
This book isn’t so much about positive psychology as it is about a particularly effective state of consciousness, which the author has dubbed – you guessed it – “flow”. It’s basically a state of focus that allows you to become better at your work, hobbies and leisure activities and enjoy them more too. It helps lead the way towards living a more fulfilling life, how to be happier, how to find your purpose and how to do your best. Csikszentmihalyi believes that happiness lies not in mindless hedonic pursuits, but in mindful challenge. And this book helps the reader to more mindful and more focused. It’s also available as an audio book for those who prefer to listen.
7. Lucky B*tch – Denise Duffield-Thomas
Can you learn to be lucky? Self made millionaire, Duffield-Thomas, believes so, and she’s devoted this book to teaching you how. She went from being broke, hating her life and being miserable in her job to travelling the world and getting super-lucky with a whole range of things (from bank errors in her favour to scholarships and free travel), all within the space of a few years. And she explains exactly how you can attract more luck into your life. She’s got a killer sense of humour and a great way of speaking which make the ride ultra enjoyable too. (This is one of Gen’s faves.)
8. Pursuing the good life – Christopher Peterson
Completely un-academic and fun, this book is a lighthearted intro to positive psychology. He uses IRL examples that help to illustrate the principles of happiness easily and enjoyably. It’s one of those books you can pick up and put down as needed, and you’ll come away with a better understanding of what happiness actually is, how to find it, how to know when you’re experiencing it and how to enjoy it more. This book is a really good choice for babes who want to learn more about positive psychology but would prefer a book that’s funny and easy to read.
9. The universe has your back – Gabrielle Bernstein*
Ok, fair warning, this one is a little hippy dippy, but if you’re keen to learn more about how to attract the right things, people and experiences into your life, it’s a great place to start. Bernstein has written a fantastic introduction to the concept of source energy/the universe and manifestation. You’ll need to get comfortable with the idea of “the universe”, but that happens fairly quickly. Bernstein introduces the concepts of visualisation, laws of attraction, alignment and meditation with great real world stories. She shares mantras and prayers that have worked for her, activities to get you started, and daily rituals to keep you on the right track. If you’re not afraid of a little woo-woo, this is a great place to start. (Her other books May Cause Miracles and Super Attractor are also awesome.)
10. The subtle art of not giving a f**k – Mark Manson
The author Mark Manson considers this book “an antidote to years of positive psychology and typical self-help books.” And in writing it, he’s written one of the best self-help books of all. His belief is that life struggles give it meaning and that there’s no point trying to be happy all the time. Strangely enough, this is one of the core tenets of optimism (as opposed to mindless positivity), which is exactly what we teach in the SuperLife program. Basically, his approach is about being realistic, accepting failure, and knowing how to say no. We’re including it because it’s an excellent counterpoint to positive psychology and helps to underpin our “optimism” approach – which differs significantly from sheer positivity in that it acknowledges that bad things happen. Worth a read!
(On this topic, there’s another book along a similar vein called The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k, by Sarah Knight, which is actually a completely different book that teaches you how to decide what you do and don’t care about and why decisions like this can change your life. It’s a good read for those who are feeling overwhelmed by the world.)
We hope you enjoy being part of the MasterFaster book club! Which book are you going to start reading first? Let us know!