100 Books Like Self Motivation

I love this book because it challenges us to think about what motivates people and how we can get the best out of ourselves and those around us.

Pink suggests, based on a lot of research, that having a clear purpose, learning new things that matter to us, and having autonomy to take initiative are the three most important things that “drive” us, and while there might be more to the equation, this is a great place to start in unlocking our potential.

This book is the exact opposite of my first choice: a not-so-easy read by an Oxford academic and a truly weighty tome! 

But, for those who love detail, detail, detail, this is a wonderful read: exhaustive, comprehensive, and challenging: take his citation – “brain activity is what determines behavior, and so the only behavioral problem becomes that of accounting for inactivity”. Wow, with our current numbers of unemployed in the UK, isn’t that challenging?

John Adair was an ex-military guy who wrote brilliantly on leadership and time management, and this book is no exception: understanding what motivates people is crucial for leaders, and in Leadership and Motivation, John Adair re-frames the topic in terms of his Action-Centred Leadership model.

His insights are anchored in the Fifty-Fifty Rule, which asserts that half of an individual’s motivation comes from within, and half from their environment, particularly the leadership they experience.

The book’s core is Adair’s Eight Key Principles for motivating others, including: be self-motivated; recruit self-motivated individuals; treat people as individuals; set achievable challenges; recognise progress as motivating; create a motivating workplace; ensure fair rewards; and offer recognition.

Highly practical ideas.

This book really completes the cycle of motivational targets: if the last book was about the individual, this one drills down further to students at school and university.

We often think young people don’t need motivation because they are young – they should have it, shouldn’t they? Covid 19, I think, has revealed very clearly the opposite. Here we have a clear, step-by-step guide including topics like what motivation is, why it’s important to have it, how to develop enthusiasm, how to set and achieve goals, how to improve your memory and concentration, and more besides.

Finally, this is all geared around being successful at college, and so its importance cannot be overemphasized.

Marshall Goldsmith provides a powerful guide for anyone seeking a higher purpose in their personal and professional life.

Goldsmith draws on his experience as a world-renowned executive coach to provide practical advice and exercises aimed at helping readers live a life aligned with their overarching purpose, regardless of the eventual outcome.

Taking inspiration from Buddhism, Goldsmith reveals that the key to living an earned life, unbound by regret, requires committing to a habit of earning and connecting that habit to something greater than the isolated achievements of careerism.

With illuminating stories from Goldsmith's legendary career,  this book provides a roadmap for ambitious people seeking to close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done, and to avoid the trap of existential regret that reroutes destinies and persecutes memories.

For many entrepreneurs, Marie Forleo is practically a household name – for over a decade, she’s been coaching those souls brave enough to take the leap into business ownership.

As entrepreneurs will tell you, a huge part of success has to do with your mindset. In this book, Marie outlines a key strategy for training your brain to overcome uncertainty and actionable tips to overcome everyday challenges, both big and small.

Sometimes, you need someone to yell at you (lovingly) through a book. Knight's no-nonsense guide is like a friend who calls you out and then hands you a to-do list, making life's chaos a lot more manageable—with a side of sass.

This book doesn't teach you how to be a behavior analyst, but it will teach you how to live a little better. I recommend it because it can help you manage your time and tasks effectively, which is crucial in the field of ABA. Please note that, as the title suggests, there is explicit language, and it may not be suitable for everyone. 

If you’ve ever felt the pull of resistance, and the frustration of knowing that there’s something that you really want to do, but then that little voice in your head steps up and stops you, then this book will 100% help you. It explains a very easy way of short-circuiting that discussion.

It’s another simple idea, which is what makes it so powerful and helpful. And if you enjoy listening to podcasts, Mel now has an excellent one, "The Mel Robbins Podcast," which you can find on all platforms.

Kaplan debunks everything you were taught about luck. If you’re like me, you were taught that some people were lucky and others weren’t. Have you ever heard someone say, “Well if I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all!”? That’s a ridiculous thing to say because why would anyone associate luck with something bad? This is exactly what Kaplan brings an awareness to. 

Lucky people create their own luck; anyone can do it if they believe they are lucky. That’s it. Certain behaviors create luck, and those behaviors are fully outlined. For example, place affects luck. The book explains that “To get lucky, you have to be in a place where opportunities are going to be around you” (p. 53). Opportunities will elude you if you’re hanging out at the same bar with the same people for twenty years in a row. But opportunities will fall… show more.

Much of the pain experienced in toxic relationships stems from lack of forgiveness–forgiveness of our partners as well as ourselves. In this book, Iyanla Vanzant comes to the rescue with simple yet powerful strategies that help readers gain clarity and free themselves from the toxicity of unforgiveness. The book contains a 21-day workbook and a CD with guided meditation exercises for every day of your forgiveness journey. I experienced increased inner peace and freedom within days of sharing this journey with Vanzant.