Everyone needs a boost of motivation every now and then. Some of us get inspired by art and music, others find motivation after seeking support from others, but usually, people turn to motivational books. Motivation novels and essays have become an extremely popular category of non-fiction.
Usually, their secret is that they bring forward insightful bits of information that are actually universally true. They back it up by strong evidence and illustrate it with colourful stories and examples. Finally, they leave enough space for imagination so that the reader can zone out and apply bits of knowledge to their own life and environment.
If you’re open-minded and you apply what you learn quickly, motivation books can quite literally change your life. In this list, we’re bringing you dozens of books that are definitely worth reading. These precious book-gems will inspire you to start changing right away. Here we go!
1) Atomic Habits
If there is a book that will get you off your seat in seconds, it’s this one. Basically, Atomic Habits argues that if you make tiny, marginal improvements of just, for example, 1% each day, you will get tremendously better at something in the long run. If you have struggled with sticking to a good habit in the past, this is the book that can change that.
2) Grit
In this Angela Duckworth bestseller, you can learn about what makes successful and top-performing people better at what they do than those that aren’t as successful as them. This book challenges the ages-old assumptions that talent is important and that hard work can only get you so far.
3) 12 Rules of Life
This book is written by a controversial individual – Jordan Peterson – who is a psychologist by profession, so he studied the basic ideas behind bringing order to your life. In the novel opening, you will find out all about terminology and concepts Peterson uses throughout the work. The book is definitely well thought-out and has the potential to change your life after just a couple of minutes reading.
4) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Even though this book was published more than 40 years ago, it’s still considered modern and up-to-date knowledge that’s most certainly applicable to the 21st-century world. The book has been translated to more than 40 languages and changed 25 millions of lives all over the world. Here are the 7 habits that the book mentions:
1) Be Proactive
2) Begin with the End in Mind
3) Put First Things First
4) Think Win-Win
5) Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
6) Synergize
7) Sharpen the Saw
Although some of these assumptions are considered common knowledge nowadays, some of the aspects of this book are really pioneering and have made it into popular culture, especially when people talk about success. For example, the art of prioritizing (which is the basis of Habit number 3) is now widely accepted as a crucial leadership trait.
5) The Magic of Thinking Big
This book is often assigned as high school or college reading in certain classes. If you need a book report on The Magic of Thinking Big, you can use the following services: paper writing service (find pro academic writers who can do it for you), Fiverr (outsource your writing work to independent freelancers), Grammarly (check the grammar and spelling of your paper).
6) You are a Badass
You are a Badass is a real motivational classic that will really inspire you to make some necessary life changes ASAP. The book tackles some of the most common self-criticisms, negative beliefs, attitudes and habits. Basically, this book will illuminate on all self-limiting beliefs you might have right now. The end result? You will realize that you’re a badass!
It doesn’t work as an advice book or dogmatic writing that views things in black-and-white. Rather, the magic of this book is in the fact that the author helps readers apply knowledge and information bits to their own lives. Also, it’s all wrapped in humour, and the book is incredibly fun to read.
7) Make Your Bed
Written by Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, this book with a curious name inspires action by explaining that we have to start from ourselves if we want to change the world. When we look at that in the most direct way possible: how can you expect to organize the world if you can’t organize your own bed in the morning?
Of course, the point of the book is not as trivial as that example. It’s quite deep and will teach you a lot about self-discipline, control and life design. It teaches you to take control over every single aspect of your life and start being responsible for your own happiness.
8) Choose Yourself
Although we live in a narcissistic age where it seems like we’re all just a little too self-absorbed, this book praises the importance of the Self. Author James Altucher says that ourselves (our body, mind and spirit) are by far our most valuable resource. Instead of investing time and effort into external aspects of life that are ephemeral and not too important in the grand scheme of things, we need to focus on within.
For all people who are interested in extreme and deliberate self-development and self-improvement, this is a book that will get you off of your couch right away. It’s a great spark for people who are feeling stuck, trapped or lacking in passion.
9) The 5 Second Rule
When it comes to motivation novels and essays, most people like deep thoughts and life design models, but it all takes a lot of time. For example, if you are looking to lose weight, you really can’t drop 20 pounds overnight. However, if you’re looking for an ultra-quick motivation injection that can change your life for the better, The 5 Second Rule is a great choice.
Although the story is much deeper, the book is based on the assumption that it only takes us 5 seconds to start something meaningful: try something insanely courageous, make a confident move, face your fears and much more.
10) Smarter, Faster, Better
This motivation book is kind of like a collection of case studies that observes why some companies and individuals are simply smarter, faster and better than others. Like many other motivational books, it severely rejects the notion of “nature” and focuses on the “nurture” aspect.
The best parts of this book are interesting and insightful interviews with successful people from all walks of life. Ultimately, it’s rooted in deep research and hard science, which makes it quite different from some other popular motivation novels.
11) Illuminate
If you are a team leader, manager or a decision-maker at work or elsewhere (or if you are striving to become one), this book is a must-read. Unlike some other books that focus on self-improvement and life design, Illuminate is more about communication and relationships with other people.
Instead of teaching you how to take control over your internal emotions, it will teach you how to start leading a pro-social life with rich and deep connections to other people.
12) Tools of Titans
Tim Ferriss is a famous motivational speaker and writer who is best known for his book The 4-Hour Workweek (mentioned below). However, Ferriss is also an avid researcher who compiled more than 200 interviews with top performers to find out about their “tools” and what makes them the way they are.
The bits of advice and information laid out in Ferriss’ book are direct and include actionable insights. Whereas many other motivational books generalize and provide ambiguous statements about life and the world, Ferriss gets straight to the point.
In The Tools of Titans, there are several special aspects that separate top performers from “regular people”:
- positive approach towards fear, failure and mistakes
- regular meditation
- rituals and morning routines
- “just do it” philosophy
- practising gratitude
13) Awaken the Giant within
Tony Robbins, the author of this book, has become somewhat of a superstar in the self-improvement domain. He’s most famous for his conferences and speeches, but “Awaken the Giant Within” is by far his most famous book.
14) The 4-Hour Workweek
If you are looking for a book that will inspire you to take action right away that will improve your work life and career, this is the one. Although it promotes and preaches lifestyles where work is a secondary aspect to life, it teaches some important ways of approaching work and careers in a healthier perspective.
Once you read this book for the first time, it will surely change the way you think about work and your job. The only thing that’s left is to find out how it will influence the rest of your career!
15) Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
A lot of motivational literature and self-help novels have to do with learning how to battle negative emotions like anxiety, sadness, anger, irritability and more. People view these emotions as a result of their environment. That’s why they are trying to change their environment in order to finally feel happy and calm.
Spoiler: it doesn’t really work like that. In this self-improvement masterpiece, the author teaches us to always put things into perspective and ignore tiny things that have no impact on the present or the future. The book teaches us how to enjoy the present moment to the fullest, which is the basis of leading a happy and fulfilled life.
16) Becoming
Michelle Obama’s bestseller is usually placed in the “memoirs” section in a book store, but we can freely call it a motivation novel. Instead of addressing the readers directly and basically telling them what they should do and how they should behave (like many other motivational books do), Obama describes her life experience and all the lessons she learned from them.
Learn about her goal-getter attitude and become one yourself. This book will absolutely inspire you to chase even your wildest dreams and stop worrying about what other people will think.
17) Crushing It!
Looking for something to help your business reach greater heights? Gary Vaynerchuk’s book might be just what you need.
In this book, you’ll learn how to harness the potential power of social media platforms for driving your success in business. Vaynerchuk guides you in developing your personal brand, regardless of your business or career.
18) The Four Agreements
This is another classic in the motivation book realm. Unlike some other books on this list, The Four Agreements have a more Eastern spiritual vibe and base their insights on Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies.
The book teaches us about the so-called “path to freedom”. Namely, the four agreements that should get us there are:
1) Don’t take anything personally
2) Always do your best
3) Don’t make assumptions
4) Be impeccable with your word
19) Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable
This is a book that’s similar to Grit. Instead of teaching us how to lead happy, calm and stable lives, it teaches us how to push our own limits, get wild results and achieve even your wildest dreams. Ultimately, you can achieve glory and leave a legacy set in stone.
This is definitely not the book for those faint of heart: it will inspire you to tackle some of your biggest fears and doubts. It also teaches you how to set aside emotions for when you don’t need them (which is most of the time).
Conclusion
Pick up any of these books, and you will be guaranteed to get a boost of inspiration and motivation instantly. These are all powerful messages and texts that have been issued in millions of copies worldwide. They have already changed millions of lives.
Depending on what you want to focus on (work, relationships, spirituality), choose a sub-niche that fits your needs. Try to look for a motivation book that will directly tackle the issues you are currently facing in life. Most importantly: never stop learning and working on yourself!
Bio
Helene Cue is a professional writer and editor. She provides coursework writing help for students who don’t have the time or desire to write it themselves. Helene is a passionate academic writer and researcher with expertise in business and marketing.
