Motivational Books for the New Year

Books to Read for Motivation this January

With the New Year, it is natural to want to refresh one’s outlook and to prioritize positive habits over the bad. Whether you make resolutions or not, I have some books I’d like to recommend to help you work through your own goals and mindset for the year. I did not read these books with any New Year’s motivation in mind, but they were the first that jumped to my mind when I decided to write this post. Some might call them “self-help” books, but I find that term can be alienating, and there is a huge array of motivational books that are anything but motivational. Instead, I see them as enlightening and motivational, offering a new perspective on both the mundane and the important parts of daily life.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

With an emphasis on creative inspiration, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert is often recommended by writers and creators. However, I think it has value as far as motivational books for any reader. It focuses on reframing the reader’s mindset, away from binary successes and failures and towards one’s dedication to a path. If you struggle with internal judgment (who doesn’t!?) and find that is blocking your ability to create, then this book is for you. And, as I write that, I am thinking it’s time for me to do a reread of Big Magic as well.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert is available on Amazon here.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

I listened to James Clear’s Atomic Habits as an audiobook a while back and found the premise very compelling. It is super easy to fall into bad habits, and incredibly difficult to break them. This book showed how small tweaks can help make big changes to your habits and goals, whether you are just living your daily life or working towards a specific goal. Nothing in the book was particularly groundbreaking, but I think that was why it stuck with me: it makes the changes you want to make seem actually achievable.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is available on Amazon here.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

For all my fellow introverts, Susan Cain’s Quiet is a must-read. The book celebrates introverts in a way that has rarely — if ever — been seen. For anyone struggling with social anxiety or pressure to pretend towards extroversion, Cain’s analysis of why introverts are so important to society, and the dangers in undervaluing this portion of the population, is eye opening.

Quiet by Susan Cain is available on Amazon here.

This post is a part of my What to Read series, where I share themed reading lists and book guides based on genre, time period, theme, or author.
You can peruse more of my What to Read reading guides here!