I love how a good book can encourage, inspire, and motivate us to want to be our best. And the really great books: energize and empower us—to take action—so we become our best.
Here are 3 amazing reads to enjoy while you’re at the beach, in your backyard, or wherever these beautiful summer days may take you. Happy reading!
Decoding Greatness by Ron Friedman
This book is: excellent. Its focus is, as the subtitle reveals: “How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success.” Written impeccably and brimming with fascinating stories, this book shares actionable methods to accelerate success—based on the powerful process of reverse engineering.
It details how to prioritize your efforts by examining and harnessing the wisdom of the best—people who achieved greatness within their given field of study, sport, or business. It’s like an incredible masterclass on how to strategically level up your life. The author skillfully illuminates specific, crucial elements for high performance and then demonstrates how you can apply them to be successful in your own professional and personal pursuits.
For anyone aspiring to be the best at what they do—this book is absolutely for you.
Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA
I call this New York Times bestseller: required reading. Truly, I think everyone needs to read this book—especially ambitious, hard-working women who are trying to “do it all.” Endeavoring to successfully navigate stressful days at work and home (and now the extra pains and pressures of the pandemic), we can all benefit greatly from learning how to better manage stress and prevent burnout. This book shows you how. And it does so—brilliantly!
The authors weave science-based information and techniques within a fantastic, conversational tone, which leave you well informed and wanting to grab a coffee with them. (I would genuinely love to meet them—they seem like phenomenally smart, empowered, good-hearted people.) They provide powerful ways to overcome exhaustion and defeat feelings of overwhelm by taking specific, necessary actions to live your best life now.
Brené Brown, PhD said of Burnout, “This book is a gift! I’ve been practicing their strategies, and it’s a total game-changer.”
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
An international bestseller, this book is jam-packed with important wisdom—imparted through a captivating story. In it, we accompany the young Santiago on his extraordinary journey to follow his dream; and in doing so, we become energized to pursue our own “Personal Legends” as well. If you haven’t already read it, it’s worth the read. (And if you have, maybe reading it again now will meet you where you are in this very moment, with new insights and inspiration.) Here are two of my favorite quotes from the book:
AWARENESS: How often do you make time for reading? What books have you read that have inspired you or in some way helped you change for the better? Why were they so meaningful? Where could you schedule 10-15 minutes into your day for reading books that encourage and empower you to be your best?
ACTION: Read for at least 10 minutes today. Choose to direct your time, energy, and attention on words aimed at helping you: learn, grow, achieve your goals, maximize your potential, smile, cultivate a sense of purpose or connection, gain clarity, spark your creativity or curiosity, build mental strength, improve your self-care, optimize your self-talk, or advance your happiness.
Bonus Boost: Read for 20 minutes or more every day this week. See how reading can powerfully elevate your mood, fuel your success, and propel you towards being the happy high achiever you deserve to be!
“When I think of all the books still left for me to read, I am certain of further happiness.”—Jules Renard
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”—Joseph Addison
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