Books I’ve Read This Year That Have Changed My Life.
Tags: Readinglist, Book Recommendations, Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

Three books that are changing my life slowly but surely.

(Olsztyn, poland, Unsplash)

The Salt Path — Raynor Winn

A non fiction autobiography of a middle aged couple who lose everything and become homeless just days after her husband is diagnosed with a terminal illness. A spontaneous decision leads them to pack essentials into a rucksack each and head out on the 630mile south west coast path in the U.K. It is a story of a couple fighting terminal illness and homelessness in an alternative way as their options are somewhat limited. It is a book about perseverance, positivity and hope.

What it taught me:

Statistics say most people are no more than three disasters away from homelessness. In this current climate with Corona I imagine that to be very true.

It has taught me to be grateful. I have taken for granted so many things such as fresh water, a bed with a mattress, a roof over my head and a toilet! It made me think deeply about all the stuff I have and I have more than I need. As humans we always feel we do not have enough. Reading this book has made me want to challenge some of my behaviors towards spending my money. I buy a lot of crap! I intend to spend next year not purchasing many clothes and beauty products and instead use them up and save money for more useful things such as experiences, courses or traveling.

Eat That Frog-Brian Tracey

For procrastinators everywhere this is a great book. Brian Tracey wrote the book to help you stop procrastinating and get things done with the phrase “eat that Frog" The book advises you to take the most pressing tasks and do those first. Do the tasks that are going to make a difference to your life and not the other way around. Writing lists is another task Brian Tracey asks you to do to get organized. Write out everything you want to do. Write out a monthly list a weekly list and a daily list. Tick off what you have accomplished. Eat those frogs first thing. Do the ugliest task first to get it out of the way. Getting organized helps you in advance. Brian Tracey recommends to spend time writing these lists as they will save time in the long run.

What it taught me:

It taught me to “eat that frog” I found myself really enjoying the book and making almost a game out of “eating that frog” I love the fact I bought this on audible first so I can listen as I am cleaning the house. I am a list maker and found myself wondering why I never thought of making daily, weekly, monthly and yearly lists. I just scribble away and hope for the best but not now! I am a person of bad habits and they are quite ingrained but I have come around with the help of this book. I am slowly getting to where I want to be.

Atomic Habits-James clear

A book about changing your habits and rethinking them altogether. This books is THE book for anyone wanting to understand their own habits and how to go about changing them. Instead of looking at the bigger picture James Clear asks you to focus on the smaller picture. The small things that can benefit your life. They are simple life hacks and they do work if and only if you are willing to work on your habits. The book really does a great job into breaking down why we have bad habits and how to go about changing them. The changes are quite remarkable from small tasks such as having your workout gear ready for that morning run. To using the 2 minute rule to get you into a new habit. It delves into the psychology behind habits, how and why we got those habits in the first place.The book looks at creating systems instead of focusing on goals only. It makes sense once you have achieved a goal you then create another goal to achieve. With systems once you have created them you carry on and they make your life easier as there is no aspiring goal to achieve at the end of it. It becomes a part of your daily routine.

What It Taught Me:

For me personally I loved his take on the “fake it till you make it" I could never get the hang of it firstly because I do not like fake people and I wouldn’t want people to think I am a fake person either. In Atomic habits he rephrases it from “I am a healthy person” to “How would a healthy person go about their day”? “what would they eat”?

Instead of saying “I am an entrepreneur” in hope of becoming an entrepreneur he rephrases it to “how would an entrepreneur go about their day”? This rephrasing was the ticket for me to start slowly changing my life around. I am more comfortable with this rephrasing so I can now start to become who I really do want to be.