The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a novel that features the main character following his heart, risking everything to seek out his destiny.
The book is the tale of an Andalusian shepherd boy, Santiago, who has a dream of hidden treasure buried at the pyramids in Giza and goes to Egypt, in pursuit of his Personal Legend.
The alchemist is someone he meets during his travels, someone who can turn lead into gold, and Santiago ultimately discovers what he was looking for, something that he couldn't have arrived at without going through the journey and struggle. It's very much a self-help book, and one of the quotes noted by Amazon as most highlighted in the Kindle version is "everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."
