Whether watching Super Bowl LIX this weekend as an avid fan of the Chiefs or the Eagles or watching just for the entertainment value, know that the players on the field do just as much mental prep as they do physical, which includes reading.
When Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown was spotted reading on the bench amidst the action of the NFL Wild Card game a couple of weeks ago when his team beat the Green Bay Packers, fans and the media took note.
The book Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy immediately sold out on virtually every online platform. Brown told media outlets that he brings the book to every game and often revisits passages of the text between plays, which he said sharpens his focus.
Like any competition, the mental game is just as important as the physical. So, as the 2025 horse show season begins to ramp up, GoHorseShow readers shared the books they love to read when sharpening their competitive edge, setting goals, or looking for motivation.
Below are their top five recommended reads, bound to help competitors reach their goals, whether in the show pen or outside.
1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
Atomic Habits is a worldwide bestseller for a reason: we all want significant changes with little effort. But this book isn’t one of empty promises; instead, Clear provides simple steps that, over time and as they compound, lead to great results in habit formation for success.
With easy-to-digest graphics and success stories from professionals from all walks of life, the book empowers readers to get a little better every day. Success, he says, can be found in the little things, like taking a different route to work or setting out the morning’s necessities the night before.
After reading, follow Clear’s directions on how to join his free email list for printables that help with goal setting or subscribe to his e-newsletter – both will help keep you focused.
2. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
Recommended by several horse enthusiasts, Goggins starts this memoir with a look into his personal history of poverty, racism, and abuse, which is, at times, admittedly difficult to read. But, with the conclusion of each chapter, he offers a “challenge” – a task or task for readers to complete on the way to realizing their goals.
Though, as Goggins puts it, he “should have been a statistic,” he became the only person to complete the elite training of a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller.
If you’re ready to be honest about hurdles, pain, and fear on your way to achieving goals, you’re prepared for this book.
3. The 12-Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington
GoHorseShow reader and equine real estate specialist Cailyn Schave Taschek says she’s currently reading this New York Times best-seller, which explores “how to create goals and healthy habits not just in business but also in your personal life. It would apply to horses as well.” This book lays out a step-by-step plan to get more done in 12 weeks than most do in one year, with strategies that help improve focus and engagement.
4. The Expectation Effect by David Robson
Exploring the mind-body connection through science and stories, Robson lays out how human expectations can materialize into reality. The chapters on mindset, expectations, negativity, and willpower are about diet, fitness, aging, and creativity.
So, this book indeed spans the spectrum, but it is an enjoyable read packed with anecdotes that show how the science presented translates to real life: what we expect can become what we experience. Expect to forget the pattern by the time you get to cone A, and you likely will.
5. Unlocked by George Mumford
In a time when the benefits of mindfulness seem to be shouted at us, few have shed light on how the rubber of mindfulness meets the road to success. Psychologist and performance expert George Mumford does this in his book Unlocked.
Having worked with star athletes (think Kobe Bryant) to help them align their physical and mental games, Mumford shares personal stories from those experiences as well as from his own life to illustrate the success and happiness waiting when we are “unlocked,” when we find the flow that marries our potential to our mind and finally success in whatever external situation we face.
*****
As millions of people wait for Inner Excellence to be restocked thanks to bookworm A.J. Brown’s unknowing endorsement, these five books will help readers face whatever hurdles or goals await in 2025. Happy reading!
