Book 6: The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

This is late. I am going to blame it on Thanksgiving travels. I did finish the book on Sunday but as usual I am late on posting. This blogging has been been more of a challenge than the book reading but it is keeping me accountable.

So what did I learn?

I don't necessarily think there was one thing that I learned but instead it encouraged a philosophy I have come to believe. The idea that we all don't fit into the cookie cutter the education system has developed. Sometimes people aren't sugar cookies, they are chocolate chip or they aren't even cookies at all. Bad metaphor I know, but hopefully you get my drift. I think this cartoon really exemplifies what I am trying to say.

The Element has challenged me to find my passion. Michelangelo once said, "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." I want to find my passion and take it as far as I can.

Next week is book 7. The books are all starting to meld together in my learning process but I am growing and learning so much. This week is Beyond Revenge: The Evolution of the Forgiveness Instinct by Michael E. McCullough. I think this one is going to be interesting.

Sir Ken Robinson

I told you I would post a TED talk by the man who wrote the book I am currently reading. Well here it is! It is worth the time out of your day. By the way if you don't know what TED talks are, GOOGLE IT! They are often fascinating talks about everything you can think of. I have learned so much from all the talks I have watched. They are mini lectures of awesome :)

Book 5: The Culture Code

5 books in 5 weeks. I must say I am kind of proud of myself. I wasn't sure if I would keep this up and I am definitely not slowing down. I am more and more motivated to keep going and getting really excited about the books I am picking for the weeks to come. I am also getting much better at setting aside time to read. Even if it is for 10 min before I fall asleep.

I love all that I am learning and I love that I am loving learning. It really is quite awesome to choose what you want to learn and then doing it for yourself. I also have had a change of heart when it comes to those of you reading my blog. Originally I thought it would be cool if people read the same books I was reading but now I think it would be even cooler if people would find books that they love and tell us about them. Like a community blog. I obviously have personal interests I am fond of but there are so many more things out there than my small circle of interest. Anyone interested in being a guest post? Tell us about a book you read and what you have learned? Just an idea...

Ok so what did I learn?

Culture codes are kind of weird. The fact that Dr. Rapaille (the author) has been able to identify words that sum up our unconscious beliefs about things like love, luxury, and home, is pretty ingenious. Especially when you read how they are being used. (this is a book on marketing)

I have learned a lot from this book but mostly it reinforced my fascination of how cultures influence how we all see the world. The culture around us essentially is our glasses to the rest of the world and a lot of things don't make sense but that is because through our lenses other cultures are blurry and in order to make sense of it all, the discovery and application of the lenses of another culture are needed. That was a mouthful but I hope you get what I am pointing at. I think The Culture Code helps discover those lenses. 

Well week 6. I am excited to read this book. It has been on my list for a long time. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Sir Ken Robinson. I hope to post some TED talks by him this week as well. Look him up, he is awesome.

Book 4: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell

So two things:

First, I was supposed to be reading a different book. I thought I had the Power of Now but I had accidentally picked up a book about the Power of Now so I went ahead and changed my book of the week to Blink. So in the coming weeks I will get the Power of Now.

Secondly, I did finish the book yesterday but ran out of energy and daytime to write this post. So here it is a tad late... again.

What did I learn?

I have learned that it is important to trust my instincts and initial reactions because they often are more reliable than I realize. Blink is the idea that our unconscious is aware of what is going on or how we feel quicker and more reliably than our conscious. And that our conscious often mucks up or distorts reality when it doesn't align with what we think is right.

I think this is fascinating. Because essentially Blink says that those feeling or intuitions that we sometimes get can be trusted. We can't explain why we feel the way we do but we know that they are right. The reason we can't explain them is because we are aware on an unconscious level. Maybe it is the nerd in me but I think these types of things are pretty dang cool.

Book 5: The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille

Book 3: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

It is week three and I am finally on track to post and read within a week. Three books in three weeks has been tough. I think my husband may be getting a little jealous of my books. Or inspired to read more? I hope to inspire him too! But seriously this process so far has been extremely transformative.

I knew it wasn't going to be easy and it sure hasn't been but it has been one of those things that is super tough but super rewarding. Do you know what I mean? I sometimes dread reading but when I sit down and really get into the books, gleaning knowledge from the pages, I remember why I am doing this. I want to challenge myself, to grow in knowledge, and to become a better person. So far I know I am doing those three things and it feels pretty dang awesome.

So what have I learned this week...

I've learned the importance of working on myself. The 7 Habits start with the first 3 habits that are a personal victory, the next 3 are a public victory, and the last is basically described as maintenance. It order to have a public victory you must first begin with your private victory.

A private victory is comprised of being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, and making first things first. What this means for me is that I need to develop my purpose, my goals in life, and most importantly my personal mission statement. I need a compass to direct and center my life.

I've been challenged and affirmed by this book. There is so much more I need to be doing to become a highly effective person but I know that my book a week challenge is a good start.

Next week's book: Practicing the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (my motivation for choosing this book may be in part that it is the smallest out of my stack to read...).