Personal & Professional Development

When you were a kid, did you have a Summer reading list that even the thought of taking home just made you want to have a temper-tantrum inside? Full transparency, I was that kid. Yup, even at a young age I subscribed to the "work-hard, play-hard" thought process and Summers were my time to goof around with friends.

Well, as an adult I look back and laugh a little at myself. Nowadays I’m always searching for something to consume to better myself. Doesn’t matter to me if it’s reading a physical book or listening to a great audiobook or podcast - there’s always something new I want to learn and take-in.

So, today I’m sharing my personal Top 3 Summer books for personal and professional development.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

On the front page of the book it says “why we do what we do in life and business,” and honestly, that is a great summary right there. This book is something I have read multiple times in life, I believe now for the third time and each time I have learned more.

Why it’s a personal favorite: If you’re willing to really take an inward look, you’ll learn a lot about yourself and what habits you have developed over the years directly and indirectly. Duhigg does a great job of breaking things down so they are digestible pieces and in doing so, also very clearly outlines the process of creating a habit change (if that’s what you’re looking to do.)

How this impacted my real-life: Personally, I find I’m able to take more of a step-back when looking at things in just about all aspects of my life. In work especially, how can we constantly improve ourselves to be more efficient and how can we create better habits that may actually benefit our team? I can’t answer that question for you specifically but I found my own answers after a few passes through this book. And the best part is, this applies to my personal life as well since, if you think about it, each relationship you have in life could impact your habits and you could equally impact someone else’s.

“We become what we repeatedly do. An extraordinary life, then, depends upon extraordinary habits.” - Charles Duhigg

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

This book was one I’d seen floating around the internet getting a lot of positive attention on social media but for some reason, I just didn’t feel the personal pull towards reading it. Well, that was until an amazing coworker of mine at the time suggested it. Emily was one of those coworkers that you just can’t help but look up to and when she suggested it to me, you bet I was inputting my credit card information and clicking “buy now,” within minutes.

Why it’s a personal favorite: Immediately on the inside cover you see the question being asked “What if, rather than you serving your business, your business served you?” Honestly, I was connected to the straight forward thought and jumped right in. As I worked my way through this book it not only helps break down finances so that as a business owner you can understand things but the equally awesome part (in my opinion) is how applicable this is to your personal finances too.

How this impacted my real-life: At the time I was reading this book for the first time, I was entering into a serious relationship with someone that is now my spouse and money is always a sensitive topic during that time in any relationship. Although two humans may not be worried about major business needs like payroll and operating expenses, in a way, you are - we just probably call them different things like utilities, mortgage payments, and savings. So, not only was this book integral in streamlining business finances I was managing at the time but in my personal life I saw areas of opportunity we could streamline to set ourselves up for financial success all across the board.

“A financially healthy company is a result of a series of small daily financial wins, not one big moment. Profitability isn't an event; it's a habit.” - Mike Michalowicz

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

Funny story - I first started reading this book when I was at a car dealership about 4 years ago. It was one of those routine adult errands for a complimentary oil-change and I just didn’t want to sit on my phone in the waiting room like all the other humans. I looked down at the coffee table, saw the book, and decided it was a better choice for me than the other car related magazines available. So, I picked it up, flipped through the pages to see what I was getting into and I saw a few headlines that personally resonated so I went with it.

Immediately I liked it and asked the dealership manager if I could borrow it. He said I could have it and I still do in my home office.

Why it’s a personal favorite: It’s practical. I don’t believe that this book is filled with “high-up-in-the-sky,” ideas that you can’t implement. It’s actually about taking a look at your current thought processes and applying a few simple changes to create a perspective shift that drives you towards consistency and ultimately, reach "success" as you define it. Directly from the author, “the Slight Edge is a way of thinking that enables you to make the daily choices that will lead you to the success and happiness you desire.” And, in full honesty, it does.

How this impacted my real-life: We’ve all been there with decision overload. Although small things are extremely easy to do and/or are easy choices to make, they compound over time and can produce massive feelings of overwhelm. That being said though, the exact same principle can yield massive results. Think about it, if you save 100 pennies vs. spend them (very easy choice to make) you have either spent or saved that $1.00 in a very passive way. When going through this book and are taking a look at the five areas of your life (covered in the book), the main action step is to do one thing in each area of your life each day. One item per day was realistic for me and during the time I spent reading the book I noticed that I was feeling happier and more aligned with my passions plus closer to reaching certain goals than before.

“The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.” - Jeff Olson

What’s the take-home message?

As an adult I’m always looking for ways to maximize my time spent on really anything - in my mind I like to call it “double-dipping.” In the past, I struggled with the idea of investing time into my own mindset because it felt too one-sided. However, now, I take the time to be picky about the content I consume which has really helped me make time for both personal and professional development. If you also struggle with investing the time into these areas of life because you believe it has to be one -OR- the other, I’d kindly say you’re wrong. Give these books a read - I bet they’ll help you “double-dip” in your own life too.

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” - Richard Steele