As we round the end of the year it’s natural to look back and assess the highs and lows, what worked and what didn’t, AND what helped us get through it and grow as a business owner and more importantly as a person. I’m excited to share my top 5 books of 2018.
I’m a multi media reader, meaning I read actual paper books, digital books, and I listen to audio books. As many of you know I spend quite a bit of time in my car seeing clients all over the west coast and I know many of you have long commutes. A couple of years ago, I became an Audible member and it has become a lifesaver. Being able to use my precious travel time to learn more has been rewarding. I’ve learned about what makes us tick, creating habits that lead to success professionally and personally, and how 5 seconds can change the trajectory of my day and impact the rest of my life. I already know that I’ll be returning to these in the years to come as you can probably tell from the post it notes in the picture!
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles – Steven Pressfield
Although Steven refers to the artist as writer in this book, I found that it’s also applicable to entrepreneurs. We all have barriers, or blocks, keeping us from reaching success. In this short and straight-forward book, I walked away feeling better about myself and ready to tackle the day and the “war.” I think you will, too. (www.bit.ly/NPWarofArt)
High Performance Habits – Brendon Burchard
The pinnacle book from the the leading high performance coach! Brendon shares the 6 proven HPH that anyone can cultivate to achieve long term success and vibrant well-being. They’re based on loads of research, but Brendon delivers his message in an engaging and practical form. Let me just say, so many post it notes…so many phrases underlined!! You can listen to the audiobook on his podcast the The Brendon Show from April 6-9, 2018. (www.bit.ly/NPHPH)
The 5 Second Rule – Mel Robbins
Yes, seriously, 5 seconds. And not the food one. You can retrain your brain in literally 5 seconds. After Mel stumbled on this truth, she set out to figure out why it works. My biggest “Aha!” was the research on procrastination. I’ve always felt super guilty about it, but I learned that procrastination is a form of dealing with stress. (www.bit.ly/NP5SecondRule)
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel Pink
Go ahead and eat that carrot and use the stick for kindling because the whole carrot and stick philosophy is so yesterday! That worked in the industrial age, but in today’s economy, what motivates people is so different. And yes, you’ll be surprised ☺ (www.bit.ly/NPDrive)
Dare to Lead – Brene Brown
Can I just say I have a serious girl crush on Brene? I’ve read (and listened to) probably all of her books and, full disclosure, I’m still in the midst of listening to this one and love it so far. Her research on shame and vulnerability has fueled a slew of books on courage and bravery — as Brene says, you can’t have one without the other. Our biggest moments of courage are also huge moments of vulnerability and fear. And being a brave and daring leader requires great courage and… well… vulnerability. God I love her! (www.bit.ly/NPDaretoLead)
Put these on your holiday list or gift them to yourself. And please come back to this blog post and tell me your biggest takeaways!
Thank you for this Nina! It comes at a good time!