I have no doubt you are great at what you do, you have a voice and view of the world that only you can bring to your business, but you could be better. We can all be better. We can learn to work smarter, be happier and achieve our goals more successfully and the way to do this is to keep on improving ourselves. While there are endless courses, mentors and programmes we can follow an easy way to make a difference is reading. Can you fit in 15 minutes a day of reading something educational? It quickly adds up and over a month it's the equivalent to a whole working day, but what books should you read? These are some of the books I have read that have really made me think differently about my approach to work and my business.
If you read for 15 minutes a day that adds up to a working days worth of learning a month |
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What To Read To Help You Grow Your Business
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Recommended if you struggle to get creative and create content on social media.
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about being creative for the sake of being creative and not getting hung up on the success of the outcome. She says that the way that we get better and have successes is ultimately through committing and doing. Elizabeth had a huge best seller with Eat Pray Love, a success she hasn’t matched with previous or subsequent books. She shares how she could be intimidated by this, or by the success of other writers, but instead she focuses on enjoying the creative process.
Some parts might be a little “woo woo” for those who prefer hard science, facts and logic, but if you have a creative side of you itching to get out I think you will really like the book and find it inspiring.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Recommended if you want to make changes to your life, but you struggle to stay motivated and form new habits
This book is based around James' idea that the way to make big changes in your life is to start small. Trying to change too much at once is often unsustainable, but if you make small changes they can be easier to stick to and then once they have become habits you can build on them, gradually building up to a big difference.
Whether you want to start or stop something Clear’s 4 laws (Make it obvious, Make it attractive, Make it easy, Make it satisfying) can help. Based on an understanding of psychology and human behaviour the ideas are simple and easy to implement. He also has a free weekly newsletter you can sign up to which aim to keep you motivated and give you food for thought.