Are you interested in motivational books for men that will help get things moving and finally achieve what you want? Well, now is the perfect time to expand your self-development library.
And we are ready to suggest what exactly is worth paying attention to in this huge sea of psychological literature. From finding new goals and tools for achieving success to effective ways to combat habits that interfere with fulfillment, below you will find a list of the best motivational books.
Who knows, maybe one of them will be your first step towards a new, amazing life that you have long dreamed of?
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Over the past five years, I have read more than 150 books and during this time I have managed to rethink the process of reading and understand which books truly influenced me, and which only caused a temporary surge of emotions.
In this review, I selected only those books that influenced my thinking, inspired me to make important decisions, or helped me understand a new topic. For each book, I've included a description that reveals how it influenced me and attributes that will help you find a particular style of book. These are the attributes:
Practice – advice like “take it and do it”. Motivation - inspiring stories. Knowledge is a deep analysis of the topic.
At the moment, I like deep books that talk about fundamental things and don't give specific advice. There were times when I needed motivation or practical advice to understand a new topic. All of these books have influenced me, so choose the ones that suit your needs at the moment.
In the first part of the material, I will talk in detail about my favorite books, and in the second, a little shorter, about those that did not have a strong influence, but at the same time made me a better person.
“The Big Gingerbread Method”, Roman Tarasenko
Candidate of Technical Sciences, entrepreneur and business speaker Roman Tarasenko believes that we stop rejoicing as soon as we achieve our goals. We are motivated and pushed forward by the process itself and the expectation of happiness and success. But the fact is that not everyone is able to effectively manage internal resources. The road to happiness becomes more difficult, and this unsettles us.
The author offers readers a proven method of achieving big goals in small steps, which, from the point of view of neurobiology, is the most correct way to get what you want.
The book will help you understand the features of the brain, reconsider your desires and capabilities taking these features into account, as well as effectively distribute and increase internal resources. The author's advice will help you achieve your goals easily and with pleasure, following the path of least resistance. With the help of the book, you will change yourself, stop procrastinating and feeling guilty because of laziness.
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“Strategy for happiness. How to determine your purpose in life and become better on the way to it, Jim Lauer
Jim Loehr, author and expert in the field of psychology, knows that often we do not achieve our goals only because they are imposed on us by society. In fact, sometimes within ourselves we don’t want to be rich, successful and effective at all. Often, the race to climb the career ladder goes against our principles, which causes internal conflict. The result is not happiness, but a feeling of deep dissatisfaction.
Jim Loehr is sure: first of all, it is important to understand ourselves and understand what we really want.
The author suggests creating your own value system and considering the result not what we get in the end, but what we become after going a long way. Loehr also advises using the tools he has developed to help you develop new character traits to make your life meaningful.
The author's general optimistic attitude greatly motivates and makes you believe in yourself. The book is supplemented with compelling life stories and simple exercises to consolidate the results.
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Elton Sinclair "Oil"
Photo: ru.freepik.com: UGC
Motivational books, the best of which have become global bestsellers, describe the thoughts and feelings of outstanding people. They tell you how important decisions are made and show what character traits help you reach the top in business.
Elton Sinclair's novel "Oil" tells the story of a strong, purposeful personality - oil industrialist Arnold Ross. The story of a character with an interesting character is one of dreams and struggle, love and hate, money and power, meanness and justice.
The work describes the world of the 1820s. The book tells in detail about the oil field of Southern California. For the sake of his dream, purposeful workaholic Arnold Ross stops at nothing. Special charm, business acumen, perseverance and a brilliant mind help to make a huge fortune.
"The Habit of Achievement" by Bernard Ros
Bernard Ros, a professor of engineering, an expert in robotics, and the founder of the prestigious Stanford School of Design, in his book explains how to practically apply the basic tools of design thinking to achieve your goals.
Design thinking is a way to solve problems by focusing primarily on user needs. The method is suitable for all areas without restrictions - from raising children to planning business processes. The bestselling author tells and shows with clear examples how to achieve positive changes in life.
The book will help you understand what is stopping you from achieving your goals. You will learn how to begin to ignore obstacles and how to drown out the inner voice that whispers excuses and justifications. Bernard Ros will convince you that limitless possibilities are open to every person and the only thing that prevents us from moving forward is the inability to learn from our mistakes and the habit of seeing things from one side, the so-called functional rigidity.
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The merciless truth. Mike Tyson
The title speaks for itself - this is a book of truth, the autobiography of a champion . Mike Tyson has become a world boxing legend; there will never be such personalities in the sport again. Tyson's life is as furious and reckless as his fights.
Several personalities coexist within him: a fighter, a womanizer, an ironic philosopher, a criminal... How did he manage to achieve such colossal success?
“The Ruthless Truth” is an autobiographical book about the successful athlete Mike Tyson, known throughout the world. It will be interesting even to those who do not like boxing, since it deals not so much with the topic of sports, but with a success story. The main thing that can be taken away from the story is - do not give up under any circumstances! Nothing is impossible in life.
Stas Davydov “Don’t interfere with my work”
It is gratifying that among American books of this kind there are also works by domestic authors. Stas Davydov managed to describe Russian realities, because foreign books, even the most wonderful ones, are still not about us. After all, we “have a special place - you can only believe in Russia,” as the wonderful Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev said.
Therefore, reading Davydov’s book, you involuntarily ask the question: what kind of motivation did employees have in Soviet times, if they worked in the same place for years? The author of the book described the problem of demotivation in modern Russian companies, where complete indifference to one’s work sometimes prevails.
“Geniuses and outsiders: Why do some have everything and others have nothing?” Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, a famous publicist and pop sociologist, was born in 1963 in England. Malcolm received his education in Canada and has Canadian citizenship. But he works in the USA: since 1996 he has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine.
His sociological research work, entitled “Geniuses and Outsiders,” can rather be classified as popular science literature. It's like a journalistic investigation into why some people are luckier. The author examines the factors influencing the success of individuals and entire nations. He gives examples of such people as Mozart, members of the Beatles, Bill Gates and others.
The top motivational books cannot do without “Geniuses and Outsiders,” because in this book the author introduces the theory of mastering genius. He has done a great job of collecting information that refutes established ideas about the factors leading to success. But despite the abundance of facts, the book is interesting to read. It is written easily and grabs you from the first pages.
So how do you become a genius? Malcolm Gladwell's ideas:
- To become a "genius" you need to accumulate 10,000 hours in a specific field. In other words, even the most famous celebrities have worked hard on their talent to become them.
- Fame and success depend not only on innate data, but also on the time in which one was born, place and even season.
- Opportunity, timing, family and cultural heritage play a role in the development of talent.
- An important factor in success in adult life is the result of childhood learning outside of school.
- How, knowing these factors, you can help society become better.
You can read the description and purchase the book here.
“Quick results”, Andrey Parabellum, Nikolay Mrochkovsky
How can you change your life in just 10 days, learn how to set and achieve goals as effectively as possible? The advice of business consultant Andrei Parabellum and entrepreneur Nikolai Mrachkovsky will help you.
The book describes in detail in simple language certain rules, laws and skills for managing yourself and your personal time. Practical recommendations and assignments will help you consolidate the material you have learned.
The authors offer a program for each of the 10 days, during which you can change yourself and begin to achieve your goal. It is noteworthy that you don’t have to do anything supernatural, since our effectiveness turns out to be influenced by the most banal things like TV or lack of movement. These things slow down development, but a glass of water every two hours can help the brain and make us more successful overall.
The book will appeal to those who like to get quick results in a short time.
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12 Weeks a Year, Brian Moran, Michael Lennington
We are used to thinking in terms of the calendar year: most people's goals are spread out across the months. Most of us know exactly how to lose weight, become rich and happy. And almost no one manages to fulfill even a third of the promises they make to themselves.
Most of the plans remain plans: it didn’t work out to lose weight by summer, renovations are stuck at the initial stage, the search for an interesting job ends in surfing the Internet. Why this happens and what needs to be done to get out of the vicious circle, the authors of the book know, which will help increase personal effectiveness.
In just 12 weeks, with the guidance of entrepreneur Brian Moran and business expert Michael Lennington, you can change your life. To do this you will have to work on yourself every day, but the result is worth it. You will set your priorities correctly, increase the profitability of your business and get rid of stress in your personal life.
Some recommendations may seem unusual to you. For example: achieving a goal should involve as few tactical steps as possible. The more steps that separate you from success, the less likely you are to achieve your goal.
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"How to Work 4 Hours a Week" by Timothy Ferriss
Working only three to four hours a week, being successful and rich sounds tempting. This life has become a reality for some modern entrepreneurs, including Timothy Ferris, author, investor, and speaker. He is convinced that life is too short to waste years waiting for something better at the office.
Success can be achieved with proper planning of personal and work time, the ability to switch between tasks and set priorities correctly.
In the book you will not find magical advice or a spell that will allow you to quit what you are doing, lie down on the couch and wait for your dreams to come true by themselves. This is a book about how to work a little, but as efficiently as possible, how to train yourself to delegate less important things and not do something at all, albeit pleasant, but completely useless. To achieve your goals in a short time, you will have to reconsider your priorities and develop the skill of flexible response to a changing reality.
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"Strength of will. How to develop and strengthen”, Kelly McGonigal
Psychologist and Ph.D. Kelly McGonigal is the first teacher to teach willpower to Stanford University students. The idea of an unusual course became the basis of a book that is recommended for all adults to read without exception.
You will learn that willpower is a tool that can and should be trained, like the muscles of the back or legs.
The main principle of working on willpower can be called an original agreement with yourself: I’ll work on this thing for 10 minutes, and then I’ll quit. The most curious thing is that with this approach, “later” never comes.
Willpower is promoted by sound sleep and proper rest. But stress, which Kelly McGonigal has been studying for many years, seriously affects the ability and desire to achieve goals and generally do anything useful. In the book, the author also gives recommendations that will help you relax and unwind so that internal conflict does not interfere with your path to happiness.
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"Atlas Shrugged". Ain Reid
There are also fiction books on motivation and self-development. The list of the best books is deservedly supplemented by the book of the American writer and philosopher Ayn Reid.
Ayn Reid was born in the capital of pre-revolutionary Russia, St. Petersburg, in 1905. Her name was Alisa Zinovievna Rosenbaum. She is the author of four novels. The first two were not successful, but The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged became bestsellers. She also worked as a playwright and screenwriter.
As a philosopher, Ain created her own philosophical system, which she called objectivism, which began to be traced in her latest novel. In 1926, Reed left for the USA. She died in New York at the age of 77.
Atlas Shrugged is a dystopian novel first published in 1957. The author herself considered it the main work of her life. In it, Reed argues that it is possible to create an ideal world in which everything will rest on the shoulders of the “Atlanteans” - great people. In this case, no one will commit evil acts. The main characters are ideals that could not exist in our world.
This is one of the most voluminous novels in the world. It contains three volumes and about one and a half thousand pages. But it definitely won’t be boring. The book is written in good language and is interesting to read. The narrative is dynamic and the plot keeps you in suspense.
And yet, let's not forget that our list is not about fiction. Why has the novel been included in the top books on motivation for many years? When we start reading motivational books, we want to find a guide to action and make it work. Preferably without any effort on our part. What motivates Atlant?
- Gives you energy and desire to do great things.
- Helps the birth of ideas, plans, plans.
- Helps you to believe in yourself, that nothing is impossible.
- Teaches you to be proud of yourself, to notice your successes and talent.
- Believe in the talent and intelligence of other people, respect them for their abilities.
This is a book about society and its laws, about the ugly and ideal structure of the world, about work, about the triumph of reason and talent, about virtue and morality, about reasonable egoism, about true love and great evil, about human relationships.
You can read the description and purchase the book here.
Five Rules for Outstanding Performance by Corey Kogon, Adam Merrill, Lina Rinne
The authors of the book, time management experts, are sure: high employment is not at all an indicator of high efficiency.
It may seem to you that you are confidently moving towards your goals, since every minute of your time is occupied with some kind of activity. You grab onto things that seem urgent, but in reality you often overestimate the urgency and importance of this or that matter. Productivity can suffer - if you work hard at work, you often don't have time for personal matters. It shouldn’t be this way, and the effective time management matrix developed by the authors will come to the rescue.
You will learn to cope with the flow of tasks, distributing time and energy in such a way that no aspect of life suffers. Five simple rules will help you put things in order so that every task brings pleasure and truly makes you happy.
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“Will of steel. How to Strengthen Your Character, Tom Karp
Tom Karp, a writer and professor at the Northern University of Norway, has realized over the years that achieving goals is often prevented not by some insurmountable obstacles, but by a simple lack of willpower. At the start we are full of determination, but we don’t reach the finish line because we lose our bearings along the way and replace some goals with others, often lowering the bar.
Many of us can be called talented and promising, but laziness, lethargy and self-pity prevent us from realizing at least a third of our abilities.
In this regard, willpower becomes the most important factor in personal growth.
The author is convinced that willpower can be pumped up. The book presents specific techniques for mobilizing willpower to achieve goals that can be either simple (stop being late for work) or complex (seriously move up the career ladder).
A minimum of water and a maximum of practice - the bestseller will become a reference book for everyone who wants to stop being lazy and start achieving goals.
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"Achievements of goals. Step-by-step system, Marilyn Atkinson, Rae Choice
The book will help you discover yourself, understand your aspirations, desires and motives for successful work. The authors share techniques and methods developed at Erikson International University that will help you effectively change yourself and achieve your goals.
You will learn to understand yourself and others, concentrate on what is important and sweep aside obstacles that stand in the way of success. The authors offer many practical exercises with which you can clearly outline your future and outline steps towards it.
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"Full order. A weekly plan for dealing with chaos at work, home and in your head, Regina Leeds
Regina Leeds has spent the last 20 years bringing order to clients' heads, offices and minds. She knows how imperceptibly and quickly chaos spreads from the desktop to the entire surrounding space.
Every day is similar to the previous one: missed calls, late for meetings, offended loved ones whom you have once again let down. There is no talk of plans for the year: in conditions of chaos, there is no opportunity not only to achieve a goal, but even simply to formulate and voice it. The author invites readers to put an end to this madness by taking advantage of the unique system she created for organizing space and life.
The annual plan will gradually change you, and you will turn from a victim-loser into a successful person who has everything under control. The book will help you put things in order on your desktop, diary, computer and personal life. You will not only learn to achieve your goals, but you will be able to get rid of procrastination and even start eating right.
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"Answer. A Proven Method for Achieving the Unattainable, Allan Pease, Barbara Pease
The secret of happiness, success and prosperity is in our heads. RAS - reticular activating system - a region of the brain that is responsible for the success or absolute failure of a person. The good news is that we have everything we need to control the RAS and bend it to our needs. The authors of the book and simply happy people Allan and Barbara Pease will help us. They've written a really simple guide to setting and achieving goals.
Each chapter has a clear title that contains specific recommendations for action. For example, the authors advise making sure to make many lists of goals, write them only by hand, and generally have several sets of different goals at once. These lists should be accompanied by a strict deadline, preferably so that they literally surround you everywhere.
Several chapters are devoted to the habits of successful and unsuccessful people. A separate section concerns ways to program your own RAS and set yourself up for success.
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Theodore Dreiser "Trilogy of Desire"
Fiction books that motivate the reader tell about the lives, achievements and downfalls of people. The work of Theodore Dreiser “Trilogy of Desire” tells the story of the formation of the main character, the formation of his worldview and personality. Since the age of 10, Frank Cowperwood has been trying to realize his entrepreneurial abilities and prove to his father that he can achieve financial independence on his own.
In a light style, the author talks about the brokerage business, handling large sums of money, and investments. Readers observe the character's dexterity and his ability to increase capital. A young entrepreneur becomes a millionaire at the age of 25.
The writer openly talks about dishonest business methods, the fight against enemies and envious people. The book tells about the periods of dawn and decline of an extraordinary personality.
“52 Mondays. How to Achieve Any Goal in a Year by Vic Johnson
Monday is a great opportunity to start doing something you've always dreamed of but never found the time to do. For example, take music lessons or write a book of memories. Fifty-two Mondays are fifty-two chances for success, given to us by life itself. Vic Johnson's book provides a step-by-step guide for each week of the year. Every new week you set yourself a new small goal that will bring you closer to your dream or global goal.
The book also contains simple exercises that will help consolidate intermediate results. For example, if you're trying to lose weight, make it a habit to eat one low-calorie vegetable every lunch. If your goal is in the business field, spend at least 15 minutes every day developing and refining your business plan.
The author gives all the advice in simple and understandable language, generously seasoning it with stories from his life. The book will be useful for those who cannot wait for the new year to start setting and achieving goals.
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“Conquer procrastination! How to stop putting things off until tomorrow,” Peter Ludwig
I'll do it tomorrow. I'll start playing sports on Monday. I'll talk about the promotion right after the weekend. Admit it, how many times have you put off important things for later? How many times have thoughts about undone things made you feel despondent and sad? It's time to put an end to this, and a bestseller from a well-known personal development specialist in Europe will help you do this. With its help, you will stop putting off important things for later and start living here and now.
The author of the book talks about the reasons for laziness and weak-willed wasting of life and shares an effective and simple technique that will help increase productivity, achieve your goals and become happier overall. Working on yourself begins from the first pages of a bestseller. The tools proposed by Petr Ludwig have been tested by thousands of readers in the author’s homeland, the Czech Republic. But most importantly, everything the author writes about, he experienced himself.
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Biographies of famous men
No. 9. “Churchill. Biography" - Martin Gilbert
(Inspiration)
About the author: A famous British historian who became Churchill’s personal biographer and described the life of “The Great” as no one had ever described before.
About the book:
The story of how one of the world's greatest politicians began, what trials he went through and what motivated him to overcome them.
Quote:
“...tactfulness is one of the most important traits of a person in all life situations.”
Buy at Litres for 479 rubles
No. 10. “Geniuses are people too... Leonardo da Vinci” - Valerian Markarov
(Inspiration)
About the author: Valerian Markarov is a famous Soviet writer, more than once a laureate of International Literary Awards. He became famous for this work.
About the book:
Leonardo da Vinci is a true legend. He is considered an artist, a scientist, and a musician. His name is inscribed in history, which is why his life is not only possible, but also necessary to be told.
This is what V.V. did. Markarov. In the book, he described the extraordinary fate of the Italian genius, which was filled with secrets, tragedies, defeats and, ultimately, resounding successes.
Quote:
"You will live! Do you hear?
Buy at Litres for 349 rubles
No. 11. "Steve Jobs" - Walter Isaacson
(Inspiration)
About the author: Walter Isaacson is one of the most famous authors not only in America, but also in Europe. He became famous for being the author of biographies of such geniuses as Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin.
About the book:
This biography was written based on conversations with Steve and his family. Absolutely all facts are real, no fictitious plots or staged scenes. In short, a story about overcoming, the achievements of a strong man.
Quote:
“This book is about a life full of ups and downs, about an incredibly strong personality and a talented businessman...”
Buy at Litres for 399 rubles
No. 12. "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Road to the Future" - Ashley Vance
(Inspiration)
About the author: Vance is not just a journalist, but, above all, a brilliant author. Absolutely every article, biography, and story of his carries deep meaning and encourages the reader to do something innovative.
About the book:
A must read for those people for whom “leader” is not just a word. An absolutely amazing work, written, first of all, in order to understand what qualities a leader and innovator should have in modern society.
Quote:
“The best minds of my generation are focused on how to get people to click on ads.”
Buy at Litres for 590 rub.
Self-development books for men
No. 1. Negotiation Genius - Max Bazerman, Deepak Malhotra
(Self-development)
About the authors: Max Bazerman, Deepak Malhotra are psychologists who have studied the intricacies of communication and negotiations.
About the book:
This is a kind of “tutorial” on important tips:
- how to negotiate, taking into account the psychological state of the interlocutor;
- how social status influences communication;
- what subtleties and nuances are most important for your negotiations.
Quote:
“A negotiation genius is someone who has knowledge, understanding of the situation and a well-thought-out strategy.”
Buy at Litres for 379 rubles
No. 2. "Good Bad Boss" - Cary Cooper, Stefan Stern
(Self-development)
About the authors: Carey Cooper and Stefan Stern are true professionals in their field, professors at Stanford University.
About the book:
It is based on many years of experience of real leaders and clearly demonstrates that by looking at the activities of both good and bad managers, you can definitely benefit from it and learn a lesson for the future.
Quote:
“Management is not everything, but it is almost everything.”
Buy at Litres for 379 rubles
No. 3. "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" - John Maxwell
(Self-development)
About the Author: Maxwell is a popular author and journalist. A true master of the “oratory workshop”.
About the book:
First of all, this work is aimed at a wide readership who sees in himself the skills or inclinations of a future leader.
21 rules, 21 principles will definitely help you. This is not just a theoretical collection, but an opportunity to see your possible mistakes and try to eliminate them in advance.
Quote:
“When you recognize your inherent lack of leadership skills and abilities, and then discipline yourself to commit to daily personal growth in that area, exciting things begin to happen.”
Buy at Litres for 371 rubles
No. 4. “Black rhetoric. The power and magic of words" - Karsten Bredemeier
(Self-development)
About the author: He is a fairly well-known specialist in the field of business consulting. He is also considered one of the best communication trainers in Europe.
About the book:
The book teaches manipulation by all methods and rhetorical means. The book explains how to properly communicate with an interlocutor, teaches not just communication, but resourcefulness, and not succumbing to various provocations.
It will be useful for those who want to learn the art of dialogue, as well as public speaking.
Quote:
“Irony is the Trojan horse of verbal acrobatics, self-irony is a minefield for those who use it.”
Buy at Litres for 339 rubles
