There are so many books that will inspire you in different ways. Some will inspire you to travel, some to do better in your career and others to just be a better person overall. That’s the great thing about a book, similar to blogs, you can always find something that you will connect with on some level.
If I was known for anything growing up, it was being a bookworm. I was the kid that always carried a book with me, or having my nose stuck in a book. Ben hates it but I have shelves and shelves of books I refuse to give up. I don’t know what it is but there’s something nostalgic and comforting for me to see shelves of books hanging around.
It takes a very powerful book to sit with you after you’ve read it, to come up in your thoughts every once in a while. The books I’ve listed below have done just that for me but in different ways.
Inspire you to change | Eat Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
I’m not generally one for ‘pop-culture’ novels but I read this book at a pivotal time in my life. Eat, Pray, Love is one of my most important of the books that will inspire you. It stuck with me in the way that a good book should. It was the first time I looked at travel differently and the first time I realized that you can change your situation or life at any given time if you aren’t happy.
I didn’t go on some self-discovery round-the-world tour but I did leave a long-term relationship I had been in. There wasn’t anything bad with the relationship, the guy I was with was amazing; my family loved him, I loved him, my friends loved him but something didn’t feel right. I couldn’t tell you what it was or why I felt that way but I did. I broke up with him, had a series of absolutely terrible swings with the worst guys imaginable, traveled to California and met the love of my life. Things happen for a reason and that’s what Eat, Pray, Love is all about.
Inspire you to always be prepared | World War Z (Max Brooks)
Let me start off by saying that whoever wrote the script for the movie version of this book should be jailed. If that’s your only reference to this book please do yourself a favour and go out and buy the book right now. World War Z was the most incredible work of fiction I had read in a very long time. The realism of it all, the way the stories intertwined and wove in and out of each other made the entire novel feel so real.
You may laugh but this novel will teach you to always be prepared. I swear after reading World War Z I spent the subsequent couple of months thinking of escape routes from my home or office if there ever was an zombie apocalypse. Obviously you don’t have to be as dramatic as me (so few are) but being prepared for the worst case scenario in everything you do isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Inspire you to be present in life | The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
Of all the books that will inspire you, this is one that may affect you on a deeper level. I read The Five People You Meet In Heaven when I was in University. It was the first time in my life where I realized, I could choose the people I surround myself with. It was also the first time I realized that people come into your life for a reason. Even now when I have a friendship end or dwindle I remind myself of all the reasons why that person was in my life.
If you haven’t yet read this book, you’re in for a treat. This book will make you look at all the past events in your lief and think, if I were to die now who would my five people be? It will hopefully inspire you to remember that life is short and anything can happen at any given moment, so live it to the fullest.
Inspire you to explore other cultures | Memoirs of a Geisha
(Arthur Golden)
I read Memoirs of a Geisha before I really was bitten by the travel bug. I don’t remember how old I was exactly but I couldn’t have been that old. I remember reading it and having my mind blown at how different life was for the main character of the novel compared to mine. It was the first time I ever really realized there were people out there who didn’t grow up like me or who weren’t given the same privileges.
I think one of the greatest privileges in life is being able to explore cultures and lifestyles of people that are so drastically different from yours. My first bout of real culture-shock was during my trip to Bali. It was so different from any world I knew that it kind of threw me for a loop. There were people living in cardboard or aluminium homes and yet, were some of the happiest people I had ever met. To live in a Westernized bubble your whole life is a very sad way to live. I encourage everyone to venture out and explore worlds unknown, discover new ways of life you never knew before.
Inspire you to think outside the box | Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)
When it comes to looking for books that will inspire you, nothing will do that better than a novel written by Malcolm Gladwell. His way of thinking about life is incredible. In almost everything he does, he takes the most basic concept or event and digs deeper into it. It really makes you back and think, holy shit how did I not think of that?
Outliers was the first novel I read from the works of Malcolm Gladwell. I fell in love instantly, plus he’s Canadian so that was a huge plus! His writing and concepts are easily digestible but also make you question almost everything around you. He covers things like, why Asians are historically better at math, when a plane is most likely to crash and what month athletes should be born to be the best.
There you have it, 5 books that will inspire you in some way shape or form. What books have you read that have stayed with you for years and inspired you in different ways? I’d love to hear them!
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