As I prepared to start into 2020, I reflected back on the amount of reading I had done in 2019. Ten books or so later, how much wiser was I and how much time had I spent deliberately improving myself. When I lounged on the poolside in Bulgaria last July, I consciously worked my way through two of those as my toes faintly tanned. This reignited a like for the past-time that I’d left after me more recently.
Reading is a massive part of my self-development plan, see? Apart from the fact that it takes my ever-busy mind away from multiple screens and social media, it allows me to learn from people who have been there, done that.
Last Christmas, my team bought me a book voucher which actually, helped spark such a keen interest in building my reading. Secondly, the personal and professional life change I saw in 2019 spurred me on to strengthen my knowledge in whatever way possible. Finally, in order to become a better writer, it’s true that aside from actually writing, it’s important to build ideas and vocabulary from absorbing other writer’s content.
This year, I’ll work through at least twenty books. Here’s to hoping it’s doable and well, I’m off to great start so far.
Books I’ve read so far in 2020 (kicked off at the end of 2019) are ‘Everything is figuroutable’ by Marie Forleo, ‘What would the Spice Girls do?’ by Lauren Bravo and ‘Who moved my cheese?’ by Spencer Johnson M.D.
My top recommendation is ‘Everything is figuroutable’ by Marie Forleo. Picked up while rummaging through Barnes and Noble in Utah at the end of the year, I spotted this read. When I started as a freelancer in 2011, I watched a lot of Marie’s videos as I wanted to learn how to be the best marketer and entrepreneur possible. Fast forward to when I bought the book, it’s been a nice reminder of her brilliance.
Marie Forleo is a self-made, self-motivated life coach who quit her high-paying job to embark on a ten year journey to successful entrepreneurship.
Her book covers the fundamentals of how to reach her definition of success. This includes time management, managing your inner critic and tangibly working towards your goals with tips and examples throughout. It’s practical with actual written work you can partake in after each chapter. As I worked to adopt new habits, it is a book that is super motivating and will drive you to take action towards what you want right NOW.
‘What would the Spice Girls do?’ is not only entertaining but as a 30 something year old, it resonates deeply. As a young teenager, I was a huge Spice Girls fan and can relate to the influence this girl band had on my peers and I. They not only founded the concept of girl power, they also showed young women that they could be what they want (especially if that related to being a Pop star). Lauren Bravo writes about how the Spice Girls impacted our generation and generations thereafter.
Thirdly, my manager gifted me ‘Who moved my cheese’ which is a best-seller and has sold over 1 million copies. As I mentioned it to a few friends, they were mostly surprised that I hadn’t read it due to its popularity.
It’s a short read which I completed in a day and a half (as a slow reader) and keeps things simple. When navigating through change, we have two choices – either to stay where we are and not adapt or to move forward and accept that we will be forced out of our comfort zones. Spencer uses a straightforward analogy of mice looking for cheese. When the cheese is moved, the mice have two choices – to stay and hope the cheese returns or to move on in the hope of finding more, to potentially even better cheese.
Moving throughout 2020, I’m looking for further recommendations. Feel free to share yours across in the comments field below or by reaching out to me.