Books to Help You Feel Motivated

Why Read Motivational Books?

Adulthood is a complex puzzle to solve. As kids, we are strongly inclined to be passionate about every little thing to the point of climbing up slides instead of sliding down them. But, sometimes, you just can’t help that you have little to no motivation left. The presence or lack of it tends to decide what we do during the day and how we do it. It also affects how confident we are about the decisions we make or are going to make. 

The workload of modern times drains our energy, and we are left wondering; why does it feel like I want to change my life? How do I accomplish this behemoth of a task if I am not motivated?  

Here are 10 motivational books. They will hopefully inspire you and give you tools for practicing your daily life in a way that might help sustain significant life changes. 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Story by Richard Bach

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is desperate to push boundaries and escape the conventionality of his life with his passion for flying. He is banished due to his nonconformity. He encounters other gulls who love flying and teach him about freedom, forgiveness, and love.

As a motivational book, it is a highly positive fable and, within only about a hundred pages, tells us about the search for a higher purpose. Inspired by a near-death experience, Richard Bach published a part four years later after the book had been published.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Highly acclaimed writer Malcolm Gladwell writes on what makes high achievers different; explores where they come from and how their life experiences influenced what they do, how they do it. It is a book sure to provide you with a different perspective on successful people and throw light on success and its process.

If ever there was a motivational book to push you to achieve more than you’ve ever dreamed of, this is it.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

What would happen if you improved by one percent every day?  You’d be 37 times better at the end of the year. In this book, you will find a system for improving by one percent each day; because the small habits and choices we make every day are already changing our lives.

This motivational book pushes you to learn the anatomy of making or breaking habits to make a significant difference in your outlook.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl, a psychologist and holocaust survivor, puts forth an incredibly inspiring account of how he survived the holocaust and what he learned from his experiences. The book Man’s Search for Meaning focuses on his theory, Logotherapy, which states life has meaning despite one’s circumstances. 

Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

This excellent motivational book is a guide to living shame-free and reminding women to define themselves by their freedom. Hollis explains how to stop giving excuses and find the path to growth and confidence.

Seneca on the Shortness of Life

Seneca writes on the art of living wide and not long. Are we busy, or are we living? Life is long if you know how to live it, he says. 

The Daily Stoic: 365 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, And the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

One teaching for each day for a year; this book contains the very essence of stoicism. In these testing times, it helps us navigate how to feel about situations out of control and attain a sense of peace.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

An evergreen story about the journey of a shepherd who learns how to follow his heart. Inspires us to dream and trust in the universe and ourselves. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an all-time favorite motivational book of many of our readers.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k by Mark Manson

This book teaches you how to reframe failure as a tool to success and let go of the need to be happy and positive all the time. Great for figuring out what you really want in life and how to achieve it.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg Mckeown

Perfect for reorganizing your life as well as work habits that leave you dissatisfied. The book asks you to identify what is truly vital and important to you. It also helps you create a system that will allow you to do the work in the most effortless way possible. 

Which is your favorite motivational book? Let us know in the comments below.

About the author: Ananya Ananth is a Media and Comm. student who writes, dances, and pets cats. Will be found vibing to music and instant coffee at all hours.