Below are a selection of favourite books and other resources to motivate and inspire YOUR hope-fuelled journey.
Below are a selection of favourite books and other resources to motivate and inspire YOUR hope-fuelled journey.
The Dalai Lama and Archbishop of South Africa get together for five days of dialogue on the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday and spend their time talking about JOY…how could that not be amazing? Both spiritual leaders in their own right, this book is not focused on spirituality but on what makes us human – and how humanity is essentially joyful, compassionate, kind and amazing. My favourite part was listening to this as an audio book because the book is read by the Dalai Lama’s translator, the Archbishop and the dialogue facilitator, Douglas Abrams. Highly recommend this book!
I picked up this book because I wanted to learn how to get my butt out of bed early each morning – I love it once I’m up but “feet-to-floor” has always been a huge struggle for me. I figured the promise of neuroscience to train my brain to love “feet-to-floor” had to be a good thing! What I got from this book was so much more…it was magical, motivational and inspiring in none of the lame ways 😊 Truly empowering, joyful and encouraged me, through Sharma’s use of language and metaphors, to be my best self.
I’ve never read a professional/personal development book that approached the topic in such a cool way. Interspersed with the teachings of ancient philosophers, Greitens shares the letters he exchanged with one of his Navy Seal teammates after his friend reached out for help. Not literally the exact letters but I’m imagining the lessons are the main themes of the letters between these two guys, comrades who experienced the worst situations of humanity and came back to continue to live their lives. The examples, the theories and the inspiration of the lessons were practical, hopeful and proven through the ages.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but loved the approach of these authors, Burnett and Evans, two tenured professors from Stanford. They encourage readers to design their lives using prototyping - the idea that you try something, see if it works and then try the next thing. With the use of tools and templates embedded in the book and given away for free on their website, readers can learn how to design their lives with creativity, practicality and inspiration. I loved the ideas in this book so much, I'm expanding on them during my 12 week Dream Catalyst program!
I realized, writing all these book reviews, that the books that resonate with me the most are really hopeful and joyful ones and this book is the epitome of that! Fetell Lee is a Designer and she approaches joy from this perspective, describing nine aesthetics of design that inspire joy, happiness and excitement. Her tribe are called "Joyspotters" and I find myself looking out for joy in all aspects of my life after reading this book!
Shonda Rhimes is the writer and brains behind the highly successful Thursday night TV dramas, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder - and had a serious case of JOMO or the Joy of Missing Out. Shocked and humbled by six words spoken to her by her sister, Rhimes promised herself to say YES to everything for one year including, or maybe especially, the things that scared the bejeezus out of her...public speaking, TV talk shows and promo events, to name a few! Along the way, Rhimes also learns to say YES to herself, her career and her priorities. Amazing book for those of us who sometimes forget our brilliance and the power of putting ourselves first.