u/BTCdad77

Not advertising these but these are the books that totally helped me shift my mindset. I see people here asking all the time what books actually can help and the field is so crowded with AI slop or 50 page books regurgitating the same nonsense finding a decent one can seem impossible.

Here’s my personal top 11:

1. Atomic Habits - James Clear The clearest, most practical guide to building better systems. Shows how tiny daily improvements compound into massive change over time. Willpower is overrated; good systems win.
2. Mindset - Carol S. Dweck The definitive book on growth vs. fixed mindset. Once this clicks, failure stops feeling like a verdict and starts feeling like useful feedback. Foundational for almost every other area of self-improvement.
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey A timeless operating system for life. Covers prioritization, proactive thinking, and character in a way that still feels fresh decades later. Extremely practical.
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie The gold standard on human connection. Simple principles that make relationships smoother and more genuine. Still one of the highest-ROI books you can read.
5. Grit - Angela Duckworth Passion combined with long-term perseverance beats raw talent more often than people admit. Excellent for building the mental toughness required to stick with hard goals.
6. Deep Work - Cal Newport In an age of constant distraction, the ability to focus intensely is a rare and valuable skill. This book will make you far more protective of your attention and time.
7. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman A masterclass in how your mind actually works — and how it systematically fools you. Improves decision-making more than almost any other single book.
8. Man’s Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl Written by a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist. Offers profound perspective on suffering, purpose, and the freedom to choose your attitude no matter the circumstances.
9. The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg Explains the science of habit loops in a clear, story-driven way. Pairs perfectly with Atomic Habits and helps you understand why habits form and how to change them.
10. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson Refreshingly honest and counterintuitive. Teaches you to stop wasting energy on things that don’t matter and focus on what actually does. A modern classic for a reason.
11. Meditations - Marcus Aurelius The private reflections of a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher. Short, powerful reminders on resilience, self-discipline, perspective, and accepting what you can’t control. Still one of the most grounding books ever written.
12. Burn the F*cking Rule Book - L.M. Seer takes a different approach by showing the reader all the ways they have been pre-programmed to be average and then proceeds to build the mindset shift finally leading to the actions of building wealth, health and an unbreakable mindset.
13. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins – One of the most intense self-improvement books I’ve ever read. This guy's mind frame cannot be shattered.

These are books that helped me. What’s one book that made the biggest difference for you? Any titles you think should have made the list?

I keep watching people on here every day complaining that options are so hard and they keep losing money so maybe this post can help some of ya'll out.

For one, DON'T trade options if you have no idea what you're doing. Take some time and learn the fundamentals. There are fantastic ebooks on this that aren't AI SLOP, or resources online which can help you actually understand things like the Greeks, hedging, liquidity, algo etc. that you NEED to know before trading options or else you're just gambling.

Two, stop playing options if you can't afford to lose the money or don't have the mental state required to trade options successfully. If you're scared to lose money and panicky in general - this isn't for you.

Three, if you don't actually know what you're doing - put your phone down and learn paper trading and not in a cash account.

Please learn the fundamentals, position sizing and everything else before you trade live. And please stop crying about losses and asking others for advice. Only you are in charge of your account. The casino isn't for everyone.