Read: Daring Greatly (#45-2022)

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

As a shame researcher, Brene Brown takes an interesting perspective to teach us how to live our best selves. In Daring Greatly, she encourages us to embrace our vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives. Every moment where we choose to experience uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure gives us the chance to dare greatly in our life. 

Read: Losing It (#08-2022)

Losing It, and Getting My Life Back One Pound at a Time by Valerie Bertinelli

Valerie Bertinelli shares her story up to losing weight as a Jenny Craig spokesperson. She talks about her time on One Day at a Time, through marrying Eddie Van Halen, divorcing him, having her son and the acting roles she played up to and between. Her struggles with self-image and societal/Hollywood expectations are central to her continuing story, which she shares herself in a way that helps to motivate and inspire her reader, even if it's not necessarily her intention.

I Read: Essentialism

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

The title of this book would lead you to believe it's about minimalism. In fact, it's about figuring out how to do better, while doing less. Learning how to ask what is essential, and focussing on it, to the elimination of things that don't matter. 

Learning to take time to make sure you do the best job on the things that matter and don't live that FOMO kind of life, where you say yes to everything because it might be the important thing. 

I Read: Successful Women Speak Differently

Successful Women Speak Differently: 9 Habits that Build Confidence, Courage & Influence by Valorie Burton

This is the third of a pack of Valorie Burton books that I picked up and each book dovetails in and reinforces the others nicely. Much of what is included in each book is repeated in some form or another in the other books. 

Much of what is included is common sense information - but it's the kind of common sense that requires someone else to tell you before you make the realization. Burton is conversational and non-judgemental. Her writing style is easy to read so the information is easier to take in. 

My goal is not to be traditionally "successful" - I just want to lead a happy life.  These books can help with that. 

 

#63-2021

I Read: Make Your Bed

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life... And Maybe the World by William H McRaven

This is such a simple little book, and the advice in it is very common sense, but it's written in a way that would probably make an impact for a different set of people than the traditional self-help set. 

There are very few people in the world who can't use a reminder or two that McRaven has written into his book, even if it's something they're already endeavouring to do in life. 

For example, the title piece of advice is to make your bed, every day.  Even if you accomplish nothing else in the day, you've achieved the first goal that you set out to do, which was to make your bed. It sets the day up for success in a simple way that nearly everyone would have no difficulty following. 

The other tidbits shared within are just as simple, but they make you think just a little bit about how you conduct your life. Some things are easy, some things are hard, but there is always room for change, room for growth. Take a chance to make the most of what you've got. Make your bed. 

#50-2021

I Read: Successful Women Think Differently

Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make you Happier, Healthier and More Resilient by Valorie Burton

I loved this book.  Not because I have any grand ambitions to be "successful" in ways that most of the world would consider important, but actually because this book considers success differently than that. 

Success isn't about money, or power, or career advancement. It's about feeling fulfilled, content and happy with what you've achieved, and created. Learning how to frame your life and motivation in ways that make you feel successful is really the key to success. Do what motivates you, what you're passionate about and put your heart into it. That's how you become truly successful. 

The 9 habits are mostly common sense, but as with most practices a person doesn't actually give them much thought until someone else points them out. They make sense. They're logical. But Burton doesn't write them in a way that makes you feel stupid for not having clued into it before. 

This is a great read for anyone who's interested in being their better self, while also acknowledging that success isn't externally acquired. Find your joy, feed your passion. Live your best life. 

#47-2021
 

I Read: Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

I picked this up as a companion to the Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountabilities books, because VitalSmarts, the producing company of those, had also started courses based on this book. 

There are significant elements to be taken from this to be more organized in your work and be more productive in each moment. But I found that for the most part, I seem to have taken a lot of these on without even having been instructed how. 

So while I think this book is probably very valuable for a lot of people, I found myself bored and skimming. If you're looking for ways to be more productive, this is definitely a good text, but be aware that most of the suggestions are very common sense - you could probably implement them without having read the book, if you were able to separate the notion of being busy from that of being organized. 

#42-2021 

I Read: The Power to Get Things Done

The Power to Get Things Done (Whether You Feel Like it or Not) by Steve Levinson and Chris Cooper

A quick read to grab some brilliant ideas that I can sprinkle into life and teach myself to actually accomplish things that I don't want to do. There are some good suggestions, and plans for how to do that. But I might not be motivated enough to actually implement any of them. 

#26-2021