Since my wife and I decided that this was going to be a year where we read more I figured I was going to venture out of my genres of books by celebrities or autobiographies. I wanted to get some books in there that would be inspiring and maybe even teach me a thing or two.
With my busy schedule it’s hard for me to make time to read because it isn’t always my favorite thing to do, but when I am at the gym on the elliptical I put my book holder up and read while getting my sweat on. I usually am able to get 30-60 minutes of reading in a day because I do it at the gym. I make it part of my routine.
March, being a longer month, I was able to get through two books and I am glad I did. In the Freshly Picked ‘Biz School – Goal Writing with Susan Petersen’ she gives her favorite resources and I decided I would take her advice and read the books she suggested.
First one was Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell. If you have been following me you know that my brother-in-law had given me a Malcom Gladwell book (David and Goliath) for Christmas and it changed me. I love the way he writes and was captivated by how he would take these stories that I always thought I knew, but would change my prospective.
When I saw Susan suggest reading Outliers I knew that I wouldn’t be disappointed. I think that the Economist said it best:
“Outliers is a compelling read with an important message by understanding better what makes people successful we should be able to produce more successful (and happy) people.”
What I personally loved about the book was that it talks about the stories of people working towards success. Being in the right place at the right time and being born at the right time. So many great stories about people that were born during a specific time were then able to be successful.
For me it is hard to try new things. I get comfortable and don’t want to venture off. I know that I like true stories and apparently anything by Malcolm Gladwell. So when Susan suggested The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Battles by Steven Kotler, I wasn’t sure if it was for me. No one I knew had read it before and they all thought it was a fantasy type book.
I knew I could trust Susan’s suggestions and just went for it, ordered it on Amazon and got excited for a new read. With this book I love all the extreme sport stories that Steven Kotler shares. The stories of Laird Hamilton, Shane McConkey and Doug Ammons all amazed me and he gives great details on what they did to overcome their obstacles.
The focus of “flow” and working towards obtaining that in life and a certain goal is inspiring. What these athletes worked towards never came easy, but they all put forth a great effort and created a “flow” to become the champions that they have all become.
I loved the quote by surfer Ian Walsh saying, “It’s not how good you are; it’s how good you want to be.”
I love a good book recommendation and am glad that I tried something new for the month of March. April though I am going back to my roots and reading My Story by Elizabeth Smart. I have heard nothing but great things. I was living in California when everything happened with her and I remember people asking me if I knew her. Like everyone in Salt Lake City knows each other? Nope. But her story always interested me and I can’t wait to read it.
If you have a favorite book you’d like to suggest feel free to comment and let me know what your favorites are.
