We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
With the new year comes the promise of fresh beginnings and new possibilities. It’s a time when many of us reflect on what we want to achieve in the months ahead—whether it’s professional milestones, personal growth, or simply embracing healthier habits. The act of setting goals is a powerful catalyst for change, providing direction and purpose in a world that often feels overwhelming. Yet, despite the best intentions, navigating the path to our dreams can sometimes feel unclear. That’s where the right guidance comes in. A well-chosen book can be a transformative companion on your journey, offering both the inspiration and practical tools needed to turn intentions into lasting change.
Featured image from our interview with Sanne Vloet by Michelle Nash.
10 Goal-Setting Books to Inspire Success in 2025
Ahead, we’ve curated a collection of 10 goal-setting books that offer unique perspectives and actionable strategies to help you make 2025 your most fulfilling year yet. From building small, sustainable habits to mastering the art of designing a life you love, these books invite you to think critically about your aspirations and the steps it takes to achieve them. Whether you’re a seasoned goal-setter or embarking on this journey for the first time, these titles provide a mix of wisdom, motivation, and fresh insights that will help you set goals that truly resonate—and empower you to turn them into reality.
Creating a Life That Matters by Rivka Goldstein & Manis Friedman
Creating a Life That Matters offers a fresh and thought-provoking take on goal-setting. With wit and wisdom, Friedman explores the complexities of modern life—touching on relationships, parenting, and the search for purpose—while guiding readers to focus on what truly matters. This book goes beyond practical goal-setting strategies, encouraging readers to cultivate peace of mind and lasting happiness as they navigate life’s challenges. It’s an inspiring reminder that achieving our goals is about more than just productivity; it’s about creating a meaningful life filled with connection and fulfillment.
New Happy by Stephanie Harrison
This book is a transformative guide that redefines what it means to live a fulfilling and joyful life. Challenging society’s outdated notions of happiness, Harrison combines years of research with heartfelt compassion to reveal the steps we can take to break free from perfectionism, loneliness, and self-doubt. Through actionable advice and inspiring illustrations, she empowers readers to embrace self-acceptance, cultivate meaningful connections, and uncover their unique strengths. New Happy offers a revolutionary framework for finding purpose and creating positive change—for ourselves and the world around us.
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
This book is more than just a guide—it’s a mindset shift. By reframing challenges as design opportunities, readers are empowered to experiment, learn, and pivot toward a life that feels meaningful and aligned. Packed with exercises and insights, Designing Your Life is perfect for anyone ready to take an intentional, creative approach to crafting the life they’ve always imagined.
The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma
Think of this book as a compelling blueprint for unlocking your full potential through the power of an early start. Drawing on decades of experience coaching high achievers, Sharma intertwines actionable strategies with an inspiring narrative about transformation and success.
From safeguarding the quiet hours of dawn for personal growth to mastering focus and creativity, this book delivers a science-backed formula for thriving in a fast-paced world. Whether you’re aiming to supercharge your productivity or create a more peaceful, purpose-driven life, The 5 AM Club is a guide to making mornings your most powerful ally.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Essentialism redefines productivity with a counterintuitive yet profoundly effective principle: doing less, but better. This book challenges the modern hustle mentality, encouraging readers to strip away distractions and focus solely on what matters.
Through practical strategies and thought-provoking insights, McKeown introduces the “Way of the Essentialist,” a disciplined approach to prioritizing your time, energy, and choices. Whether you’re navigating career demands, personal relationships, or life’s daily chaos, Essentialism provides a framework for reclaiming control and achieving meaningful success by focusing on the essential and discarding the rest.
Win the Day by Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson equips readers with a faith-fueled strategy for achieving ambitious goals by focusing on the transformative power of daily habits. Rejecting the paralysis of regret or fear of the future, Batterson’s seven habits offer practical, actionable steps to help readers live with greater purpose and intention.
From “Flipping the Script” to reframe your mindset to “Seeding the Clouds” to invest in tomorrow’s success, each habit is rooted in timeless wisdom and designed for immediate application. Inspiring and grounded, Win the Day is a guide to embracing life one day at a time, unlocking the extraordinary through small, consistent actions.
Measure What Matters by John Doerr
In Measure What Matters, legendary venture capitalist John Doerr introduces readers to the transformative power of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), a goal-setting framework that has driven success for some of the world’s most influential companies, including Intel and Google.
Through captivating behind-the-scenes stories from leaders like Bono and Bill Gates, Doerr reveals how OKRs bring clarity and focus to organizations by aligning priorities, fostering collaboration, and driving measurable results. Whether you’re leading a team, launching a start-up, or simply aiming to improve personal productivity, this system provides the blueprint for achieving your most ambitious goals.
Mind Shift by Erwin Raphael McManus
Dream Big by Bob Goff
What happened to the life you once dreamed of? In Dream Big, New York Times bestselling author Bob Goff invites readers to rediscover the vibrant dreams they left behind, buried under fear, doubt, and the weight of daily life. Goff shares practical, heartfelt guidance to help you uncover your purpose and take meaningful action toward the life you’ve always imagined.
With warmth, humor, and down-to-earth wisdom, Dream Big is a call to stop settling for “good enough” and start chasing the life you were made for. This is your roadmap to a life filled with passion, purpose, and excitement—because it’s never too late to dream big.
Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey
Happiness is within your reach. Build the Life You Want offers a transformative journey toward greater joy and fulfillment, no matter your current circumstances. With a blend of science, wisdom, and practical advice, this book empowers you to take control of your happiness starting right now. Drawing on their own experiences and years of helping people turn ideas into action, Brooks and Winfrey guide you through the four pillars of happiness: family, friendship, work, and faith. With a focus on emotional self-management, they provide research-backed strategies to help you thrive, regardless of life’s challenges.
