I will let you in on a little secret, I am a bookworm. Truth be told, I am more like a full-time nerd. As a kid, I used to carry multiple hardcover books to the beach on vacation. To say the least, my parents were excited to buy me a Kindle when they came out. My recent goal is to read at least one book a month and I wanted to share some of my favorites recently.
Habit. I became interested in habits recently, especially after seeing how successful people seem to have a high level of self discipline and committment. When I saw this book I was incredibly intrigued. This book creates a framework of how habits function and how to create a habit. A habit consists of a loop that contains a cue, a routine and a reward. By manipulating that loop, you can work to stop bad habits or create new good habits. Threaded in the book are useful sorties of how people have changed their own habits, ultimately, changing their life.
The War of Art. This book is one of my favorites. It is a quick but powerful read. This book works to break your internal resistance and barriers. It makes the case that the only way to success is by breaking down these mental barriers. It gives tips on how to channel your creative energy and work towards your goals to reach your fullest potential. Currently, I am reading this for a second time. It is a great book to read when in a lull or as the seasons change.
Mindshift. This book is about pushing past your mental obstacles to discover your hidden potential. At first glance, it looks a lot like The War of Art, although, it contains a lot more science and real life examples. My biggest takeaway from this book was a powerful technique called pomodoro, it is a useful way to process tasks. The concept is easy, work hard at one particular tasks for 25 minutes. After the 25 minutes, take a 3 to 5 minute break, allowing your brain to relax. This relaxation state is helpful for your brain to absorb the information. This technique has helped me stay on track and concentrate better.
Tell to Win. This book changed my marketing and conversations in my business. This book works to show how crucial it is to tell emotionally charged stories. If you are able to move others, they will be more apt to remember you and like you. The goal to storytelling is to elicit an emotional response allowing people to connect. Real estate agents are constantly marketing both themselves and their listings and have plenty of opportunities to tell a story. After reading this book, I take every opportunity to tell a story, whether about myself or the homes I am trying to sell.
There you have it, some of my favorite books that I have recently read. All four have a underlying personal and/or professional development because that is what interests me as we approach a new year. What books have you read recently?
Liz works full-time as a Real Estate Agent with LUX. Denver.