Books I Love
I love reading and these are some of my favorites, ones that made a difference in my life. Enjoy.The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
When I first started on the journey to discover my purpose, passion and mission back in 2008, this was one of the first books that I read. It is a fable with amazing life lessons shared throughout. Upon reading the first time, the biggest impact for me was reading the phrase “your outer world is your inner world defined.” I share that comment with others often when they are struggling with something. We must remember to look inside first. Great book someone who may be searching for their path.
Start With Why
I came across Simon Sinek’s TED talk “How great leaders inspire action” while volunteering for TEDxPhoenix in 2010. It quickly became my “go to TED talk” for sharing. His insight “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” really resonated with me. That comment has been an instrumental element to the formation and development of my company. The why is much more difficult to articulate but so much richer to share. When you start with why, you start with the heart of the matter.
The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
I received this as a Christmas gift in 2010. The book discusses pursuing your personal legend. The book follows the typical “hero’s journey” that all great stories follow as articulated by Joseph Campbell: Part I: The Separation. Part II: The Initiation. Part III: The Return. I read it and a few weeks after I did, I quit my job to pursue this practice. Things are so much closer than we think they are.
Great book to identify and prepare yourself for the journey of discovering yourself.
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza
I saw Dr. Joe Dispenza appear in the movie “What the bleep do we know?” in 2004 and “The People vs. State of Illusion” in 2011. Another great movie with more insights. When a friend suggested I read a book titled this, I was excited knowing he views the world differently. This book offers you simple tools to help you see things that might not already exist in your life but how take steps towards them.
Great book with easy strategies to help you see beyond right now to see what can and will be with belief in yourself.
How to Win Friends & Influence People
I finished this book on a beach in Nice, France in 2010. That just sounds fun…which is why I included it. I remember reading this on a trip over in Europe when I was trying to figure out what was coming up next in my life. This book has all of the essential personal development discoveries and has been a go to book for many people that I have been inspired from throughout the years.
Great book with simple application tools for interacting with others.
Ted Talks
I am a huge fan of TED talks, instead of watching the news…I simply began watching TED talks to inspire me for my day. Here are a few of my favorites.Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
Discovered in 2010 which on the TEDxPhoenix sponsorship committee. This inspires me to continue to search for why in anything and everything I do…Why is directly linked to purpose which is why it resonates with me so much.
Gary Vaynerchuk: Do What You Love, No Excuses
In 2010, I found TED.com and began my day watching inspiring TED talks instead of depressing news. Gary’s speech inspired me eventually to quit my job. (Funny enough 5 days after I did, Gary was in Tempe speaking about his new book. I had a chance to shake his hand, thank him and share that this talk played a large part in me quitting to do what I love, which is helping others do what they love.)
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Amy Cuddy: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
Discovered in 2012 after going through an intensive 9-day coach training that spoke about “emotional state.” Language shapes our life and we can manage elements of our emotion by managing how we use our body.
Graham Hill: Less Stuff, More Happiness
In 2012, I had just done a huge shedding process and interesting enough, 4 days later I met a friend and she asked me to open the TEDxTempe “creating space” evening. Less is more. This speech inspired my focus on less stuff (after he inspired me to become a weekday vegetarian (also a great talk).
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o[/embedyt]