Good morning all! I hope your Wednesday is off to a good start. Last week I skipped my regularly scheduled Life Coaching post so that I could pack and get ready for my weekend away. Surely, you missed your weekly dose of Crazy Katie so I’m back at it this week.
If you have missed any posts and would like to catch up, check ‘em out!
Striving for Perfection and Planning Ahead
Review, Reevaluate and Refresh
Today, I want to share my favorite to learn and grow-READING BOOKS.
With the internet, it is easy to find the information you need for pretty much anything. A quick search for “Ironman Training Plans” or “Blog Design” will promptly satisfy your curiosity. You will browse the article, click into another one and ultimately find the one that gives you the information you need or want.
But friends, there is more out there. Imagine the inspiration you feel after reading an article about marathon training for performance. Now multiply that inspiration by 30 minutes each night before bed for a week. Or 20 minutes on the bus on the way to work. The inspiration is amplified and information is expanded upon. You simply get more out of a book.
I just finished reading Going Long-Training for an Ironman Distance Triathlon by Joe Friel. Not only did I get a ton of great pointers about technique and nutrition, it also pushed me to be more reflective about my training and lifestyle. It was extraordinarily helpful.
This post is strictly about non-fiction, but I love novels. Reading for fun is equally as important as reading for information.
My method for choosing books is rather haphazard. Sometimes I’ll read about a book in the newspaper, a magazine or online. I go to my Seattle Public Library app (yep, an iPhone app for my library!) and reserve it. I choose books about subjects I’m curious about to find inspiration or to educate myself. Last year I used Goodreads as a way to track what I wanted to read and had already read. I loved it!
Some books I’ve read and talked about here:
The Money Book for Part-Timers, Freelancers and the Self-Employed
My So-Called Freelance Life and The Anti 9-5 Guide
The Body Project-An Intimate History of American Girls
Cinderalla Ate My Daughter Part One and Part Two
Clearly, there is a theme to the types of books I read and write about here-Freelancing and Female Culture in America-but looking over my recently returned books at the library, I read mostly about triathlon training, nutrition and weight management, productivity, food and wine (so much food and wine) and finance.
Those are the things I really love.
What do you love?
What do you want to accomplish?
In what areas of your life do you need help or inspiration?
I promise that, no matter what you answered, you are not alone. Someone has written a book about it.
Here is your homework:
- Choose one of your goals (short or long term)
- Do a quick search online to find a book that you think will help you reach your goal
- Reserve at your local library What? You don’t have a library card? GO GET ONE. Right now. It’s free. And if you get a book that doesn’t help you, then no harm no foul. If you had purchased that book for $20, you would feel like a dummy. Don’t be a dummy.
- Pick up the book from the library and read it
- Repeat
Also, if you need book recommendations let me know! I have so many to suggest.
What are you reading?
Happy Wednesday!
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