The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change By Stephen Covey

Well what an amazing book and a great must read!

It’s no secret, I love reading! I have the aim of a book a week and also listen to a book every week or two using audible. I love it and I am hooked.

When someone who inspires me mentions a great book to read I get this impulse to purchase. I use to have list of books to read but it was getting too long, enough to cover an entire year. I just read what is of interest to me in the moment or what sounds of interest and is on hands.

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Here is a book review I wrote a couple of years ago and have now updated into podcast form also. If you are going to read one thing today start reading this book – forget this post.

I don’t share all the books I listen to or read as sometimes I find it hard to share the value they offer but this one is a must read. I was attracted to it by my amazon recommendation and was caught by the tittle, so impulse click, it was shipped to me from the US.

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Positively Resilient: 5 1/2 Secrets to Beat Stress, Overcome Obstacles, and Defeat Anxiety by Doug Hensch

Resilient; a person able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

What an interesting read and I believe very relative to all of us. Think about it. When was the last time you faced a difficult situation and despite all the happenings you were able to spring back?

Think of a sponge placed in a pool of water overcome by the heaviness of the water it soaks up and suddenly is unable to soak up any more. Like life at times, pressured and saturated by conflict we can become so weighed down that it feels almost impossible that we will dry out and get back on track. I am sure this is the reality for many souls. What if you could learn the secrets of not only being resilient to absorbing the weight of the world but also the skills and ability to squeeze it out. How would that make your life better?

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Successful Time Management (Creating Success) by Patrick Forsyth

If you always feel like you are chasing your tail or that there is not enough time in the day than you need to make it a priority to learn the techniques on mastering time. There are so many great books, online courses and coaches that can assist you in this domain including myself.

Here is a podcast I did from some Q&A with Patrick.

We cannot manage time but we certainly have control over how we use the time we have. The thing is that we all have exactly the same amount of hours in the day. With 168 hours a week why is it that some people seem to be able to achieve a great deal more than others. Simply, they have become more effective with their time.

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Minding the Muse A Handbook for Painters, Composers, Writers, and Other Creators by Priscilla Long

This is a great short book and as the tittle suggests this suitable for all creative types. I really enjoyed this read partly because it was short and to the point but also because gained some really cool insights and practices that I will use to help me in my creative endeavours.

Priscilla is an artist herself with a background in writing and teaches others how to master their practice. In this book she draws on her experience and also that of other famous and successful artists. It is also an important reminder that just because something works for one person it doesn’t mean it will work for you. The ideas, practices and techniques shared in this book should be approached with openness and awareness of this. (more…)

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The Big Five: Five Simple Things You Can Do to Live a Longer, Healthier Life by Dr. Sanjiv Chopra

I believe we need to keep an open mind in life with everything we approach. This book is one of those. When anyone tells me to do something specific in order to live longer, not that it happens everyday, I don’t jump all in. I instead seek to understand, remain open to the facts and my own experiences, assess and reflect on my own thoughts and assumptions, and then decide on what beliefs I will create.

Dr. Chopra shares five things that we can all do to extend our lives. The include drinking coffee, taking vitamin D, exercising, eating nuts, and meditating. If you have experience with any one of these, you will likely to be able to draw your own conclusions as to the benefits they have in your life. If you are not familiar you may just make assumptions based on your current knowledge level and thoughts. If that is the case this book makes for a very insightful read.

It might sound like I am blowing this book off, I am not. I really enjoyed this read and with my hand on my heart openly admit I have started drinking more coffee as a consequence, and perhaps a few more nuts. In no way does this book promote excess. Actually excess will really be determined by your current level of intake. If you currently drink 10 cups of coffee a day then Dr. Chopra’s view that 4-6 may be beneficial may cause you to reduce your intake. On exercise also, he doesn’t claim that the more exercise you do the better off you are but that just doping exercise will be beneficial.

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Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger

What a truly amazing life story. If you looked at Arnold’s life now without knowing his story you would not even begin to believe the journey he has taken to get there. This is why I love biographies of successful people, there is so much great insight, learnings and most of all inspiration. If you believe that what you dream is impossible, unreachable, then read this – you may just turn impossible into possible.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Austria and as a kid had a fairly normal upbringing, at least for the time. Like any young boy he did boy things, tried to impress the girls, looked for adventure, sought passion to sink his teeth into and always looked for way to make a dime. Fast forward to today, Arnold has had an amazing array of success in life.

From the world champion and arguably the greatest bodybuilder of his time, to a number 1 action movie hero, and more recently Governor of California his achievements are none other than grand. They are not everyone’s dreams but none the less they are huge dreams achieved by a guy from a standard upbringing. Not to mention that majority of his success was made in America, a country he immigrated to at age 21 without limited knowledge of the language.

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Choose Yourself! by James Altucher

Written and Narrated by Leigh Martinuzzi – originally published Aug 15, 2014

JJJ

James Altucher is a quirky dude. Operating under many tittles, Hedge Fund Manager, Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, Author and Podcaster, I appreciate him for his unique perspectives, ability to think outside the box and his way of vulnerable self-expression. With over 20 books under his belt, this is perhaps one of his more popular ones with a title that has a nice hook – who doesn’t want to choose themselves, be happy, make millions and live the dream?

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Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlaskovits & Jonas Koffler

To hustle or not to hustle, perhaps there is no in-between. I have my own thoughts on this word and am still not sure if I actually like it. It’s not the word itself  but perhaps the context and manner in which it is used – I think it’s too trendy and can relay an incorrect message. I share my thoughts in this book reflection.

The term hustle to me means to work freaking hard, in a forceful way, to have greater achievement. I believe that if taken too literally it may find people living to viciously in the future and therefor missing our the benefits of being present and now. I also believe that if we enjoy what we do the term loses its meaning. When you do what you love it becomes less forceful, no matter how hard or how long the hours that you dedicate to your art. (more…)

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The Prosperous Coach: Increase Income and Impact for You and Your Clients by Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin

Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen. Pete Carroll

Are you a coach or interested in starting a coaching practice? If so, this is a fantastic place to start. What I really enjoyed about this book is clutter free and a no bullshit guide to coaching. The authors describe it as a book for those already earning 6 figures and up from their coaching business or those just starting out. As a coach myself I found it tremendously insightful and would listening to again. And no matter your experience as a coach there is always something new to learn.

I listened to this as an Audio book and that was narrated by the authors themselves, which I like as I think it helps keep the messages true. Each chapter is brief and to the point, almost like a dot form presentation – no extra fluff needed. (more…)

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The Buddha in Me, The Buddha in You: A Handbook for Happiness by David Hare

This book is another great book with insights into how to live with greater happiness. It shares the teachings and wisdom of Nichiren Buddhism coupled with a coach’s insight and philosophy on personal development. If you are looking to connect with your authentic truth, looking for greater purpose and meaning in life with techniques to assist you in unlocking your potential to live a full, rich and happy life – this book is well worth the read.

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