25 Best Books For Men About Self Improvement and Self Awareness

Best Books For Men About Self Improvement In Life and Career.

Amazing books for men that will help you become the man you were meant to be.

Sometimes life as a man isn’t easy. 

We try to have traits that appeal to those we want to attract. 

We try our best to:

• look good
• be funny
• sensitive
• talented

If none of the above, we try to project our success, show our good pedigree, smarts, and sexual abilities. 

Most men have a combination of these traits in their arsenal to illustrate their sociability and confidence.

These twenty-five books illustrate the insight to be the man I think I am.

They will also help you discover who you want to be, what is holding you back, and help you create a path forward.

Best Books For Men About Self Improvement

25. Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, by Spencer Johnson

Using a simple parable, Who Moved My Cheese? explores how to handle change so that you enjoy less stress and more success in your work and your life.

The book seeks to help the reader discover how to embrace change to positively impact all aspects of life.

24. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren

This book will help you know your purpose so you can focus, simplify your life, increase your motivation, and prepare for eternity.

It seeks to help the reader find answers to three of life’s most important questions:

• Why am I alive?
• Does my life matter?
• What on earth am I here for?

23. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg

In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explores why habits exist and how they can be changed.

Consider this book if you want to discover how you can change your life by changing your habits.

22. Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life, by Henry Cloud & John Townsend

This book is an essential guide for setting boundaries in today’s digital age.

The author shows you how to set healthy boundaries with your spouse, children, friends, coworkers, and even with yourself.

21. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Joseph Murphy

In The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Dr. Joseph Murphy suggests practical techniques to change your destiny using the power of your conscious and subconscious minds.

20. The Mask of Masculinity: How Men Can Embrace Vulnerability, Create Strong Relationships, and Live Their Fullest Lives, by Lewis Howes

In The Mask of Masculinity, Lewis Howes teaches men about self-discovery and how to tear those masks that keep them from living their life and authentically connecting with others.

19. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life,  by Mark Manson

In this New York Times Bestseller, superstar blogger Mark Manson cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be “positive” all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

He argues that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to stomach lemons better.

Best books for men

18. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World, by William H. McRaven

Make Your Bed is based on the incredible graduation speech on May 17, 2014, by Admiral William H. McRaven to the University of Texas graduating class at Austin on their Commencement day.

The author recounts tales from his own life and from those of people he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honor, and courage.

17. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, by Jen Sincero

In You Are a Badass, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, helps you identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want.

The book will help you understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can’t change and how to change what you don’t love.

16. Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life, by Gary John Bishop

Unfu*k Yourself is a refreshing, no BS, self-empowerment guide that offers an honest and no-nonsense approach to help you move past self-imposed limitations.

A great book for anyone feeling like a f*ck up.

15. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael A. Singer

The Untethered Soul, seeks to help the reader free themselves from limitations and soar beyond their boundaries.

It aims to help you find inner peace and serenity to have more meaningful relationships with yourself and the world around you.

14. The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential, by John C. Maxwell

In this book, John Maxwell teaches you what it takes to reach your potential.

He explores the tried-and-true principles that can help you achieve personal growth.

13. Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!  by Tony Robbins

In this classic, Tony Robbins explains how your mind, body, and spiritual states should all be united and conditioned regularly.

Condition yourself, develop a system to face adversity, and continuously work on improving yourself.

Best Books For Men

12. The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge, by Tony Dungy

In this book, Super Bowl-winning former head coach Tony Dungy reflects on living an “uncommon life” of integrity, honoring your family and friends, and creating a life of real significance and impact.

11. Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl

In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl describes life in the Nazi death camps and the spiritual lessons we can derive.

It is based on his experience in the concentration camps and the experience of others he treated later in his practice.

10. 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

As much as I hate to admit it, The 1983 Movie “Scarface” made a huge impression on me. 

In it, Tony Montana (Al Pacino) states the steps for success in America.

“In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.”  

48 Laws of Power will prepare you for the challenge ahead.

Also, read these 48 Laws of Power quotes that will lead you to success.

9. Meditations on first philosophy by Rene Descartes

My day begins by meditating at 4:15 am, from 22 minutes to 70 minutes. 

This allows me to connect internally, be grateful, forgive all and myself, visualize my perfect future, and see myself today doing things to reach my perfect future and blessings.

Meditation on first philosophy by Rene Descartes is an ideal blueprint for testing your intellectual boundaries. 

This is clear by Descartes’s quote, “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.”

8. Walden by Henry David Thoreau

The utilitarian in me gravitates to Walden to help heighten my awareness of things I have to be grateful for. 

Disconnect from a world of so many distractions and embrace the now!

7. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Living in the 1970s & 80s in The Bronx, New York, I grew up a Latino male witnessing a fair share of hardship stories regarding people making ends meet.

Being egocentric back then, I felt only those around me and myself had it tough while the rest of the world had it easy. 

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair illustrates the universal struggle and made me more receptive to people of different ethnicities outside my own.

Best Books For Men About Life and Love

6. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

Despite going to college for 4 years for business, reading scores of business journal subscriptions, and being an avid reader of HBR (Harvard Business Review) papers, my mother gave me the best advice I’ve ever received.

She said, “if you can learn from your own mistakes, good; if you can learn from the mistakes of others, better!”

The Prince by Machiavelli offers a buffet of lessons through the mistakes of others.

5. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Read Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers if you think outside the box and seek comfort through explanation.

Best books for men to make you better

4. Siddharta by Herman Hesse

We wear many hats and play many roles in our life’s journey. 

I try to read Siddhartha once a year to gauge if my life aligns with the person I want to be.

3. The Master Key System by Charles Haanel

If you want to know where the author of “The Secret” got his inspiration, read The Master Key System. 

Once you realize “we are spirits with bodies, not bodies with spirits, you’ll be able to be what you will to be.”

2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I highly recommend reading The Alchemist to anyone not happy with their profession. 

Arm yourself with the knowledge and confidence to chase your dream without a safety net.

1b. 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

It’s all in the title!

1a. Manual For Living by Epictetus

See yourself as a kid playing with another boy and a girl. 

The three of you grow up as friends, and despite your friend’s shortcomings, 15 years later, they fall in love and get married.

In time (with your love and support from the sidelines), your two friends start a family and navigate parenting with the best intentions through trial and error.

This imagined couple is how I view my parents when we disagree. 

In moments like these, I listen to my Manual For Living audiobook to help me self reflex and continue being the good son.

Which one of these best books for men will you read next?

We hope the books above will help you create your own life plan and do the things needed to improve your life.

Keep learning and growing to accomplish your goals and improve your life.

(And here are the best blogs for men for additional reading.)

Which one of these best books for men will you read next?

What other books for men should we add to the list?

Tell us in the comment section below.