Are you living up to your potential, or do you feel that you still have a long way to go? Wherever you are in your personal development journey, you need to allow the change to happen if you want to move forward. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t continually and openly welcome transformation and growth into my life.
However, a personal transformation process is often described as a painful experience that includes a lot of truth unraveling and uprooting before becoming. Change can be scary.
Well, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be dramatic. My personal transformation journey was never about one painful experience that pushed me into change. My unraveling and uprooting is a very subtle, ongoing activity that I engage with every week – and enjoy!
Because my favorite “transformational tool” is reading books.
Think about it this way: if you read anywhere from 50 to 100 non-fiction books a year, you’re in a constant state of growth and transformation. And I’ve been doing that since I was a kid.
As a former librarian, my mother was the one who built that family practice and helped us develop a habit. We read every evening instead of watching TV; we were at the library weekly and read piles of books during the summer holidays. Today, I read about four to five books at a time, finishing at least one each week. Over the decades, I think I’ve read thousands of books. Recently, I started adding fiction novels as they invigorate me differently.
The truth is that with each book, I change a little. Here’s a list of just a few that I’ve recently finished or am still reading:
● The Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukav
An absolute classic in the field of psychology and spirituality, giving you food for thought on how to live a life with reverence, compassion, meaning, and purpose. I reread it every year.
● From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, by Arthur C. Brooks
A fantastic read on how to use your experience and knowledge built over the years to share your story and example that inspires others.
● The Silva Mind Control Method: The Revolutionary Program by the Founder of the World’s Most Famous Mind Control Course, by Jose Silva
The latest edition demonstrates a popular powerful meditation and visualization technique that helps people improve almost all segments of their lives.
● Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine, by Mike Michalowicz
A fascinating method that simplifies accounting for small business owners and professional services and helps them manage a profitable business.
● The Getaway Girls, by Dee MacDonald
A fiction book and a fun adventure about three women from Great Britain in their 60s and 70s who take an RV and travel to Italy. I think I’m reading that vicariously because that’s my secret desire too!
My challenge for this week is to read one non-fiction book about a topic you’re interested in. Find inspiration on this list, or make your own choice, and let me know your insights. Also, if you already have a book title that helped you change, share it below. I’d love to learn about your journey.
Find books that inspire and encourage you to change. Because as Michele Obama said in her inspiring book “Becoming”:
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as a forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end. “