Ok, I just had the opportunity to listen to a long diatribe performed by someone I know and love very much about how much their life sucks. Honestly, I hear people do this too often it seems that some people do it for a living and if I have to hear one more person say, "There's nothing I can do! I'm such a looser! My life sucks!" I think I'm going to have to slap someone!
Or, maybe I'll just slap a copy of Rachel Hollis' Girl, Stop Apologizing in their hand instead.
The crazy thing is that up until last year, I had NO IDEA who Rachel Hollis was. But, I happened to hear her speak at an event and after listening to her live, I wanted to know more about her and her message.
How can I sum her up? Hollis is a petite blonde bomb of positive energy and a fire cracker of support and encouragement for anyone who is looking to live life like "one day" is today.
To me, Hollis is the female version of Tony Robbins (sans the "Say I" call outs and all the jumping of course). She will inspire you with her intense desire to build a world where people needn't feel badly for wanting something more for themselves and for others. She's a feminist on a mission to end shame and empower women across the continent.
If she were with me that day when I had to endure the "my life sucks and there's nothing I can do about it" private performance, she would have have had a few things to say.
Now don't start to cringe at the fact that I used the "F-word" earlier (kudos to those of you who automatically scanned the previous paragraphs to find it - did you find it?). The fact of her being a capital "F" feminist makes some people start to get a bit squirmy, I know.
But with Hollis there is no male bashing. There is no "Down with the man!" chanting or burning of the bra. The only bashing she really relies on is one that attacks of our tendency to bash ourselves by falling into old habits of self deprecating language, bad relationships, personal hang ups and straight up lies about who we are, what we are capable of, and what we deserve.
Admittedly, Girl, Stop Apologizing had some similarities to her 2018 Girl, Wash your Face but even though there were parts of the two books that felt a bit repetitive, I'll be the first to admit that I didn't care. If she writes another book like either of these, repetitive or not, I'll be sure to read it too. I will read as many as I can get my hands on.
Here's why: I know that the only way one can stop looking at life as one sucky moment after another is to start looking at it as NOT one sucky moment after another. And if you can't do this yet, Hollis can get you started and keep you going.
What this book does is to show you how to see you and your goals differently. In her approach there is no better way change your perspective than to let go of the excuses you're hanging onto, adopt behaviors that lead you towards personal success and acquire the skills necessary to achieve your goals.
Ain't none of that gonna happen if all you do is repeat the "there' s nothing I can do" mantra.
I'm sorry (not sorry) I'm calling it - complaining for a living is BS.
Check yourself and check your point of view.
Can't change your perspective on your own? Then surround yourself with people who see things differently. Read as many books like Hollis' as possible that help you find out how you can change the things that you believe are completely out of your control.
Put it this way, if you were at the Oscars and wanted to get a clear view of your favorite celebrity on the red carpet you wouldn't say, "Oh well! I'll never get a good look at good old blue eyes cause I'm not tall enough". No! You'd move around the crowd. You'd keep poking and peeking over the heads of the people in front of you. You'd find a spot where you could see your dream boat. In fact, you'd get the best seat in the house! You wouldn't wait for another day. You wouldn't make a lame excuse and say, "Sorry, I failed."
Get out there and expose yourself to anything and everything positive. Read as many books, blogs and posts as you need to until your attitude starts to change. Listen to podcasts. Surround yourself with positive messaging. As you absorb it your attitudes will begin to shift. As your attitudes shift so will your actions. As actions shift so will your attitudes. It becomes a positive feedback loop.
I'm sorry, but I cannot tolerate the negativity. Go find a better view. Upgrade your seating today. Change your life and seek out your dreams without apology or excuse.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Friday, January 10, 2020
New Decade, New Direction
For 2020 I wanted to keep reading. No problem. With two years of reading at lest 50 books a year I felt like I've go this one down pat. But how about adding another layer? Last year was a bit of a miss so this year my goal is to make a plan that will work better for me. I decided to extend what I do with my reading by writing about it. Yup, you got it. I'm starting this new year with a personal challenge to write a post on this blog for each of the books I read this year.
You see, for the past two years, all I've done is keep a list of what I've read. In 2018 it was a series of images (I took a picture of the book cover on my phone as soon as I was done reading it and figured I'd do something with it later...still waiting on that later...). In 2019 I kept a numbered list written in a little black book in my nightstand of the book titles followed by the author. And that too has sat there going nowhere which brought me to the point of reconsidering what to do with my books this year?
So often there are things that books have given me that I'd like to share with others that go way beyond just the title and author. What do people do with, "You should really read so-and-so's books called blah-blah-blah; it's amazing"? Really? Most people will nod politely but few will actually go out and read it for themselves (for those of you out there who are more like me and will actually go out and read the book recommendations of others, my sincere apologies and kudos to you for doing you!)
But, since this is a new decade, I'm taking on a new direction. So, for anyone whose interested in my reads for 2020 - either the titles and/or what I have to say about them please, read on.
Let's begin with my first book of 2020 Fredrick Backman's And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. I decided to read this book for a few reasons: I read Backman's book A Man Called Ove last year and enjoyed it, I found the title of this novella intriguing, and it was short. Yup, it's actually a novella not a novel and yes, I jumped into 2020 with a short, short book because I wanted to. Like or leave it. No judgement please. Remember, I read what I feel like reading. Done.
What's funny about this book is that it's about someone dying (what a way to start a new year!). More specifically, this book is about slowly losing oneself to illness that takes pieces of you away bit by bit. That's why "the road gets longer and longer" because with some illnesses, people may still be around, but they become lost to you. This is what happened to my father in law and watching this happen to him is what triggered my desire to live for today and not "one day". The irony of reading this book as I go along this journey of reading and now writing is not lost on me.
Here I am now, writing this blog so that I can live a life that is fulfilling for me. Living a life that I am proud of. Doing what makes me happy and what gives me joy. This is a life that may be taken away from me at any point. It could be quick or it could be slow going - no one knows when their time will come and so we have to fill each moment with things that make life worth living. Books gives my life meaning in so many ways. At least that's my approach to life and that's how I feel.
Maybe your meaning is something totally different. That's fine. You do you. Travel, cook, dance, run, whatever!
Do what makes your today worth while.
Do what makes you feel extraordinary.
And so, when the characters in this novella reflect on life as they face the end of the road they use the phrases "extraordinarily ordinary" and "ordinarily extraordinary" which is to me, spot on. That's just it - you don't have to become some famous rock star or cure cancer. You don't have to become some extraordinary person that you can't even imagine becoming. Just live your ordinary life in an extraordinary way.
That's how I see my desire to read. It is an ordinary practice made extraordinary by sheer volume followed by a public platform to talk about it.
What's your ordinary life looking like right now?
What are your personal goals that could make your ordinary life extraordinary?
Go check your "one day" list and see what you can start accomplishing today.
Anything is possible and today is the day to start!
You see, for the past two years, all I've done is keep a list of what I've read. In 2018 it was a series of images (I took a picture of the book cover on my phone as soon as I was done reading it and figured I'd do something with it later...still waiting on that later...). In 2019 I kept a numbered list written in a little black book in my nightstand of the book titles followed by the author. And that too has sat there going nowhere which brought me to the point of reconsidering what to do with my books this year?
So often there are things that books have given me that I'd like to share with others that go way beyond just the title and author. What do people do with, "You should really read so-and-so's books called blah-blah-blah; it's amazing"? Really? Most people will nod politely but few will actually go out and read it for themselves (for those of you out there who are more like me and will actually go out and read the book recommendations of others, my sincere apologies and kudos to you for doing you!)
But, since this is a new decade, I'm taking on a new direction. So, for anyone whose interested in my reads for 2020 - either the titles and/or what I have to say about them please, read on.
Let's begin with my first book of 2020 Fredrick Backman's And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. I decided to read this book for a few reasons: I read Backman's book A Man Called Ove last year and enjoyed it, I found the title of this novella intriguing, and it was short. Yup, it's actually a novella not a novel and yes, I jumped into 2020 with a short, short book because I wanted to. Like or leave it. No judgement please. Remember, I read what I feel like reading. Done.
What's funny about this book is that it's about someone dying (what a way to start a new year!). More specifically, this book is about slowly losing oneself to illness that takes pieces of you away bit by bit. That's why "the road gets longer and longer" because with some illnesses, people may still be around, but they become lost to you. This is what happened to my father in law and watching this happen to him is what triggered my desire to live for today and not "one day". The irony of reading this book as I go along this journey of reading and now writing is not lost on me.
Here I am now, writing this blog so that I can live a life that is fulfilling for me. Living a life that I am proud of. Doing what makes me happy and what gives me joy. This is a life that may be taken away from me at any point. It could be quick or it could be slow going - no one knows when their time will come and so we have to fill each moment with things that make life worth living. Books gives my life meaning in so many ways. At least that's my approach to life and that's how I feel.
Maybe your meaning is something totally different. That's fine. You do you. Travel, cook, dance, run, whatever!
Do what makes your today worth while.
Do what makes you feel extraordinary.
And so, when the characters in this novella reflect on life as they face the end of the road they use the phrases "extraordinarily ordinary" and "ordinarily extraordinary" which is to me, spot on. That's just it - you don't have to become some famous rock star or cure cancer. You don't have to become some extraordinary person that you can't even imagine becoming. Just live your ordinary life in an extraordinary way.
That's how I see my desire to read. It is an ordinary practice made extraordinary by sheer volume followed by a public platform to talk about it.
What's your ordinary life looking like right now?
What are your personal goals that could make your ordinary life extraordinary?
Go check your "one day" list and see what you can start accomplishing today.
Anything is possible and today is the day to start!
The Second 50: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
2019 became round two for reading another 50 books. Well, if I'm being completely honest, I thought that I'd read at LEAST 50 books because, hey, if in 2018 I was able to exceed my goal of 50 and reach 60, why not shoot for the stars?
In addition to my 50 book goal, and likely because, as I mentioned before, of my type A personality, I added another element to the mix. I wanted to get more creative. In particular, I wanted to paint. Because painting was on my "one day" list. Oh, and in case that wasn't enough I also added writing one letter a month to someone I care about.
Sound like a plan?
Well it did to me at the time. And here's how it turned out.
There was the good, the bad and the ugly.
Let's start with the good. In 2019 not only did I reach my 50 book goal. I actually surpassed it again. And this time I surpassed in even more than I did the year before. Yes, I continued to read all sorts of things. The only criteria was that it was of interest to me. I don't care if you think any Nicholas Sparks novel is shitty - I read them anyways. This time around I paid more attention to book recommendations from friends and family as well as books that tended to be referenced within the books I had been reading. Because of this I got my hands on a huge amount of excellent books.
There is one catch though. Part of why I was able to read more that the previous year, outside of becoming a better reader and relying on audio books to fill the quiet moments of life, was the fact that I broke my arm in February after slipping on ice and was out of work for 9 weeks. Yup. On my butt, not able to do much, and unable to drive anywhere. So books kept me company on that couch.
So in the end, I ended up with a whopping 73 books for 2019.
And now for the bad.
Yes, that's right, the story doesn't end here folks.
That part of me that felt overly ambitious in the beginning of 2019 and decided that not only would I read, but that I would paint and write must have had one glass of wine too many. I did get myself set up for success. I got paper, envelopes and some stamps. I amassed a collection of brushes and paints and even a beautiful used wooden easel from a young artist in Toronto (God, I love Kijiji). I signed up for paint nights a plenty. I painted. I dabbled. I wrote a bit here and there. I even did a beautiful water colour while up at the cottage in the summer. But here's what I realized. My goal to paint was and tap into my creative side was very different than getting back into reading.
To do things right I needed time. Time alone. Time in the right mindset. Time in the early morning light listening to quite classical music in the background. And let's face it folks, as a full time working mom that just wasn't going to happen. I feel bad about how my painting goal ended up. Partly because I did give it an honest go. But, it kind of started up and then fizzled out. In part because I knew where I could go with it and in part because I realized that this simply isn't the right time in my life to be doing it the way that I want to. I was able to dabble in this art thing and see what my vision really was. I saw my potential and I recognized the current roadblocks in my life.
Is this giving up? No. I'm just accepting that today isn't the right today for my "one day" dream to paint and do art. But guess what? That's ok. It's taken me a lot of self reflection to come to terms with that. I did get to paint. I did enjoy it and I created quite a few pieces that are worth putting up on the wall. But to reach my goal, I'm going to need to give myself some time so that I have the right kind of space in my life. I think this is reality for a lot of people out there. It's OK, because I know I can do it when the time is right. And more importantly, I will.
As for the ugly. Well, hold on my friend because this part of my personal challenge will take you on a wild ride.
And this wild ride will take you nowhere.
That's right. My writing goal went nowhere.
Nada.
Zip.
Zilch.
Zero.
Well, not exactly. I ended up writing one of the 12 letters. It was to a wonderful woman who at the time was 89. I wrote her a letter about how much she means to me and how highly I think of her. I wrote it. I addressed it. I put on a stamp and I mailed it to her. Yes sir, I did it...but it took me a couple of months to do it.
And if I'm being totally honest with you dear reader, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I found the whole process excruciatingly difficult.
Have you ever tried to write down all the things you didn't have the courage to tell someone you care about to their face? Did you try to put it in a letter and then mail it to them? Well try it and let me know how it goes for you. Because for me it was kind of a disaster. If you are like me, an introvert in hiding, who's terrified of rejection, doing something like that feels next to impossible. Give me another 100 books! Give me 100 reps on the squat machine! I'd rather do that than bare my soul like that again! Seriously, it was HARD. It was an ugly process to see how scared shitless it made me feel.
But what's crazy about this whole thing is that it wasn't all ugly. Sure, I didn't reach my 12 letter goal and writing that one letter was scary for me, but it got me thinking about writing and how I might get back to it in a way that made me feel safe. Crazy that a blog is where it brought me considering it requires me to bear my soul to the public! Wouldn't just one reader be better? Ha! I guess not 'cause here I am baby!
As a matter of fact, I should let you know I received in response a beautiful letter and although I secretly feel panic every now and then that I have somehow irreversibly exposed myself to her, nothing but good has come from that letter. I feel more free in a way. She knows how I feel but didn't announce it to the world and that private moment we had made me feel great. In fact, within a couple of weeks, and perhaps because of what I wrote in that letter, she invited me and my family to attend a gratitude party in her honour (I'm pretty sure it's actually a 90th birthday party in disguise but who cares - I'm going!)
What was cool about my personal challenges of 2019 is that it taught me a few things. First, goals can become amazing parts of your life that continue to grow and develop and lead you to new endeavors that you never had imagined for yourself. You can achieve things you never thought were possible. Second, that the timing and situation needs to be right for some goals so that you can achieve them in ways that make you feel true to yourself. It's OK to try and fail, or try and then realize that some things need to be set right before a goal can be reached. And lastly, some goals start one way and then send you in a tailspin by morphing into something else entirely. That's OK too.
What matters is that you go with the flow and allow yourself to grow with the process.
As I was finishing up 2019 I happened to come across a diary entry that I had written back in 2013. I used to journal a lot, and like reading, that went to the wayside around 2010. What can I say, life changes with kids. Anyhow, funny enough it had a long list of "one day" items that I had identified as areas in my life that I wanted to change and I realized that I had totally forgotten about this list yet I was bit by bit crossing things off of it in 2019. I realized that in giving myself a yearly personal challenge I managed to complete more goals from that 2013 list than I had ever anticipated. Some were a direct result of my annual personal goals (like get back into reading and paint) and some were happy accidents that occurred as offshoots of what I was doing (work on my health and wellness, change my perspective). It was like cleaning up one aspect of my life helped me attend to other areas that were kind of hidden behind the mess.
I wonder what hidden gems this blog will bring me by the end of 2020?
In addition to my 50 book goal, and likely because, as I mentioned before, of my type A personality, I added another element to the mix. I wanted to get more creative. In particular, I wanted to paint. Because painting was on my "one day" list. Oh, and in case that wasn't enough I also added writing one letter a month to someone I care about.
Sound like a plan?
Well it did to me at the time. And here's how it turned out.
There was the good, the bad and the ugly.
Let's start with the good. In 2019 not only did I reach my 50 book goal. I actually surpassed it again. And this time I surpassed in even more than I did the year before. Yes, I continued to read all sorts of things. The only criteria was that it was of interest to me. I don't care if you think any Nicholas Sparks novel is shitty - I read them anyways. This time around I paid more attention to book recommendations from friends and family as well as books that tended to be referenced within the books I had been reading. Because of this I got my hands on a huge amount of excellent books.
There is one catch though. Part of why I was able to read more that the previous year, outside of becoming a better reader and relying on audio books to fill the quiet moments of life, was the fact that I broke my arm in February after slipping on ice and was out of work for 9 weeks. Yup. On my butt, not able to do much, and unable to drive anywhere. So books kept me company on that couch.
So in the end, I ended up with a whopping 73 books for 2019.
And now for the bad.
Yes, that's right, the story doesn't end here folks.
That part of me that felt overly ambitious in the beginning of 2019 and decided that not only would I read, but that I would paint and write must have had one glass of wine too many. I did get myself set up for success. I got paper, envelopes and some stamps. I amassed a collection of brushes and paints and even a beautiful used wooden easel from a young artist in Toronto (God, I love Kijiji). I signed up for paint nights a plenty. I painted. I dabbled. I wrote a bit here and there. I even did a beautiful water colour while up at the cottage in the summer. But here's what I realized. My goal to paint was and tap into my creative side was very different than getting back into reading.
To do things right I needed time. Time alone. Time in the right mindset. Time in the early morning light listening to quite classical music in the background. And let's face it folks, as a full time working mom that just wasn't going to happen. I feel bad about how my painting goal ended up. Partly because I did give it an honest go. But, it kind of started up and then fizzled out. In part because I knew where I could go with it and in part because I realized that this simply isn't the right time in my life to be doing it the way that I want to. I was able to dabble in this art thing and see what my vision really was. I saw my potential and I recognized the current roadblocks in my life.
Is this giving up? No. I'm just accepting that today isn't the right today for my "one day" dream to paint and do art. But guess what? That's ok. It's taken me a lot of self reflection to come to terms with that. I did get to paint. I did enjoy it and I created quite a few pieces that are worth putting up on the wall. But to reach my goal, I'm going to need to give myself some time so that I have the right kind of space in my life. I think this is reality for a lot of people out there. It's OK, because I know I can do it when the time is right. And more importantly, I will.
As for the ugly. Well, hold on my friend because this part of my personal challenge will take you on a wild ride.
And this wild ride will take you nowhere.
That's right. My writing goal went nowhere.
Nada.
Zip.
Zilch.
Zero.
Well, not exactly. I ended up writing one of the 12 letters. It was to a wonderful woman who at the time was 89. I wrote her a letter about how much she means to me and how highly I think of her. I wrote it. I addressed it. I put on a stamp and I mailed it to her. Yes sir, I did it...but it took me a couple of months to do it.
And if I'm being totally honest with you dear reader, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I found the whole process excruciatingly difficult.
Have you ever tried to write down all the things you didn't have the courage to tell someone you care about to their face? Did you try to put it in a letter and then mail it to them? Well try it and let me know how it goes for you. Because for me it was kind of a disaster. If you are like me, an introvert in hiding, who's terrified of rejection, doing something like that feels next to impossible. Give me another 100 books! Give me 100 reps on the squat machine! I'd rather do that than bare my soul like that again! Seriously, it was HARD. It was an ugly process to see how scared shitless it made me feel.
But what's crazy about this whole thing is that it wasn't all ugly. Sure, I didn't reach my 12 letter goal and writing that one letter was scary for me, but it got me thinking about writing and how I might get back to it in a way that made me feel safe. Crazy that a blog is where it brought me considering it requires me to bear my soul to the public! Wouldn't just one reader be better? Ha! I guess not 'cause here I am baby!
As a matter of fact, I should let you know I received in response a beautiful letter and although I secretly feel panic every now and then that I have somehow irreversibly exposed myself to her, nothing but good has come from that letter. I feel more free in a way. She knows how I feel but didn't announce it to the world and that private moment we had made me feel great. In fact, within a couple of weeks, and perhaps because of what I wrote in that letter, she invited me and my family to attend a gratitude party in her honour (I'm pretty sure it's actually a 90th birthday party in disguise but who cares - I'm going!)
What was cool about my personal challenges of 2019 is that it taught me a few things. First, goals can become amazing parts of your life that continue to grow and develop and lead you to new endeavors that you never had imagined for yourself. You can achieve things you never thought were possible. Second, that the timing and situation needs to be right for some goals so that you can achieve them in ways that make you feel true to yourself. It's OK to try and fail, or try and then realize that some things need to be set right before a goal can be reached. And lastly, some goals start one way and then send you in a tailspin by morphing into something else entirely. That's OK too.
What matters is that you go with the flow and allow yourself to grow with the process.
As I was finishing up 2019 I happened to come across a diary entry that I had written back in 2013. I used to journal a lot, and like reading, that went to the wayside around 2010. What can I say, life changes with kids. Anyhow, funny enough it had a long list of "one day" items that I had identified as areas in my life that I wanted to change and I realized that I had totally forgotten about this list yet I was bit by bit crossing things off of it in 2019. I realized that in giving myself a yearly personal challenge I managed to complete more goals from that 2013 list than I had ever anticipated. Some were a direct result of my annual personal goals (like get back into reading and paint) and some were happy accidents that occurred as offshoots of what I was doing (work on my health and wellness, change my perspective). It was like cleaning up one aspect of my life helped me attend to other areas that were kind of hidden behind the mess.
I wonder what hidden gems this blog will bring me by the end of 2020?
The First 50
In 2018 I set out to read 50 books as a personal challenge to myself. It was not a New Year's Resolution because honestly, those make me barf a little bit in my mouth. It was a promise to myself that I'd make "one day" start happening today.
In 2017 I had read in Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers that a large part of Warren Buffet's success stems from the fact that he spends most of his time reading. Not that I idolize Bufffet at all but I do recognize and credit his achievements. I then considered the people in my life who I do admire and aspire to be like and it occurred to me that in large part, my admiration for them had largely to do with their intellect and perspective. It turns out that the common thread among those people is that, like Buffet, they were also readers.
So, with this in mind I set off on my journey to read 50 books. After all, if I could read 25 then why not 50? I read anything and everything. You name it. Short or long. Fiction or non-fiction. Self-help or romance. It really didn't matter. You see, I have a tendency of setting fairly strict parameter of success for myself (this has much to do with my type A perfectionist tendencies - more on that another time). So much so that I realized that I had to loosen these parameters as they were limiting me and preventing me from reaching my infinite potential. So, I approached my goal with an open mind, and loosed up and let myself read whatever I felt like (ok, honestly, I know it sounds crazy but it was really hard at first!) I caught myself time and time again wondering if a book would "qualify" - like, what the hell! I'm in control of my goal. No one else. I don't have to report to anyone, right? It was hard to be open and free at first but in the end, by giving myself some breathing room I was able to feel my way through my lofty goal.
I read paperbacks, hard covers and audio books throughout 2018 and I came across some great books. Some of which were game changers for me. I realized so much about myself, life, and health. But I'm guessing that you're wondering, "Did she do it? Did she reach her goal of 50 books? Because really, who does that?"
Well, I'll admit. I didn't.
I actually didn't reach my goal of 50.
Sorry.
Instead I read 60.
I know what you're thinking, "That's crazy!" And yes, it does sound strange to write it here or say it out loud in public because seriously, who does that? Well I do. In fact, I did it and I loved it and I'm proud of it.
For me, going back to reading was not only trans-formative but also an awakening. Not only did it change what I was doing with my time (because seriously, something has to give in order to fit reading into your day - so yes, folks, no TV for me) but it also changed perspective. It changed how I thought about my life, my habits, my goals, my values, my relationships, my approach to life and who exactly I've always meant to become. It helped me see what amazing things I'm capable of.
The transformation of reading 60 books in one year awoke in me the realization that I was able to set a goal, stick to it and achieve something that most people would not. I saw how others looked at me in awe for having read that much as this is something most people would love to do but would never attempt. As Rachel Hollis put it in Girl, Stop Apologizing, I realized that I chose to live in a way that most others would not in order to become someone most people could never be.
I saw myself becoming.
I realized the power of living for today.
I chose to be ambitious and empowered myself in ways I could have never imagined. This spilled into my personal and professional life. And after reaching those 60 books, I realized that I simply couldn't stop.
2019 came and I reset my goal and aimed again for another 50.
In 2017 I had read in Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers that a large part of Warren Buffet's success stems from the fact that he spends most of his time reading. Not that I idolize Bufffet at all but I do recognize and credit his achievements. I then considered the people in my life who I do admire and aspire to be like and it occurred to me that in large part, my admiration for them had largely to do with their intellect and perspective. It turns out that the common thread among those people is that, like Buffet, they were also readers.
So, with this in mind I set off on my journey to read 50 books. After all, if I could read 25 then why not 50? I read anything and everything. You name it. Short or long. Fiction or non-fiction. Self-help or romance. It really didn't matter. You see, I have a tendency of setting fairly strict parameter of success for myself (this has much to do with my type A perfectionist tendencies - more on that another time). So much so that I realized that I had to loosen these parameters as they were limiting me and preventing me from reaching my infinite potential. So, I approached my goal with an open mind, and loosed up and let myself read whatever I felt like (ok, honestly, I know it sounds crazy but it was really hard at first!) I caught myself time and time again wondering if a book would "qualify" - like, what the hell! I'm in control of my goal. No one else. I don't have to report to anyone, right? It was hard to be open and free at first but in the end, by giving myself some breathing room I was able to feel my way through my lofty goal.
I read paperbacks, hard covers and audio books throughout 2018 and I came across some great books. Some of which were game changers for me. I realized so much about myself, life, and health. But I'm guessing that you're wondering, "Did she do it? Did she reach her goal of 50 books? Because really, who does that?"
Well, I'll admit. I didn't.
I actually didn't reach my goal of 50.
Sorry.
Instead I read 60.
I know what you're thinking, "That's crazy!" And yes, it does sound strange to write it here or say it out loud in public because seriously, who does that? Well I do. In fact, I did it and I loved it and I'm proud of it.
For me, going back to reading was not only trans-formative but also an awakening. Not only did it change what I was doing with my time (because seriously, something has to give in order to fit reading into your day - so yes, folks, no TV for me) but it also changed perspective. It changed how I thought about my life, my habits, my goals, my values, my relationships, my approach to life and who exactly I've always meant to become. It helped me see what amazing things I'm capable of.
The transformation of reading 60 books in one year awoke in me the realization that I was able to set a goal, stick to it and achieve something that most people would not. I saw how others looked at me in awe for having read that much as this is something most people would love to do but would never attempt. As Rachel Hollis put it in Girl, Stop Apologizing, I realized that I chose to live in a way that most others would not in order to become someone most people could never be.
I saw myself becoming.
I realized the power of living for today.
I chose to be ambitious and empowered myself in ways I could have never imagined. This spilled into my personal and professional life. And after reaching those 60 books, I realized that I simply couldn't stop.
2019 came and I reset my goal and aimed again for another 50.
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