30 Best Self Help Books for Confidence in 2026
If there’s one goal I think everyone should have for 2026, it’s confidence.
Not fake confidence. Not loud confidence. But that quiet, grounded self-belief that changes how you move through the world.
Because when your confidence improves, everything else follows.
You attract better opportunities. Your relationships improve. You take more aligned risks. Your self-image shifts. Your self-concept rises.
And suddenly life feels lighter. Not because it’s perfect, but because you trust yourself to handle it.
Self help books are one of my favourite places to start when it comes to confidence. They give language to things you’ve felt but couldn’t articulate, and they gently start loosening the subconscious beliefs that say “I’m not enough” or “I’m just not that kind of person.”
That said, and this is important, reading alone isn’t what creates deep confidence. The real shift happens when you reframe the subconscious beliefs shaping how you see yourself. That’s exactly why I pair reading with belief work like The Elevate Method, which is designed to change confidence at the identity level, not just the mindset level.
But first… let’s talk books.
Here are 30 of the best self-help books for confidence, all available on Amazon, and all genuinely worth your time.
This post contains affiliate links.
1. The Confidence Code: Katty Kay & Claire Shipman
This book breaks down confidence from a psychological and behavioural perspective, especially for women. It’s reassuring, science-backed, and makes you realise confidence isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you build.
2. You Are a Badass: Jen Sincero
Fun, punchy, and motivating in the best way. This one is great if your confidence issues come with a side of self-doubt and fear of going after what you really want.
3. Atomic Habits: James Clear
Not a confidence book on the surface, but secretly one of the best. Confidence grows when you, trust yourself and this book shows you how to build that trust through small, consistent wins.
4. The Gifts of Imperfection: Brené Brown
A beautiful read if your confidence struggles are rooted in shame or perfectionism. It gently teaches you how to accept yourself without needing to “fix” everything first.
5. Mindset: Carol S. Dweck
This book explains why confidence isn’t about talent, but about how you interpret setbacks. If you give up on yourself quickly, this one will change how you see failure.
6. Untamed: Glennon Doyle
More memoir than textbook, but incredibly empowering. It reminds you how much confidence comes from being honest with yourself, and brave enough to live accordingly.
7. The Mountain Is You: Brianna Wiest
Perfect if your confidence issues show up as self-sabotage. It helps you understand why you get in your own way, which is the first step to stopping.
8. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway: Susan Jeffers
A classic for a reason. This book reframes fear as something you don’t eliminate, but learn to move with, which is huge for confidence.
9. Daring Greatly: Brené Brown
If vulnerability terrifies you, this is a must-read. It shows how confidence isn’t about armour, it’s about courage.
10. The Courage to Be Disliked: Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
A philosophical but surprisingly practical book that challenges people-pleasing and approval-seeking. Life-changing if your confidence depends on what others think.
At this point, I want to gently remind you of something important:
If confidence has never felt natural to you, that’s not because you’re broken; it’s because your subconscious learned early on who it was “safe” to be. Reading helps bring awareness, but rewiring those beliefs is what creates lasting confidence.
That’s the difference between feeling inspired for a week and feeling changed for years.
11. Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It: Kamal Ravikant
Short, powerful, and surprisingly emotional. This book focuses on self-talk and self-relationship — two huge pillars of confidence.
12. The Four Agreements: Don Miguel Ruiz
Simple principles, massive impact. Especially helpful if your confidence is affected by overthinking, comparison, or taking things personally.
13. Big Magic: Elizabeth Gilbert
This one is brilliant if your lack of confidence stops you from creating, sharing, or being seen. It reframes fear in a way that feels compassionate, not forceful.
14. Psycho-Cybernetics : Maxwell Maltz
An old-school classic about self-image, and still incredibly relevant. If you’re interested in how confidence is shaped at a subconscious level, this one is gold.
15. You Can Heal Your Life: Louise Hay
A softer, more spiritual approach, but powerful if your confidence issues are rooted in self-worth and self-acceptance.
16. Confidence: The Art of Getting Whatever You Want – Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
A more research-driven look at confidence and competence. Great if you like logic and psychology over motivational language.
17. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living: Dale Carnegie
Anxiety and confidence are closely linked, and this book tackles that head-on. Practical, calming, and still relevant decades later.
18. Self-Compassion: Kristin Neff
If you’re hard on yourself, this one will change how you speak to yourself — which directly impacts confidence.
19. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck*: Mark Manson
Blunt, honest, and surprisingly thoughtful. Confidence grows when you stop outsourcing your worth to external validation.
20. Reinventing Your Life: Jeffrey Young
This book dives into “life traps”, subconscious patterns formed in childhood. If confidence feels blocked at a deep level, this explains why.
This is where I’ll say it clearly:
Confidence isn’t built by forcing positive thoughts.
It’s built by changing the beliefs underneath the thoughts.
That’s exactly what The Elevate Method is designed to do, help you reframe the subconscious stories that say “I’m not confident” into ones that say “I trust myself.” Once that shift happens, confidence stops feeling like something you’re chasing.
21. The Power of Now: Eckhart Tolle
Confidence often disappears when you’re stuck in your head. This book teaches presence, which naturally creates calm, grounded self-assurance.
22. Radical Acceptance: Tara Brach
A gentle, healing book for anyone whose confidence was shaped by criticism or emotional neglect.
23. Awaken the Giant Within: Tony Robbins
Big energy, big mindset shifts. This is great if you feel ready to take up more space in your life.
24. Playing Big: Tara Mohr
Written specifically for women who second-guess themselves. It helps you recognise the internal voices that shrink your confidence, and stop listening to them.
25. The Confidence Gap: Russ Harris
Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, this book is practical and grounding. Confidence here is about action, not perfection.
26. Girl, Wash Your Face: Rachel Hollis
Motivational and relatable, especially if confidence issues show up as self-blame or comparison.
27. Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman
Understanding your emotions makes you more confident in handling life. This one helps you build that inner stability.
28. Quiet: Susan Cain
If you’re introverted and think confidence looks a certain way, this book will completely change that belief.
29. The Success Principles: Jack Canfield
A practical guide to building belief in yourself through responsibility and aligned action.
30. The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: Nathaniel Branden
One of the most comprehensive books on confidence and self-esteem ever written. Deep, thoughtful, and powerful.
Final Thoughts
Reading these books can absolutely help you feel more confident, especially when they help you recognise the beliefs you’ve been carrying for years without questioning.
But if 2026 is the year you want confidence to feel effortless, not forced, the real work happens when you rewire those beliefs at a subconscious level.
That’s where The Elevate Method comes in, helping you change how you see yourself so confidence becomes your baseline, not something you have to hype yourself into.
Confidence isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about removing the beliefs that told you who you weren’t.
And once those are gone? Everything else gets easier.
