There are some pretty grim statistics surrounding our abilities to keep our new year’s resolutions all year long. It turns out that almost half of us do not keep our new resolutions past February.
Can you believe it?!
That’s why I created this a collection of books to help you set AND keep your goals going strong, just in case you need the motivation.
You’ll find links to my Amazon and Bookshop affiliate stores below. Thanks for your bookish support!
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Would you want to know the fate of your life? Would you want to know exactly how long you’ll live? Are you sure? These were the questions asked throughout this book, questions that still haunt me well after I’m done reading. In it, we meet 8 people who wrestle those very questions after mysterious boxes containing a string that indicates the length of our lives arrive on the doorstep of every adult in the world. And we learn from each of them: those who look and have a short string, those who look and have a long string and those who choose not to know. The complications of every choice are highlighted and readers get a first-hand view of what comes with knowing…and not knowing. This will have you thinking at every twist, turn and page.
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
During her multibook investigation into understanding human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question “How do I respond to expectations?” we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively.
The Third Door by Alex Banayan
Life, business, success… it’s just like a nightclub. There are always three ways in. There’s the First Door: the main entrance, where ninety-nine percent of people wait in line, hoping to get in. The Second Door: the VIP entrance, where the billionaires and celebrities slip through. But what no one tells you is that there is always, always… the Third Door. It’s the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, climb over the dumpster, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen–there’s always a way in. Whether it’s how Bill Gates sold his first piece of software or how Steven Spielberg became the youngest studio director in Hollywood history, they all took the Third Door.
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
I was thoroughly captivated by this book. For so long through the pandemic, we were forced to say no to everything. And even though the world is returning to normal, I still find myself saying no where I should be saying yes. This book was a stunning (and laugh-out-loud funny!) reminder of how pushing ourselves past our comfort zones is exactly what we need to do so we can find out who we are, what we are capable of and what’s waiting on the other side of yes. I’ll read this again and again and again.
Tiny Dancer by Siena Cherson Siegal & Mark Siegal
This book was a beautiful graphic novel memoir telling the story of a dancer’s journey. Filled with the joy of getting started, the work ethic and discipline of doing the work, the heartbreaking injury and the family drama that surrounded it, this book will have you emotionally engaged in every beautiful page. Created only in shades of black, grey, purple and white, this was an artistic experience in every sense of the word. I highly recommend it.
