Book Review: How to Be Better at Almost Everything by Pat Flynn

Book: How to Be Better at Almost Everything: Learn Anything Quickly, Stack Your Skills, Dominate
Author: Pat Flynn
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(5 Stars)


How to Be Better at Almost Everything fits perfectly in my theme for this year: Transformation. I turned 40 this year, and I am working on being the best version of myself. Having been familiar with Pat because of his podcast, I decided to download it via Scribd.

How to Be Better at Almost Anything intrigued me because it suggested skill stacking. Pat provides autobiographical details to illustrate how to successfully get better at a different set of skills, while not being a perfectionist. I like the idea of being a generalist, as Pat describes himself. The ideology surrounding generalism contrasts with being a specialist. In my new role, I am understanding more and more the importance of having a generalist approach to my role. 

Flynn also reiterated the importance of the 80/20 ideology, but he applied it to skill stacking with the suggestion to limit skill development to nothing more than 80 percent. Interestingly enough, I think that the idea of getting good at tasks/skills that are needed is very helpful. I have found myself focusing on improving very specific skillsets or learning new skills for specific tasks at work. How to Be Better at Almost Everything is truly useful in this aspect.

What I like the most about How to Be Better at Almost Everything is its practicality and that it is not being sold as a quick fix. Having listened to and read a lot of self-help books, I believe this book is perfect for people in new roles or who are involved in unfamiliar tasks. This book helps you figure out how to get ahead while completing what you need to do. I also believe people who are productivity addicts, like myself, will appreciate a new perspective to complete their goals.

ABOUT THE BOOK

It's one of the biggest lies you've probably heard your entire life: Mastering one specific skill set is the key to success. That may have been true 20 years ago, but in today's global economy, being the best at a single thing just doesn't cut it anymore.

Think about those people who somehow manage to be amazing at everything they do - the multi-millionaire CEO with the bodybuilder physique or the rock star with legions of adoring fans. We all quietly envy them from time to time - how do they manage to be so much better at life?

It’s tempting to believe they've achieved greatness because they're the very best in their field... or think that maybe it's just dumb luck. But it's much more than that. They've defied traditional perceptions of success by acquiring and applying multiple skills to make themselves valuable to others. They’ve become generalists.

In How to Be Better at Almost Everything, best-selling author, fitness expert, entrepreneur, and professional business coach Pat Flynn shares the secrets to learning (almost) every skill, from marketing to music to martial arts to writing and relationships, teaching how to combine interests to achieve greatness in any field. His direct, “Generalist” approach to self-improvement gives you the tools you need to make your mark on the world and make buckets of money - without losing your soul.

Discover how to:

Learn any skill with only an hour of practice a day through repetition and resistance.
Package all your passions into a single toolkit for success with skill stacking
Turn those passions into paychecks by transforming yourself into a person of interest.

In today’s fast-paced, constantly evolving world, it’s no longer good enough to have a single specialty. To really get ahead you need a diverse portfolio of hidden talents you can pull from your back pocket at a moment’s notice. How to Be Better at Almost Everything teaches you how to gain a competitive edge in both your professional life and personal life.

Purchase the How to Be Better at Almost Everything by Pat Flynn

Book Review: One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

Book: One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way
Author: Robert Maurer
Format: eBook
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(5 Stars)

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Every since I visited the Toyota Plant in Mississippi, I have been fascinated with their productivity systems, especially Kaizen. Therefore, when I discovered One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, I knew I would enjoy it. This book fed into my addiction to productivity and understanding of how to implement changes to enhance my productivity. 

The book is a quick read, and it focuses adequately addresses the concept of Kaizen, a Japanese phenomenon that emphasizes continuous improvement. 

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way highlights five specific strategies to apply Kaizen to your life. Each of the strategies has a chapter that explains it in detail. These strategies are:

• Taking small actions
• Asking small questions
• Thinking small thoughts
• Solving small problems
• Bestowing small rewards
• Recognizing small but crucial moments others ignore.

This book provides numerous books to help illustrate the significance of making small changes to enhance your productivity and life. I liked this book because it shared the importance of incremental change to ensure that it lasts. We often read self-help books that recommend drastic changes, but these books often fail to help the reader make sustainable change. I am glad that Dr. Maurer adequately tackles how to make sustainable change in this book.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Improve your life fearlessly with this essential guide to kaizen—the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady steps.

The philosophy is simple: Great change is made through small steps. And the science is irrefutable: Small steps circumvent the brain's built-in resistance to new behavior.

No matter what the goal—losing weight, quitting smoking, writing a novel, starting an exercise program, or meeting the love of your life—the powerful technique of kaizen is the way to achieve it. Written by psychologist and kaizen expert Dr. Robert Maurer, One Small Step Can Change Your Life is the simple but potent guide to easing into new habits—and turning your life around. Learn how to overcome fear and procrastination with his 7 Small Steps—including how to Think Small Thoughts, Take Small Actions, and Solve Small Problems—to steadily build your confidence and make insurmountable-seeming goals suddenly feel doable.

Dr. Maurer also shows how to visualize virtual change so that real change can come more easily. Why small rewards lead to big returns. And how great discoveries are made by paying attention to the little details most of us overlook. His simple regiment is your path to continuous improvement for anything from losing weight to quitting smoking, paying off debt, or conquering shyness and meeting new people. Rooted in the two-thousand-year-old wisdom of the Tao Te Ching—“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”—here is the way to change your life without fear, without failure, and start on a new path of easy, continuous improvement.

Virtual Book Tour - Kicking and Screaming by Melanie D. Gibson

One Woman’s Life-Changing Journey from Troubled Lost Soul to Taekwondo Black Belt

Despite the immense efforts to promote mental health awareness, cultural and societal stigma exists and is very pronounced in certain cultures and communities. Kicking and Screaming illuminates how people with mental illness usually hide behind their accomplishments while suffering in silence and often alone.  The author of Kicking and Screaming shares how taekwondo transformed her life and provided emergency mental and emotional healing.

Readers, who are attempting to overcome adversity and dealing with setbacks, should definitely read Kicking and Screaming. In my opinion, Kicking and Screaming provides motivation and inspiration for readers to move forward despite the plateaus and possible entanglements from toxic relationships.

“I am left in awe of Melanie's courage to reveal her darkest struggles in the hope of helping others. Her fight to find the light inside herself and share it with the world is a tale of inspiration for anyone--martial artist or not. Let the breakthrough in these pages be a call to us all to transform from our own worst enemy to our own best friend.” – Ando Mierzwa, Happy Life Martial Arts

About the Book

Melanie Gibson was an independent woman with a good job, multiple college degrees, and a condo in the trendy part of Fort Worth. She also had a few mental illnesses, a minor substance abuse problem, and rotten relationship skills. She was nearing a total mental breakdown and needed a good kick in the pants, literally and metaphorically.

As a last desperate means to save her sanity, Melanie turned to a nearly forgotten childhood activity: the Korean martial art of taekwondo. To her surprise and delight, she discovered her childhood taekwondo instructors’ Grandmaster operated a taekwondo school a few miles from her home. She restarted her training as a white belt and quickly learned that taekwondo had much more to offer than just learning how to kick and punch.

In taekwondo, Melanie felt like she had a fresh start in more ways than one. She found an inner peace she’d never known before, a sense of community, a newfound confidence, healthy relationship stability, and a positive outlook on life. The kicking and screaming she was doing in class quieted the long-suffering kicking and screaming in her mind. Funny and frank, Kicking and Screaming is the story of Melanie’s life-changing journey from troubled, lost soul to confident taekwondo black belt.

About the Author:

Melanie Gibson began taekwondo training at age ten. At age twelve she stopped taekwondo to pursue other interests and resumed training in her early thirties.

Although Melanie had academic and career achievements throughout her life, she struggled with mental illness and low self-esteem. After making some progress through psychiatric treatment and counseling, she knew she needed to do something more substantial to make lasting changes. Returning to taekwondo had always been in the back of her mind, and the timing was right.

Taekwondo proved to be not only an opportunity to re-learn a beloved skill from her childhood but also a means to build her self-esteem and confidence and heal from old wounds. It brought a needed excitement and purpose to her life, which she shares in her blog Little Black Belt (http://littleblackbelt.com). While continuing to work at her full-time job, Melanie dedicated herself to taekwondo training and earned her first-degree black belt in 2015. In 2017, she earned her second-degree black belt. Although a pandemic and knee injury sidelined her training in 2020, Melanie plans to return to taekwondo and test for her third-degree black belt. 

Connect with Melanie on social media:

Website: http://littleblackbelt.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melaniegibsonauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaekwondoLBB

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniegibson/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniegibsonauthor/ 

 

Guest Post: The Irrational Fear Cure - The Imperative to Protect Children from Survival Mode Syndrome by Teri Smith - Pickens

The Irrational Fear Cure

The Imperative to Protect Children from Survival Mode Syndrome

By Teri Smith-Pickens

The most significant take away from my book The Irrational Fear Cure is the imperative to protect future generations of children from living permanently in the fear-based system of Survival Mode.

Besides Survival Mode Syndrome’s symptoms of chronic anxiety, mood instability, poor self-esteem, memory deficits, poor sleep habits, issues with trust and faith, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, etc., these children will not only learn habits to keep chronic anxiety at bay but living in this Mode will wreak the most havoc on their health. Over time, they will develop the highest number of cases of allergies, cancer or autoimmune illnesses, due to the stress created by the brain and the body always needing to respond to a sense of “danger” that is irrational. This wreaks havoc on the body’s immune system, is a deadly enemy to achieving success, and causes Spiritual paralysis.

Today most adults use the term “Survival Mode” loosely, concluding that something is wrong with their thinking and their behavior, especially, the part that is fear-based. However, the process of entry into Survival Mode starts soon after birth with the young child’s under-developed brain where they do not have the capacity to understand the context of most of the things that happen to them. Things like corporal punishment, being exposed to media and other adult-rated issues, sex abuse, the threats of siblings, parents yelling or being impatient when stressed when the child misbehaves, etc. 

During this early period of childhood, many of children’s day-to-day experiences are interpreted by their “primitive” brain as potentially dangerous – even ones that are not! This is why they need adult intervention to PREVENT their primitive brain from becoming frozen in a “protective posture” even when there is NO imminent threat or danger. 

The term “irrational” describes feeling fear and experiencing the physical and psychological responses to it but there is no imminent threat, no real danger. This can result in the child entering and staying permanently in Survival Mode, having all the symptoms of Survival Mode Syndrome.

Why the children? Take a look at the increased incidences of school-aged children having ADHD, ADD, chronic anxiety, behavior issues, and being prescribed medication. About 80 percent of children who need medication for ADHD still need it as teenagers.

Estimates on the number of children diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S. have changed over the years. Per a 2014 CDC study:

In 2003, 7.8 percent of children were ever diagnosed with ADHD

In 2007: 9.5 percent

In 2011: 11 percent

Related conditions:

• Nearly two-thirds of children with ADHD have at least one other condition.

• 51.5 percent of children with ADHD have behavioral or conduct problems

• 32.7 percent have anxiety problems

The Irrational Fear Cure

PRAISE:

“The Fear Cure helps readers face their irrational fears, including pandemics or other natural disasters, live in the present, let God worry about tomorrow, live each day as if it is the last, and make prayers and meditation their daily routine. The spiritual undertones in the book help readers understand the power of faith and how fear ceases to exist where there is faith.” - Mamta Madhavan, Readers’ Favorite

“The author offered true insight and deep exploration of a range of timely and urgent issues. The narrative was deeply and thoughtfully researched, and I appreciated the author’s genuine, authentic tone throughout the manuscript. The narrative held my interest throughout, and I liked the real-life examples the author used to illustrate different problems and principles discussed in the chapters. The writing is clear and engaging, and there is good depth to the subject matter, appropriate for a book in this genre.” - Courtney Watson, Editor, Gatekeeper Press

“I can honestly say my life has changed after reading The Fear Cure. It’s like being born again; it is releasing the child that is inside you without sin, without fear. You are able to love, forgive, understand and to surrender because the innocence is there. The grass is greener, the lights brighter, the sun is shining, the trees are taller, and the air is crisp. I have found my serenity. God, what a beautiful feeling.” - Alberto Colon, HCCC, Kearny, NJ

About the Book

Purchase the Irrational Fear Cure!

A needed prescription for our irrational fears

The Irrational Fear Cure is a radical yet visionary book that serves as a blueprint for achieving personal and societal well-being. It is a timely resource for a world living in the age of a global pandemic.

Author Teri Smith-Pickens, a mental health practitioner, interviewed more than 200 people to help them to better understand where their fears and anxieties come from. She shares these stories throughout the book, highlighting how many people are living in survival mode stemming from trauma in childhood, and as adults, who now use obsessive compulsive behaviors to fill voids they feel on the inside.

She outlines what happens to a mind already filled with irrational fears and chronic anxiety when it encounters the rational fear of a pandemic. By unmasking the truth behind these addictions, she gives a deeper understanding of the fears we all face and how to cure them.

About the Author

Teri Smith-Pickens is an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker, in addition to her work as a mental health practitioner and coach. She has inspired and transformed many lives through her coaching, speaking, and media appearances. In 2007, Teri had a supernatural revelation that changed the course of her life, giving her unerring courage to confront important, controversial mental health issues in children’s lives and the society at large, giving birth to her book, The Fear Cure in Four Miraculous Steps.

Author’s Website: www.thefearcure.com 

Author’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/teri-pickens-b9387a13/

Author’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/fushia18/ 

Author’s Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeriPickens 

Author’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/centerforeducationandhealing/

Author’s Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/teri_pickens/

Author’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1eKtZdi37ZfFDjZsK9drQ

BOOKING INFO: Nicole Ballengee, nicole@prbythebook.com

Book Review: Date Like a Woman by Kai Nicole

Purchase Date Like a Woman

Book Title: Date Like a Woman
Author: Kai Nicole
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Date Like a Woman highlights Kai Nicole's often "unconventional dating beliefs' to make a date a more pleasurable experience for women. What intrigued me the most about this book is that Kai Nicole was not focused on teaching a woman how to date for the goal of getting married, which is often the focus of dating books for women. Kai Nicole's approach centered on making sure that women understood how to date as a means of enjoying the dating experience.

Each chapter of the book highlighted an important aspect of dating, which often has conflicting viewpoints. For example, Chapter 2, entitled Managing Expectations, provided steps for women to channel their expectations when it comes to dating. I personally found Chapter 7 to be the most intriguing. The title of Chapter 7 was "What You Can Learn from Strippers and Groupies." I liked this chapter because Kai Nicole emphasized how it is essential to understand details about an individual to fully know how to deal with him, which is what strippers and groupies are skilled at doing.

Kai Nicole's writing style helps to convey her ideology in a friendly non-threatening manner. She isn't preaching to the reader and forcing on the reader that her dating approach should be law. She writes as if she is your friend, whom you are chatting with at a Girl's Night Out Sleepover party. She shares her dating approach based on how she dates.

I believe Date Like a Woman provides a fresh approach to dating. Some of the techniques shared aren't feasible for several reasons, but many are practical that can be implemented today. For women, who are returning to dating science, this book is a great tool to encourage the enjoyment of dating rather than the chore of dating.

For more information about the author and the book, visit the website: http://www.datelikeawoman.com 

 

About the Author

Image retrieved from Author's Website

Kai Nicole holds degrees from Harvard University and Howard University School of Law.

She has worked in law, entertainment, technology (Silicon Valley), and has done business development consulting for multiple entrepreneurs.

A native Washingtonian, she has also lived in Boston and Atlanta. Kai is currently residing with her family in the suburbs of San Francisco.

Book Review: The Strong Mind by Ryuho Okawa

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Book Title: The Strong Mind: The Art of Building the Inner Strength to Overcome Life’s Difficulties

Author: Ryuho Okawa
Format: eBook
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Since September is Self-Improvement Month, I am sharing a review of The Strong Mind. This book is ideal for people who are dealing with challenges in life and would like to identify some strategies based on another person's personal opinion. This book is not based on research, so readers, like myself, who enjoy research-based approaches, may not enjoy this book as much.

The author, Ryuho Okawa, is the founder of Happy Science Group. Through this endeavor, he trains people on how to continue living despite being in a bottomless pit of sorrow.

Okawa appeals to the reader by using anecdotes and his life to illustrate how to maneuver through life's challenges. Regardless of the crisis, Okawa believes that you can transform your life by maintaining your mental strength.  The stories that Okawa share are very personal, but he does an ideal job of tying the lessons that should be learned from the stories to his recommended strategies. I wouldn't say that this book is a self-help book, but I would share that it's very inspirational and motivational.

Exclusive Blog Tour: Excess Baggage by Tracey Carisch

Excess Baggage by Tracey Carish is quite an interesting book. Since September is Self-Improvement Month. I wanted to share this book with my readers. Tracey and I share similarities. I love traveling with my family, and she loves traveling with her family. I am a former K-12 special education teacher and a professor/researcher. Tracey has a background in the facilitation of K-12 strategies. 

This book is ideal for people who are interested in experiencing the world with their family.  I have listened to numerous podcasts, which involved the speaker explaining how they participate in extended travel with their children.  My international travel has been limited. I have only been to Canada. However, my children and I have traveled extensively throughout the United States. My goal is to visit all of the states during my lifetime. 

The numerous life lessons that Tracey shares can be used in so many ways. I have included a sample excerpt from the book for your reading pleasure. 

Excess Baggage Excerpt 

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A highlight of our time in Norway was our trek up to Preikestolen, a flat, pillared cliff rising almost half a mile above the waters of the magnificent Lysefjord canyon. The three-hour hike up to the top was a testament to our girls’ physical endurance as well as Brian’s paternal motivational skills, which basically involved ignoring all the whining and walking thirty yards ahead of the rest of us. Despite the arduous morning required to reach it, our time on Preikestolen proved to be a breathtaking experience. Of course, for me, this was due to both the gorgeous view and the fact that air was forcefully ripped from my lungs each time one of the girls made what I considered to be a careless move that could result in her fall to a watery death. Such moves included: Running, hopping, walking, reaching for a sandwich, and turning one’s head quickly. 

Somewhere around my tenth dramatic gasp, it finally occurred to me that my children aren’t lemmings and actually do possess a self-preservation instinct. I was able to put the 2000-foot sheer drop out of my mind (sort of) and enjoy the calm beauty of the experience. A warm breeze floated up the cliff’s face as I stood looking out over the deep gorge cutting through to the ocean. The sky and the water mirrored the same shade of brilliant topaz blue, and between them ran the rich, warm marbled browns of the canyon walls. I tried to imagine what the land looked like millions of years ago, before a sheet of slow-moving ice irreversibly transformed the landscape, turning it from a gentle green slope into a majestic sculpture of stone and water. Slight changes, imperceptible from one day to the next, had accumulated over time to create something extraordinary. 

I took a deep breath of fresh, clean air and felt a wish form inside me—the wish that this journey would be the colossal force changing our family forever. 

My shocking discovery in the first weeks of this trip (besides the $17 chicken breast at a Norwegian grocery store) was the realization that our family didn’t get along very well. At all. Our new mode of 24-7 togetherness revealed how little of it we’d had back home, where most of our waking hours had been spent separated from one another at work, school, or one of those many kid activities we rushed around to. For the first time, the girls weren’t spending their days in their own classrooms, and Brian and I weren’t heading off to our respective offices. There were no playdates or sports practices or parties with friends. It was just the five of us. Together. All. The. Time. As a result, we were getting precipitously close to strangling one another…

Carisch Family after 18 Months of Travel 

About the Book

Excess Baggage: One Family's Around the World Search for Balance

Tracey Carisch thought she had it all. As a wife, mother, and successful executive, she seemed to be living the modern American dream. But one night, a panic attack sent her tumbling into a midlife crisis and questioning everything. That’s when she and her husband made a decision that shocked their family and friends: they sold everything they owned, pulled their three young daughters out of school, and became a family of wandering globetrotters.

Loaded with hilarious mishaps as well as deeply meaningful revelations, Excess Baggagechronicles the Carisch family’s extraordinary eighteen-month adventure across six continents, bringing to mind the spiritual journey of EatPray Love and the comical mishaps ofNational Lampoon’s Vacation.

Through Tracey’s insightful, funny, and poignant narrative, the reader will discover the life lessons of an around-the-world journey without leaving home.

About the Author

Tracey Carisch is a leadership consultant, professional speaker, and author of the book Excess Baggage: One Family’s Around the World Search for Balance. In 2014, her travel blog, www.100WaysToChangeTheWorld.com, chronicled her family’s around-the-world, nomadic journey and gained wide international following. Since returning to the United States, Tracey has given talks across the country about the lessons her family gained through their adventure. Drawing on her career in organizational effectiveness and leadership development, she speaks on a wide variety of topics, ranging from work culture to family dynamics.

Tracey graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and began her career as a consultant with an international consulting firm, where she advanced to a leadership position within the organization’s professional education team. She received her MBA from the University of Utah in 2002 and soon began her own independent consulting business, specializing in organizational effectiveness and project management.

Her facilitation work with business-education partnerships led to a prominent position in the STEM education initiative. Tracey served as the Managing Director of the STEM Innovation Hub, collaborating with stakeholders from school systems, nonprofits, businesses, universities and government agencies to pioneer ground-breaking workforce development programs. This role engaged Tracey in the areas of education research and early learning neurology as she worked alongside pedagogical and andragogical experts to develop successful K-12 teaching strategies and adult learning initiatives.

In 2014, Tracey took a dramatic leap into the unknown when she temporarily left her career and embarked on a trip around the world with her husband and their three young daughters. The family traveled through 24 countries on 6 continents over the course of 18 months. Her blog chronicled their adventures and highlighted the lessons learned through international travel.

Since returning to the United States, Tracey has expanded her leadership development career to include motivational speaking. Her presentations blend the breathtaking imagery of travel photography with important themes for parents, children, educators, and business leaders. By incorporating leadership best practices and conflict management concepts, Tracey’s talks inspire audiences while also leaving them equipped with successful practices for setting intentions and improving relationships.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TraceyCarisch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excessbaggagebook

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TraceyCarisch/

Website: www.traceycarisch.com;www.excessbaggagebook.com

Book Review: Ego Free Leadership

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Book Title: Ego Free Leadership

Author: Brandon Black and Shayne Hughes

Format: Ebook

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ego Free Leadership explored the stages of professional growth for a chief executive officer(CEO of a debt collection agency).  Written by a CEO, Brandon Black, and his professional coach, Shayne Hughes, Ego Free Leadership shows how the ego of a leader can impact his or her effectiveness. I appreciated the transparency presented in this text. I've read many books on leadership, which focus specifically on the positives and exclude their trials and tribulations. This book stands out because it is genuinely written to share what many leaders would normally omit.

I enjoyed reading Ego Free Leadership for several reasons. First, the authors presented numerous scenarios, which explained what was occurring, how ego played a negative or positive role, and what to do as a corrective measure. Before reading this book, I never really considered how much my ego can impact my ability to be an effective and efficient leader of an organization or in any capacity. Also, the authors, especially the CEO, shared their personal struggles with their desire to be viewed as a leader and maintaining their own egos. Lastly, Ego Free Leadership includes both success stories and stories about their failures. The anecdotal evidence demonstrates how their egos contributed to either failure or success. Using this method to share leadership strategies, the authors assist the reader in enhancing his or her ability to be a leader. 

I think this book is ideal for leaders, who are new to their leadership roles. After reading this book, new leaders can begin to identify their strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Also, new leaders can implement the strategies to improve their leadership styles. I believe that Ego Free Leadership can assist seasoned leaders in their self-assessment of current leadership capabilities. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. 

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First Book Review of 2017: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

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Book Title: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Author: Mark Manson

Format: Audiobook

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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Reading in 2017 is all about "getting my life together." Since I am turning 35 this year, I am focused on being the "best me" that I can be. Therefore, when I chose The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, I knew that I was starting my year off just right. 

I started the audiobook on January 3rd, during my morning commute to work. I'm guilty of not reading the synopsis of a book that I have chosen, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Matter of Fact, I think I heard about the book when I was listening to a podcast by Myleik Teele. Her podcasts give me life, and I love that she is an avid reader, who is dedicated to personal development. So, when she recommends a book to read, I take note.  After reading 48 Laws of Power because of Myleik's recommendation and enjoying it, I have started making a list of books that she suggests to her listeners.

Listening during my commute to work, I started to contemplate my own patterns of thinking and logic based on Manson's explanations of choosing what and what not to care about in your life. Every choice makes a different in my life. Even when I choose not to react or act, I am still making a choice, which is rooted in my value system. Manson forces you to start to evaluate your life's values and start to identify what's essential and important to you, as well as to identify why. For example, he talks about an individual, who remains in a marriage, even though happiness has been long gone. This person refuses to leave because the value of staying married, even though misery and insecurity have replaced joy. This person does not value their happiness as much as their desire to stay married. Thinking back on this situation in my life, I felt compelled to reckon with this analysis. A person, who valued their happiness more than staying married just for the sake of marriage, probably would not remain in a bad marriage, which is sucking the life out of their existence. Interestingly enough, Manson emphasizes the significance that your values contribute to your overall actions and what's important. The wisdom within the text provides a taste of reality and encourages the reader to question their values and why these values matter. 

Another point about the book is the distinction from other self-help books.  Manson does not preach positivity. Instead, Manson instructs the reader to recognize that sometimes things are wrong.  Problems do occur. Bad stuff does happen.  Manson suggests that instead of transforming the bad things into a wonderfully tasting lemonade you should learn how to withstand the bad things and learn how to effectively deal with them.  I liked this spin on dealing with life.  Many personal development books focus on the turning lemons into lemonade philosophy, but Manson suggests that the reader learns how to suck the lemon and deal with the horrible sting of its taste.

After reading Manson's book, I've found myself wondering what is important to me and why. I noticed that I have a tendency to pay attention to things that should not be given any thought. I become angry when I feel that someone has intentionally or unintentionally "done me wrong." Giving value to "being done wrong" distracts me from things that I cannot control and should care about in my life. Should I actually project the energy of anger and dwell on the fact that someone bumped me in the grocery store without saying excuse me? Should I actually lose time and energy over someone talking about me behind my bump or making false accusations? Could I focus on more important things in my life instead of such trivial things, which add nothing to my life? What am I avoiding? Why am I afraid? What do I fear? Why am I afraid? I like how Manson's proposes that you focus more on the why than on the what.

As as you can see, Manson really makes you think. Even the profanity and the sarcasm within the text add to his message and theme. I finished this book in two days. I will probably read it again and purchase the eBook or paperback. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because it is truly thought-provoking. People, who enjoy personal development books, will enjoy this text. This book encourages self-evaluation for the improvement of your life. This book is definitely one that I will be giving as a gift to other people.

If you are interested in the book, check out the excerpt from Manson's website. Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Let's talk in the comments.

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Top 5 Books Read in 2016

As the year comes to an end, I realized that I have been devouring a significant number of books.  This year, my goal was to read 15 books in 2016. Since I have a 4-hour daily commute, I have been reading audiobooks.  Before my lengthy commute, I only read physical books and ebooks. Now, I am addicted to audiobooks.

I have compiled a list of my top 5 books for 2016.  My list of books includes business books, memoir, fiction, and non-fiction.  I have reviewed some of the books on my list.

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - I read the paperback version, which I purchased at Barnes and Noble.  This book was really great. I enjoyed the novel.  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a very talented writer.  I plan to read more of her books in 2017. 

2. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes - Year of Yes was actually read by Shonda Rhimes, which contributed to me enjoying the book.  Hearing her read this book and express various life lessons, I am glad that I chose this book from Audible.  

3. I'm Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi - This book is HILARIOUS, but there are numerous lessons, which can be learned from each essay.  Luvvie gave me life in this book.  Sometimes, she was even talking about me.  This book is a must-read.

4. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene - I first heard about this book, when I was listening to a podcast by Myleik Teele.  This book is on my list to read every year.  The 48 Laws of Power applies to your personal and professional life.  Next year is about self-development. I am glad that this book was introduced to me.

5. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris - I am still trying to wrap my mind around this concept, but I really enjoyed the book because Tim Ferris shares so many different resources that can be used for a variety of reasons.  The book links to his blog, which shares, even more, resources.  I listened to the audiobook version, but I plan to read it again and purchase the physical book.

• What book(s) did you enjoy reading in 2016?  
• What books are left on your TBR List?

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Check out my other blog: Transitioning to Me: Life after Divorce.

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