31 Best Books on Finding Your Life Purpose in 2024

Feeling lost or stuck?

Want to find more purpose and meaning but not sure where to start?

You’re in the right place.

The following books will help you find your purpose in life and figure out who you really are.

So that you can start living in alignment with your inner truth and what makes you the happiest in life.

Table of Contents

The Best Books on Purpose

The three best books on purpose are Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty.

This ranking is based on a combination of Amazon rating and number of reviews.

Continue reading for a description of each book plus 28 more books for you to consider.

It Took Me Eight Years to Find My Purpose

Living in Southeast Asia in 2019

It took me eight years to figure out what I was meant to do with my life and start doing it.

(The blog you’re reading right now is a big part of it.)

In those eight years, I found:

My higher purpose
My passion
My calling
My mission
My ikigai
What’s most important to me in life
My top values
And much more

And you can too!

Finding Purpose in the Modern Era

No longer do we have to slave away at jobs we hate for money we only get to enjoy on the weekends.

We can do what we love to do and making a living out of it.

We can find the purpose and direction we’re seeking in whatever layer of purpose matters most to us, whether it’s our work, our relationships, our health, spirituality, or something else.

But where do you start?

Luckily, tons of amazing authors, like Viktor E. Frankl, Rick Warren, Jay Shetty, Eckhart Tolle, and me (nudge, nudge) have done the legwork for you.

This article reviews the best books on purpose in 2024 for finding your purpose, your passion, and what you want to do in life (and are meant to do).

There’s nothing like knowing exactly what you are born to do. That self-knowledge is priceless.

Why Your Most Important Knowledge is SELF-Knowledge

Finding your purpose in the Information Age is all about one thing:

Self-information.

Self-knowledge.

These days, we know everything about everything.

With a simple Google search, we’ve all become know-it-alls about every topic under the sun.

Except the most important one when it comes to our happiness and life satisfaction.

Ourselves.

“People struggle to find what they’re looking for because they don’t know which layer of purpose they actually want to experience.

They don’t know if the purpose they’re seeking is in their daily lives, their family, their work, their higher purpose, or something else.

Most importantly, they don’t know themselves well enough to understand what’s most important to them.

No matter which layer of purpose is most important to you, it starts from within.

We must understand ourselves better to figure out what our purpose really is.”

– Michael Karp, The Purpose Discovery System

The answer is self-knowledge because, at the end of the day, this is about YOU.

It’s YOUR purpose, after all.

So how do you gain this knowledge?

Well, the answers are already inside of you. You just need to uncover them.

And the following books will help you do just that and much more:

The 31 Best Books on Finding Your Life Purpose in 2024

Without further ado, let’s dive into the list.

Except for book #0, I’ve ranked the books by a combination of Amazon rating and number of reviews. This gives us quality and popularity metrics.

The books at the top of the list are the most comprehensive books on finding your purpose and have helped the most people so far.

However, don’t neglect the books further down. Even though they aren’t as popular (yet), many of them are for more specific audiences, so they could be tailored to your situation.

Enjoy!

0. The Purpose Discovery System: A Step-by-Step Method for Finding Your Life’s Purpose & Following It

Author: Michael Karp
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 5
Best For: A Direct Route to Finding Your Purpose and Following It

The first book I want to mention before we get into the rest is my own.

If you’re looking for the most direct route to find, follow, and live your purpose, the five-step system I created is one of the best.

The book walks you through all five steps, with over a dozen life purpose exercises to help you gain a deep level of self-knowledge. This is the type of knowledge that can benefit you for a lifetime.

The book also comes with a worksheet to record your answers and carry them with you.

The Kindle version is only $0.99 right now, because I want as many people as possible around the world to have access to it.

So get it while it’s hot 🔥

1. Man’s Search for Meaning

Author: Viktor E. Frankl
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Best For: Everyone

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl documents Viktor’s experience in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, how he suffered through adversity, and how he found meaning in the process.

This is no ordinary book on life purpose. Through his experience, Viktor developed a psychological theory called logo-therapy, describing our desire to discover and pursue what we find meaningful in life.

Viktor took his horrific time in WWII and turned it into a gift that generations to come will continue to benefit from.

If you’re looking for a powerful perspective on what it means to live a purposeful and meaningful life, Man’s Search for Meaning is sure to make an impact.

2. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

Author: Rick Warren
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Best For: Christians

In The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren helps people figure out what on Earth they are here for through a deep and intense study of the Bible.

The book is really more like a training course. It is meant to be read over a 42-day period, with each chapter containing a meditation, Bible study, and steps to take.

This book has helped many people, especially those of the Christian faith, to find purpose and meaning in their lives and achieve the inner peace and clarity that comes with it.

3. Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day

Author: Jay Shetty
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Best For: Inner Peace & Mindset

Jay Shetty is one of my favorite influencers talking about passion and purpose in the modern era.

In Think Like a Monk, Jay Shetty uses the wisdom he gained living as a monk to help us master our minds and live more purposefully.

Shetty quite literally teaches readers how to think like a monk, overcome negativity, improve relationships, find your purpose, and live a happier, healthier life.

4. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

Author: Eckhart Tolle
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Best For: The Spiritually-Inclined

In A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle discusses the evolution of human consciousness and how we can transcend our egos to achieve a much greater degree of happiness and fulfillment.

He then goes on to help readers understand who they really are on a spiritual level and what their purpose is on this “new Earth.”

A New Earth is an enlightening read from one of the top spiritual authors of our time for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of their spiritual purpose and how they fit into the grand scheme of life.

5. Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose

Author: Sahara Rose Ketabi
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Best For: Finding Your Higher Purpose

In Discover Your Dharma, Sahara Rose takes readers on a journey to discover their purpose through a modern take on ancient Ayurvedic wisdom.

The book comes with a “What’s Your Dharma Archetype?” quiz to help you quickly identify your Dharma Blueprint and figure out what your dharma (higher purpose) is.

If you’re seeking fulfillment from your higher calling, Discover Your Dharma can put you on a direct path to discover it.

6. The Life You Were Born to Live (Revised 25th Anniversary Edition): A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose

Author: Dan Millman
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Best For: A Systematic Approach

In The Life You Were Born to Live, Dan Millman offers an objective and systematic take on finding true purpose and discovering which life path is best for you.

From health, money, and sexuality to hurdles you may face to understanding the nine-year cycles of your life, Dan walks readers through exactly what they need to figure out to discover what they’re meant to do in life.

He even created a free Life Purpose Calculator¹ to help you determine your birth number and life path.

7. Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team

Authors: Simon Sinek, David Mead, and Peter Docker
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: Finding Your Professional Purpose

I love Simon Sinek. I still use what I learned from his talk on The Golden Circle² today, over a decade later.

In Find Your Why, Simon offers exercises, illustrations, and action steps to help readers find their purpose in their work and understand why they do what they do.

The book aims to help readers achieve long-term success and fulfillment in their work.

8. The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose

Author: Oprah Winfrey
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: Finding Your Life’s Direction

In The Path Made Clear, one of the biggest names on the planet, Oprah Winfrey, teaches us how to discover our direction and purpose through her unique take.

Oprah teaches a framework for achieving both success and significance in what you do, with important milestones to pay attention to on your journey.

9. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Authors: Héctor García and Francesc Miralles
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.5
Best For: Finding Your Ikigai

Ikigai is one of my favorite life purpose concepts. I first learned about it while living in South East Asia in 2019.

The ikigai I chose is ‘to create.’ This means, whenever I’m creating something, I’m living in strong alignment with what brings me the most fulfillment in life.

In Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles teach us about this Japanese secret to happiness and life satisfaction.

The book will help you to identify what your ikigai is, your reason for getting up in the morning, and achieve the daily happiness and fulfillment enjoyed by many people who understand and live by their personal ikigai.

10. The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: The Hero’s Journey

The Alchemist was one of the first books to inspire me along the journey of my higher purpose and to follow my heart.

It is a relatively short fable about a boy in Andaluscia, Spain who goes on a quest to the Great Pyramids.

Along the way he encounters all manner of interesting places, challenges, and allies. He also learns many life lessons, as many of us do when we choose to follow the call from within.

The Alchemist is a beautiful hero’s journey that offers many insights into what it’s like to follow our purpose in life.

11. The Last Lecture

Authors: Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: Gaining Powerful Perspective

Sometimes all we need to find our purpose is a little perspective.

In The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, a college professor who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, writes his final lecture. These are the words he wanted to leave us with to help us take advantage of the time we have on Earth.

The lecture was titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” If you want some inspiration to live your life to the fullest and not take anything for granted, The Last Lecture is a must-read.

12. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Author: Angela Duckworth
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: Success

What really determines success in life? Is it ‘genius’ that we are born with? Or is it the combination of passion and perseverance, two qualities that can be cultivated by anyone?

These are the questions Angela Duckworth answers in Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

In Angela’s. studies, she found that combination of passion for what you do and long-term perseverance is what ultimately determines our success in life.

This book will help you see the power in the things you may already be passionate about, and how that passion and your perseverance can help you achieve what you want to achieve.

13. Your Purpose Is Calling

Author: Dr. Dharius Daniels
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Best For: Religious Purpose

In Your Purpose Is Calling, Dr. Dharius Daniels offers a religious take on discovering exactly who you are meant to be and what you are meant to do in life.

It’s about understanding your “true identity” from a spiritual standpoint, and then learning to overcome obstacles, step into the abnormal, and thrive through self-leadership.

14. Living On Purpose: Five Deliberate Choices to Realize Fulfillment and Joy

Author: Amy Eliza Wong
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Best For: Current Life Satisfaction

In Living On Purpose, Amy Wong teaches readers how to be more satisfied with the life they’re already leading.

The book helps readers to overcome feelings of lack and dissatisfaction and step into more purposeful living.

15. Wake Up With Purpose!: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years

Author: Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Best For: Timeless Wisdom

Written by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, famous for being on of Loyola Basketball’s biggest fans, Wake Up With Purpose! shares Sister Jean’s memoir and life lessons from her over 100 years of life.

Sister Jean has learned that, while many things have changed over the last 102 years, the most important things have remained unchanged.

These are the universal themes that connect us all and give us purpose in our everyday lives.

Wake Up With Purpose! is a great book for anyone who wants to learn from a centenarian’s life lessons.

16. On Purpose: The Busy Woman’s Guide to an Extraordinary Life of Meaning and Success

Author: Tanya Dalton
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Best For: Busy Women

In On Purpose, Tanya Dalton helps you map your ideal future, create strategies to progress with confidence, turn obstacles into opportunities, and take steps toward a more fulfilling life.

This book will help you rise up and become the best version of yourself, so you can live with more meaning and success.

17. Finding Your North Star: Claiming The Life You Were Meant To Live

Author: Martha Beck
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: Finding Your Ultimate Purpose

In Finding Your North Star, Martha Beck helps readers start their journey by understanding not only what their deepest desires are, but unconscious beliefs or unhealed emotional wounds may be in the way of them.

The book then helps you identify your North Star, your guiding light to realize your potential for happiness and the life you were meant to live.

18. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

Author: Ken Robinson
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.5
Best For: Finding Your Element

In The Element, Ken Robinson helps readers learn how to find their element, the state in which “natural talent meets personal passion.”

Because this is the state that can change everything for us and help us feel most inspired to reach higher and higher places in our lives.

19. Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life

Author: Ken Robinson
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.5
Best For: Discovering Your Talents & Passions

Another excellent book by Ken Robinson, Finding Your Element builds upon the foundation laid in The Element by taking a deep, actionable dive into discovering our talents and our passions.

It’s all about combining out natural talents and personal passions to find our element and act from that place.

20. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation

Author: Parker J. Palmer
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.5
Best For: Listening to Your Inner Wisdom

In Let Your Life Speak, Parker J. Palmer helps readers find their true calling by listening to their inner wisdom.

Sharing insights from both the dark side of depression as well as the light side of joy and fulfillment, Palmer offers and insightful take on finding the vocation(s) that will bring us the most satisfaction in life.

21. The Art of Work

Author: Jeff Goins
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.4
Best For: Finding Your Life’s Work

In The Art of Work, Jeff Goins helps readers discover their life’s work and what they are meant to share with the world.

It’s about discovering what you were born to do.

22. The Passion Test: The Effortless Path To Discovering Your Life Purpose

Authors: Janet & Chris Atwood
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.4
Best For: Finding Your Passion

In The Passion Test, Janet & Chris Atwood share a simple test that can change a person’s life.

This test can help a person organize and direct their life by what they are most passionate about and what matters most to them.

23. The Renaissance Soul: How to Make Your Passions Your Life―A Creative and Practical Guide

Author: Margaret Lobenstine
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.4
Best For: If You Have Multiple Passions

In The Renaissance Soul, Margaret Lobenstine teaches readers how to turn their passions into their life, a life that allows you to embrace all of your dreams.

The Renaissance Soul is the first book dedicated to people who jump around from one thing to the next looking for new challenges or experiences.

It’s designed to help people who can’t, and aren’t meant to, stick to one thing, so they can thrive in many of their passions and interests.

24. How to Ikigai: Lessons for Finding Happiness and Living Your Life’s Purpose

Author: Tim Tamashiro
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.4
Best For: Finding Your Ikigai

How to Ikigai by Tim Tamashiro was the first book I read on the subject of ikigai.

Tim offers us a fun and lighthearted account of his journey to discover his ikigai and how this concept has changed his life and the lives of those he has shared it with.

If you’re looking for a practical guide on finding what brings you the most fulfillment in life, How to Ikigai is a great option.

25. Life on Purpose: How Living for What Matters Most Changes Everything

Author: Victor J. Strecher
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.3
Best For: A Scientific Basis for Purposeful Living

In Life on Purpose, Victor J. Strecher shows us how better health and overall happiness can be gained by finding our purpose in life.

He teaches readers how an ultimate purpose can guide us and steer us in the right direction in our lives.

The book also leans heavily on scientific evidence to prove the power of purposeful living, so if you’re looking for a science-backed read, check out Life on Purpose.

26. The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life

Author: Chris Guillebeau
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.3
Best For: Getting Inspired

Chris Guillebeau was a big inspiration for one of my early mentors from afar when I started living my most purposeful life (Sean Ogle from Location Rebel³).

The Happiness of Pursuit is a powerful read on how many of us choose “quests” that bring a deep sense of purpose to our lives.

These quests range from artistic pursuits to humanitarian efforts to simply fulfilling long-held goals and dreams.

Chris interviewed hundreds of people to learn the ins and outs of what makes their quests so meaningful, as well as how they manage the ups and downs of the journey.

He even accounts what people do when they finish their quest.

The Happiness of Pursuit is a great read for inspiration to start your own quest in life.

27. Find Your Passion: 25 Questions You Must Ask Yourself

Author: Henri Junttila
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.1
Best For: Asking Yourself the Right Questions

In Find Your Passion, Henri Junttila offers 25 insightful questions to help readers unlock their inner purpose and passion.

This book will help you define “passion” appropriately, connect to your inner wisdom, how to effectively use negativity in your life, and understand what’s really holding you back so you can address it and move forward.

28. You on Purpose: Discover Your Calling and Create the Life You Were Meant to Live

Authors: Dr. Stephanie Shackelford and Bill Denzel
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: Science-Backed Research

In You on Purpose, Dr. Stephanie Shackelford and Bill Denzel helps readers answer the question, “What should I do with my life?”

Based on up-to-date Barna research, the book teaches a clear and simple 4-step process to find your calling and follow it.

29. Your Self-Discovery Journal: A Guided Journey to Identify and Actualize Your Passions, Purpose, and Whole Self

Author: Sara Katherine
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Best For: Taking Action Now

Your Self-Discovery Journal by Sara Katherine is a highly actionable journal that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery.

The journal guides you every step of the way to identify what your passions and purpose are and start living them.

30. Dream Year: Make the Leap from a Job You Hate to a Life You Love

Author: Ben Arment
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.3
Best For: If You Hate Your Job

Way too many of us feel stuck in jobs we hate.

In Dream Year, Ben Arment guides readers who are frustrated with their current work situation to stop being one of the 66 percent of Americans who hate their jobs and launch their dream career.

The Best Books on Purpose For Different People

For Everyone

Man’s Search for Meaning

Author: Viktor E. Frankl
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.7

For Christians

The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

Author: Rick Warren
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8

For Women

On Purpose: The Busy Woman’s Guide to an Extraordinary Life of Meaning and Success

Author: Tanya Dalton
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8

For Success

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Author: Angela Duckworth
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.6

For Spiritual People

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

Author: Eckhart Tolle
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.7

If You Hate Your Job

Dream Year: Make the Leap from a Job You Hate to a Life You Love

Author: Ben Arment
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.3

For Finding Your Higher Purpose

Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose

Author: Sahara Rose Ketabi
Amazon Link
Amazon Rating: 4.8

Conclusion

As you can see, there are ample resources to dive into if you want to find your purpose in life and start following it.

I hope this list of the best purpose books has pointed you in the right direction. However, if not, feel free to leave a comment or contact me here and I’ll help you out.

Remember, your purpose is likely to be made up of many things, not just one. It’s like to be multi-layered.

So keep going until you feel satisfied with the knowledge you have uncovered about your life’s direction.

It’s one of the most important and fulfilling journeys we can take in our lives.

Your purpose awaits…

Additional Resources

Want more help finding your purpose? Check out these articles:

Also, check out my podcast episode on how I found my higher purpose:

Footnotes

Life Purpose Calculator – peacefulwarrior.com
The Golden Circle – Simon Sinek
Location Rebel – Sean Ogle