I love books.
I love reading them. I love listening to them. I love holding them. I love buying them. I love hearing the binding crack as I open them for the first time. I love talking about them. I love recommending them to others. I just plain love books, period.
I read a lot.
I’ve usually got three books in progress at a time – a physical book where you can actually turn pages, an e-book that just looks like the pages are turning on the screen and an audio book where you don’t hear the pages turn, but you know the story is progressing simply by seeing how much time has passed since you started listening.
Now I don’t read and listen simultaneously, but I read with my ears while walking, doing household chores or knitting and then I actually read with my eyes before going to sleep or to relax in the evening.
My typical go-to is fiction. I LOVE a good story, so genre doesn’t really matter. But, within the past year or so, my tastes have changed. I still read a little fiction, but most of my time is spent reading or listening to books about mindset, business, productivity, personal growth, self-awareness, relationships, faith and the environment.
I have never really been big with reading non-fiction, until I started listening to podcasts about 18 months ago. The hosts often give suggestions for books. So I have become a self-help, personal growth, mindset junkie.
It’s amazing how much of an impact these books have had on me. And it’s also telling that some of the books that have been presented to me as “must reads” just don’t cut for me.
Take “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. Four different podcast hosts said the book changed their lives. It made them more productive and helped them focus their goals. I, on the other hand, was a lost cause. I don’t think there will ever be a day that I voluntarily wake up at 4 a.m. so I can meditate, read, journal and exercise. I usually listen to guided meditations at night to help me fall asleep. If I listened at that ungodly time of day, I would be snoring in seconds.
Really early mornings are miraculous for Hal Elrod, but I’ll stick with my 7 a.m. alarm, my faith-based podcasts, and our routine for getting my son ready for his day.
There have been a few books that have changed my life. Ruth Soukup’s “Do It Scared” really hit home and helped me see just how much fear has ruled my life. And now that I’m aware of it, I can take steps to combat it or work my way through it. Two other reads will stay with me for a long time: “The Body is Not An Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor and “Finish” by Jon Acuff.
I am one of those people who typically mutters under my breath at other drivers when they don’t meet my expectations of what I believe a good driver should be. I may be nice about it: “OK honey, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour. You can drive your car a little faster than 40. Oh and didn’t turn signals come with your car when you bought it, or did you have to pay extra?” But I’m still acting like a superior witch, huh?
I also am very adept at bolstering my own ego when I see someone who weighs significantly more than me: “At least I don’t look like that.”
And following the “People of Walmart” websites used to be one of the most fun things I did while I was trying to get to sleep and would fall down an Internet rabbit hole at night.
Sonya Renee Taylor gave me a lot to think about. Body shaming others (even if in my own head) has been Standard Operating Procedure for me to help me feel like I’m better than someone else and, therefore, more valuable. I have a lot of growing up to do if diminishing someone else’s value is what I need to prop up my own.
In “Finish,” Jon Acuff gives tips on how to actually accomplish a goal. Starting is easy, finishing is something else altogether. I listened to this book, which means I didn’t retain as much as I typically do when I physically read, but the one statement that will stick with me forever is “You are smarter than a hamster.” How’s that for a positive affirmation?
The bottom line is that reading is important. It doesn’t matter what you read, only that you do it. Open yourself up to other people’s viewpoints, experiences, joys, heartbreaks, lessons and humor. We all become better people when we do.
What about you? What books have you read that have impacted you, the way you think and the way you live? What is one book you would recommend to a friend? Put your suggestions in the comments below or send me an email at susie@stix-n-stonez.com
Until next week,
Susie from Stix-N-Stonez.com