We're in a time of fear, crisis, and uncertainty. And there has never been a better time to change things for the better. People from all sectors, industries, and walks of life are called to be change makers. Here's a list of 19 books that will inspire you to change the world.
Start Something That Matters, Blake Mycoskie These counter-intutive principles and revolutionary business model marries fun, profit, and social good. This book has influenced people to go out into the world and have a positive impact, to inspire others, and to start something that matters.
The Art of Non-Conformity,Chris Guillebeau "There must be more to life than this." Chris defies common assumptions about life and work while arming you with the tools to live differently. Discover how to live on your own terms, achieve radical goals, and embrace life as a constant adventure.
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, Daniel Pink The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't.
The Purpose Economy: How Your Desire for Impact, Personal Growth, and Community is Changing the World, Aaron Hurst Millennials are trading in conventional career paths to do work that matters. Our new economy is driven by connecting people to their purpose, serving needs greater than their own, and enabling personal growth and community development.
The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do, Jeff Goins Our search for discovering the task we were born to do begins with passion, but it does not end there. Only when our interests connect with the needs of the world do we begin living for a larger purpose. This is where you experience something exceptional and enviable.
The War of Art, Steven Pressfield Channel creative energy, unlock potential, and overcome the fears that stop you from reaching your fullest potential. With courage, following the right formula and working hard, the book proposes that passion can be turned into purpose.
The Business of Good: Social Entrepreneurship and the New Bottom Line, Jason Harbor From Main Street to Wall Street, today’s social entrepreneurs are rebooting capitalism, challenging the charitable industry complex, and disrupting the way we do business with exciting innovations designed to solve society’s most challenging problems.
Do The KIND Thing: Think Boundlessly, Work Purposefully, Live Passionately, Daniel Lubetzky Inspired by his father, who survived the Holocaust thanks to the courageous kindness of strangers, Dan began his journey pioneering a “not-only-for-profit” business—one that sold great products and helped to make the world a better place.
Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs, Muhammad Yunus By harnessing the energy of profit-making to the objective of fulfilling human needs, social business creates self-supporting, viable commercial enterprises that generate economic growth even as they produce goods and services that make the world a better place.
Rework, Jason Fried The truth is, you need less than you think. Plans are actually harmful, you don’t need outside investors, and you’re better off ignoring the competition. Those are all just excuses. What you really need to do is stop talking and start working.
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, David Bornstein This has become the bible for social entrepreneurship– in which men and women around the world are finding innovative solutions to a wide variety of social and economic problems. You will see how one person can make an astonishing difference in the world.
Making Good: Finding Meaning, Money, and Community in a Changing World, Billy Paris After the last economic recession, an entire generation is looking for practical answers about how to succeed and make positive change in the world. This explores how the next generation will rethink, reimagine, and rebuild the world around us.
The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change, Adam Braun If you feel restless and ready for transition, if you are seeking direction and purpose, this one's for you. Adam chronicles the journey to find his calling, and each chapter explains one clear step that every person can take to turn their biggest ambitions into reality
Be You. Do Good: Having the Guts to Pursue What Makes You Come Alive, Jonathan David Golden & Bob Goff Almost anyone you ask would say that they want to do work that matters. But most people don't feel like they are actively making a difference in the world. But if God created each of us on purpose, for a purpose, we should be ordering our lives around that purpose.
The Disruptors: Social Entrepreneurs Reinventing Business and Society, Kerryn Krige & Gus Silber Impassioned by purpose, driven by dreams, emboldened by ideals, social entrepreneurs imagine a better way to a better world. They go out of their way to bring it to life. In the process, they disrupt the way things have always been done.
From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want, Rob Hopkins In these times of deep division and deeper despair, if there is a consensus about anything in the world, it is that the future is going to be awful. It's more important now than ever, and suggests ways our communities can revive and reclaim creative, positive thinking.
A Paradise Build in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster, Rebecca Solnit Disasters prompt survivors to rise to the occasion, and spark an ordinarily unmet yearning for community, purposefulness, and meaningful work. Joy springs from moments of altruism, resourcefulness, and generosity arise amid disaster's grief and disruption.
Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life, Eric Greitens You cannot bounce back from hardship. You can only move through it. There is a path through pain to wisdom, through suffering to strength, and through fear to courage if we have the virtue of resilience.
Intentional Living: Choosing a Life That Matters, John C. Maxwell We all have a longing to be significant. We want to make a contribution, to be a part of something noble and purposeful. But many people wrongly believe significance is unattainable. But the only thing you need to achieve significance is to be intentional.
BONUS:
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership,
James C. Hunter
This book redefines what it means to be a leader. The true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, and sacrifice. It doesn't demand special talents.