Books on My Journey


I am a self proclaimed knowledge junkie. I am also a book nerd. In 2014, I set the goal to read 12 books in the year. Well, having a teenager, a toddler, and a baby in the house, that was not so realistic. So in 2015, I set a goal of 4 books in the year. I crushed it by March. Since then, I have read so many books, some for the first time, and some were a re-read. I want to take the time to share with you a little about the more self help type of books I have read since the middle of 2015. As I am writing this blog, I feel as though I am forgetting books, so I will be sure to update if any new ones come to mind.

(As a total side note, if you are a amazon prime member, look into the Kindle First Books. Every month, you get an email with your six choices. You pick one, kindle edition book, one month before it’s release, for free. If you have a smart phone or tablet, the kindle app is free, so you don’t even need a kindle. If we included those books I’ve read, we’d be here all day)

Some of he book titles I've read recently. It is all about self discovery and growth, never settle. Love yourself enough to want to be better

This list is in the order of first read to latest read, approximately.

The Happiness Project

Ah, the book that started it all. This book covers Gretchen Rubin’s 12  month goal driven adventure to finding happiness. She was self proclaimed, already happy but missing something. I, too, found myself happy but not fully embracing my happiness. This book led me to podcasts, which led me to my current morning routine.

The Miracle Morning

Hal Elrod is the mastermind behind the six daily SAVERS, and they have literally changed my life. I am by no means perfect, in fact I am even in a accountability group with a couple friends, trying to master consecutive complete Miracle Mornings. If you want to find more productivity in your day, I strongly recommend his book. He has editions for realtors, for entrepreneurs, and for families too.

A Million Miles in One Thousand Years

This book was recommended to me several years ago by my mentor. It touched me then. And once I got bit by the reading bug, I pulled Donald Miller’s book back off my shelf for a second go round. It is his follow up to his memoir, where he found himself stalling out, and decided to rewrite his story.

The School of Greatness: A Real World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy

Lewis Howes was interviewed on Hal Elrod’s podcast before his book released, and I loved the interview so much, I preordered his book. It did not disappoint. He shares what he has learned from the greats he has interviewed, and he views the podcast he hosted as his own “Schooling”. I have since started to also enjoy his podcast, which has continued since the book and has new guests every week.

The Best Yes

The tagline to the book is making wise decisions in the midst of endless demands. I think that Lysa TerKeurst really summed her book up well right there. Everytime you say yes to someone, you are saying no to something else. With working on being intentional, it is a great gut check to make sure that I am really doing what is important, to me and to my morals and goals.

 

Vision to Reality

Honoree Corder was another interviewee on Hal Elrod’s podcast. I was drawn so much to her that I sought out her book. I really resonate with her 100 day plan to take your dreams and make them a reality.

The Secret

I have had Rhonda Byrne quotes up for a long time, but I had yet to read her entire book. It was fantastic, and so relatable to all aspects of life. I am sad I didn’t read it sooner, but maybe I just wasn’t ready yet. I really enjoyed reading through this one, and all the thinking and introspection it brought with it.

The Freedom Journal

John Lee Dumas released a partial copy of his book on PDF and it was gifted to me via a miracle morning group I am in on Facebook. I had listened to a couple interviews he had done prior to the book release. The book is more of a work book, guiding you from setting SMART goals, to setting your pace, and holding you accountable. I really liked Honoree Corder’s 100 day system, and I liked the journal aspect of this book. In fact, I’m thinking I should pull it back out again.

Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourself

I have been following Marla Cilley and her FlyLady cleaning for a while, so this book jumped off the library shelf at me. She teamed up with Leanne Ely in this book with stories, journaling activities, and action steps to take to declutter your body.

It Was Me All Along: A Memior

Andie Mitchell wrote this memior about not just her weight loss journey, but her whole life leading up to her getting to her heaviest. I heard her interviewed on a couple podcasts and then hunted the book down at the library. This book was so good and relatable that I have even re-read it with some clients, and actually bought my own copy.

The Big Leap

I think I found Gay Hendricks through one of my many podcast sessions. I am not a big believer in that fear is holding me back, and I don’t find myself afraid of typical things. This book really opened my eyes to how I can still get better, and get out of my own way.

The Intention Generation : Finding Meaning Through Mindful Shifting from Expectation to Intention

Makenna Johnston is in a business incubator group with me, and so I grabbed her book when she was talking about its release. I sent several quotes and excerpts off to people. She talks a lot about intention and expectation, and it really hit home with me. My one word focus for the year has been Intentional, and this book came along at the right time to drive that home.

Rising Strong

What can I say about Brene Brown besides she is an incredible thought provoker?! As soon as I finished her latest book, I gave it to a friend. I could not keep that information to just myself. We all fall down, it is how we get back up that sets us apart.

Hands Free Mama

Rachel Macy Stafford authored this book, and my good friend Maureen Timmons gifted me the book. By the time I read this book, my year of being Intentional was over half over. I still found a lot of it resonated with me. Ways that I can continue to step away from the work, the distraction, and be more present with my kiddos.

Sorted: Freedom Through Structure

Part of my being intentional is being intentional with my time, and of course intentional with my money, but the hardest one is being intentional with my space. I LOVE structure. I live by my time scheduling system and my gigantic paper planner. I don’t live in a very cluttered house, I prefer to call it lived in. But Gillian Perkins has pointed out some areas of my home and life that I need to intentionally focus on sorting. Sorted is her own system to methodically decluttering all aspects of your life.

Fed and Fit

Cassy Joy Garcia did a book signing at a Barnes and Noble by my house and I jumped at the opportunity to go.  I follow her on Snap Chat, and she gave a mini nutrition lesson with Diane Sanfilippo, so I kind of feel like I know her. It has been great to start reading her book. She has parts of her story, her healthy method, and the science behind it all. I am not very far into the book yet, although a large portion is recipes, so I won’t be reading it cover to cover.

Practical Paleo, 2nd Edition

Diane Sanfilippo is half of the Balanced Bites podcast that I love to listen to (hmm, maybe I need a podcast post one day).  I have been super excited that she was releasing a second edition of her book. I never read the first, so I jumped at the opportunity to grab a copy of her latest. I have to be honest, so far I have only read the recipes. If you follow me on Snap Chat, you know that I have tried several of her recipes too.