Books like Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

01

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck · Psychology

Carol Dweck's central claim is simple but far-reaching: people hold one of two basic beliefs about their own abilities.

Both dig into motivation.

02

Outliers: The Story of Success

Malcolm Gladwell · Psychology

Outliers is Malcolm Gladwell's argument that exceptional success is less a product of individual genius or drive than it is of hidden advantages, timing, and accumulated opportunity.

A kindred psychology read.

03

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Daniel H. Pink · Psychology

Drive is Daniel Pink's argument that the motivational model most organizations still run on — reward the behavior you want, punish the behavior you don't — is badly mismatched to the kind of work that matters most in a modern economy.

Both dig into motivation.

04

The Power of Habit

Charles Duhigg · Psychology

The Power of Habit is Charles Duhigg's investigation into why habits exist and how they can be changed.

A kindred psychology read.

05

Deep Work

Cal Newport · Self-help

Deep Work is Cal Newport's case that the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task is becoming both rarer and more valuable, and that people who cultivate it will thrive while everyone else stays stuck in shallow busywork.

A kindred psychology read.

06

The Talent Code

Daniel Coyle · Science

The Talent Code is Daniel Coyle's investigation into why certain places — a tennis academy in Russia, a soccer training ground in Brazil, a music conservatory in Texas — produce a disproportionate number of world-class performers.

Shares deliberate practice and motivation with Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

07

The Procrastination Equation

Piers Steel · Psychology

The Procrastination Equation is Piers Steel's attempt to apply a decade of academic research on procrastination to a popular audience.

Both dig into motivation.

08

You Are Not So Smart

David McRaney · Psychology

David McRaney is a journalist who started a blog called "You Are Not So Smart" about self-delusion in 2009, and turned it into this book in 2011.

Both dig into motivation.

09

1776

David McCullough · History

David McCullough's 1776, published in 2005, covers a single year of the American Revolution — from the winter siege of Boston through Washington's crossing of the Delaware and the surprise victory at Trenton.

Both dig into perseverance.

10

Awaken the Giant Within

Tony Robbins · Self-help

Awaken the Giant Within is Tony Robbins' comprehensive manual for personal transformation, built on the premise that most people operate at a fraction of their potential because they have never taken control of the forces that shape their behavior: their beliefs, values, emotions, and the questions they habitually ask themselves.

Both dig into motivation.

11

Fluent in 3 Months

Benny Lewis · Language

Fluent in 3 Months is Benny Lewis's argument that the main thing standing between you and a new language is not talent, age or grammar — it's your refusal to open your mouth and be bad at it.

Both dig into motivation.

12

Keys to Drawing

Bert Dodson · Art

Keys to Drawing rests on a simple, liberating claim: drawing is not a gift a few people are born with but a skill almost anyone can learn.

Both dig into deliberate practice.