3 Books that Changed the Way I Live My Life
The air is getting crisper and it’s nearly time to get out the cozy sweaters!
If you're feeling ready to curl up with a good book, I want to make sure you know about the three books below.
These books have been transforming the way I think about to live a happy and peaceful life in a complicated world.
Earlier this year, when I got behind the microphone, ready to restart my podcast, Leap Like Me, I found myself plagued by nervousness and self-doubt.
It really didn’t make much sense.
I enjoyed all the topics and my guests, and knew that I had a community of friendly and supportive listeners. So what was blocking me so much from saying what I wanted to say?
After a lot of investigation – and support from friends and coaches – I realized that it went back more than 10 years ago to some very difficult and highly stressful moments when I was working as a spokesperson for the 2010-earthquake humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti.
Learning about Polyvagal Theory and reading Anchored has helped me to understand that my nervous system remembers those adverse experiences all those years ago, and still brings them up when I’m public speaking. So my work now is to find ways to regulate my nervous system whenever I’m in front of a group or behind a microphone.
It’s been a breakthrough.
All those years ago, I came home from Haiti with PTSD. I now often think about how if I had only had more tools and skills to care for myself – my energy and my nervous system – then I would have fared much better during that time.
I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who would like to find more ways to stay centered in tumultuous moments or situations.
Kaira Jewel Lingo was an ordained Buddhist nun who trained closely with Thich Nhat Hanh.
Her book, We Were Made For These Times, has 10 lessons that offer meditations, songs and ideas to help navigate moments of difficulty, whether personal or global.
Published in 2021, a year after the beginning of the pandemic, it's incredibly timely. I especially appreciate how each lesson offers short mantras and a set of reflection questions to help you keep these ideas present as you move through your day.
There is plenty to worry about in our world right now. Yet what I really appreciate about this work is how it aims to help us transform our worry from a force that sinks us down to one that can lift us up, toward acceptance, peace, and ultimately action.
I’ve been a fan of Dan Pink and his entertaining science-based books for some time – and was excited when he announced that his next book would be about regret.
He launched a World Regret Survey (which you can still participate in) and used the results, along with a body of previous research, in his latest book, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.
Regret comes up a lot in my coaching work. For many people, unresolved regrets about the past keep them from moving forward.
Observing this effect, I've become curious about how we can have a healthier relationship with regret.
This idea has also gotten personal as I get further into middle age and look back more than four decades of life. There is so much there. I often wonder: As I get older, how do I integrate all these experiences into the person I am today? And how, without sadness or longing?
Pink’s book is a really important contribution on this front. His idea: Everyone has regrets, and if we know how to approach and use them, they can help us to make better decisions; do better in work, school and other areas of life; connect more deeply with others; and find greater meaning and purpose in our lives.
In the Power of Regret, he offers a simple, 3-step process to transform our regrets into a positive force in our lives.
I hope there are some ideas from these book recommendations that are helpful!
