7 Books That Have Inspired Me To Take Action In My 30s

These books have inspired me to take action in my 30s and left a profound and lasting impact on the way I live my life. Which books resonate with you?

Books have a great way of lighting a fire in your soul in the most unexpected ways. At least that has been my experience. When I turned 30 it was clear to me that my best years are ahead of me, because I haven’t experienced any major milestones yet.

The books I’m sharing with you today have helped me determine that I want this to be a decade about taking action. I want to take action in life, love, and in my faith. If you are also on that journey, maybe these books will inspire you as well.

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7 Books That Have Inspired Me To Take Action In My 30s

1. Embrace Your Almost by Jordan Lee Dooley

Embrace Your Almost: Find Clarity and Contentment in the In-Betweens, Not-Quites, and Unknowns is all about finding contentment with where you are in this life right now. That doesn’t mean that you give up and stay stuck. This book shows you how to be content while still hoping and working for a better future.

“… a life of contentment and purpose isn’t about being ahead or finishing first. Instead it’s about choosing to flourish even when we feel behind or don’t have it all…”

Jordan Lee Dooley gave me a great gift by writing this book, and that is the gift of going after my dreams. A little backstory for you, a few years ago I had a literal dream that I created a journaling self care subscription box. Even though it was just a dream, I couldn’t shake it off. Something in me was ignited while reading Embrace Your Almost. I even created a book playlist because it inspired me so much. I began to wonder if I could actually start this.

There is a part in the book where Dooley shares the story of someone with a dream of opening a bakery, and how taking a small step each day got her closer to realizing that dream. I started thinking of small steps that I could take, and decided to actually go for it.

In my thirties I plan to create my own subscription box. While I hope that it is successful, even if it’s not, I’m going to be proud of myself for going through with it.

Embrace Your Almost helped me realize that I can do big things in my thirties.

2. Worthy by Jamie Kern Lima

Books That Have Inspired Me To Take Action In My 30s

In Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life Jamie Kern Lima challenges us to fully lean into self love and self worth. Only then can we show up authentically as we are, and the world needs us to show up as ourselves. Worthy shows us just how much self worth can affect our day-to-day life. It literally can affect everything from your job, relationships, and how you view yourself.

“When it comes to the meaningful pursuits in your life, only a foundation of strong self-worth can ensure these three important things—first, that you don’t stay stuck because you feel unworthy or not enough to go after them. Second, that you don’t sabotage your success along the way.

And third, that when you do achieve the things you want in your life, you’re able to actually enjoy them and feel fulfilled in the journey.”

This book helped me remember just how important a self love journey is. It gave me tools and perspectives that I haven’t had before during my journey to loving myself more.

Worthy helped me recommit to working on my self worth and self love more in my thirties.

3. Level Up by Rob Dial

Level Up: How to Get Focused, Stop Procrastinating, and Upgrade Your Life is a great book to read if you struggle with staying focused but have big goals you want to achieve. The tools and steps in this short but mighty book will help change your life for the better. Level Up combines personal stories with cutting-edge research to deliver the best tips straight to you.

“We often think of success as one huge event, when in reality,we don’t notice the micro-actions that contributed to that larger result. ”

I love Rob Dial’s podcast The Mindset Mentor, so I knew this book would be a life-changer for me. I actually got the opportunity to be on the Street Team for this book as it was getting launched into the world. Getting to hear Rob’s passion behind why he wrote the book made me appreciate it that much more.

Level Up gave me the tools I needed to get focused and productive in my thirties.

4. A Single Life To Live by Hannah Schermerhorn

This one is for all of the singles reading this. In A Single Life to Live: Stop Waiting for Your Life to Begin and Thrive Where God Has You Today we are reminded that life doesn’t start when you are in a relationship, it’s yours to live right now. Hannah explores and debunks myths of singleness by telling the story of single women in the Bible.

“Do not lose hope. God is using every moment, every second of your life, to create a much bigger, more beautiful picture than you could ever imagine.”

Being someone in their thirties who has never been in a relationship is not for the faint of heart. There are so many times where I’ve questioned “when will it be my turn?” or “Is there something wrong with me?” This book helped give me some perspective and remind me that there is a plan for my life.

A Single Life To Live helped remind me to go out and live my life on my terms now, and not wait for someone else to tell me my life has begun.

5. Do The New You by Steven Furtick

In Do the New You: 6 Mindsets to Become Who You Were Created to Be Pastor Steven Furtick discusses how we can get to the person that God created us to be. The true us may seem out of reach sometimes, but God knows that is who He created us to be, so He will help us get there. That is where this book comes in. Do The New You includes six different mindsets that will help us become that person that has been inside us all along.

“When you aren’t where you want to be yet, do the thing that you would do if you were already there, or at least get as close as you can.”

I’ve had this stirring in my soul that I’m not where I’m supposed to be or who I’m supposed to be for a while now. Reading this book, I now see why that’s happened. It’s a glimpse into my authentic self. I’m excited to continue making these mindset shifts so that I can uncover the person God wants me to be.

Do The New You helped me realize my true self and gave me the mindset tools needed to keep showing up as her in my thirties.

6. Create A Life You Love by Stephanie May Wilson

Create a Life You Love: How to Quiet Outside Voices So You Can Finally Hear Your Own is all about taking the time to get clear on what you want, then going after it. It’s more than that though, it’s learning to be okay with your decisions, even if it might not be what other people want. At the end of the day it’s your life to live, so your opinion is the only one that matters.

“Life isn’t static. It’s not a destination we reach, it’s a journey we’re on—a journey of thoughtfully reimagining our lives over and over as we grow and change, and as the world changes around us.”

This book gave me the all important reminder that society’s timeline is not my timeline. This was another book I was lucky enough to be on the street team for during release week. I enjoyed reading this book and felt so fired up about changes I want to make in my life (on my terms). If you like book playlists I even felt inspired to create a book playlist for this one as well.

Create A Life You Love helped me remember that life is a journey and that I have the power to create the life I want at any point in time in my thirties.

7. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

If you did a double take when you read this title I don’t blame you, it is the only fiction book on the list after all. Practice Makes Perfect follows the female main character, Annie Walker, as she agrees to get “lessons” in dating from Will Griffin so that when she finds her soulmate she’ll be ready. This book is all about love, finding your voice, and more.

“Suddenly, like a strike of lightning, I realize that I’ve been chasing the wrong things. I haven’t needed a husband. Or even to find myself. I think this emptiness has been a result of constantly isolating myself from my feelings. I know who I am and what I want out of life-I’ve just been ignoring those needs.”

This may seem odd on this list, but I really saw myself in Annie. From her lack of a love life, to her resentment towards her sweet, good girl image. Seeing Annie find her voice and express how she feels in the end of the book made me realize that I need to do more of that too.

Practice Makes Perfect helped me remember that I get to determine how people perceive me in my thirties. If I don’t like the current narrative, I have the power to change it.

Each Of These Books Inspired Me In a Major Way

Every lesson that I’ve learned from these books have given me more and more of a push to take action on the things I want in life and live a life that is authentically mine.

What about you? Are there certain books that inspired you to take action in your life? If so, I’d love to know what they are. Let me know in the comments.