Even though most of us try not to, we’re all guilty of comparing ourselves to others leading to negativity and low self-esteem. So, how to stop comparing yourself to others? Here are 5 effective strategies that will allow you to embrace yourself and stop comparison in your life.
Every now and then you find yourself going through a phase where you get sucked into a bad habit of comparing yourself to others.
You’ll look at their jobs, careers, their fancy Instagram posts, and their celebratory success posts on Facebook. You catch yourself thinking, “Why am I not doing that?” – and then quickly remember that you don’t even want to do what they’re doing.
It’s easy to do when everywhere you look people are telling you about their latest success or exciting adventure. It’s like you’re constantly being teased to do something else!
Due to social media, these get even worse. People posting about things they’re proud of or happy about – it’s there every right to share! But you as the audience have to remind yourself to approach these posts with a bit of perspective. You have to stop comparing yourself to others and start focusing on your own path.
The trick is to become more aware of when you’re doing these comparisons – and acknowledging them. Suppressing them or beating yourself up for making comparisons will only make it worse.
Once you’ve acknowledged that this is something that you’re doing, it’s time to play with these five strategies.
How To Stop Comparing Yourself To Others: 5 Ways
1. Connect with your real self – and love it.
Connect with yourself and love yourself – that’s when the magic happens. You are exactly who you are meant to be. You are perfect and amazing just the way you are. No one on this planet has ever been exactly like you, and no one in the future will ever be exactly like you.
You are completely unique just as you are, and your beliefs, abilities, and passions are there to form the unique you. Don’t let anyone else make you think otherwise. Don’t get tempted by who other people are, or how you think you’d like to be more like them. Focus on who you are, because no one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.
2. Say to yourself, “I am exactly where I am meant to be” – and believe it.
The universe knows exactly what you can handle and your intuition is subconsciously telling you that too – so trust that. Don’t think about where you aren’t yet or what you haven’t achieved yet. Become mindful of where you are right now and appreciate every bit of it.
3. Get a clear vision of where you want to go.
The clearer you are about where you want to go, the easier it is to let go of comparisons. You’ll be less affected by other people’s tempting success stories because you’ll know what they’re doing is not a part of the vision you have for yourself.
You’ll see their successes, celebrate them with them, and remind yourself of the next milestone you’re looking to reach in your life. Not their milestone. Your milestone.
4. Limit your time on social media (especially when you’re feeling low).
Social media makes social comparisons dangerously easy and if you’re feeling particularly stressed, tired, or low, you’ll be even more vulnerable to making these comparisons in a bad way.
Remind yourself that social media shows a very limited view of what’s going on in people’s lives – not their challenges but their successes, not their frustrations but their aspirations.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking their lives are perfect and that you’re doing something wrong because you haven’t got a hundred posts about your latest successes on your Facebook wall.
5. Don’t compare your life to others
Having people to look up to is amazing. But sometimes you forget how long and hard they’ve worked to get there. Remind yourself of where you are in your journey. Get inspired by your mentors, coaches, and the places you aspire to get to. And when you do, celebrate the hell out of it!
Now I’d love to hear from you. Have you got your own tips for dealing with comparisons and shutting them down? Please comment below and you’ll be helping others ditch the comparisons and focus on their visions.
Written by Susanna Halonen Originally appeared on The Happyologist blog
We’ve all read statuses we don’t particularly enjoy, but there are a few status-trends on Facebook that are universally awful. I’d like to shed some light on the statuses that should cease to exist. Immediately.
6 Most Annoying Facebook Status Updates:
1. The Cliff Hanger
“Ugh”, “FML”, “Days like these make me so depressed”
You obviously want people to ask what’s going on. About 5% of your Facebook friends will die from curiosity and cave in to ask what’s up, but the other 95% of us know you’re being intentionally vague for attention. It’s annoying. Stop.
2. The Shocker
“Going to the ER”, “Totaled my car”
If you’re going to the hospital or you have just been in an accident of some sort, you probably shouldn’t be making a status about it. This is not an appropriate way to tell your friends and family about something bad. If you’re well enough to post on fb, you can make a phone call.
“Omg I know you have your phone on you, bitches need to text back damn”, “Smh why do people have to talk about me behind my back SAY IT TO MY FACE.”
Why do you need to post it all over Facebook? These statuses are clearly directed at someone in particular. Talk to them. This is a waste of my news feed.
4. The Friend Dump
“Just cleaned out my friend list, if you’re reading this, congrats!”
Wow thanks, I’m so glad you kept me on your friend list so I can continue to read your pointless statuses. *Deletes*.
5. The Minute-to-Minute Update
“Going to bed”, “Time for a shower”, “Laundry is so boring”
No YOU are boring. What is the actual point of this? Who are you talking to? There is a reason you have zero likes on this status.
6. The Overly Hashtagged
“Going to the gym! #gym #lift #girlsthatlift #cardio #healthylife #getfit #getripped #strong #thebestihaveeverfeltinmylife”
Hashtags can be fun when used appropriately. This, on the other hand, is abuse. No one likes to try and pick out the words in a hashtag to figure out what it says. WhatifIwroteallmysentenceslikethisnowyouknowhowifeel.
If you’re guilty of posting any of these kinds of statuses, it’s okay. We all make mistakes. But now you know better.
This is how you will learn to put yourself first without having an awful feeling.
Lately, my husband has been diligently on rehabbing a business. Now, given the nature of my work, it’s location independence, and the fact that my schedule is fluid– I’ve been trying to help him out in any way I can. This has had its ups and downs, but I’ve noticed a real pattern with my own contributions.
A lot of emotional weirdness comes around while giving and receiving. One minute I feel generous and happy with my contributions and the next I feel resentful and withholding. As I’ve dug deeper to try and figure out why this is such a stubborn cycle, if you’ve ever felt generous then resentful, then back again, maybe you can relate.
As I’ve been trying to honor my own needs while being generous to my partner, I’ve noticed that there’s a monumental difference between making mindful sacrifices for the good of the whole in a relationship and sacrificing yourself. Often we’re prone to sacrificing ourselves for our relationships instead of giving to ourselves first and then, when we’ve filled our tank, extending outward.
We’re left with the feeling that we cheated ourselves out of our own time and attention that we so desperately needed. The sad part about this kind of over-giving is that sometimes we choose this as the DEFAULT position. We put others ahead of ourselves without even considering the cost or what we’re giving up.
It’s a little like an old-school scale (think gothic scales of justice). We put our effort and giving on one side of the scale and as it loads up and swings down lower and lower, we look around to see if anything is going on the other side of the scale to feed our own goals, dreams, and hopes.
We get stuck in a place of giving out and trusting that we’ll eventually get back, but the problem is that we often overlook the needs that we could easily meet ourselves. We skip right past making ourselves happy— perhaps because we feel selfish or like if we don’t spend our light helping everyone around us, things won’t get done. We give this labor away and what we’re left with is a cage of our own designs, a feeling of trapped that can only be gotten by intentionally giving our power away.
This is not to say that giving is bad, or that making sacrifices for the good of a whole is bad but allowing ourselves to pick ourselves last. That moment where we know that we would feel better if we honored ourselves but don’t take the opportunity. The twinge of guilt or shame that made us say yes when we should have said no. The moment where we know good and well that by putting someone else first, what we really want takes a back seat.
By doing this, we give up our power that we often don’t even realize that we’re doing it. Then we feel resentful and overextended. It FEELS LIKE we’re being taken advantage of.
It FEELS LIKE someone else is doing something to us, but we skip right over the fact that we gave when we shouldn’t have, we gave and it got out of hand, or we allowed a sweet-talking human to burrow inside our brain.
Or we felt guilt and shame about “not helping” or “not being a nice girl (or boy).” The thing is, that “nice person” inside our psyche sometimes desperately needs to grow up into a strong adult who has the right boundaries.
Why do we choose not to honor that is best for ourselves?
A subconscious fear runs through the spine that other people won’t like us. We mistakenly believe that we can win someone over by being completely selfless (after all, it works in the movies).
We fear that we’ll somehow revert to complete and utter selfishness and we’ll feel even worse than before we said no. Or we’ve so conditioned the people around us that they expect we’ll cater to them and when we don’t, they freak out. Or we finally say no and then beat ourselves up over the other person’s reaction.
Instead, I propose this: I think that when we honor who we truly are in our relationships, without the guilt, fear, and shame involved in over-giving, we’re infinitely more attractive than when we’re doing anything out of imagined obligation or fear.
I think we believe that we’ll somehow automatically cross over into jerky-bitch territory if we honor ourselves, but this is false. It might take a while for the other people in our lives to catch up and realize that we need to rebalance the scale, but if they truly love and accept us, it won’t be an impossible transition.
When you realize it’s time to honor yourself?
Since it’s so easy to fall into this trap, I created a model, who I like to think of as a version of my higher self. When I notice myself doing things I would rather not or twisting myself around instead of honoring my own needs, I think of her.
She is a strong, gorgeous woman who is known as generous and kind but puts herself first. She knows her worth and takes care of herself in all ways, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
She operates from an internal locus of control. Her basic standard mindset is valuable and worthy. She doesn’t allow other people’s drama to suck her in or make her feel poorly about herself. On the career front, she feels comfortable and safe accepting payment for her labor.
Giving and receiving are safe since she lives outside the realm of fear and guilt. She gives to others only when she truly wants to— and since her own emotional tank is full (she filled it first), this is quite often. She uses the word “no” liberally and appropriately.
As a result of these self-nurturing beliefs and behaviors, she’s free from resentment or anger about her contributions. There are no angry, “why aren’t you giving back?” moments from her since she simply removes, changes, or distances herself from situations and people that aren’t generous or kind to her. She is just as comfortable with receiving as she is giving.
Now, the further away from this higher self avatar that I actually get, the worse I feel—in both my work and personal life. If you’re feeling overextend too, why don’t you create your own version of your higher self?
What does giving to yourself actually feel like?
What does it feel like to honor your own wants first and then have the emotional resources to be generous with others?
What does it feel like to let go of fear and resentment?
Take the time to picture it vividly. Tell me your thoughts in the comment section below.
Life is challenging, but if you want to excel, you must learn important life lessons that will strengthen your spirit and allow you to overcome challenges. The things to learn in life are listed below!
It is true that we are never able to reclaim a lesson. We need to confront the reality, head-on. If we’ve allowed ourselves to be wild and free only then can we acquire life lessons that will guide us onto the path we must follow to thrive.
The saying goes that without hitting rock bottom, no lesson can ever be learned. The life cheat sheet is found right at the very bottom.
“In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson”
– Tom Bodett
What holds us back is fear. We are never willing to lose, we are looking forward to winning our life but only a few of us have taken back the lessons from our failures. We wish to abandon our experience of failure but the failure teaches us the most.
The key is to embrace our failures and learn to use it to our advantage.Failure is not about giving up, it’s about working your way up to the top with renewed motivation to win.
So what are some of the life lessons everyone should learn?
“People never learn anything by being told, they have to find out for themselves”
– Paulo Coelho
10 Important Life Lessons To Learn From Experiences
1. There are a few things we do in life because we love them
We devote time, energy, and passion to those activities that we love doing. Then there are tasks we must complete since it is our obligation and responsibility.
It’s important to strike a balance here. We all need to make money to live, but even if you don’t enjoy your job, you still need to break the monotony in order to work every day without getting exhausted. Only to make money isn’t the virtue.
You may give your life greater purpose if you can strike a healthy balance between your interests and your profession. When health, family, work, pleasure, and friends are maintained in a healthy balance, life flows more easily.
2. Analysis paralysis kills opportunities
Overanalyzing (or overthinking) an issue to the point that no choice is made or action is done ultimately disarms the result, it is known as “paralysis by analysis.”
This may have frequently occurred to you when you continuously weighed the advantages and disadvantages of a scenario before making a decision, which resulted in you missing out on opportunities.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone is necessary if you want to reach significant life milestones. Make it valuable by taking chances.
3. Self-fulfilling prophecy
The socio-psychological phenomenon known as a “self-fulfilling prophecy” is when someone “predicts” or “expects” something, and that “prediction” or “expectation” resurfaces only because that person believes it will, and their subsequent behaviors line up to materialize those beliefs.
Your attitude about life has a significant impact on how your life turns out. A positive outlook on life increases your chances of succeeding in life since your actions and behavior will be consistent with your ideas and beliefs.
4. Positive self-talk
“Positive self-talk” can help us sustain, recognize, and promote joy, hope, and fulfillment in our life. How? When we fill our thoughts with positive self-talk we provide ourselves the motivation to move forward in life.
Positive self-talk like “I can do this once I try.”, “I have the capacity to achieve more than this.” and “My life is better than most people out there.” When negative self-talk is replaced by meaningful positive self-talk, you will get the extra strength to conquer life.
Does it matter to you, whether or not other people approve of your actions, decisions, and words? Other people will function on their own decisions based on their own value system. Their value system might not align with your values and ideals.
Therefore, your life decisions are exclusively your own and do not depend on what other people think of them. It’s your life. Living in on terms of other people just to be validated and appreciated by them is utter foolishness.
6. Self-awareness
The lesson is to be self-aware and know your needs, wants and passions. Surround yourself with people who encourage and accept your individualism rather than promoting their ideas to you. When you keep yourself in a positive encouraging environment, you will be able to channelize your energy on self-growth.
Stay away from people who are self-boasting in nature and talk bad about other people at their backs. There is a high chance that these people also talk bad at your back.
7. Avoid Negative self-talk
Negative self-talk never takes you anywhere worthwhile. Negative self-talks are limiting in nature and always reflect your flaws and adversities and magnifies your negative aspects and overshadow your positive aspects.
The trick is to not to be fooled by negative self-talk like, “I cannot do this.”“I will never succeed in life.” and “Everyone is doing better than me.” This downplays your potential and blocks your success path.
Another lesson in life is to never stop learning. If you believe you know everything, you are doing nothing but limiting the expanse of your knowledge. Stay grounded and stay humble with your achievements.
Take each of your accomplishments as a stepping stone to ultimate success but never feel too boastful of your success or your status. Keep asking, be curious and seek answers until the end of your life.
9. Self-love
Self-love is more urgent and important than falling in love with someone else. Others will stay but if you cannot love those unlovable parts of yourself, you will never be able to truly fall in love with another separate individual.
Loving others start with oneself. Look within yourself, take a glimpse at the beautiful person that you are. Discover it, embrace it and fall in love with it. Others will start getting drawn to you when you exude positive energy and self-confidence.
Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. – Lucille Ball
10. Disconnect from toxic people who try to control your life
Do you still trust in yourself and receive support from others for your endeavors? Instead of following those who seek to bring you down, look for inspiration from those who have a good influence.
The main takeaway from this is to never let toxic individuals in your life force you to stop having great dreams. Disconnect from those that try to hijack your life, drag you down , or manipulate you. Live life outside of the ordinary and liberate yourself from these people’s control.
Love this article on learning lessons in life? Why not share with your close people?
No one can declare your feelings and emotions illegal or judge them unworthy. You feel what you feel.
And often there is a reason for these feelings and emotions.
Yes, they could be reactions to perceived danger or threat that may be imagined. Also, they could be reactions to your vulnerability to matters that arise from your own insecurities. But nonetheless, they are real, and no matter the reason, are issues, which need to be acknowledged. If not, well, don’t only look at your own life, take a look at the world.
In order to get along with another person, it means you must be able to co-exist in some degree of peace.
That means you are not fighting or fleeing one another. Since fight of flight always originates from perceived danger, threat, or vulnerability, it follows that the parties in the relationship can’t feel these things.
We see this playing out in history from time immemorial. But we need not look to history.
Look at the world today. Look at my country, the United States. Democrats feel threatened by Republicans, many African-Americans feel threatened by White Americans, the poor and middle class feel threatened by the wealthy. And naturally the inverse is the same. No one religion, race, ethnicity, gender, or socio-economic group corners the market on the automatic brain, our primitive nature; that is, in our ability to react to perceived danger, threat, or vulnerability by fighting or fleeing. This often shows itself in the basest human actions.
The longstanding Palestinian – Israeli conflict is a good example of this. Although certainly on the surface the issues are different, at its core the polarized support in this conflict reminds me of the trial of OJ Simpson or more recently George Zimmerman’s trial in the death of Trayvon Martin. The vast majority of African-Americans sided with Simpson and Martin; whereas White Americans did not. Neither side can believe how the other can feel the way they do. But, they do feel the way they do.
To be sure, there are times we must protect ourselves from the primitive brain of others. However, people feel the way they feel, whether you believe it is right or wrong.
The only way to get along is to acknowledge these feelings. The only other option is to reign superior and suppresses them—not a method that has worked too well in the past.
I suggest starting in the home, certainly if your relationships are not what you would like them to be. Here are 7 ground rules to begin an honest exchange of feelings, emotions, and beliefs.
7 Ways To Get Along with Someone:
1. Write how the other person(s) makes you feel.
2. Do not try to defend your feelings. Own them. You feel the way you do for a reason.
3. Don’t site any examples of what makes you feel this way.
4. Only write your feelings. Don’t project what you think the other feels. For example, “I feel you don’t care about our family.” Or, “I feel you don’t value privacy.”
5. Don’t judge (question) the other’s feelings and try to site examples, “How could you feel that way…I have done this…I have done that, etc…”
6. Be on the lookout for manipulation, from all parties. This is not a competition, but an open exchange. The exercise, itself, may cause one to feel vulnerable, triggering that automatic brain, leading to a fight or flight. This may result in one party trying to manipulate the other for the upper hand. Be aware of this and stop it!
7. Pretend I am in the room with you as an arbiter!
Acknowledgment of another’s feelings is the first step in leading to a long-lasting peaceful, happy, and secure relationship. It is impossible to achieve when both parties are in a full blown fight or flight reaction. However, the first chance you get, I suggest you sit down and do this. Be an example to your children, to your friends, your family, to the world. Then, maybe we actually will have a chance to get along, after all.
If you’re looking to do something fun, start by reading all the great books you may have missed out. We’ve complied a list of the most life changing novels to read.
“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”– William Styron
There are doors in our minds which can be opened by reading books. They allow us to travel distant lands and live an exciting life without even leaving the comfort of our homes.
When we read a book, we step into a different world and sometimes see the world through a fresh perspective. Whether it’s a tiny village in the eastern fields or magical lands of Narnia, we can go anywhere.
Books teach us so much about love, heartbreak, friendship and the human spirit. From top romance novels to best mystery novels, here are 25 picks of the best novels of all time for you to read.
25 Life Changing Novels To Read Once In Your Lifetime
1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Undoubtedly, one of the most life changing novels to read.
The Kite Runner is a narrative of an unexpected and difficult friendship between Amir, the son of a wealthy merchant, and Hassan, the son of his father’s servant, set against the shifting political environment of Afghanistan from the 1970s to the era following 9/11.
Hosseini shows us a world of everyday people who live, die, eat, worship, dream, and love in a manner that post-9/11 media coverage never could. It’s a tale about the decades-long shadows cast by family secrets, the undying love of friendship, and the transformational power of forgiveness.
The story of Annemarie Yohansen, a Danish girl growing up in World War II Copenhagen with her best friend Ellen, who happens to be Jewish, is told in this Newbery Award-winning novel. When Annemarie hears of the Nazis’ atrocities against Jews, she and her family would go to any length to protect Ellen and her parents, as well as countless other Jews.
Lowry’s work serves as a striking reminder that cultural and religious differences do not separate sincere friends, and that love shines even brighter against prejudice.
Jane Austen’s most celebrated novel and one of the must read books of all time, is more than a satire on the marriage market and the intrigues of polite society in 19th century England.
Pride and Prejudice is one of the most lasting works of English literature. The story is popular among readers because Austen frankly describes the human character in all of its beauty and flaws.
It is also about overcoming class distinctions, learning to laugh at life even when it’s completely unfair, and understanding that loving someone sometimes means accepting them for who they are.
Hinton wrote this book when she was 16 years old because she was frustrated with flowery romance novels. She wanted a story depicting the brutal truths of being an adolescent in America in the mid-twentieth century, but none existed, so she wrote one herself.
The story follows a group of rugged, teen boys on the streets of an Oklahoma town as they struggle to survive and keep together in the face of violence, peer pressure, , and shattered families.
Growing up is never easy, and sorrow, loss, friendship, and love are universal experiences that both establish and dissipate socioeconomic barriers.
Little Women, a well-written novel with distant and memorable characters, invites us into the comfortable and warm home of a 19th-century American family. Each character has certain traits that are unique, whether it’s Jo’s ambition, Meg’s temper, Amy’s playfulness, or Beth’s shyness.
This is a coming-of-age story that is about four sisters and their life story from girlhood to womanhood amidst Civil War America. They learn about the harsh realities of poverty, death, and falling in love. This is one of the most heart warming classic novels and one of the must read books of all time.
This story depicts the life of George Falconer, a middle-aged English professor who has recently lost his companion, Jim. As George fights his despair and wonders what the meaning of life is, he gradually discovers the gift of being alive, with all its hardships and successes, through a meal with his student.
Isherwood reminds us that every minute matters through a picture of a single day in a man’s life. His words will grab hold of you and urge you to face your fears.
This is a children’s classic about Wilber the pig and his host of friends in the barnyard. From Charlotte, the spider to Templeton the rat flings each one can talk. It leaves room for imagination to make us wonder what life would be like.
White’s novel is a lesson for children and a reminder for adults about the cycle of life, and the importance of nature’s beauty. This novel also challenges us to ask ourselves how we’d treat animals if they could tell us their joys and their fears, would people treat them more humanely?
This is one of the most life changing novels to read, and one, you should not miss out on. Set in the late-20th century in Germany, which boldly confronts the German national guilt over the war crimes of the Holocaust by the Nazis. It depicts an unusual relationship between a 15-year-old boy named Michael Berg and Hannah Schmitt, a 36-year-old tram operator who was also a former prison guard from Auschwitz.
As Michael teaches Hannah to read books, Hannah teaches Michael to read about the human character, and he comes to learn about the nuances between good and evil and living with the consequences of one’s choices. The Reader is a story about personal as well as national guilt, the consequences of keeping secrets, and about the power of redemption.
Bronte’s novel narrates the story of the struggles of a young girl who is try to make her name in this harsh world. She endures life as a poor orphan under deplorable conditions with her aunt. She lives in Lowood school to the and encounters dark secrets as a governess at Thornfield Hal, the home of Mr. Rochester an enigmatic and alluring man.
Jane is strong-willed and resilient and longs for the rights that were denied by Victorian England to women. She stands as a timeless example for women and young girls around the world that with determination anything is possible.
The End of the Affair by Graham Green is a timeless novel set in the turmoil of World War II, tells the story about a life-altering adulterous relationship between Maurice Bendrix and Sarah Miles.
It also talks about the personal battles in the subject of love, hate, guilt, and redemption. Maurice and Sarah remind us that sometimes the things we do for love can trigger a pull of events that determine our lives and future. This passionate and perilous journey about love teaches us a lesson that will last forever. Read to find out what it is!
This is one of the best novels of all time. Told from the point of view of Scout Finch, a 6-year-old, the story depicts the crisis in her hometown in Alabama when Thom Robinson, an African American is accused of raping a young white woman.
Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer who is appointed to represent Robinson. This novel is brutally honest and critically analyzes social issues of race, class, and sex at the sometimes the ironic injustice of the American legal system.
12. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter books are without a doubt, some of the most life changing novels to read. This series has some of the best novels of all time!
Are you a Potterhead? If not take a look at this book. Harry Potter has enchanted both children and adults. The story revolves around a downtrodden, emotionally neglected orphan who discovers that he’s a wizard and must go to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This ticks all the big boxes on must-read lists as it deals with friendship, the triumph of good over evil, magical beings, dark secrets and a reminder that sometimes the fiercest battles are the ones we fight within ourselves.
The Secret Garden is a timeless classic about the beauty of nature, the power of love, and a hint of magic. It is a children’s favorite pick and the story about tiny Mary Lennox, who goes to live in the English manor house of her reclusive uncle when her parents die of Cholera.
You’ll laugh and cry with Mary as she learns to love, trust, and reach outside herself to nurture the world around her as the Yorkshire sunshine softens her hard little heart and she befriends the animal charmer Dicken, her ill cousin Colin, and a myriad of lovely creatures.
14. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
One of the best novels of all time, it’s a must read novel about the human imagination, magic and adventure. It is set against the backdrop of World War II in England. The land of Narnia represents as a timeless hope for a better and brighter future.
The story is about siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy who slip into the magical land of Narnia, and befriend animals that talk. They battle the White Witch and discover the value of family and being brave.
When Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan, moves in with her middle-aged brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, she discovers that there was a misunderstanding and that they had intended to adopt a boy.
While this disaster throws Anne into a world where she fears rejection and being unloved, you’ll be rewarded in the end as her imagination and kind heart wins over everyone in her path. This is a touching story that serves as a painful reminder that things may not always go our way, but they may be the best thing that may happen to us.
One of the great books to read as a bibliophile, this is a must-read story about Rachel, she is the daughter of a Danish mother and a black father. Rachel is the lone survivor of a nine-story apartment building fall that kills her mother and younger brother. She is taken in by her black grandmother in a white-dominated area of Portland.
Rachel has the struggle of discovering what it means to be biracial in a black-and-white world because of her dark complexion and blue eyes (a white girl’s eyes in a black girl’s face). Duro has written a great work that examines America’s cultural construction of race and forces us to confront our own prejudices.
Bridget Jones, one of the most prevalent pop culture icons has been a symbol of womanhood all over the world. The novel is about her clumsy, self-deprecating life, dating, and dieting debacles, as she struggles with body image. Jones’ desire for financial independence and finding love resonates with readers all across the world.
This humorous and heartwarming novel offers a comical yet critical commentary on what it means to be a woman in today’s world and reminds women about standing up for themselves and loving themselves just as they are
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a well-known abolitionist tale that is a political and moralistic critique of American slavery. Stowe intertwines the tales of numerous slaves, including Eliza, who would go to any length to save her son from being sold to the meek.
The protagonist is Uncle Tom, a humble guy who carries his load calmly and quietly, serving his masters with steadfast honesty. He is a man who views freedom as a mental as well as physical state. This is a story about the human spirit’s perseverance and the moral need to fight for what is right.
Plath’s life is the inspiration for The Bell Jar, a frighteningly realistic novel. It follows the story of Esther Greenwood, a smart young woman who gets a summer job at a major New York magazine and learns that, rather than enjoying the glittering and glamorous New York lifestyle, she finds it rather terrifying and unsettling.
The Bell Jar is a realistic insight into the human psyche and shines light on the reality of mental illness, inspired by Plath’s own struggle with depression.
20. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
This is a classic Victorian children’s Fiction, about a eccentric tale which involves magic and mystery. The story is about Alice, who finds herself in an imaginary world after chasing a white rabbit that she sees while sitting quietly on the riverbank.
One of the best novels of all time, it will invite you take a dig into the rabbit hole and enter into a world of magical creatures, mushrooms that cause Alice to grow or shrink. This is not only a children’s delight but also interesting for adults who love too explore things that don’t make sense yet are intriguing.
One of the most life changing novels to read, the story is about a titular character, Dorian Gray, who is the subject of a portrait by painter Basil Hallward. He enamors the beauty of Dorian in the painting. Dorian wishes to sell his soul for beauty and youth, knowing that it may fade away. Dorian’s wish is granted and he grows beautiful day by day but on the other hand his painting mysteriously becomes monstrous.
Wilde’s novel challenges us acknowledge the darker side of human nature and o look within ourselves. How we struggle between good and evil each day and what choices we make of it.
22. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie presents us a mystery that blurs the lines between legal and moral justice, with her customary flair for intrigue. The opulent Orient Express is stalled in a snowdrift in the dead of night in one of Christie’s most riveting mysteries.
The next morning, a cranky, unlikable American passenger is found stabbed twelve times with his door shut. Only the other passengers may have been the killer, with an outside job being extremely unlikely due to the snowstorm. As Detective Hercule Poirot investigates, a complicated story emerges around the dead man, with each passenger revealing a link to him.
Translated from French to English, The Little Prince is the tale of a little boy who falls on Earth from an Asteroid who is visiting several other asteroids in order to understand mankind. In his voyage he meets a series of strange and amusing characters, like a king who has no subjects, a drunkard who drinks to forget his miseries and the shame being a drunkard, and an untamed fox.
The Little Prince is an allegory about man and his foolishness or tendencies toward self-destruction through violence. But that’s not it, this is also a heartwarming tale of the power of friendship and trust
The Fault in Our Stars is a gripping and moving story about Hazel, a cancer-stricken teen, and the other teens in her cancer support group. Readers come to appreciate the fragility of life through these young voices whose lives are both burning with intensity and flickering on the verge of dying as they share their fears and joys together.
Green evokes the agony of terminal sickness with sensitivity and remarkable realism, reminding us that love, friendship, and faith transcend all, including death itself. Even though it’s going to break your heart in a million pieces, this is one of the most life changing novels to read.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classic novel about magic and adventure. It tells us the story about a little girl Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto who are caught up in a cyclone and carried away from their farm in Kansas to the magical land of Oz. They meet a few characters like the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man.
They take a journey together to the Emerald City in a quest for home and to meet the celebrated Wizard. This heart-warming novel talks about friendship, bravery, and never forgetting that home is where your heart is.
Now since we are already talking about life-changing books, allow us to introduce another book that will be nothing short of eye-opening. Even though it’s a non-fiction book, it’s an important one. Trust us on that.
Toxic Love Disorder
Toxic Love Disorder, our latest creation is out now on Amazon that talks in detail about everything related to abuse and abusive relationships.
It’s the perfect handbook for anyone who is struggling to get out of a toxic and manipulative relationship, and this book also sheds light on people who only want to harm and hurt others. It’s a goldmine of information for anyone that is in a romantic relationship, or even people who want to know more about how negative people think and work.
Love sure is intoxicating and how! Order your now copy now and open the doors to empowerment!
So which among these must read books of all time is your favourite? Share your answer in the comments below!
