Books, especially professional development books, are my favorite to read!
People cannot believe that I don’t enjoy reading fiction all that much. I did as a child but I love to learn. And for me, the best way to learn is by reading real-life stories of what people before me, did to get them where they are! Everyone has their own definition of success and I’m so curious to know how they achieved it on their own terms.
I love to get book recommendations from mentors and others in my industry. Or in the business and entrepreneurial space.
Over the past two years, I’ve learned more from the following books than in the last 10. All from people I admire.
If you’re looking for a business idea or your zone of genius, want to master a strategy, or get more s&!t done, these are 3 books that will get you on track!
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#1. Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo.
For those who don’t know who she is, Marie is a sought after Business Coach. She started hustling as a young 20 something and did not know what she wanted to do. She struggled to find joy after landing dream jobs that were unfulfilling. She worked as a bartender, at a fashion magazine, as a hip-hop dancer, and more. It wasn’t until a new business category in the 1990s popped up on her radar; Coach. But more specifically, a business coach. Marie loved the idea and always enjoyed helping people. This was the start of her new career.
Decades later, Marie is at the top in her field. She’s a NY Times best-selling author with a TV show. And a digital course creator selling her version of Business School. With students in all parts of the world, she still loves helping others live a life they love!
“Everything is Figureoutable” offers inspiration, tactical advice, real-life experiences, and explains how her clients found clarity in their lives. It’s an advice book and a workbook with lessons, instructions, and journaling inside the 10 chapter book.
Everything Is Figureoutable answers the question of how? With any situation in life and business, you can figure it out. By people who have already done what you want to do or by finding people who want to help you do what you want to do. There is no stopping you! There are excuses and negative self-talk stopping you from having everything you desire.
If you’re looking to create a life you love and make the most of it, this book is for you!
#2. School of Greatness by Lewis Howes
This book is a self-help book that takes you from broke to woke! It touches on all facets of your life. From physical to spiritual and everything in-between.
It discusses principles of achievement and the intention of bettering yourself every day. That may sound overwhelming. But this is advice from a professional athlete. Athletes must have an intense focus to achieve what we regular folk might consider overreaching. Lewis writes in a way that clarifies the steps needed to do this in its simplest form. If you’re looking to improve even one facet of yourself, he goes into great detail about what it takes.
There’s overlap for good reason. As sometimes habits cross over into different parts of a person’s life. Creating new systems and following daily habits get you to achieve greatness. It sounds simple, but we all know how hard it can be when unforeseen obstacles prevent us from being perfect. It’s ok to have a set back as long as we get right back up and acknowledge that we are human!
I love Lewis’s story of perseverance. He goes from being an all-star athlete to succumbing to an injury that has devastated him. He becomes broke and resorts to living on his brother’s couch feeling life has dealt him a bum hand. But he has an epiphany and gets back on his feet to achieve all-star status again by not giving up on his dream!
He retired from sports and is an entrepreneur. He coaches other people to achieve greatness as he did.
#3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
How to build good habits and break bad ones is very appealing, isn’t it?
This book is all about behavioral changes, not goal-setting, per se. When you set a goal, you may not know the way to get to the endpoint. Instead of checking items off your list of goals, change your behavior to reach them. By improving a habit by 1% on a regular basis, you can change your life’s trajectory.
There’s a lot of psychology and self-awareness references from the author. It’s eye-opening. If you love to learn new ways to do things. If your current way of doing things isn’t getting you to where you want to go, put in place the ideas given in this book. You’ll get specific instructions and you will need to make these lasting habits. It’s not a quick-fix but a long haul to making your dreams a reality. It is a lifestyle.
Soon the habits will become second nature like brushing your teeth. You need to do something again and again (how many times differs for each individual) to make a daily habit stick. It’s hard to keep doing something when you’re not used to doing it. So you need to create reminders for yourself to make this work for you. The more automatic a behavior becomes, the less likely you are to think about it.
The four principles in this book encompass how to make a good habit desirable, and stick.
They are: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.
Other juicy tidbits to chew on include:
“Where you’re going is more important than where you are.”
“Your systems to reach your goals matter more than the goals you set.”
“It is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfillment of it—that gets us to take action. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike.”
“Create a motivation ritual by doing something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.”
“Human behavior follows the Law of Least Effort.”
“We will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.”
“To get a habit to stick you need to feel immediately successful—even if it’s in a small way.”
“Habits + Deliberate Practice = Mastery”
James is known for touting his popular weekly email newsletter. Where he shares his 3 short ideas, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question to ponder. His email subscriber list is over 1 million. He’s made it a good habit!
Interested in reading any or all three of these best-selling business books? You can purchase them here.
