I got my first run of 2014 done. My lungs hated me up every hill and I have a blister to remind me that I haven't been running enough the last 2 months, but I woke up at 7:30 and decided this was the first thing I wanted to do.
Some beats none.
That's a quote I highlighted from Jon Acuff's Start, my 10th and final book of 2013. I was speed reading this last night on NYE because I set a goal of reading 10 books in 2013 and 3 days before 2014 I had yet to begin a 10th book. The irony is my previous read book, Personal Kanban, preached avoiding emergencies rather than reacting to them. Regardless of the process, I'm amazed I completed a book reading goal, period.
Even though the number of neurons in the human brain decreases as we age, the number of synaptic connections can grow as long as we live. If we keep using our noodle, in other words, we can make our brain better everyday.
I love learning and self improvement. This is why I largely read non-fiction books. I feel like the person I've become is heavily influenced by what I read and who my closest friends are. My "to-read" list is constantly outpacing my "read" list, but I try to prioritize what I think will have the most impact. These are the 10 books I read in 2013 (courtesy of Goodreads):
Ten may not sound like a lot, but when you squander most of your time on an obsessive music hobby, 10 is *awesome.* I will recommend every book on this list, starting with Mindset and Personal Kanban, but if you have the time, all of these authors write something worth hearing.
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
Perhaps I'm riding the endorphins from completing my 2013 reading goal, but I decided to pledge a 2014 goal of 11 books (I'm realistic, so shoot me). This might be horribly misguided, but I've preselected the books I plan to read in 2014. One thing I'm interested in doing is comparing the effectiveness (joy, time, takeaway, retention) of different reading mediums (in-print, ebook, audiobook). I'm a big fan of audiobooks cause it's so convenient to my schedule when I walk to work in the morning. I also feel my comprehension is stronger via auditory sense (duh, music). However I love e-books because I can easily bookmark my favorite quotes and access them on my phone. The thing with in-print books is that they are so visual/kinesthetic. I have a strong sense of how much I've read and tend to have stronger memories because I can touch and hold something...the downside is they are massive and I'm a minimalist when it comes to carrying things around (but I love seeing books collected on shelves!).
I don’t mind losing as long as I see improvement or I feel I’ve done as well as I possibly could.
In no particular order, here are the 11 books I would like to read this year:
- (ebook) Mindset (re-read)
- (ebook) How to Win Friends & Influence People
- (ebook) Connected
- (ebook) How Will You Measure Your Life
- (in-print) The Why Axis
- (in-print) The Design of Everyday Things
- (in-print) Thinking Fast & Slow
- (in-print) The Compound Effect
- (audiobook) Conversations With God
- (audiobook) Good to Great
- (audiobook) Quiet
By the way, this list isn't something to be dictated by, but rather provide focus and forethought in the process. If I end up reading something else, it probably just means something more relevant to my life came up.
1 voiced:
how to win friends & influence ppl is a classic!! :)
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