14 Best Motivational Books on Following Your Dreams
These 14 Best Motivational Books on Following Your Dreams will help you overcome fear and self-doubt and take the actionable steps you need to achieve your biggest dreams.
Reading is an important ingredient in becoming a leader and succeeding in life. It exposes our weaknesses and helps us discover and develop our strengths. Education doesn’t end after high school or college. We should always be on a growth journey because we will never truly arrive.
Books are great for sharing the experiences and stories of successful people. We can follow their principles and patterns and be inspired to chase our own dreams.
These great books are filled with many life lessons that help us break off our rut when we feel stuck and actually go after our dreams. Reading provides a fresh perspective on your situation, views, and life and provides mental stimulation while encouraging us to achieve our life goals.
14 Best Motivational Books on Following Your Dreams
Dreamers are the world’s inspiration, and I aspire to be just that: a huge dreamer! But how did I become passionate about having big dreams? One key ingredient for me has been….reading!
Many people have dreams but lack the courage to make them a reality. These books touch on important aspects such as personal growth, resilience, strength, overcoming obstacles, and sticking to your goals and dreams no matter what.
The guidance and strategies of experts and experienced individuals can encourage you even in tough times to keep going. Good books can change the direction of your life by changing your mindset, attitudes, and ultimately your actions.
Do you dream of becoming a writer? Or do you want to be a musician? Maybe you want to run your own business. No matter what your dreams are, these are the best books to inspire you to achieve them.
An African proverb says it best:
“A wise man never knows all; only a fool knows everything.”
“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
William Shakespeare
Let’s get started with the list of powerful books to read!
The Best Books for Children to Follow Their Dreams
When I was younger, it was easy for me to dream. I wanted to be the first woman in the NBA, and my role model was Mugsy Bogues from the then-Charlotte Hornets. He was just over 5 feet tall, but he could also dunk! I thought that was so impressive, and if he could do it, why couldn’t I?
I wanted to be an author, speaker and co-host of Sports Center with Stuart Scott who was one of my celebrity heroes. And do you know what the best thing about my parents was? They never shot down my dreams and never told me I couldn’t achieve them. Whether they thought they were silly or not, I never knew. That’s a blessing in itself.
As parents, we desire to see our children live a happy and successful life. Our goal is to help them discover their gifts, talents, and passions so they can live their best life.
We need to empower them to pursue their big dreams. Introducing our children to reading real and imagined books is a great way to help them be courageous and pursue their dreams.
These books are conversation starters that help them think about what dreams they could pursue and what actions they would need to take to reach them. Most times children also learn how to overcome obstacles, setbacks, and disruptions so they can build resilience.
With that said these are the top books to help your children follow their dreams.
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet
This is an inspiring and intriguing true story about Horace Pippin, a child who loved painting and drawing and had to overcome so many challenges and obstacles to pursue his passion.
It’s a story about overcoming personal and societal struggles, perseverance, courage, and navigating life after injury.
You’ll love the beautiful illustrations, the way Horace Pippin’s life and work come alive, and the sprinkles of quotes throughout the story.
This is a heartwarming book to teach children that our present circumstances don’t control our future journey. We can still push forward and achieve our dreams no matter what.
What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada
A New York Times BestSeller and award-winning book, What Do You Do With an Idea? is for anyone who’s ever had a big idea.
Kids always have a lot of ideas about changing the world. The world is harsh already to our children and so many adults say negative comments about their big dreams.
This a wonderful and inspirational book with a powerful message about nurturing those creative young minds.
It is a great reminder that we should never discourage our children (or ourselves) when we have dreams that seem too big, too hard, or too different. When we give their ideas space and time, they’ll grow.
Brontorina by James Howe, illustrated by Randy Cecil
If you’re looking for a heartwarming book about not quitting on your goals despite disappointment, not having all the right tools or resources, and thinking outside the box to find solutions to big problems, this is a great buy.
It’s a humorous, imaginative, sweet, and inspiring story about a dinosaur with a big dream to dance. You’ll be able to identify with the charm and passion of the main character and love the theme and illustrations. This is one of the most wonderful picture books to buy for your children.
This Little Dreamer Written by Joan Holub & illustrated by Daniel Roode
This is a wonderful book about 10 memorable dreamers who changed history by creating a better future. It’s an engaging, inspirational, and hopeful book with fun facts and bright pictures.
It’s a wonderful reminder that we can learn from the experience of others especially those who paved the way before us.
The Wonderful Things You Will Be By Emily Winfield Martin
Are you looking for a book that celebrates the dreams, acceptance, and love that parents have for their children? Then this The New York Times bestseller is the one.
This book has an encouraging and uplifting message about the endless possibilities for a child’s future. The bright and bold illustrations bring the story to life and will grab the little one’s attention.
A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman (Author), Peggy Collins (Illustrator)
This book is about a young girl who is resilient and determined as she faces barriers to education. It’s an informative, warm, and hopeful must-read book about the hardships many children in Afghanistan and other war-torn countries face.
It’s a gentle way of exposing young children to other cultures and topics like disability and war without overwhelming them. You’ll never look at the color blue again after reading this.
Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle (Author), Rafael López (Illustrator)
Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba’s traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.
Through her courage and determination, she became the first woman drummer in her country. The book encourages both girls and boys to follow their dreams in a powerful, respectful, and beautiful way.
Related: 16 Best Life-Changing Books You Need to Read
Motivational Books about Following Your Dreams as An Adult
I’m always interested in expanding my library, and I’m convinced that the saying, “Readers are leaders”, is absolutely true.
Reading changes you. It’s not about opening a book and reading it. It’s about applying what you’re reading to your life. Books will cut you open and expose yourself to you. That’s when the results and change happen, and it’s a beautiful thing.
“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”
— Jim Rohn, author and speaker
When I moved from childhood to adulthood I became stuck. Things got hard. My dreams began to fade, and I now embarked on what is known as “adulting”. I had to grow up, get a job, and be responsible — and apparently, that meant shoving my dreams to the wayside.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! Dreamers change the world. They are leaders and visionaries for others. They are the world’s inspiration, and I aspire to be just that: a huge dreamer! So reading these powerful books was the key to helping me dream again.
Reading has been a pivotal part of my personal growth and enabled me to take my dreams off the shelf, dust them off, and refine them into who I am today and the God-given passions that I have.
I may not be an anchor on SportsCenter (though I do plan to pay my way on there someday as a guest host). I may not be the first woman in the NBA, but I am still in pursuit of writing and speaking, and that passion has only grown stronger! My first book Mind over Marathon is a dream come true!
The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah has famously said, “Your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you are meant to be, and begin to honor your calling in the best way possible.”
This book is filled with guidance, wisdom, and nuggets that will lead to a life of purpose and success. She shares her own experiences as well as the inspirational stories of the many guests she interviewed, including actors, authors, and spiritual teachers.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
If you’re caught in an ending cycle of bad habits that have led to stress and anxiety, this book is for you. The core message in this eye-opening book is that if you understand how habits work and are formed, you can create the habits you need to change your business, community, and life.
With memorable and easy-to-understand stories you’ll be inspired to develop and stick to new routines and good habits.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert is a warm, relatable, engaging, and open writer who shares from the heart with a conversational tone. From her epic adventure in Eat Pray Love, where she traveled the world to find herself and love Gilbert, she switches gears to dive into the topic of creativity.
In this must-read book, she encourages us to go for the things we love most and not allow fear and self-doubt to hold us back. Filled with wisdom and practical advice for whatever dream you are pursuing, you’ll find creative inspiration to achieve them.
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander (Author), Benjamin Zander (Author)
Using uplifting stories and an engaging and light-hearted tone, the authors present twelve breakthrough practices for bringing creativity which leads to personal and professional development.
You’ll be equipped with tools to reframe challenging situations in positive ways, problem-solve current problems, develop empathy, and improve relationships. The result is a satisfying and successful life filled with endless possibilities.
The Choice by Og Mandino
This was one of the first self-development books I ever read, and I was drawn to it because it is short and reads as a fictional book but also interweaves success principles throughout. Og Mandino has a way of capturing your attention and drawing you into a place of thinking larger.
He helps you to see that you were made for more and that the first step in pursuing a dream is the hardest one you’ll take. It’s my favorite book because it made me want to take a leap of faith and pursue my own dreams even though I had absolutely no idea how they would come together.
The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson (Author), David Kopp (Collaborator), Heather Kopp (Collaborator)
Similar to The Choice, this great book has a fictional twist. Ordinary, who is the main character, sets out on a journey to break out of his Comfort Zone and become Somebody. His friends don’t understand him and think he’s crazy. His family shuts him down. They can’t see why he isn’t satisfied with Normal.
Ordinary has to learn how to embrace fear, leave his comfort zone, and battle giants to break out of the ordinary and into a land of opportunity. This book reminds us that we were meant to have goals and dreams and to embrace the journey to make them happen.
The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
This is one of my favourite books chock full of pure information. It’s a non-fiction, and there is no storyline. It is all about discovering a dream inside and understanding how to gain a mindset to imagine and think outside of the ordinary.
The author dives into topics related to curing excuses, procrastination, and failure disease. These are things that many times stop us from pursuing our dreams altogether.
Other topics include building confidence in ourselves, changing our attitudes, and building good habits. There are so many lessons I’ve applied in my own life. It’s a manual all about changing our mindset about what success is and how to get there.
Do you know you have a purpose to fulfill? We were all born with seeds of greatness inside of us, and it’s up to us to water them, cultivate them, and bring them to life!
Reading is one of the key ingredients to overcome fear and self-doubt and dare to achieve your goals. Good books will inspire, motivate, challenge, and change you. They will set you on the right path to living the life of your dreams
Through these 14 Motivational and powerful books on Following Your Dreams, you can gain a wealth of information which is the key to achieving your personal and professional dreams.
The guidance and strategies of experts and experienced individuals can encourage you even in tough times to keep going. Good books can change the direction of your life by changing your mindset, attitudes, and ultimately your actions.
This list of books has helped me to dream larger than I could ever imagine. Do you look at life as a way to pursue your passions, goals and dreams? Grab one of these powerful books and learn from great men and women about what it takes to make those dreams a reality.
