Another five books digested, I’ve now passed my target of 12 books for the year. Like I mentioned in my last round-up of five books, I’ve upped the target to 30 books by the end of this year. I would love to complete the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge, but that just doesn’t seem possible for me.
I’ve been reading more self-help and psychology books this time, and I’ve included some books that were kindly gifted to me by LID Publishing. They know me all too well and know the types of books I love to read.
Here are the most recent five books I’ve read. You can keep up in real-time via my Instagram stories and I’ve now started adding them to my Twitter feed too!
1. MINDSET BY DR. CAROL DWECK
I’m a huge believer in your mindset being your most important asset. I always preach about the importance of mindset and how to change your mindset to be more positive and optimistic.
I find it hard to put this into words and finally got around to posting a blog post around the topic. It’s only an introduction of sorts, as there is so much more I want to write around the subject.
This book taught me that there are two types of mindset – a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. The growth mindset looks at challenges with a positive attitude. They understand that there is learning in failure and always opportunities to better yourself. On the other hand, a person with a fixed mindset avoids tough challenges as they don’t want to fail or appear inadequate. They are fixed in their ways and believe that they know all that is needed to know.
From what I can tell, growth minded people are open minded people. They want to learn, are open to new viewpoints and being wrong. This is the kind of person I want to become. I know that I have both growth and fixed mindset attributes and in different circumstances. I am a mix of the two, but this book has helped me find ways to switch to a growth mindset when I usually find myself in the fixed mindset.
It’s a great book to learn more about mindset and also the mindset of sports stars, business leaders and every day people like you and me.
2. POSITIVE THINKING BY NEIL FRANCIS (GIFTED)
I read this book in two sittings. It was an incredibly easy read but also a very insightful read. The author, Neil Francis, suffered a stroke at the age of 41. He was a top man in business with a family and a lot going for him.
After the stroke, it was thought that he would never be a CEO again or lead a business. Since his stroke, he has written three books and is now a director of two companies and a chairman of another.
There are many great stories in this book, not only about Neil himself. Only 30 pages in, he makes reference to the above Mindset book by Dr. Carol Dweck. I thought it quite the coincidence that I just happened to choose this book to read next and it referenced the book I had read previously.
There are a lot of benefits to positive thinking. In his book, Neil Francis outlines a lot of them and gives a real-life perspective. A great book.
3. INSPIRING INNOVATION BY GILES LURY
Another book that I read very quickly in just over two days, this was an easy read but also a very engaging read. The book compiles 75 products and brands and tells the story of how they began.
The book identifies where the spark of innovation was ignited and why. I now know the reason behind Velcro, Vaseline, Dove, Maybelline, Marmite and Quality Street among 69 others.
The book shows that innovation can come from problems, luck, watching other people, altering things already on the market or fulfilling a need. There are many ways to be creative and many ways to come up with ideas. This books shows the best of them.
4. ATOMIC HABITS BY JAMES CLEAR
This is one of the best self-help books I’ve read in a while. There are so many things to learn from this book, but it’s so brilliantly written. There are models you would see in textbooks, references to psychologists and even some mathematical formulas, but James Clear makes it so easy to understand.
I’ve learnt a lot of things from this book about habits and about mindset. If you receive my monthly emails, then you’re probably sick of me mentioning this book.
This book has made me change the way I look at my own habits and also the habits that I wish to employ in my every day life. I now know some steps to follow if I want to make those habits stick and also how to get rid of habits that don’t benefit me or my life.
A great book, and I’ve even signed up to receiving James Clear’s weekly newsletter because I want to know more.
5. THE ENERGY BOOK BY RICHARD MADDOCKS (GIFTED)
This was another book gifted to me by LID Publishing, and another book in a genre that I love. You may have gathered by now that I love to read anything motivating and inspiring.
This book had 50 chapters of 50 different energy-boosting techniques. An easy read, and something that you can pick up and open at random at any time that you may need.
As I find myself sitting at my desk for the majority of the day, there were a lot of tips that I picked up from this book. I’m going to take more breaks and walk, drink more water, practice some meditation and breathing exercises and exercise more in general.
The book gives insight to energy levels and why they may rise and fall during different parts of the day. Understanding your own energy levels will help if you wish to boost yours. There are also lots of little things to jot down, to think about and to work out in the book to keep engaged and work on yourself.
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