As humans of the current era, we have a lot to do because as times pass, life becomes more difficult. Albert Einstein was an absolute legend to the field of physics and he was a treasure to humanity but we need to address the fact that his breakthroughs occurred in a time when people didn’t know much about anything. That’s why today’s man has to work much hard than those times to make a name for himself or help humanity in its quest for success. And as we all know, great responsibility and hard work come with a lot of distractions.
There might be a lot of issues to put you down but all you need is to bind yourself to a powerful source of motivation that won’t let you break down. Because we are inspired by a number of things every day but we somehow lose interest and get back on our same broken tracks with each new day. As a reader, I think books can be the best therapy to get you back. This is why we have created this list of best inspirational books for you to fix a stable source of inspiration.
15 Top Motivational Books To Read
#1. Make Your Bed
This book was written by William H. McRaven.
Published: 2017
The author is a retired 4-star navy seal admiral and during his 37 years of service, he has achieved a lot to be proud of. Due to this position of him, we can actually rely on his work while giving him a significant amount of credibility as he is a first-hand example of what discipline should be. This is a book that has been around for a very short time at this point in time and it obviously deserves all the buzz it’s getting.
A lot of you out there might have heard the speech of Admiral McRaven at Austin, Texas where he discusses this particular book at length if you haven’t then you might find it available on YouTube. The book shows some basic things you must remember to keep your life going with the right discipline yet the content is really powerful.
The author, with the medium of this book, asks us to make our bed as the first thing we do in the morning and to always appreciate the efforts of a teammate. It is a basic analogy that when we make our bed in the morning, we feel a sense of accomplishment which helps us complete all our other tasks throughout the day. This book has a lot to offer in terms of knowledge, wisdom, and motivation, so check it out and I won’t disappoint you.
#2. Man’s Search for Meaning
This book was written by Viktor E. Frankl.
Published: 1946
This is another book that would just help you get up and get going. It talks about the struggles of the author while giving a motivational message out there to help the people who actually need it. The author was kept in concentration camps during the Second World War as a prisoner and if you know anything about these camps then you might be familiar with the fact that people considered killing themselves rather than being put there.
Viktor tells us how he used to be given an extremely inadequate amount of food and clothes while still being made to do heavy tasks in those conditions of cold weather and infections. In those Nazi camps, a lot of people died due to diseases and hunger while others were put into gas chambers. Frankl was a doctor by profession so he even used to help people out while he was in this camp due to which he saw a lot of terrible things.
He discusses how a strong reason to live is very important for any person as a lot of his patients died when their hope of ever getting out of this holocaust camp died. He mentions how his strong reasons to live helped him survive this tragic time in his life. He even discusses how it is important to never let situations get to you because as humans, we tend to stretch even the least negative situations. Check this book out as it has a lot more to give you other than this,
#3. The Alchemist
This book was written by Paulo Coelho.
Published: 1988
This is a timeless classic and it is one of the best books to look for when you are feeling down and think you can’t really do anything any further to hold off your head to complete your tasks. The story has a secret message in it that would simply help you get up every day and do what actually matters. This book revolves around the story of a boy who was an Andalusian shepherd named Santiago.
This boy used to have a recurring dream about a hidden treasure but one time when he was traveling to Tarifa, he was tired and it got dark so he decided to take a nap beneath a sycamore tree just outside a church, he had the same dream again. This time, he saw the treasure beneath the Egyptian pyramids. He went to a witch to confirm his dream where she asked for a payment of 10% of his found treasure.
He then somehow sold his sheep and set out on his journey. On the journey, he found a lot of things like prosperity and wealth along with love yet how he always remains firm on his quest is pretty motivating. It teaches us a lot of important values and there’s literally a lot of stuff to learn from. The journey of Santiago is pretty interesting to witness as it is somewhat relatable to our actual lives. Check this book to find out whether Santiago finds his treasure and what actually happens to him.
#4. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
This book was written by Robin Sharma.
Published: 1997
At times you might feel like all you need is wealth and fame but it isn’t really something that you need. This book will help you shape your perception of what wealth brings with it and what’s the real success in life. The book revolves around the story of a successful lawyer named Julian Mantle who has a lot of money, a big house, and a Ferrari for riding around.
Julian is very famous and works all the time but barely gets any time for himself. One day he collapses in the courtroom during an argument due to a heart attack. He had to be hospitalized but nobody ever got to know where he went from the hospital. After 3 years, Julian surprisingly showed up at the office of an old colleague named John who was surprised at the younger appearance of Julian and wished to know the whole story of what happened.
Then Julian starts telling John how he sold his house and his Ferrari when he got out of the hospital and went to the Himalayas in India. On the Himalayas, he met Yogi Raman who taught him a lot of lessons with the help of a story named “The Story of Seven Virtues”. This story leads on to the wakening of John himself and it is quite motivational in all to read. Check this book out as it might be the push you need.
#5. You are a Badass
This book was written by Jen Sincero.
Published: 2013
The title of this book tells us a lot about what it is but there is still a lot that you need to figure out by reading it. It talks about how to get what you actually need by believing in what you are. The book helps us in analyzing what actually makes us happy and doing our best to get it done. It helps us differentiate between decisions and wishes, and then helps us realize that we need to decide to change our lives.
The book is basically divided into five parts and each part will help you in a powerful quest of finding yourself. The author tries to tell us a lot of simple things by taking the analogy of our brain. He talks about the difference between our conscious and subconscious mind and how our lives are proceeding due to all our beliefs that have been framed since our childhood.
It helps us look into the universe at a more technical level and understand its simplest intricacies. The author wants the reader to think of everything in terms of energy and vibration and understand the fact that the same vibrations attract each other. So if you need something to come to you, then your vibrations have to match constantly or you might not get it or rather lose it halfway. This is barely even two parts of this powerful book so check it out to know more.
#6. Mindset
This book was written by Carol S. Dweck.
Published: 2006
You might wish to start something but something or the other might hold you back. Sometimes your own thoughts like what if someone out there has already done what you wish to do and doing it much better than you currently can. These are exactly the thoughts that you will be addressed through this book. Carol Dweck might help you come out of this book as a new person altogether.
By reading this book, I realized that I could’ve simply started anything I wished for, and instead of fearing the competition, I could just take inspiration from their work and introduce their brilliance into my own. Taking it too heavily might not work out as you will stress yourself, but if you take it lightly and don’t work for it as much as you need to, then you might not get what you set out for.
By the medium of this book, Carol tries to tell us about two different types of mindsets, namely fixed and growth. A person with a fixed mindset would always believe that their capabilities and talents are what they have by birth while a person with a growth mindset would always believe in taking challenges and enhancing themselves along the way. Check this book out to see the innovative way in which Carol S. Dweck explains everything to her readers.
#7. Smarter, Faster, Better
This book was written by Charles Duhigg.
Published: 2016
This book is based on the science of productivity and the author is a well-known expert in the field. He talks about how responsibilities and opportunities are interrelated and he tries to put in some of his personal experiences into this book. Duhigg has done a lot of research into this book as he went through some struggles himself with productivity.
He tried to give out a lot of his research in this book which will actually help the reader out. He tries to talk about the motivational power of our choices. He tries to tell us that it might happen that we go through more stress when we have more decisions to make but our motivation would still be great. While, if we are left with fewer alternatives to choose from, our motivation decreases.
The author wants us to become Smarter, Faster, and better than what we are now. He tries to explain how a lot of factors are important for being productive and how you need to use them. He explains how the focus and the right team affect your performance and what traits do you need in one to help increase your productivity. This book has a lot more concepts than I’ve discussed here, so checking it out might be greatly helpful.
#8. Now, Discover your Strengths
This book was written by Donald Clifton and Marcus Buckingham.
Published: 2001
There is one thing very interesting about this book and if you have already read it then you would know. The publishers give a special code with the book whether you buy a physical copy or you get an e-book for kindle. This code can be used to take a strengths finder test that will ask you a few questions and then it will tell you your top five strengths to help you out.
Now, it doesn’t mean that this book is promoting an approach where weaknesses should be ignored. Instead by the medium of this book, the authors are trying to help the readers realize that we can still achieve a lot even without focusing on your weaknesses. This is the perfect book for you if you need a quick guide to success.
The authors try to promote the fact that you don’t need to be someone else, you have your own strengths and you can act upon them. The book even has descriptions of the strengths that you get by answering the strength finders test so you can utilize your abilities to the maximum extent. I think you must check this book out as it might help you in a way that no other book can.
#9. Choose Yourself
This book was written by James Altucher.
Published: 2013
The author even did a Ted talk on this book and it helped me a lot in understanding the book. After that, I read the book and I felt like the video was good to provide an introductory perspective before starting it. This is a great book as the author includes some of his experiences into it along with some very rough times into the book to impact the reader.
By the medium of this book, the author tries to introduce the concept of the 1% rule. According to this rule, the author asks us to increase the time we give to our work by 1%. By doing this, we will gradually achieve the skills we desire and we’d be exactly what we wanted to be in a while through exponential growth. James even asks us to believe in being an idea machine.
This is a very simple concept when we appreciate ideas and keep up with each of them significantly, we will be able to achieve more experience, which will help us throughout our life. Altucher says that we all should come up with 10 ideas every day and write them down. Also, we must use the concept of idea sex in mixing two of our ideas to come up with a better idea. This book has a lot more information than this and would really be helpful, please check it out.
#10. Think and Grow Rich
This book was written by Napoleon Hill.
Published: 1937
Principles of success are entirely universal, which is why there isn’t much difference as you check for it from person to person. The author has done a lot of research on the topic and interviewed a lot of rich and successful people and then he finally came up with this book that has been off the charts since it was released. The book will help you out with exactly the motivation you need to grow rich using some simple principles.
The author mentions that the very first step in the way of accomplishing your dream is to have a burning desire of getting it done. The stronger your desire, the more would be your probability of achieving your goal. Another thing that the author wants us to understand is that we need to make an equal sacrifice to get what we want. This means that your dream would need a sacrifice to be achieved.
If we talk about this in terms of money, then you might need some type of payment in order to get the amount of money you want. It can be your time, efforts, sleep, or anything else that is important to you. The author also discusses how setting goals according to a specific time frame is a really beneficial technique in the long run. There are a lot more things that the author has tried to put forward in this book, and I think you should check it out for reaching the financial goal that you desire.
#11. The Power of Positive Thinking
This book was written by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.
Published: 1952
This is a book that seems to be leaps and bounds ahead of its time. The author is known for his brilliance and the motivational thoughts he puts forward in this book is what we must really check this out for. The author talks about creative freedom in this book and how a free mind can give birth to a free imagination that would always fly high.
The book helps us in doing exactly what the title advertises, it helps us in taking care of negative thoughts in a way that they don’t enter our mind. He tells us to live in the present rather than worrying about the things that might never even happen in the future. And neither should we live in the past where everything has always happened and we cannot change it no matter what we do.
Freeing yourself from worries will instantly free you from having negative thoughts and so is the case with helping others. When you help others and see their happiness, you automatically turn happy yourself, thus eliminating negative thoughts and bringing in happy ones. He teaches us three very important life lessons that will help you out in all the possible fields. So check out this book as it is a must-read for anyone who wishes to kill negative thoughts from their mind.
#12. Unfu*k Yourself
This book was written by Gary John Bishop.
Published: 2016
The information highlighted in this book is pretty simple to read and understand but that obviously doesn’t mean that it isn’t insightful. The author has provided the readers with seven assertive affirmations that might help the reader in leading a better life and get rid of the problems that they are facing currently. The author will obviously help you bring a significant change in your life with the help of this book.
It simplifies the fact that people wish to see good results while they keep going through those same bad habits and facing the same toxic people who let them down. The author tries to simplify that when a person tries to put you down, you make an opinion of yourself in your mind which messes up with all the aspects of your life. This is why a lot of people find it difficult to find success and rather end up destroying everything.
Now, discussing the affirmations given by the author, the very first one is to understand what you’re willing to do. And the task isn’t just to understand it, you even have to accept it. The second affirmation that the author wants us to make to ourselves is that we are wired to win. This means that we must believe we will win in achieving anything we want if we know it’s already ours. Check this book out for knowing the other five affirmations and bring the right balance into your lives.
#13. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
This book was written by Mark Manson.
Published: 2016
Now, just to address the elephant in the room, the title of this book is really appealing. At least to most of the people out there, this book has been attracting them mostly due to its title and maybe that is why it has gained huge popularity in such a short span of time. And I can assure you, that the title isn’t the only thing great about this book, but the points put forward in the book by the author will positively excite you.
The author starts the book by simply making a statement that people give a f*ck to anything and everything out there. This simply means that people care too much about the things that shouldn’t ever be cared about. Even if someone we don’t know puts out something in a speech or an interview, we care too much about it by spreading hate speech on the topic. Similarly, when we see someone doing better than us, we get jealous and depress ourselves as we care too much about the subject.
The author has said a lot of times in this book in a pretty straightforward and harsh language that we should not care about anything at all. All we need to do is work and not worry about the complications as when we think of avoiding negativity, we receive it in the same form that we wished not to go through. He has put forward certain great theories through the medium of this book that you must read as they will help you out greatly in life.
#14. The 5 Second Rule
This book was written by Mel Robbins.
Published: 2017
The author went through some really tough times in her life and she just couldn’t gather up the strength to turn it around. This is when she saw a television show that gave her a secret, changing her life forever. She had gained a lot of fame and prosperity in her life and then she decided to write this book, in order to give out her secret so that she could help the others who need it in turning their life around.
The idea she got was from a show that depicted a rocket launch from NASA. In that show, she saw a countdown just before the rocket took off which was of 5 seconds and once the rocket was launched, nothing could be done to bring it back. This is what led her to come out with the 5-second rule, which changed her life and eventually the lives of many others as well.
The book puts forward a very simple concept through the perception of our brilliant author. It isn’t very difficult to understand that the author wishes to help us understand and implement the 5-second rule in our lives. In the process, she talks about other important things like forming habits that may help you keep your success. Read this book out to understand what she wants to tell you and how you might be able to implement her idea.
#15. Tuesdays with Morrie
This book was written by Mitch Albom.
Published: 1997
The motivation provided by this book is absolutely unbeatable and since the time it was published, it has gained a huge fan following. The book is basically a tribute to the author’s former professor at his university, whose name was Morrie. Morrie Schwartz was a wise man and his wisdom spread through this book is something that will help the mind of people from any particular group.
Although this book was written write before Morrie’s death as a tribute, it isn’t really a book about death. It promotes life in ways that are absolutely unimaginable until you read it. Morrie says that death is quite simple and irreversible so he will always live as fully as he can and as loveably as he can because there will be a time when he won’t be able to do so and he doesn’t want any regrets.
Morrie Schwartz always believed in looking to the brighter side of life even as he suffered from the worst that anyone could go through. He doesn’t want to be dependent on anyone but he knows that day is inevitable so he would rather wish to enjoy independence while he still can. The book has a lot more to offer than this and I found it to be one of the most motivational books as I read on due to the way Mitch has tried to capture the essence of Morrie in his book. So checking it out will be a great option.
I hope this list of books was helpful for you in finding the right source of motivation. It needs to be firm enough to keep you going and these books will definitely provide you an absolutely powerful source for that. If the content was helpful, please drop a comment below or leave a like on our post.