Best Inspirational Books: For When You Need to Get Inspired

There have been many moments in my life when I reached a crossroads, and I felt like the entire world was caving in around me. Where do you go when you aren’t sure that there is a reason to keep moving at all?

Finding inspiration in those dark hours can be very difficult, and everyone comes to these moments in their life when they feel like they cannot move forward ever again. I’ve wasted a lot of time in these time traps, remaining stagnant and learning nothing.

Inspirational books cover a vast array of topics, and there’s nearly always a book that I can pick up to help me when I’m feeling trapped, overwhelmed, sad, or just simply lost. Inspiration isn’t always about becoming some popular or huge figure in the world; often, it’s about just finding and becoming yourself again.

Reading inspirational books more frequently brings lots of benefits in your life, including:

• Re-learn that hard work pays off, but you have to do the work.
• It’s easier to remember that you’re not alone when you find an inspiring story that connects with your own story.
• You can learn not only from your own mistakes but from someone else’s as well.
• You can more easily cope with failure and use each failure as a fresh place to grow from.
• You have a better outlook on life and your purpose in general.

Are you interested in bringing some of those benefits into your life just as I brought them into mine?

Start by reading some of the best inspirational books! The following books are all recommended as great sources of inspiration when you need something more.

Together Is Better: A Little Book of Inspiration

The smell of optimism is infused into my new book Together Is Better.

Simon Sinek

Best-selling Author

The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class

This is a short read that will help your mindset and help frame some "risky" decisions.

Nick Loper

Chief Side Hustler/Side Hustle Nation

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

This book is written by the founder of Pixar and is about his experience building a culture that fosters creativity.

His theory is that people are fundamentally creative, but many forces stand in the way of people being able to do their best work.

I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity. This should be inspiring to anyone looking to do the same, and hopefully there will be lessons we can apply to connecting the world!

Mark Zuckerberg

CEO/Facebook

In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs

When I founded Humanisation, a mentor recommended that I pick up Grace Bonney's "In the Company of Women". It's one of the most beautiful, inspiring books you'll read. It's a big, delicious coffee table beauty with business tales from 100 powerful women. I bring it out whenever I look for inspiration.

Cat Williams-Treloar

Founder/Humanisation

Life Is What You Make It

With home-spun, heart-felt wisdom, Peter Buffett ponders how to make a meaningful life, while making a living. LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT is thought-provoking, worthwhile reading.

Ted Turner

Founder/CNN

The Lemonade Life: How to Fuel Success, Create Happiness, and Conquer Anything

Practical, heartfelt, simple wisdom for people at any stage of their career (or life).

Seth Godin

Author & Entrepreneur

As a Man Thinketh

Tony Robbins

Life Coach

100 Side Hustles: Unexpected Ideas for Making Extra Money Without Quitting Your Day Job

Chris Guillebeau often says, 'Inspiration is good, but inspiration combined with action is so much better,' and this collection of side hustles is an invaluable resource for both inspiration and action. It’s packed with practical and engaging ideas, tips, strategies, and, most helpful, real-life examples of people who have succeeded.

Gretchen Rubin

Author

The Traveler’s Gift

Question: What books would you recommend to young people to be prepared for the future workplaces?

Answer: So many! So many by Seth Godin (Linchpin, The Icarus Deception, Purple Cow) Essentialism by Greg McKeown, Deep Work by Cal Newport, The Choice by Og Mandino, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, No More Dreaded Mondays and 48 Days To The Work You Love by Dan Miller, The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran, Will It Fly by Pat Flynn, The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews, QBQ by John Miller, The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. Wow, there are so many more, but that’s a start.

Vincent Pugliese

Author & Professional Photographer

Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

It was wonderful to read these two provocative books of essays by two incredibly wise and compassionate women. [...] Anne Lamott’s book is ostensibly about the art of writing, but really it too is about life and how to tackle the problems, temptations and opportunities life throws at us. Both will make you think and both made me a better person this year.

Ryan Holiday

Founder/Brass Check

The Innovators – How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution

This book, to be read and re-read, is a historical and extremely well documented history of the digital revolution, carrying insightful surprises along the way.

Isabelle Ohnemus

Founder/EyeFitU

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

Kelly spent a record-breaking year in space and this book is a fascinating account of that time and what he learned about humanity and himself.

Eric Ries

Founder/Long-Term Stock Exchange

On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard

On Being Human is beautiful and tender, profound and absorbing. I never wanted to put it down. In writing with such clarity and honesty about her jagged path to becoming, Jennifer Pastiloff has told the story of not only herself, but so many of us. I was consoled by this book and also inspired. On every page I felt the presence and the power of Pastiloff’s brave and gigantic heart. This is a book friends will tell friends they have to read for years to come. It’s an important, enthralling debut.

Cheryl Strayed

Author

Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness

Much more upbeat is Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness, by James Baraz and Shoshana Alexander. I don’t read a lot of self-help or inspirational books, but even if you never read anything in this genre, this book is one you should try. It’s about enjoying your life, consciously picking the things that make life more enjoyable and purposefully thinking about them. It shows how to think about spirituality and purpose in your life. Baraz teaches a very popular course and has an online lecture series on this. Melinda and I actually went to one of his seminars. He’s a very nice guy, and Awakening Joy is very good.

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

I really enjoyed Brad Stone's The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. Anyone who wants to better understand the dynamics of disruption or just gain a better understanding of the website we've come to love, must read this book.

Shane Parrish

Founder/Syrus Partners

Chicken Soup for the Soul

A feel-good book that is great to read when sometimes we get to busy and lose sight of the truly important things in life, like family, children, close friends, health and the basic living necessities; things that we should always be thankful for.

Alan Pierce

CEO/Ansuz Balder Magni Investments

How Proust Can Change Your Life

We're both big fans of Peter Drucker and his book The Effective Executive, as well as Alain de Botton's How Proust Can Change your Life.

Matt Mullenweg

Founder/Automattic

What To Do When It’s Your Turn

These books and their core ideas have stuck with me the most and continue to guide me when I hit crossroads along the way.

Andra Zaharia

Freelance Content Marketer/The Content Habit

Alexander Hamilton

Winston Ma

Managing Director/China Investment Corporation

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

David Goggins is a being of pure will and inspiration. Just listening to this guy talk makes you want to run up a mountain. I firmly believe people like him can change the course of the world just by inspiring us to push harder and dig deeper in everything we do. His goal to be 'uncommon amongst uncommon people' is something we can all use to propel ourselves to fulfill our true potential. I'm a better man having met him.

Joe Rogan

Podcaster/Joe Rogan Experience

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