Dec

The Top 30 Inspirational Songs to Keep You Going When in Pursuit of Your Dreams

by Victor

So you’ve got goals? That’s great. But as you probably know, nothing that's worth having ever comes easy. And while you’re working towards your dreams, both personal and professional, you’re bound to face some trials and tribulations along the way. This is to be expected and can’t really be avoided.

Inspire Yourself

When tough times inevitably arise, one thing I find comforting is keeping a playlist of inspirational music to listen to. When I say inspirational, I don’t mean it to have any religious connotation (unless that’s what you prefer). Rather, a set of encouraging songs with lyrics or uplifting melodies that inspire to you press onward and renew your energy and hope.

In times of turbulence, listening to my “dreams playlist” helps me keep a positive attitude and reminds me of why I’m doing this in the first place.

crossing the finish line of success to the tune of music

The Songs on the Playlist

It’s likely that many of these songs you’ve already heard. Some are more obscure and you may not have. I chose these particular songs because their lyrics are specifically about staying strong, following your heart, and not giving up when in pursuit of your dreams. These songs would not fit well together in any other context. They encompass a large variety of artists and genres. Some people might say that the subject matter for some of these songs is juvenile, because they derive from family films. But if you take the time to listen to the lyrics, you’ll find that thematically they are quite mature, and certainly applicable to the playlist.

I invite you to take a listen, and see if these magic tunes work for you. If you’re interested in hearing songs off the playlist, you can access it for free on our YouTube Channel here.

So without further ado I present to you, in no particular order, my playlist of inspirational songs to keep you going when in pursuit of your dreams.

Dreams Playlist

You Could Have It So Much Better - Franz Ferdinand
Follow That Dream - Elvis Presley
If We Hold On Together - Diana Ross
Make It Happen - Mariah Carey
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Hold On - Wilson Phillip
Wrap Your Trouble In Dreams - Bing Crosby
You Gotta Be - Des'ree
I Want It All – Queen
Winner - Jamie Foxx
Try It Again – The Hives
The Time Of My Life - David Cook
One Moment In Time - Whitney Houston
I Won't Back Down – Tom Petty
Learning To Fly – Tom Petty
Live Like We're Dying - Kris Allen
I'm On My Way - The Proclaimers
You Can't Take No For An Answer – Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem (From "The Muppets Take Manhattan")
My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me - Danny Gokey
Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band
You Get What You Give – New Radicals
Break My Stride - Matthew Wilder
Never Surrender – Corey Hart
Lost? - Coldplay
You Will Make It – Jem
Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones
Better Days – Goo Goo Dolls
You're Only Human (Second Wind) – Billy Joel
Go The Distance - Alan Menken – Disney’s Hercules Soundtrack
Almost There - Anika Noni Rose – Disney’s The Princess and the Frog Soundtrack

dreaming of success while listening to music

Conclusion

So there you have it, my “Dream Playlist” in its entirety. What do you think? What kind of music do you listen to for inspiration or motivation? Do you have any suggestions for my list? If so, please comment below; I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thoughts?

24 Comments

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No "Don't Stop Believing"? I'm not sure if this is a glaring omission or a sassy step away from the expected.

I have done a list of inspiring songs on my blog.

The Goo Goo Dolls: That song is about new beginnings to me. They are a band that people keep telling me about and their song keep cropping up in this kind of discussion.

I like the Billy Joel song.

I have to say, when I did a list of romantic songs on my blog, I tried to stay away from some of the cliche ones or some of the predictable ones. So my betting is that you thought the same with this topic.

Hello, My name is Christopher and I am currently a graphic design major at the University of South Carolina. The reason that I am emailing you is because I ran across your website and you really seemed to know what you're talking about in addition to the fact that I was drawn to your outstanding design work so I thought I'd try and ask you for solid advice...Even though my major is graphic design I really aspire to become a decent web designer. You see at my school there only two majors delving into this field; one major is computer engineering which is for the die hard calculus buff "not me"...or the second major is graphic design, which if were being honest is a completely over used term these days by people who just received an adobe product and suddenly think they're David Carson. The truth is the school is twenty years behind because they have no major as a happy medium; that being web design. I would transfer but I am a jr. and already have time and money invested here so I am still learning as much as I possibly can about graphic design and pursuing that goal here, however I would really love to start learning the basics about web design and hopefully build myself up enough though time and experience to land a good web design intern position locally. HERE IS MY PROBLEM / QUESTION?......I have learned basic html,htmlx, and some css....But in all I'm rather inexperienced with the non-design portions of building a good website. I have looked high and low on the web and other resources to try and find out exactly where to begin in learning how to build a website...I mean that may sound elementary but there are so many languages like css, html, flash, etc. that you could potentially create a website in (and I'm really trying to avoid tacky templates at all cost). Additionally the exact same thing is true when speaking about software, I'm pretty comfortable with adobe products but I'm not opposed to change either if that method would yield better more universal results. I mainly just wanted to pick your brain and take in maybe a bit of wisdom on the subject....I'm excited and ready to start running, I just can't find the freaking starting line. = P....Thank you for any advice. -Christopher

I was on a search for inspiring songs and I found a few new songs on your list that I've added to mine. Thanks. Some of your links need refreshing as youtube accounts have been deleted, etc. Thanks! Rob, Southend, UK.

You should also add "Dont stop believing" and according to me "Typical and spotlight by mutemath" is also good songs which comes in this category . . . btw nice blog . . .loved it

nice picks , why you don't post video's here just posted a link also i found a squidoo lens on inspirational songs that was also containing very nice songs .

and how abo Muse-invicible and uprising?

i didn't see any Bruce Springsteen songs on the list...very upsetting):

How about Just Stand Up by Various Artists? I know it's a song about cancer. But try to listen to song and read the lyric. I find it inspiring. It lift up my spirit. It even cheers me up when I'm down. Just sharing tho :)

I would suggest Katy Perry - Firework to this list. It's a really great song and love who you are.

How about The Climb performed by Miley Cyrus, it's about Life. in order to achieve our dreams, we have to keep moving and keep climbing no matter the obstacles. Just sharing.. :)

Love!

What do I think? I think you got stuck in time. These are all songs from my generation for the most part, some before, but also all songs I grew out of and mostly forgot about. On one hand, nice to recall the old times, but uh, think you're in need of a major music makeover. There are plenty of inspiring songs that have come out since most of what is on your list. Stronger, Edge of Glory, Beautiful, just to name 3 off the top of my head.

Try Reaching up by Top Mass

Great site you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about here? I'd really like to be a part of group where I can get feed-back from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Bless you!