5 Books for a Positive Mindset

When I was a teenager, I started reading books for a positive mindset, and these books changed my life in profound ways. In this article, I share five of the best positive thinking books that shaped my work in Creative Insecurity.

First, a little backstory. Shortly after I turned 16, I got an after-school job making deliveries throughout a hospital in San Diego. As I made my rounds, I saw much that troubled me about hospitals. At the same time, I was walking around the hospital while repeating aphorisms in my mind. These came from the positive thinking books I was reading at home. The words in those self-help books helped change the trajectory of my life because they validated my belief in what I could do. Even at that young age, I already had a vision for my future. I knew I wanted to do something to fix what was wrong with hospitals. And that is precisely what I did. (You can read more about my journey starting healthcare companies here). 

At this blessed phase in my life, I wanted to write a book on success principles that would share what I have learned along my entrepreneurship journey of starting fourteen companies. It is my fondest hope that Creative Insecurity will help even one person find success by seeing what you are capable of in the same way that other authors did for me. 

What are the best books for a positive mindset? Here are three favorites. 

1. The Power of Positive Thinking

As a young man, I devoured The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and latched onto his advice: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” That idea impacted me and made me have a positive mindset. They helped shape my philosophy that entrepreneurs should seek the biggest ideas possible. I now believe that “It takes as much time to do a big idea as a small one.” The Power of Positive Thinking helped plant that seed. Pick a goal worthy of your talents—shoot for the moon.

2. Think and Grow Rich

I also internalized principles from Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. He famously wrote, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Hill is among the foremost authors in the positive thinking space, and I am greatly indebted to him. When you start with a positive vision, you have a roadmap for where you want to go. Great leaders have this kind of positive vision. 

3. Grit, by Angela Duckworth

 A recent book added research behind my belief that successful people have “the no-quit gene.” That is a synonym for Grit. Here is one excerpt from our book, Creative Insecurity, which references Duckworth’s findings in her book Grit: 

“Since I was a teenager, I have maintained a lifelong practice of repeating aphorisms and positively visualizing an outcome. Cynical people may reject these ideas as trite, but empirical evidence shows it works. Angela Duckworth cites studies done on animals and meta-analyses of studies about human behavior. This research shows that people who believe they have control over their development try harder and are more persistent than those who see their traits as genetic. Her findings make sense. If you believe you may eventually find a solution, you’ll be motivated to keep looking. But if you think there is no point, you will almost certainly give up, guaranteeing you won’t find a way.” 

4. How Will You Measure Your Life

Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen is best known for his groundbreaking book, The Innovator’s Dilemma, which helps people understand the role of disruptive innovation across industries. That is an essential book for any leader or entrepreneur, but here I want to talk about Christensen’s success principles for life. He was a good friend of mine and one the best men I have ever known. He was extraordinarily intelligent but also the very embodiment of humility. His other book, How Will You Measure Your Life,challenges each of us to imagine the end of our time on Earth and then work backward from the outcome we want. When he passed away in 2020, I doubt Clayton had many regrets. He had lived an exemplary life that was an inspiration to me. I hope his book inspires you.

5. The Cleveland Clinic Way

Another exceptional book is The Cleveland Clinic Way, written by Toby Cosgrove. He is the former CEO of the Cleveland Clinic. Cosgrove’s life is one of beating the odds as he overcame dyslexia and other setbacks to become a world-renowned heart surgeon. He also served as CEO of the second-most prestigious healthcare system in the world. It is an institution known for innovation. One quote says, “The enemies of innovation are powerful. One of the most insidious is an excessive reverence for tradition.” Under Cosgrove’s leadership, they did away with traditions such as physician parking and visiting hours, thus allowing families to visit when they can. He credits Cleveland Clinic for being an organization that has “a high tolerance for renegades.” 

I hope you get as much out of these positive mindset books as I have. 

P.S. It was hard to pick just five of my favorite books for this short post because my bibliography references more than eighty other books on success, leadership, and entrepreneurship. I am indebted to many authors for influencing my life and making my book better. 

By James M. Sweeney