What are the Best Motivational Audiobooks?

Why do we need to be motivated?

For obvious reasons, we need to find a purpose on why to start a certain activity or to gain a better perspective about a particular thing.

It all started with books, then people were able to purchase LP records or audio cassettes with such material and now we have YouTube with tons of information.

In this post, we will be focusing on audiobooks mainly. The good thing about the internet is that many books are available also for free.

So what are the best motivational audiobooks?

It all depends on your preferences and in this post, you will find a list of audiobooks that in my opinion are the best.

I am going to mention books that I have read or listened to and will explain a bit about what are they about.
At the end of this post, I will leave an open discussion.
I am sure you have also read some great books and it would be beneficial for everyone if we can share each other’s experiences with such literature.

Let me start with the very first book I stumbled upon back in 2010.

It was an audiobook, together with the PDF, so I read it and listened at the same time to have a better understanding.
I also had a USB in my car, so whenever I was driving for a couple of hours on the highway I used to listen to this audiobook as well.

The book was the Law of Success in 16 Lessons:

The Law of Success in 16 Lessons by Napoleon Hill

I think I don’t have to introduce Napoleon Hill to you.
Not that I knew him personally; what I mean is that he is probably the most famous author of the literature on self-improvement.

The book was published in 1938.
But originally it was 15 separate brochures of pamphlets, and only afterward did Hill creates a single book.

Today we have available an updated version – that has 17 lessons.

I believe you can also download the PDF of the book. Together with the audiobook available on YouTube, you can both listen and read to this intensive course on self-improvement.
Let me share with you the 1st lesson. 

You can also find the entire book, a lesson by lesson at this link.

To get through all of the Volumes of the book, be prepared that it will take more than 20 hours. But this course is not something you can comprehend in those 20 hours.
As you will hear, it is better to listen to some lessons several times and with a pen and notebook.

This course is comprehensive and Napoleon Hill wanted to include every detail.
Let me share with you the content:

Volume I

• Lesson 1 – Introduction to the Master Mind
• Lesson 2 – A Definite Chief Aim
• Lesson 3 – Self-Confidence
• Lesson 4 – The Habit of Saving

Volume II

• Lesson 5 – Initiative and Leadership
• Lesson 6 – Imagination
• Lesson 7 – Enthusiasm
• Lesson 8 – Self-control

Volume III

• Lesson 9 – The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For
• Lesson 10 – A Pleasing Personality
• Lesson 11 – Accurate Thinking
• Lesson 12 – Concentration

Volume IV

• Lesson 13 – Cooperation
• Lesson 14 – Profiting by Failure
• Lesson 15 – Tolerance
• Lesson 16 – The Golden Rule
• Lesson 17 – The Universal Law of Cosmic Habitforce

I understand that for some people, it is unnecessarily too long, but in my experience, if something goes too much in detail, and yet the person who reads it is humble enough to comprehend all details, that person is prepared for the upcoming situations much better.

For those who consider the Law of Success in 16 (or 17) Leesons too long, there is a solution;

As a result of that Napoleon came out with a “Shorter version” of that book:

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Think and Grow rich was originally published in 1937 and it is based on the booklets (that were available prior to the Law of Success publication), we have mentioned above.

This book was written at a time when the 1st major financial crisis hit the world. (Maybe it was not something that just happened, but that is another discussion).

The point is that at the darkest time of the new age, he releases a new book called Think and Grow rich which became one of the best motivational books in history.

When we check the content, we see similarities with the previous book:

1. Thoughts are things
2. Desire
3. Faith
4. Autosuggestion
5. Specialized Knowledge
6. Imagination
7. Organized Planning
8. Decision
9. Persistence
10. Power of Master Mind
11. The Mystery of Sex Transmutation
12. The Subconscious Mind
13. The Brain
14. The Sixth Sense

It still to this day remains the most selling Napoleon Hill book.

Probably back in 2018, I bought it for my fiance, and after she read it she did land it to her sister.

You also might have noticed that there is also a movie, Think And Grow Rich The Legacy Movie.

Honestly, it is not as good as the book, but still, it is worth watching.

Let’s go on with our list, but before that, I would like to mention what brought me to the 3rd audiobook.

I need to get back to the revised edition of the Law of Success.
As I was reading the following part – I was wondering who this guy is?

This is a screenshot from the book the Law of Success in 17 lessons (the revised edition that contains comments).

I am always a bit skeptical, and in some instances probably too much. So with such an attitude, I started to watch Tony Robbin’s videos on YouTube and it occurred to me that this guy has really something to tell.

Long story short, I find myself listening to one of his best audio courses on self-development.

Note:
Tony does not consider himself a motivational speaker. He rather teaches people how to find the solution and the energy we all have inside ourselves.
That we all have the power of taking action toward our goals.

It is not always easy and the following audio course has the answer and thus the name, Personal Power.

Personal Power II by Tony Robbins

Awesome audiobook together with a workbook published back in 1996.
The audiobook consists of 25 CDs (or 12 it depends on where you purchase it).
I believe some of the material is available on YouTube as well – search for it.

– And BTW, on that picture here, it really is Tony, back in the mid-1990s.

Tony is explaining how to achieve success and in a nutshell, there are 4 key points:

1. Know your outcome in every walk of your life. The essential question you have to ask yourself is “What is my outcome?”
   Most people struggle since they don’t know what they really want.
2. Take action towards your outcome. Decide and just do it.
   (Learn how to use fear)
3. Notice what you are getting from the actions. Are you getting desirable results?
4. If you are not getting the results, change your approach.

In case you decide to purchase the entire program (for example from Amazon) and you don’t get the workbook inside the package, you can download it. It is called the Success Journal and it is available here on the Tony Robbins website.

I did listen to it several times and every time I did find something new.
This program can really change your life if you follow it.

From my experience, it is recommended to listen to it at least twice.

The Richest Man in Babylon

This book was published in 1926 and the author is George S. Clason.

The story is set in ancient Babylon but the principles of finance have not changed since then.

The most important thing is saving and then properly investing the money so eventually, the money will make more money.

If I may add; finances are like a grenade.
If you are not careful it may blow in your hand and it can cause unrepairable damage.

So the biggest takeaway from this book:

• Save 10% of your income no matter what
• Don’t rent but rather own property
• Invest the money, to make more money

Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill

I have not found this book on Amazon or any other source.

To be honest I did not search for it since I did find it on YouTube as an audiobook.

The book was written in 1938 by Napoleon Hil but was not released until 2011.
The reason was that Hill’s wife did not want it to publish, that was because of the role of the Devil. Apparently, it was too controversial back then.

It is written as an interview between the good side of a personality (Mr. Earthbound) and the dark side of a personality (the Devil).

I used to listen to the outwitting the devil before I went to sleep.
What was the most interesting part was the presence of the devil within us.
I mean I could perfectly understand how he acts and why he acts that way.

On the other hand, I could also understand the other “guy”. It is perfectly normal as we all have at least 2 personalities.

Life would go easier without the devil. But maybe we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the progress.
So with that being said once we learn how to deal with the devil, we reach a new level of understanding of life.

Principles by Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is a hedge fund manager and founder of Bridgewater Associates. The company’s net worth is estimated to be more than $18 billion as of February 2020.

Ray started investing at age 12.
In 1975 he founded the company from his apartment and by 2005 it was the largest hedge fund firm.

During his business life, he learned that certain life situations or problems are happening over and over again and many of them have similar patterns.

So he developed basic principles that can be applied to those situations or problems.
In other words, once we learn how to apply these principles, our life will be easier since we find out that the problem is just another one of those.

This is not outright motivational literature, but it certainly gives you a lot of useful information when it comes to personal life and also business life.
Especially when you run your own company or you are about to this is a great book to be read.

I have not found the free audiobook but you can definitely watch Ray Dalio on YouTube.
Also, here is the 30 minutes version of the Principled for Success (as of today it has more than 5.8 Million views)

As a Man Thinketh – James Allen

Very short and very powerful book.

It was published in 1903 and according to the author, this book ” deals with the power of thought and particularly with the use and application of thought to happy and beautiful issues”

This book is also described as a “pocket companion for thoughtful people”.

It has only 68 pages, you can finish the book within a few hours.

The biggest takeaway?
Here is the thought:

“Man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will produce their kind.”

You have probably read it somewhere, right?

Here is the entire book and you can get through it within 2 hours:

12 Rules of Life by Jordan Peterson

Jodan B. Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and also a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto.

The first time I came accorded Mr. Peterson was an interview on the YT channel Valuetainment.

Then I found a lot of videos he has on YouTube.
In 2013 he started to record his lectures and uploaded them to YouTube.

In August 2018 his YouTube channel had more than 1.8 million subscribers and videos received more than 65 million views.
As of today, his channel has almost 3 Million subscribers and videos have received almost 160 million views!

Here is one lecture on what o do to be successful.

When it comes to his book 12 Rules for Life, it is not available as an audiobook for free (at least not that I am aware of).

Nevertheless, if you want to learn what is the book about, I share with you an interview with Mr. Peterson where he talks about each chapter and explains what is it all about.

As a result of this interview, I decided to buy the book.

And I bought one for my mother as well, the Slovak or Czech translation (can’t remember) as she does not speak English.

Jordan Peterson has a website (www.selfauthoring.com) with a series of online writing programs that help to explore one’s past, present, and future. This course is very affordable, it costs $29.90.

If you currently don’t have a budget for the course, he has also a great Essay Writing Guide. It is a word document and it is available for free.
You can download the guide, Here.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

This is a book originally published in 1997, written by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter.

Originally I thought that Robert had 2 dads, but it was not the case.
His own dad was well educated but always struggle to make decent money.

The other father is his best friend’s father, who had a company and knew how to use money so they can generate more money.

The story begins as a young Robert with his friend decided to learn how to become wealthy.
They both started working for Robert’s friend’s father – for free.

They did not like the idea, but later they realized that it was a great lesson and it helped both of them to get through the struggles they have encountered in later life.

The book contains practical advice, which is simple and easy to implement.

You can find the audio-book o on YouTube, it has a little over 6 hours.

Is It Really Helpful?

This is a question you have to answer for yourself.

My point is that we can watch tons of motivational videos, and read hundreds of books and I believe it will be helpful.
But is our life going to change only based on the number of books we read?

Of course not.
We must take some kind of action. The purpose of such material (either book, audiobook, or video) is that the action is not painful anymore. We are willing to change and the change is inevitable.

So all these books are some sort of tool that will switch the button in our brain.

Depending on your previous life we need 1 or 2 books or we need to read 100 of them.
It does not matter how many and how long it’ll take – the most important thing is progress.

Once we find out that we are closer to our goal than a year ago – that is a sign that we are on the right path.

What is your favorite book?
Have you read (or listened to) any of those books above? If yes, which one.

Also, I would like to know what book would you recommend?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below as I would love to have this post as an open discussion.

Thank you for your support in advance
Mike