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I love to read but it seems like I don’t have time to do it as much as I would like…
…at least, that’s what I would tell myself. Then it struck me one night as I was “glued to the boob tube” (my dad’s code phrase from childhood that indicated we were just a lliittttllleee too “into” the TV) watching reruns of Bring It and Shark Tank. It occurred to me how much time I was wasting starting at reruns and that I needed to make time to read. Period.
SO, with that epiphany I immersed myself into the first selection of the Badass Books on my “Must Read” List” for 2016; Wild-From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. WHAT an amazing book. This book was even a “Oprah pick!”
For myself, I know that a book was good when I want to go back and read it again. This book will NOT be going into the Donate Pile. Cheryl Strayed is a fellow Minnesotan and (unbeknownst to me) who grew up in a little town called McGregor (which is a little under 60 miles from where I live). The fact that she’s from my home state is cool, but it was her story that made me love her as an author. Cheryl shares the story of her life, a pretty jack-up life, as a young woman who struggled with life from childhood. A victim of abuse a child her world really came unzipped in her twenties when her beloved mother died of cancer. Soon after her life went into a downward spiral of drugs, infidelity and failed relationships. To heal herself, and challenge herself, she committed to walking the Pacific Crest Trail for three months while in her 30’s. The transformation is truly inspiring. Grab Wild here.
Book #2: Seize Your Life by Jasmine Brett Stringer
“Your dreams might not happen on your timing, and they might not be executed perfectly, but that doesn’t matter. Create space for them anyway.”-Jasmine Brett Stringer
“When people hear the words “seize your life” or “seize the day,” they often think they have to do something grand, adventurous, exotic or something that has a monetary cost associated with it. We all have the ability to Carpe Diem Every Day through awareness, action, and appreciation. Seize Your Life is a collection of practical and actionable guidance intended to inspire and empower you to seize your life everyday.”
Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know I am a little late to the party on this one since it published in 2007, but this book has been on my radar for years. It’s next on my reading list and I am very excited to dive in.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes. I saw Shonda on Super Soul Sunday and was drawn to her story immediately. Shonda is Hollywood’s most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder reveals how saying YES changed her life. I am stoked to read this one!
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin. “Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project. “
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero. The title along makes me want to read this book! I want to read this book in public, around my lousy ex-coworkers and doubters. Maybe even the trolls from High School. “In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already. The kind you’ve never made before.” If this book isn’t EXACTLY what I’ve been needing…I don’t know which one is!
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”—Theodore Roosevelt
Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First Class Life by Denise Duffield-Thomas. “Are you ready to break through your money blocks and finally make the money you deserve? In Get Rich, Lucky Bitch, you’ll unlock your hidden potential for abundance and upgrade your life forever. Why do most women settle for pennies instead of embracing true wealth? It’s not because you’re not smart or ambitious enough. You’ve just been programmed to block your Universal right to wealth with guilt, shame, or embarrassment.” NOTE: Don’t let the title throw you! I’ve been a Denise-fan since I discovered her thanks to super-guru . I’ve listened to her podcasts and loved them, now I want to read her book.
Find Your Extraordinary: Dream Bigger, Live Happier, and Achieve Success on Your Own Terms by Jessica DiLullo Herrin (Author). “What if you could, with a little effort, live an extraordinary life? A life in which you felt deep passion for everything you did, and always had time for what matters most? A life in which you had the power, the daring, and the will to make your boldest dreams come true, all while you happily left feelings of inadequacy or guilt behind?“…YES, PLEASE.
Late-Blooming Entrepreneurs: Eight Principles for Starting a Business After Age 40 by Lynne Beverly Strang. At age 50, I truly feel like I am just now hitting my stride after starting my current business at age 45. Great book filled with excellent examples, case studies and advice.
What books are on your “must read list” this year??
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P.S. If you are into the “better-my-life” books like I am, here’s one to consider:
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Lots of these I want to read too. The only one have read is Eat, Pray, Love which was only ok for me. Hope you get to all these. I used to say I didn’t have time to read either and then decided a few years ago to read instead of watch TV before bed. I’ve been hooked on reading ever since!