5 Books Recs to Help You Grow
Let’s READ friends!!! I LOVE books! I have a friend who likes self-help books like I do and she calls herself “Self-help Hilary” because it’s totally her jam. I love it when someone knows their jam and uses it to better themselves.
I find myself recommending certain books over and over, and recently a friend said to me, “Can you just make me a list?” YES! Yes, I can do that!!
Here you will find a list of 5 books that inspired me to think, change, grow, and/or helped me to understand myself, humans, particularly the people I live with, on a deeper level. I’ll tell you a little bit about why I loved the book and my key takeaway for each.
1. Grit by Angela Duckworth
This book was fascinating in explaining how the key to success is not talent, but a blend of passion and persistence which the author calls “grit.” Duckworth took an in-depth look into people who faced extraordinary challenges yet buckle down and don’t quit. Ones that stood out were the cadets of West Point, and Pete Carroll, head coach of USC and the Seattle Seahawks.
Key Takeaway: Everyone in the family needs to be doing/learning/practicing one activity that challenges them, such as a new sport, an instrument or a language to continually foster grit. Yes, adults included!
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
Let me introduce you to the genius of James Clear. Clear has brilliantly taken habits, both good and bad) and broken down ways to both develop new, healthy habits, and ways to eliminate your bad ones. I love his idea around habit stacking: you add a new habit to something you already do each day. Example- while you wait for your shower water to heat, you clean the sink or toilet.
Key Takeaway: The key to success is developing small, daily habits that take you one step toward where you want to be. Over time, the effects of your habits increase exponentially.
3. Playing Big by Tara Mohr
I stumbled on this gem searching for books about female entrepreneurs. Mohr walks us through the ways women are taught to stay small, self-sabotage, be apologetic, and a myriad of other ways we keep ourselves from going after what we want or keep ourselves from sharing our gifts. Her voice is kind and warm but distinctly powerful. Women, we can be both! Her chapter on the Inner Mentor has been an enlightening and grounding practice personally, and I use it regularly.
Key Takeaway: Women have been taught to be nice, quiet, stay small, and let men be in charge. We have settled for more work, less pay, and keeping ourselves stuck when we have so much to offer the world. There are fantastic tools in this book to begin to shift our thoughts around how we can step into our greatness and sharing our best with the world.
4. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Aging and dying isn’t a sexy topic, but this book stresses the importance of not ignoring the truth of what is ahead for every human: death. Death is as natural as birth, yet we steer clear of talking about it because it makes us uncomfortable. Gawande goes through multiple scenarios around end of life living arrangements and the important questions and conversations that need to happen before it’s too late.
Key Takeaway: Know your loved ones’ wishes before it’s too late. Ask the hard questions and have the tough conversations to be best prepared for the end of life experience. Share your own as well, death is inevitable for all of us.
5. Mindset by Carol Dweck
Are you of the fixed or growth mindset? Dweck illustrates how our beliefs and what we were taught about how the gifts we are born with versus those we develop have influence over our life and our potential. We can learn to fulfill our greatest potential by shifting our own belief around what we can accomplish. She uses fascinating examples that illuminate how our mind thinks in parenting, business, school and relationships.
Key Takeaway: My kids are sick of hearing me talk about “if you practice…” but Dweck will back me up on this one! It’s all about putting in the hours if you want to see progress.
Noteworthy:
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This book has withstood the test of time in terms of key tactics around how to treat people and win them over. It’s a must read for anyone in business.
Rising Strong by Brene Brown
Fall. Get up. Try again. Rising Strong will give you some ideas about how to deal with all of the stories we make up and keep on a loop when we’re dusting ourselves off.
You Are A Badass by Jen Cicero
This book is a giant pep talk and the notes I took I still reference when I am feeling unstable in growing my business. Highly recommend.
The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
Although similar to the badass book with the pep talks, Bernstein gives tools to implement the Law of Attraction and how your energetic beliefs about what you can achieve manifest into reality.
Give me your feedback in the comments: Have you read any books that knocked your growth brain into overdrive? What would you add to the list?
