Living Life by Design

I’m an avid reader. One of my favorite things to find out, especially from mentors and other leaders, are the books that have impacted them. In this post, I return the favor.

Here are the books that have influenced me the most this past year. My focus this past year has been to get out of the rut of ‘comfort and ease’ and really push myself to discover what it means to be a Creative Entrepreneur.

The War of Art

by Steven Pressfield

Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

I’m on my second reading of this book this year. This book is a kick-in-the-butt. It’s basically about doing the work that’s inside of us. Too often we let our creativity slide.  Pressfield’s perspective is that we give in to the resistance. Will we do what it takes to break through the resistance?

Tribes

by Seth Godin

We Need You to Lead Us

This is another book that I read twice this year. The internet has removed the barriers of geography, cost, and time in leading other. Tribes (groups of people) have never been so easy to form. Along with that, are the opportunities for people to step forward. Leadership opportunities abound. Who will lead?

Unmarketing

by Scott Stratten

Stop marketing. Start engaging.

I love the byline of this book. As one who enjoy really engaging with others and tires quickly of chit-chat, I found this book fascinating and encouraging. It’s about building relationships amidst the wide-spread use of technology, including social media.

The Cancer Conqueror

by Greg Anderson

I’m sure the title of this book narrows the potential audience, but this is a book for anyone wanting to live life more fully. A good friend who is ‘cancering’ (a term used by the author) shared this book with me. The author, Greg Anderson, was told he had 30 days to live. That was over 20 years ago. My favorite quote from the book is “Choose to live life fully as long as we live!” He takes the reader (with or without cancer) through life-changing principles, challenging our thought patterns, our habits, and our beliefs. It’s a life changer.

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect

by John Maxwell

What the most effective people do differently

Talk is cheap. I’d include blogging, facebook updates, tweets, etc is also cheap. Every one talks, and millions of people are on social media. How can we make our words matter? It’s all in connecting. Maxwell includes Five Principles and Five Practices to help us learn to connect one-on-one, in a group, or with an audience. In learning to connect, all your relationships change – from your kids to your boss to your neighbor.

Special Mention

Uncertainty

by Jonathan Fields

Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance

This book is a late-comer on my list because I just picked it up a couple of weeks ago, but it’s a life-changer. Instead of running from uncertainty, Fields challenges us to embrace it. The act of embracing uncertainty can become the catalyst for innovation and creation. Fields discusses techniques and processes we can use to help us turn uncertainty into creativity and productivity…and even enjoy the journey along the way.

 What books have impacted you this past year?

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