One of the goals from my 10×10 for 2016 was to complete 12 books this year. I knocked out three times my goal this month, largely due to a slow period of homework (and the gift of audiobooks). I read a lot of what would traditionally be called “self-help” books, but I greatly enjoyed all three books and I will definitely be re-reading the first and last.
1. The One Thing by Gary S. Keller and Jay Papasan
This book is a must read. Take a break from this blog post, go to Amazon, order this book, come back here. Great, now that you’ve done that, lemme ‘splain. No, there is too much. Lemme sum up. Do you need to re-center? Do you need to identify your passion? Do you need to get rid of the metaphysical clutter in your life? This book is a pep talk and an anchor at the same time. A word of caution: I would recommend the audiobook for one major reason: this book is a really easy read, too easy. There’s an inordinate amount of gimmicky examples which could be taken completely without removing the purpose or power of the book. Don’t let this stop you from consuming a simple, powerful, and revitalizing message!
2. 10% Happier by Dan Harris
If you’re interested in meditation, this is the interesting journey of a staunchly agnostic news anchor dabbling in nonreligious meditation. I didn’t care for this book so much, although I appreciated the many studies referenced concerning the practice of meditation. These studies were surprising to the scientific community and to the author, but I’ve read the Psalms so not much shock factor here. I did really appreciate his journey through giving himself grace without losing your “edge,” which I think is a major hangup for a lot people (especially men) who think they have to be hard on themselves to get things done. Not necessary. If you are one of those people, read this book. A word of caution: the book was refreshingly irreverent but there was some unnecessary language sprinkled throughout.
3. The Upside of Stress
Do you have stress in your life? Anxiety? Doubt? Guilt? Yea, you’re normal. And also stress is NOT toxic. Do you juggle, balance, and struggle? Read this book to change your whole mindset about stress in an actionable and real way. I don’t want to say too much because I loved this book and I’m thinking of doing a video review from me coming soon…
What have you started reading this year? Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?
Lane on Fire 
I have begun to reread Daring Greatly by Brené Brown–a high recommend to anyone wanting to quiet down the critic and bolster the possibilities within you. Andy also on the bedside table is Simply Tuesday by Emily Freeman 🙂 it celebrates the small in a wonderful way.
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Daring Greatly is on my list!
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