Books

I love to read and I particularly love to read personal development books (you can take a look at last year’s reading list here). If you are just getting started or you are looking for some recommendations of good reads then take a look at my 10 Personal Development Books Every Woman Should Read.

Darren Hardy:  The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your  Success

The Compound Effect is based on the principle that decisions shape your destiny. Little, every day decisions will either take you to the life you desire or in the completely opposite direction.

Hardy maintains that all of the decisions that people make (however ‘small’ they may be) can have positive results if those decisions are guided by what he calls the Compound Effect Principle.

Throughout the book he demonstrates that taking very small, consistent actions in the right direction will lead to positive results in the long term.

Read this is if you feel like you are not moving towards your goals fast enough and getting demoralised by slow progress. 

Find out more HERE.

 

Dale Carnegie:  How To Win Friends and Influence People

Now considered a classic, Carnegie offers practical advice and techniques for how to get out of a mental rut and make life more rewarding.

His teachings can be applied to enabling you to win new clients and customers, developing your public speaking skills and winning people round to your way of thinking and many other areas of life and business.

Published in 1937 Carnegie’s advice is as relevant today as ever.

Read this for a dose of classic, old fashioned but as relevant today as it ever was, personal development wisdom.

Find out more HERE.

 

Gary Keller and Jay Papasan: The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

When people say that a book changed their life, I usually think that they are being overly dramatic. However, ‘The One Thing’ really did change my life.

The authors provide practical advice on how to cut through the clutter of a busy world, achieve better results in less time and build momentum towards your goals while overcoming overwhelm and stress.

The central principle which they outline is that we should only focus on one thing and only when we master that one thing should we move on to the next.

When reading the book it makes perfect sense but once you start implementing the ideas into your daily life it makes even more sense.

Read this if you are feeling overwhelmed by everthing that you need to do (or think that you need to do!).

Find out more HERE.

 

Steven Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This book was handed to me on the first day of my graduate job when I was 22 years old. It was and still is one of the most influential books that I have ever read.

An internationally respected leadership expert, Covey documented the seven habits adopted by the most successful people in the world.   As with most great ideas, the principles outlined are simple and your immediate reaction may be to think ‘of course we should do these things’.  But then you have to ask yourself the question ‘Do I?’

The second habit ‘Begin With the End in Mind’ had a fundamental impact on me. Now at the start of every project in my business and my personal life I take time to identify ultimately what I am trying to achieve and let the project flow from there.

Read this if you need a reminder of the simple things that you need to do to be more effective in your daily life. 

Find out more HERE.

 

Stephen Pressfield: Do The Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out Of Your Own Way

This is the book I wish that I had written!  One of the messages that I constantly give to my followers is that you have to ‘DO THE WORK’.

Pressfield’s book is a quick but powerful read that shows us how to overcome the resistance that we may feel and to get on and do the work required to complete a project.

Read this you have a plethora of half finished projects or notebooks full of great ideas not yet realised.

Find out more HERE.

 

Denise Duffield-Thomas:  Lucky Bitch: A Guide for Exceptional Women to Create Outrageous Success

I do love a bit of DDT for an inspirational kick up the backside.   Denise is your typical ‘girl next door’ who has done good. She has worked incredibly hard and built great success with her Lucky Bitch community and products but at the same time you can completely relate to her.

Denise is a life coach, author and motivational speaker. Inspiring yet practical, Denise’s sense of humour and down-to-earth advice will help you renegotiate your reality by harnessing the Law of Attraction and your own natural talents.

Lucky Bitch is straight talking and refreshingly honest and Denise makes it clear that it’s not enough to just read the book. You actually have to take specific actions if you really want to change your mindset and your life.

Read this and learn about a shining example of somebody (just like you and me) who did the work to build the business and life that she wanted.

Find out more HERE.

 

Napoleon Hill: Think and Grow Rich

This book was on my ‘must read’ list for years and I never got round to it. I picked it up and ‘tried it’ a few times but found it hard going. Eventually I decided to download the audiobook version and then I was flying. I loved it and have subsequently managed to read the text version a couple of times.

There is so much of this book that should be out of date (given that it was written in the 1930s) but it is not and, if anything, many of the messages in the book are more relevant today than ever before. Hill distils the money making secrets of America’s millionaires of the 1930s into a thirteen step programme to personal success.

If you struggle with this book like I did then please do persevere. It really is a little gem once you get into it.

Read this if you need help getting clear on your vision and what you need to do to make that vision a reality.

Find out more HERE.

 

Elizabeth Gilbert: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

I was not a fan of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’.  I really didn’t get why so many people were raving about it. When Big Magic was released I figured that since I hadn’t got along with ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ it wasn’t a book for me.

But I read and heard so many great things about it that I decided to give it a go and I am so glad that I did.  The first few chapters of the book are a bit ‘out there’ for a rationalist like me but Gilbert’s storytelling kept me enthralled.

Big Magic is also home to one of the best quotes ever about fear. You can read it here.

Read this for down to earth, practical advice on topics such as taking responsibility for your own creativity, making commitments, not needing permission from anybody else to take action and dealing with other people’s judgements and opinions.

Find out more HERE.

 

Ann Wilson: The Wealth Chef: Recipes to Make Your Money Work Hard So You Don’t Have To

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Ann on a couple of occasions and think that the work she does at The Wealth Chef is outstanding.

In this book Ann lays out a step by step guide to creating financial freedom, including how to increase your quality of life while reducing your expenses.

Ann takes a holistic approach to wealth and throughout the book she encourages you to identify what rich looks like in all aspects of your life.

Personally I find the ‘chef’ and ‘cooking’ analogies used throughout the book are overlaboured at times but overall Ann provides excellent food for thought and hints and tips.

Read this if you want to get to grips with your own personal finances.

Find out more HERE.

 

Robert Kiyosaki: Rich Dad Poor Dad

Rich Dad Poor Dad is another book that I knew that I knew I should read but never got round to it.   Rich Dad Poor Dad tells the story of Robert Kiyosaki and his two dads–his real father and the father of his best friend, his rich dad–and the ways in which both men shaped his thoughts about money and investing.

The book explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to be rich and explains the difference between working for money and having money work for you.

I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Wealth Chef in the same week and I came away from the experience declaring ‘why do we not teach this stuff in schools!’.

Read this to shift your thinking from the amount of money you generate to what you actually do with that money.

Find out more HERE.

‘A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled’ is Ruby Wax’s attempt to bring mindfulness to the masses.  She explains, in simple terms, how we can make changes to our every day life that give us time to breath, reflect and live in the moment.

Best known as a female stand up comedian and for her appearances in numerous TV shows, Ruby Wax has devoted much of the last 10 years to raising awareness of mental health issues.

She has publically shared her own battle with depression and anxiety.  It was her desire to have more control over her mind that led her to study for a Masters in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy at the University of Oxford.

For me, A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled is a book of three parts.

Part 1: The Science Bit

In the first section, Wax explains the physiology of the brain, how our brains have evolved over time and the scientific evidence that proves that mindfulness can be effective in managing our levels of stress.

Interwoven throughout the scientific explanations are soundbites of her own personal story and experience. These soundbites helped to lighten the scientific explanation.

As a lay person I found her explanations useful.  But, in all honesty, it took me several attempts to read and re-read them before I fully grasped what she was talking about. This is perhaps more a reflection of my lack of scientific background rather than her explanation!

Once I persevered I did have a good overview of how we are able to change and train our brains with a consistent and disciplined mindfulness practice.

 

Part 2: The Mindfulness Course

In the middle of the book, Ruby outlines a six week mindfulness course for beginners. Having recently undertaken my own eight week mindfulness course a lot of the content was familiar to me. However there were some ideas that I hadn’t come across before and I still found it a worthwhile read.

This six week course contains very simple exercises that would serve as a great introduction to mindfulness for the uninitiated. Her approach is straight forward, down to earth and very accessible.

I particularly liked how she acknowledged that some people would not like completing all of the exercises and what they could do instead e.g. “Mindful Movement in the Gym (For People That Can’t Stand Mindful Movement)”.

Having particularly disliked the Mindful Movement section of my 8 week mindfulness course I could completely relate.  I took away some great tips on how to make mindful movement a part of my daily life.

 

Part 3: Putting Mindfulness into Practice In A Social Context

In my opinion, the final section of the book is the most useful. Ruby covers mindfulness in the context of our social environment and how to practice mindfulness with children, ranging from babies right through to teenagers.

I appreciate for people without children this section will of little value, however, I would suggest it as compulsory reading for modern day parents!

Learning how to cope with and manage stress is a key life skill for current and future generations. Many educational establishments are starting to embrace the power of mindfulness and incorporating it into their curriculum.

Ruby outlines some simple exercises that we can carry out with our children.  She explains simple ways to introduce them to mindfulness and help them to appreciate the benefits of a mindful approach from an early age.

The practical nature of the exercises combined with a down to earth approach sums up Ruby’s attitude towards mindfulness.

‘Teaching mindfulness to teenagers ain’t going to be a piece of cake, especially if you suggest it; as a parent, at this point you are object of embarrassment; an untouchable’

Embrace the theory and put into practice what you can.

Overall, this an easy, engaging and often entertaining read for beginners who are interested in finding out more about mindfulness.

Click to order A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled.

I have always been ‘a reader’. As a child I would visit the school library most afternoons and select a book to read that evening. More often that not I would devour it in one sitter. These weren’t high brow, literary classics, think along the lines of Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High. But I loved nothing more than getting home, curling up and getting lost in the story.

In my days of commuting I would work my way through several books a week, everything from modern classics to personal development to chick lit. I wasn’t overly fussy about the book if it helped to while away a boring train journey.

There was a lull in my reading when my kids were very young. A combination of tiredness and not getting more than five minutes of uninterupted time slowed down my reading but even still I probably read more than most mothers of young children.

2017 really saw the return of my voracious reading habits. I thought you might find it useful to see my reading list for the year and see if there are any that you would like to add to your own wish list for 2018.

I’ve only listed out the non-fiction/personal development type books. I did read a handful of fiction books, mainly when I was on holiday.  I’m a bit out of date on what’s happening in world of fiction so if you have any top tips please leave a comment and let me know what you would recommend.

Real Books

I love a real book and it is by far my favourite way of consuming content. I know they take up space and I am an ardent ‘declutterer’ but for me nothing compares to the written word on a page and being able to look at and feel the book that I am reading.

I’ve got a feeling that I’ve missed some of this list, I’ll be sure to come back and add to it if any more spring to mind.

1. Curation by Michael Bhaskar
2. Do the Work by Steven Pressfield
3. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl
4. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
5. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
6. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
7. Light is the New Black by Rebecca Campbell
8. She Means Business by Carrie Green
9. I Could do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was by Barbara Sher
10. Self Compassion by Kristin Neff
11. Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat
12. Happy by Fearne Cotton
13. Mindfulness by Mark Williams and Danny Penman
14. Ultimate Confidence by Marisa Peer
15. Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan
16. Deep Work by Cal Newport
17. The Space Within by Michael Neill
18. Essentialism by Greg McKeown
19. Sane by Emma Young
20. Buddhism by Steve Hagan
21. The 100 Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott
22. Frazzled by Ruby Wax
23. Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Kindle

I don’t have a Kindle but I do use the Kindle app on my phone. I tend not to buy books on Kindle unless there is any other way of purchasing them.

I love that I can store so much reading material on something that I carry around every day but I do miss holding and feeling a ‘real book’.

1. Diary of a Misfit Entrepreneur by Kate Toon
2. Your Biz, Your Way by Judith Morgan
3. The Art of Contribution by Ann Skinner
4. Freedom Seeker by Beth Kempton
5. Your Business Sweetspot by Racheal Cook

Audible

2017 was the year that I discovered the joy of audiobooks. I trained for a walking marathon in the Spring and a combination of audiobooks and podcasts kept me company on the many hours of training walks.

I’m doing #Challenge1000 in 2018 (walking 1000 miles over the course of the year) so I suspect I will be enjoying even more Audible books this year.

1. Playing Big by Tara Mohr
2. Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
3. The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown
4. You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
5. The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
6. On Fire by John O’Leary
7. The Universe Has Your Back by Gaby Bernstein
8. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Eight days into 2018 I have already read The Little Book of Self Care by Mel Noakes and I am currently reading Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford and listening to Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverance by Angela Cuckworth.

I would love to find some way of capturing my thoughts and what I have learned from the books that I read. Back in the Nancy Drew/Sweet Valley High days I would fill in a one page book review template to keep in my reading record at school. Maybe I should create something similar?

I had thought about reviewing each book and publishing on this blog but then wondered if that might become a chore.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you enjoy reading book reviews? Have you found a way of capturing what you have learned from the books that you have read? And finally, any good recommendations for the next book I should read?

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