6 Books to Read for a Better, More Fulfilling Career

hand holding books for a better career

Sometimes all it takes for a little push in your career is reading a few encouraging words. Like to read? There are plenty of options to choose from if you’re looking for a little inspiration to propel your career onto a successful path. Here are six books to read for a better, more fulfilling career.

1. The Right — and Wrong — Stuff: How Brilliant Careers Are Made and Unmade

When you read Carter Cast’s words, it feels like you’re chatting with an experienced and supportive mentor. Cast — an entrepreneur, former CEO, of Walmart, and professor — really puts an emphasis on dodging the things that can negatively affect or limit a career. His “Derailer Assessment” was developed and tested with MBA and executive students at the Kellogg School of Management to understand the traits and characteristics that can hold you back.

2. Organize Tomorrow Today: 8 Ways to Retrain Your Mind to Optimize Performance at Work and in Life

This book has plenty of sports analogies and anecdotes relating to male professionals, but it is great for anyone and everyone to read. It offers excellent organizational strategies that will help you prioritize and it contains a very useful section on communication.

3. Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness

Work is so much more fun when you actually love what you do. This guide written by Kerry Hannon will help transform your current career into something you find meaningful. If you are struggling to get through each day, the tips from this book can help you adjust your habits and your outlook on your job so that you can start to love your career again.

4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This book was originally published nearly 30 years ago, but it still continues to sell. It’s a book that touches on your life at work and your personal life. It isn’t a quick-fix, how-to book, but it will help you alter your perception of how the world works, giving you new insight into how to achieve more with this knowledge.

5. Moving the Needle: Get Clear, Get Free, and Get Going in Your Career, Business, and Life

If you feel stuck in your career and are craving more meaning, this is the book for you. Joe Sweeney provides a detailed system for people who are feeling stuck and want to make a change. This is actionable advice that can be useful in both your work and personal life.

6. Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

Arianna Huffington reminds us all in this book that there is so much more to life than a paycheck. The constant need for more is a one-way ticket to burning out in our careers quickly. This book helps encourage self-care in your daily life and, bonus — she shares personal stories about her own struggles with prioritizing her career and personal life, which is something we all struggle with. If you’re looking for a better work-life balance, let this book be a solid guide for you to achieve this.

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