1. The War of Art (by Steven Pressfield) – this book is for the writer, the aspiring entrepreneur, the runner who hasn’t completed a marathon, the painter who never paints, basically the person who is not doing the thing they actually want to do. I am pretty sure I have notes written in the margins of every single page and I am planning to reread it soon. I was originally introduced to the book by Becky of Idealust (or you also might know her through Limelife Photography).
I just want to share a few of my favorite quotes from the book and then encourage you to get a copy for yourself, it’s about $10 on amazon.
+ ” There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: it’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is resistance.” Pressfield talks A LOT about resistance because this is the very thing that keeps us from doing our work. I love the opening book where he explains his day…he begins his actual work at 10:30am and then sits down and writes until he begins making errors and then he saves everything to a disk drive and puts it away until tomorrow. Does he care how great his writing was, how many pages he wrote? No. All he cares about is that he fought resistance and sat down to do his work.
+ “An amateur lets the negative opinion of others unman him. He takes external criticism to heart, allowing it to trump his own belief in himself and his work. Resistance loves this.”
+ “The more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.”
+ “Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”
note: I would have to say my resistance is social media, perusing other blogs, pinterest and excuses. Of course this isn’t everyday, but it definitely takes away from my work and passion of interior design.
2. Managing Oneself (by Peter Drucker) – I love Mary of Millay Vintage’s write up about the book – click here to view it.
This is a very short read – like an hour or two.
Here are few quotes I took away from the book:
+ “Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values. Knowing where one belongs can transform an ordinary person – hardworking and competent but otherwise mediocre – into an outstanding performer.”
+ “Do not try to change yourself – you are unlikely to succeed. But work hard to improve the way you perform. And try not to take on work you cannot perform or will only perform poorly.”
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I always have a business-type of book on hand, but I also enjoy a good fiction every once in a while. I think ever since I graduated from college, I have appreciated reading much more..it isn’t forced and now I can choose freely.
On my list:
– Wild by // by Cheryl Strayed
– Stiches by // by Ann Lamott
– The Paris Wife // by Paul McLain
+ please share: what are your current favorite reads or on your list?