8 Inspiring Goal-Setting Books

If you’re new to the goal setting game, The Desire Map is absolutely the place to start. Instead of focusing on what you want or what you think you must have, it shifts to focusing on how you want to feel in the new year. From there, you set goals. This builds intention and what you truly desire rather than what you think you should want or what society tells you is important. 

Oprah believes every person’s life has a purpose. The sooner they are able to figure out what that purpose is, the sooner they can start living it. Having a purpose makes people happier and more fulfilled. Oprah guides readers to make a framework for creating a life that’s significant and more than successful. This book is for people who feel a calling for their life and need some help refining how to answer that call.

Now that your intentions for the new year are set, starting can be overwhelming. Enter Atomic Habits. In this book, James Clear explains how tiny changes over time turn into life revolutions. It’s like setting a ship’s course one degree in a different direction. Immediately, it doesn’t seem to matter, but ultimately, the destination becomes completely different.

Let’s say you have your goal in mind, maybe even have had that goal in mind for years. How to Begin is a practical guide on getting started on your most difficult goals. This book understands that hard work is important but daunting. With humor and compassion, How to Begin guides readers through how to start and successfully continue on their most challenging goals.

Less how-to, more have-done, More Than Enough shares Teen Vogue writer Elaine Welteroth’s story in her own words of how she got where she is. It’s an inspiring memoir that reminds us that we can achieve great goals, too, and that there is enough space for all of us. She shares profound lessons for us to learn from and implement in our own lives. Welteroth has blazed a hard-fought trail and wants us to know that we have the right to follow.

Based on her wildly successful podcast, Kendra Adachi’s book helps people work smarter on what really matters to them. The Lazy Genius Way helps readers cut through mixed messages of how one “should” live well. It harnesses the power of small decisions and beginnings. There’s even a section on the importance of scheduling rest. It’s a well balanced guide to figuring out your goals and what you need to do to achieve them.

Peloton instructor Tunde Oyeneyin has been inspiring people on the bike for years. In her book, which is part manifesto, part memoir, she keeps inspiring people and gives them a positive push. Through her Instagram Live series of the same name, Tunde has practical advice and concrete steps for how to live the “SPEAK” acronym: Surrender, Power, Empathy, Authenticity, and Knowledge. This book is a one-two-punch of inspiration and practicality.

Tara McMullin wants to address the urgent “more” many people claim to seek. She’s created a gentle framework to help readers transform the way they set and achieve goals. Push beyond platitudes to prioritize practice over perfection. With a focus on well-being, this is a book for people who want to escape hustle and grind culture but still want to pursue their goals.