Reading for Inspiration
Top 5 Motivational Best Sellers
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All of the books below–in no particular order–are best sellers for good reason. Frequently featured in “Top 10” lists and having influenced some of the most successful people in the world, you’re sure to find your life improved by reading (or re-reading) one of these classics.
The Power of Positive Thinking
Science has since verified his premise, but when it was first published Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was attacked from pulpits and therapy sessions alike. Now translated into fifteen languages, The Power of Positive Thinking is still one of the most popular motivational books ever written. Dr. Peale offers advice on mastering the problems of everyday living and eliminating self-doubt from toxic, negative thought habits.
Quote: “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.”
Drive
Daniel Pink leaves old “carrot and stick” motivation theories in the dust. Drive shows how rewards and punishments neither give the best motivation, nor are they sufficient to maintain it over long periods of time. At the highest levels of performance, motivation comes from both a deep self-knowledge and an awareness of who you truly want to become as a person and remaining true to these tenets in your life.
Quote: “For artists, scientists, inventors, schoolchildren, and the rest of us, intrinsic motivation–the drive to do something because it is interesting, challenging, and absorbing–is essential for high levels of creativity.”
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Eliminating mental clutter and stress is key to staying motivated. Distractions and time-wasters can easily cause you to set goals aside. In fact, get distracted enough and you won’t reach your goals. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff teaches skills for distinguishing between what serves your success and what deserves to be ignored.
Quote: “Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.”
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Still a bestseller 24 years after its first edition, The 7 Habits is more than just a manifesto on motivation. Steven Covey presents a roadmap for solving problems, getting along with people, and being a better person. President Bill Clinton invited Covey to Camp David to help him install the habits in his Presidency; many others credit him with teaching them potentially world-changing habits. Covey coined the idea of abundance mentality–as contrasted with scarcity mentality–meaning the ability to celebrate the success of others, rather than feel threatened by them, and learning to embrace a win-win perspective in all interactions with others.
Quote: “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”
Think And Grow Rich
Perhaps the most well-known and often cited motivational book is Napoleon Hill’s commission from Andrew Carnegie. In the early 1930s, Hill interviewed forty millionaires to discover their “best practices” in an age where it was usually assumed success and wealth was some combination of greed, luck and high birth. Think And Grow Rich provides the roadmap that anyone can follow to achieve success–rich uncle not required! YouMagazine.com
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