Welcome to the Brighter Thinking Holiday Reading List, curated specifically for busy executives and leaders seeking inspiration, knowledge, and a moment of reflection. In the midst of our demanding schedules and fast-paced lives, this handpicked collection of books aims to offer a respite — an opportunity to explore diverse perspectives, enhance leadership skills*, and gain insights from remarkable minds across various fields.
Up first, and this IS a classic: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This book will, among other things, supercharge the way you interact with other people. It’s packed with hints and tips at getting the most out of your professional relationships. If you read this book, you WILL benefit.
“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
Next up: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. Have you ever wondered how rich people think? This book reveals that mindset is everything and the beliefs they live by.
“It’s simple arithmetic: Your income can grow only to the extent that you do.”
Number three on the list is Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. This book will show you how to transform your life by letting go of clutter. And as someone who is currently travelling around the world, and consequentially having to personally transport everything I have with me, I fully appreciate the importance of decluttering.
“Clutter is stuck energy. The word “clutter” derives from the Middle English word “clotter,” which means to coagulate – and that’s about as stuck as you can get.”
Another book fully deserving the accolade of being a classic: The Success Principles by Jack Canfield (see link to my article for more details). One word: Motivating! This book will be fantastic for setting you up for the second half of the year. It was also the inspiration for the successful ‘Act As If’ event that I advised on earlier this year.
“You only have control over three things in your life — the thoughts you think, the images you visualise, and the actions you take (your behaviour).”
My next recommendation for holiday reading is Gill Edwards’ Living Magically. This practical self-help book will help you let go of your past and move through your fears, self-limitations and unhelpful beliefs. It’s lively and inspiring, and puts its alternative and spiritual ideas across in easy to understand way.
“Each of us is the source of all our suffering and all our joy.”
Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. A book that will encourage you to expand your life. It examines the corrosive effects of fear, in a wide range of areas of our lives, and offers practical tools to move through it.
“Remember that underlying all our fears is a lack of trust in ourselves.”
And last but certainly not least, any book by Steven Kotler. If I had to choose just one I’d go for his latest, GNAR Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad. This book offers deep insight into peak performance, aging, mental acuity and is very, very funny. Steven Kotler is the very antithesis of an armchair expert.
“To see if theory would work in practice, I conducted my own ‘ass on the line’ experiment.”
Happy reading!