Life Related Books
The Four Agreements:
a practical guide to personal freedom
Don Miguel Ruiz
This one’s been around for a long time but is a great one! It’s a quick, easy read that packs a punch. The four agreements are literally four pledges that you can follow to live a free life. I photocopy them and have them in places where I can regularly see them as a reminder. My favorite agreement is Don’t Make Assumptions. Read it to find out why!
Silence:
the power of quiet in a world full of noise
Thich Nhat Hanh
It’s interesting how I came about this book. One morning I was headed out for a walk and this book was laying on the ground in front of my driveway. (!!) I left it by my mailbox for a few days to see if anyone would retrieve it but no one did, so I took it in, and read it.
What a delightful discovery. In a world where there is so much going on, this is a book you can reach for over and over as a reminder of how to slow down, calm your thoughts, and be silent. I think a lot of time creative people have a lot going on in their brains and often have a hard time slowing down those swirling thoughts. This book helps with that and gives strategies too! I am always a sucker for a book that tells me how to do something. I keep this one close and refer to it often to help me remember how to slow down.
Loveable:
embracing what is truest bout you,
so you can truly embrace your life
Kelly Flanagan
Ever feel or have felt like you’re just not enough? That you might be living your life to please other people? This book did a lot to change my thinking and attitude towards my adult life (and how my childhood has effected it). This is a book that I’ve read twice. The second time marking it up with notes and squiggles so that I can quickly refer to it when I need help. Loveable teaches you about you and how you can become even more YOU. By embracing this book and adopting some of the thinking and practices, you are freed and allowed to move on as yourself--as the person that may have been hiding deep down. It can unearth a lot of emotions and truths about yourself so be ready and open if you choose to read this book. Good stuff. Dr. Flanagan also has a podcast called "Loveable."
Eat, Pray, Love:
one woman’s search for everything across Italy, India,
and Indonesia
Elizabeth Gilbert
Okay, I read this book a LONG time ago, but it’s one I would like to read again. This is also a book that I’ve marked up because it had so many universal truths and pearls of wisdom that I can apply to my life—not to mention it’ a GREAT story and I love to travel. Ms. Gilbert communicates to us that it’s okay to just be still, it’s okay to just be yourself and she encourages us to be comfortable with the uncomfortable-to not to always chase the happy and run from the discomfort. Another great by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck:
a counterintuitive approach to living a good life
Mark Hanson
This is an interesting book and one that I could probably find useful reading every year. The author is a bit full of himself and I first I didn’t care for his tone, however I found the content applicable to my life and the life I would like to live. Mr. Hanson touches on living with failure, insecurities, and choosing what’s important to you. He also touches on worry and anxiety and suggests some ways to handle them. Like Ms. Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love he wants the reader to stop always chasing the “happy" and encourages us to learn to live with the shitty parts of life too.