I’m going to preface this post by letting you know right away that I am an audiobook-loving girl. So, I did not read any of these books in the traditional sense, but I loved all of them on audio.

Learning about other people’s experiences is such a fantastic tool for helping ourselves build confidence. If someone else struggled with the same lack of confidence as us, but they were able to conquer it, then that’s hard evidence that it can be done.

All these books helped encourage me on my confidence-building journey and kept me motivated to achieve my goals. I became empowered through their words and stories. I started to feel if they can do it, then I can too.

These are books I personally enjoyed and would read again. They might not be for everyone and that’s okay. But if you’re looking for a little inspiration, one of these books might be the thing that helps you get going and stay going.

So whether you’re an audiobook reader like me or a kindle reader or an old school paperback reader, give one of these books a try and let their stories inspire you.

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1. Believe it by Jamie Kern Lima: First off, let me tell you I listened to this whole audiobook in one day. Jamie Kern Lima is so inspirational. She had her own skin problems and set out to solve the issue for other women by creating her own makeup line, IT cosmetics. She then worked her ass off for years to get her company to become the massive success it is, all while dealing with her own personal heartbreaks and setbacks. This book is a beautiful dose of inspiration reminding us that we can truly do anything if we believe it in strongly enough and are willing to put in some elbow grease. Even when times are hard and maybe we don’t feel super confident, we can still take action which lead us back to confidence.

2. Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo: Marie Forleo is great for when you need a swift kick in the pants to get started on the project you’ve been dreaming of. Marie is all about taking action. She is firm believer in that clarity comes from action. You don’t have to feel confident or motivated to start creating something you’ve been thinking about. You just have to take the first step, and your confidence will build as you figure it out. It might not be an easy journey, but Marie teaches us that everything is figureoutable.

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3. Atomic Habits by James Clear: What I loved about this book, is that James Clear doesn’t write about taking huge, massive leaps of faith. He’s all about small, consistent habits. Instead of saying you wish you read more, just read one page a day and get into the habit of it. He does a great job of taking the fear out of working towards big goals by breaking them down into teeny, tiny habits. And again, confidence will increase when you take action even if it’s small and you start to see the payoff happening.

4. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert: If you’re like me and are maybe afraid sometimes that your creative work is not good enough to be seen by others, then this book is for you. Elizabeth Gilbert, also the author of Eat Pray Love, teaches us in Big Magic that creativity is just that. It’s magic. It’s not scary or daunting. It’s fun. And as long as we’re creating, then that’s good enough. Most of us put a lot of pressure on ourselves and let that fear stop us from ever creating. Big Magic reminds us we don’t have to be confident in our creativity to still be creative. We build confidence by working on and creating something even if it’s just for ourselves.

Read More: 33 Empowering Affirmations to Boost Self-Confidence and How to Use Them

5. Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King: To stay it bluntly, Vex King had a rough upbringing, but he didn’t let that stop him from becoming not only successful but also at peace and in alignment. It was an uphill battle, but by gaining more knowledge in the areas of mindfulness, manifestation, and meditation Vex King was slowly able to transform his life and become more confident. By incorporating more mindfulness into our daily lives, our confidence in ourselves will grow.

6. The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks (Bonus Book: Five Wishes): Gay Hendricks is a psychologist who has written several books. This one is my personal favorite by him. Most of us are self-sabotagers even if we don’t know we are. When something is going well in our lives, we might then set a bomb off in another area of our life. For example, if your business is becoming more successful, you might start picking fights with your spouse. It’s hard for many of us to accept that good things can happen to us. Gay Hendricks teaches us about our upper limit and how we can expand that upper limit to allow more good things to happen to us without ruining something else. (Also check out his short book Five Wishes, to gain clarity on what’s really important to you and how to take steps towards those goals.)

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7. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker: This is a short and sweet book about changing our mindset around money, an area that a lot of us struggle to have confidence in. Harv Eker shows us how we can expand that mindset and become more confident in our abilities to not only gain wealth but keep it. He’s full of energy and he tries to make it fun. He also shares his own personal struggles and he built confidence and overcame those struggles.

8. Educated by Tara Westover: Growing up we all think our childhoods are normal because it’s what we’re used to. Tara Westover had an interesting childhood. She was discouraged from learning by her family and kept from schools. But that didn’t stop her from eventually going on to earn a PhD. She struggled to gain confidence in the world of academia especially since she didn’t attend high school. But she forced herself to continue the difficult journey and started to gain more confidence in her abilities and her intellect. This is an unbelievably inspiring story!

Read More: How Taking Drawing Lessons Improved My Overall Confidence

9. So Close to Being the Shit, Ya’ll Don’t Even Know by Retta: For all the Parks and Rec fans, this book is for you. I love Retta, I think she’s hilarious. But her book is not only funny, it’s also motivational. She deviated from her plan of becoming a doctor and instead pursued the daunting career of acting and comedy. While she landed several great roles, she also turned down one amazing role due to fear. She reminds us that even if we’re intimidated or afraid to still take the opportunity so we don’t regret it later. Our confidence will come as we push ourselves outside of our comfort zones and take opportunities even when we don’t feel ready.

10. And 11. Talking as Fast as I Can and Have I Told You this Already? By Lauren Graham: These next two books are for my Gilmore Girls fans. I adore Lauren Graham, as most of us do. I love her as an actor but also as an author. Her books are motivational and inspirational. She writes about her setbacks both professionally and personally. She waited tables while auditioning for roles, she struggled with doing things on her own timelines not others, and she also had to accept some hard truths. She discusses all of this in a very Lorelai Gilmore fun and casual way. I’ve read both books twice and I always get something out of them.

Building confidence is not easy. But we can take comfort in knowing we are not alone on this journey. Others have walked this treacherous trail and came out on the other side successful and confident. If they can do it, so can you. Even if you take one small step a day. It’s all about progress.

Go to your local library or download one of these books and let me know what you get from it. I’d love to hear how the book impacted you and how your confidence journey is going. And if you’ve already read one of the books listed above let me know what you thought of it in the comments below!