I believe we live in a world where we are to be inspired by people and things and experiences all around us. I’ve done my best to encapsulate the things that inspire me here, including books and other media.
Books
This is going to be a theme, but this book was a life changer for me. The idea that we can make small incremental changes in what we do every single day, and have the sum of those changes be monumental in the impact in our lives is such a simple concept – but profound. I’m a huge fan of converting the complex into the simple and James Clear does this exceptionally well in this book. Years ago a respected speaker I went to see talked about the impact of being off course by just one degree at the beginning of a journey, and how that one degree increases as your journey progresses. James Clear does the opposite in showing what the small and incremental changes can do to better your life one small and atomic change at a time.
For years I’d walked by book stores in airports and had seen the piercing photo of David Goggins on the cover of his book ‘Can’t Hurt Me’. I’d always been intrigued by the cover, but knew little about the content. I can’t recall what prompted me to buy the book, but I did and I was riveted. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. David’s exceptionally story telling – and the story itself – were astounding. Because I’ve been listening to books on Audible more than reading physical copies of books, I listened to the version that was narrated by someone else, but that had end of chapter podcast type discussions and reflections for each chapter. These reflections provided additional context and deeper insight into the writings. I learned about the power of mind over body in this book, and have tried to put it to use in my own experiences.
Prior to reading ‘Grit’, I had seen Angela Duckworth’s Ted Talk on the power of grit. In the last 10 years, I have been drawn to the idea of ‘grit’ after someone told me that the team I was leading had grit. I sought to understand what that truly meant and how much of it was a result of the make-up of the team itself and how much my leadership played a role. I read this book nearly 10 years after that observation was made, and I believe I finally understand what the individual who made the comment saw in the team and how the construct of the team combined with our vision and goals set us up for success by being gritty. This has spilled over from my business life into my training life as I look at how I approach my training overall as well as individual training sessions.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson
One of my colleagues while working on the Digital Technology team at Whole Foods Market was reading this book when we worked together. She’d mentioned it, but I hadn’t had an inclination to read it other than because of sheer curiosity given its provocative title. It’s masterfully written – and, again, takes what could be a complex idea and breaks it down into a simple, easy to follow guidance on how to find the balance between caring… and not caring. The ability to not be overwhelmed by what is societally overwhelming is an art that leads to more fulfillment and satisfaction in life. Our ability to not let the things beyond our control consume us and learn to deal with them ultimately takes us to a place of contentment.
