Every once in a while, you’ll take a step back from your life, take a long look, and decide you want to do something differently. Changing things is a big decision and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. But luckily for you, you don’t have to figure it all out yourself. Books are a great place to start when you’re looking for some guidance.
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
This is one of my favourite books to inspire a life-change. It helped me realize that there was more to life than doing 9am to 5pm thing for the next forty years. Chris showcases 50 people who built businesses from little more than $100 in start up money and now make $50,000 a year from it (or more!). He takes these people’s stories and turns them into a step-by-step guide for how you can do the same thing in your life.
The best part of this book is that few of the people profiled had any particular skills or training that made them especially likely to succeed. They didn’t have MBA’s or advanced degrees in engineering or law, they just found a unique way to turn their passions into profit with little more than their creativity and determination.
The Smart Cookies’ Guide to Making More Dough and Getting Out of Debt
Smart Cookies is a really fun read for the beginner financier. These five Canadian ladies started out with a mountain of debt and some bad spending habits and quickly turned their fortunes around after starting a their very own money club. They met every week and found ways to improve their fortunes and manage their money. One of the best parts about this book is that it taught me that I didn’t have to try and solve all my problems by myself.
Their group helped them stay sane, stay accountable, and stay realistic about their goals. Whenever one of them struggled, her friends would be there to help her get back on track. This book was a lot more than a “start a money group” idea. It’s step-by-step directions for getting past your own money traps and being successful. A highly recommended read!
Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live
I read this book when I needed to answer some important questions for myself. Martha helped me reconnect with what I really wanted in life. I thought I needed to follow the traditional path that everyone else seemed to be really successful at doing. Go to school, find a job, get married and buy a house. But that path isn’t for everybody and it’s important to understand that. Finding my own north star meant colouring outside the lines and being okay with that.
Martha tells us to stop fighting so hard and learn to follow our emotional compass. It might sound hokey but she does a really good job of making it work. The bottom line is you need to be true to who you are as a person. It’s not about your “inner child” or your “soul truth”, it’s about doing what’s right by you. Give it a read and judge it for yourself.
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
No booklist on being a better you is complete without Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection. This is a great read for anyone that is trying to do something new and is feeling a little inadequate. We are constantly receiving messages about what we should look like, think like, and act like and Brene tells us we need to shut that out and listen to ourselves.
Taking a risk means feeling like you’re vulnerable. It’s an awkward, uncomfortable feeling and a good sign that you’re doing something right. It’s not about quick fixes or easy ways to make negative feelings go away, it’s the first steps towards the idea that you are enough as you are.
It’s a great read because it’s as deep as you want to make it and meaningful for anyone who needs a different perspective.
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