Books can be a powerful tool. Since books can teach us things we didn't know, provide us a lens into someone else's world, and ignite a passion within us. Therefore, authors can become our mentors, teachers, and even our friends.

Below is a list of inspiring books that I recommend reading. These five books will teach you invaluable life and business lessons. I strongly believe that each of these inspiring books will hold individual nuggets of wisdom for you, regardless of where you currently are in life.

1. Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life by Humble the Poet

Humble the Poet writes in very short two-to-three-page chapters, making the book an easy read. He purposely designed the book to be read in any order that the reader would like (back to front, front to back, skipping through chapters, etc..). As a result, the scope of the lessons in this book is very diverse. Therefore, regardless of your current life stage, something will resonate with you.

A few standout simple truths of this inspiring book includes:

“Life doesn’t start after the obstacles; life is the obstacles.” – Humble the Poet

“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great”- Les Brown

“Once words go out into the universe, they take a meaning of their own, unique to those individuals who read them.” – Humble the Poet

Use Humble the Poet's words to push you, motivate you, and help you to reset your focus. It's an incredible book to pick up, read, and re-read depending on what roadblocks you hit. You'll learn something different that will resonate with you each time you pick up this book.

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2. Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence by Gary Mack with David Casstevens

Mind Gym is a sports psychology book. Mack will teach you that the biggest differentiation factor between high performing individuals is psychology. Athletes at this level all have talent, skills, and the foundation behind them. Therefore, making psychology- how they act and react- the most import thing.

A standout lesson from Mind Gym is:

Athletes refer to their “zone” when they fully focused on the game, there are no outside distractions, everything is happening as it should. Specifically, the issue is that we often lose that zone. Mack explains that the zone is lost as a result of outside pressures that we place on ourselves. Oftentimes it’s the result of anxiety about the future and the past. Furthermore, anxiety causes a chain reaction in which our bodies react to protect us which comes out in changes in breath and muscle tightness.

Each chapter ends with mini exercises designed for readers to apply the lesson that was taught in the chapter. You can use Mind Gym to dive into psychology and gain a better understanding of the cause and effect of our mind and body.

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3. The School of Greatness: A Real-World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy by Lewis Howes

I'm a big, big Lewis Howes fan. In his podcast, Howes interviews “experts” including best selling authors, entrepreneurs, athletes, business people, and more. This book is a compilation of the valuable lessons that he learned through these interviews.

The best lesson that I’ve taken from Howes is:

“Surround yourself with greatness.”

Howes stresses the importance of connecting with people and the power that your network can provide. A network provides you with a support system, teachers, and soundboards (all of which are super important for entrepreneurs). Each chapter ends with exercises designed to get readers writing their goals, owning their dreams, creating plans of actions and follow-through plans.

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4. Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless from the First Woman to Coach in the NFL by Dr. Jen Welter with Stephanie Krikorian

Dr. Jen Welter – seriously such a BossBabe. She was the first female to coach in the NFL (arguably one of the biggest boy clubs). The inspiring book is a raw depiction of everything that Dr. Jen has gone through- breaking the ceiling, the struggles to achieve her goals, the constant grind, and questioning herself. Play Big is filled with lessons and wisdom learned from her experiences.

Since I can’t write down the entire book, here are a few tidbits from it that I love:

“Trust your gut, allow yourself to dream.” – Dr. Jen Welter
“The road to success is paved with sacrifice.” – Dr. Jen Welter
“Be an and, not an or.” – Dr. Jen Welter

I love learning from females who unapologetically share themselves and their stories, leaving everything on the ground. Dr. Jen explains people relate to the unpolished side of your journey. Therefore, it's a disservice to hide that side of your story. Another powerful lesson in this book is for females to be juxtapositions of things. Too often we're taught to categorize ourselves, conforming ourselves to being just one thing. This is one of my favorite inspiring books that is sure to ignite a fire within you.

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5. Leave your Mark: Land Your Dream Job. Kill It In Your Career. Rock Social Media by Aliza Licht

Aliza Licht: social media and fashion icon. The ultimate PR woman. Licht provides numerous business lessons through her stories, tips, and exercises to complete. Licht  walks readers through the entire course of their careers.

Some of the most resonating lessons include:

“If you can’t nail your dream job right off the bat, try and work in the opposite job (in the same industry). This will allow you to see the job you ultimately want from the opposite vantage point.”

“The more accessible you are, the more indispensable you are.”

She'll take you through everything that she's learned, which will help readers to avoid making the same mistakes. Leave your Mark will be a valuable book to re-read as you progress through your career.

These books will provide you with numerous lessons that can be applied to both business and personal life. What are some of the books that resonate the most with you in your current BossBabe phase?

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Related Read: 20 Inspiring Books For Female Entrepreneurs