You’re reading Slay Stress: 4 Ideas For People Who Can’t Find Their Calm, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Every night is the same thing…

You’re lying in bed, but you can’t sleep.

You try sleeping on your left side. You try sleeping on your right side. You try sleeping on your back. But still, you’re wide awake.

Too many things are going on in your life. You simply can’t shut down your mind.

Maybe your relationship is going downhill or your family is falling apart.

Maybe you owe more money than you make, and you’re worried about ending up living in a card box on the street.

Maybe you’re too busy and the pace of modern life is killing you.

But whatever your case is, you can’t cope with stress anymore.

And you may think the answer to stopping feeling this way is to keep your head down and solve your problems.

If you fix your relationship or find a better job or get your pending work done, you should feel more relaxed, right?

Well, yes and no.

Life is like a roller coaster. It has ups and downs. Even if you solve your current problems, more and more challenges will come in the future.

Thus, the answer lies not in solving your problems, but in learning to handle stress every time it seizes you.

And that’s exactly what this post contains. I’ll show you four original ideas to find the calm you’re looking for.

1. Kick Someone’s Butt

Admit it…sometimes you feel like kicking some butt. You’re so stressed and would love to pick a fight with a random stranger to let off some steam. I mean, blacken their eyes, bloody their nose, and kick them in the balls.

Now, if you expect me to say “Don’t do it,” I won’t. Few things are more crushing than swallowing your anger. If you can’t cope with it, you better let it go, somehow.

But before you start thinking I’m a juiced up jock who loves getting into random bar fights, let me explain my point.

Instead of fighting with random people on the street, visit your local gym. See if they offer some kind of fighting lessons—such as MMA or Boxing—and join the class.

Generally speaking, these places are safe, and you can fight with people at your “level.”

It’s a fantastic way to relieve some stress without ending up with a broken nose or leg.

2. Let The Rain Wash Away Your Stress

For some strange reason, we seem to relax when we listen to the heavenly sound of rain.

Think about it. What’s more relaxing than sitting on your window seat cushion on a rainy day? The mere fact of witnessing this glorious show of nature seems to shut up our inner demons and help us find calm.

Now, wouldn’t be wonderful that every time you felt stressed, you could listen to the rain?

Now you can.

This free app from SimplyNoise allows you to switch on the sound of rain at any time, anywhere you go.

So next time you feel overwhelmed, put on your headphones and let the rain wash away your stress.

3. Apply This 20-Second Relaxation Trick

Every time you feel cornered by negative emotions, apply this simple exercise:

Step 1: Close your eyes and bring to your mind something that makes you happy. Anything you’re grateful for in life. It can be a good memory, a person, a thing, a job or whatever. If you’re genuinely thankful for it, it will work.

Step 2: Sharpen the image in your mind. Think about the details. How does it feel having this “thing” in your life? Does it make you feel happy? Or blessed? Or excited? Capture these feelings and try to make them vivid.

The point of this short exercise is to fill your mind with happy thoughts. If these thoughts are clear enough, you should start feeling more relaxed. So make sure to “sharpen” this mental image as much as you can.

“Simple,” You think, “But does it really work?”

The answer lies in understanding two things:

First, you can’t feel more than one emotion at a time. If you’re happy or excited or peaceful, you can’t feel stressed simultaneously.

And second, your thoughts dictate how you feel. If you think stressful things, you’ll feel stressed. If you stuff your brain with peaceful thoughts, you’ll feel more peaceful.

It’s that simple.

4. Embrace Minimalism

We live in a complex world.

Every day, we’re bombarded with a myriad of “micro” choices…

What outfit should I wear today? What do I want for breakfast? Should I get to work or just sit on my couch and watch some TV? Should I post a new status on my Facebook wall? Should I go to that party or get some rest? Whatever. You get the point.

At first glance, these questions seem harmless. But having to make so many decisions every day makes you accumulate stress (the price of modern life, huh?).

Now, minimalism can make your life way simpler. How? By emptying your life from all that unnecessary stuff.

Have a pair of shoes you don’t use? Why not give them to charity? Have a bunch of nonworking devices stored in your garage? Why not get rid of them? Why not get rid of your TV, by the way? Tough choice. I know. But if you think about it, you’ll realize you can live without it.

Label all your possessions with “I need it” and “I don’t need it,” and put all your garbage where it should be…in the trash can.

I promise. You’ll feel way better after that.

It’s Time to Find Your Calm

Stop for a moment and ask yourself:

“Am I willing to find my calm?”

You see, many people complain about how stressed they are. But when the time comes to do something about it, they hesitate. They aren’t willing to move from their comfort zone and take action.

And now it’s time to decide once and for all. Are you serious about supporting yourself in this journey?

If you’re serious, then pick one of the ideas you learned today, and apply it.

Because that’s the first step to turning your ugly life into a great one.

---

Andy Poncebot is on a lifelong mission to help people discover who they truly are and to make their empty, boring life, sparkle. Take his 9-question quiz:  “What Ancient Mantra Better Fits Your Personality?” to learn more about yourself and see how a simple group of words can transform your life forever.

You’ve read Slay Stress: 4 Ideas For People Who Can’t Find Their Calm, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/2n5BelV

You’re reading Slay Stress: 4 Ideas For People Who Can’t Find Their Calm, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Every night is the same thing…

You’re lying in bed, but you can’t sleep.

You try sleeping on your left side. You try sleeping on your right side. You try sleeping on your back. But still, you’re wide awake.

Too many things are going on in your life. You simply can’t shut down your mind.

Maybe your relationship is going downhill or your family is falling apart.

Maybe you owe more money than you make, and you’re worried about ending up living in a card box on the street.

Maybe you’re too busy and the pace of modern life is killing you.

But whatever your case is, you can’t cope with stress anymore.

And you may think the answer to stopping feeling this way is to keep your head down and solve your problems.

If you fix your relationship or find a better job or get your pending work done, you should feel more relaxed, right?

Well, yes and no.

Life is like a roller coaster. It has ups and downs. Even if you solve your current problems, more and more challenges will come in the future.

Thus, the answer lies not in solving your problems, but in learning to handle stress every time it seizes you.

And that’s exactly what this post contains. I’ll show you four original ideas to find the calm you’re looking for.

1. Kick Someone’s Butt

Admit it…sometimes you feel like kicking some butt. You’re so stressed and would love to pick a fight with a random stranger to let off some steam. I mean, blacken their eyes, bloody their nose, and kick them in the balls.

Now, if you expect me to say “Don’t do it,” I won’t. Few things are more crushing than swallowing your anger. If you can’t cope with it, you better let it go, somehow.

But before you start thinking I’m a juiced up jock who loves getting into random bar fights, let me explain my point.

Instead of fighting with random people on the street, visit your local gym. See if they offer some kind of fighting lessons—such as MMA or Boxing—and join the class.

Generally speaking, these places are safe, and you can fight with people at your “level.”

It’s a fantastic way to relieve some stress without ending up with a broken nose or leg.

2. Let The Rain Wash Away Your Stress

For some strange reason, we seem to relax when we listen to the heavenly sound of rain.

Think about it. What’s more relaxing than sitting on your window seat cushion on a rainy day? The mere fact of witnessing this glorious show of nature seems to shut up our inner demons and help us find calm.

Now, wouldn’t be wonderful that every time you felt stressed, you could listen to the rain?

Now you can.

This free app from SimplyNoise allows you to switch on the sound of rain at any time, anywhere you go.

So next time you feel overwhelmed, put on your headphones and let the rain wash away your stress.

3. Apply This 20-Second Relaxation Trick

Every time you feel cornered by negative emotions, apply this simple exercise:

Step 1: Close your eyes and bring to your mind something that makes you happy. Anything you’re grateful for in life. It can be a good memory, a person, a thing, a job or whatever. If you’re genuinely thankful for it, it will work.

Step 2: Sharpen the image in your mind. Think about the details. How does it feel having this “thing” in your life? Does it make you feel happy? Or blessed? Or excited? Capture these feelings and try to make them vivid.

The point of this short exercise is to fill your mind with happy thoughts. If these thoughts are clear enough, you should start feeling more relaxed. So make sure to “sharpen” this mental image as much as you can.

“Simple,” You think, “But does it really work?”

The answer lies in understanding two things:

First, you can’t feel more than one emotion at a time. If you’re happy or excited or peaceful, you can’t feel stressed simultaneously.

And second, your thoughts dictate how you feel. If you think stressful things, you’ll feel stressed. If you stuff your brain with peaceful thoughts, you’ll feel more peaceful.

It’s that simple.

4. Embrace Minimalism

We live in a complex world.

Every day, we’re bombarded with a myriad of “micro” choices…

What outfit should I wear today? What do I want for breakfast? Should I get to work or just sit on my couch and watch some TV? Should I post a new status on my Facebook wall? Should I go to that party or get some rest? Whatever. You get the point.

At first glance, these questions seem harmless. But having to make so many decisions every day makes you accumulate stress (the price of modern life, huh?).

Now, minimalism can make your life way simpler. How? By emptying your life from all that unnecessary stuff.

Have a pair of shoes you don’t use? Why not give them to charity? Have a bunch of nonworking devices stored in your garage? Why not get rid of them? Why not get rid of your TV, by the way? Tough choice. I know. But if you think about it, you’ll realize you can live without it.

Label all your possessions with “I need it” and “I don’t need it,” and put all your garbage where it should be…in the trash can.

I promise. You’ll feel way better after that.

It’s Time to Find Your Calm

Stop for a moment and ask yourself:

“Am I willing to find my calm?”

You see, many people complain about how stressed they are. But when the time comes to do something about it, they hesitate. They aren’t willing to move from their comfort zone and take action.

And now it’s time to decide once and for all. Are you serious about supporting yourself in this journey?

If you’re serious, then pick one of the ideas you learned today, and apply it.

Because that’s the first step to turning your ugly life into a great one.

---

Andy Poncebot is on a lifelong mission to help people discover who they truly are and to make their empty, boring life, sparkle. Take his 9-question quiz:  “What Ancient Mantra Better Fits Your Personality?” to learn more about yourself and see how a simple group of words can transform your life forever.

You’ve read Slay Stress: 4 Ideas For People Who Can’t Find Their Calm, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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You’re reading The Good Fight – How to Get Closer Through Conflict, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Based on the acclaimed book, Peace Q: Increasing the Capacity for Peace Within and Beyond by Jennifer Freed, PhD.

Fighting in a relationship is not a big problem. How you fight with a mate or a friend is the real issue. John Gottman’s research shows arguments and perpetual issues are healthy in committed relationships as long as couples know how to resolve difficulties as they arise. If you are authentic and honest, you will disagree with your partner, get hurt and be angry at times. Working through hurt and anger are the pathway for true intimacy.

Couples that report high satisfaction in their relationships know how to work with the inevitable ruptures or disagreements that come up from time to time. These couples can find humor in the reoccurring themes of their arguments. 

On the other hand, making a wall out of anger leads to distance and contempt. Bad habit fighters rarely feel they have resolution or closeness from conflict. They usually live in a world of emotional bruises that never seem to heal.

Signs of bad fighting habits

Using five or more of these tactics mans you are eroding healthy relationships and need to learn the good fight. It’s never too late to learn better communication. Here are the signs:

• Blaming your partner for their faults
• Calling your partner names or expletives
• Lashing out when you are inebriated
• Cutting your partner off when you are hurt
• Responding to your partner’s complaints with your own
• Shouting
• Threatening to leave the relationship / physical violence

Good fight tactics all involve one premise: being close than right. Unfortunately, most people have been taught they must fight to win. Winning means losing love.

Ground Rules

• Only one person talks at a time
• Take time out to cool down – it’s healthy and helpful when one person becomes flooded with uncontrollable emotion
• Agree on a time to talk and make time for an in-depth discussion
• Understand the differences presented in the conflict
• Choose a physical location that protects your privacy and offers an opportunity to express vulnerable emotions
• Both parties are rested and sober

Signs of a good fighter

• Accountability for behavior
• Making requests instead of complaints
• Listening more than speaking
• Willing to reveal fears and vulnerabilities
• Acknowledging your partner’s point of view

The good fight is a fight for love instead of righteousness. A battle for true understanding instead of revenge and a struggle for authentic revelation instead of defensive competition.

You’ve read The Good Fight – How to Get Closer Through Conflict, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/2n8CFx4

You’re reading The Good Fight – How to Get Closer Through Conflict, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Based on the acclaimed book, Peace Q: Increasing the Capacity for Peace Within and Beyond by Jennifer Freed, PhD.

Fighting in a relationship is not a big problem. How you fight with a mate or a friend is the real issue. John Gottman’s research shows arguments and perpetual issues are healthy in committed relationships as long as couples know how to resolve difficulties as they arise. If you are authentic and honest, you will disagree with your partner, get hurt and be angry at times. Working through hurt and anger are the pathway for true intimacy.

Couples that report high satisfaction in their relationships know how to work with the inevitable ruptures or disagreements that come up from time to time. These couples can find humor in the reoccurring themes of their arguments. 

On the other hand, making a wall out of anger leads to distance and contempt. Bad habit fighters rarely feel they have resolution or closeness from conflict. They usually live in a world of emotional bruises that never seem to heal.

Signs of bad fighting habits

Using five or more of these tactics mans you are eroding healthy relationships and need to learn the good fight. It’s never too late to learn better communication. Here are the signs:

• Blaming your partner for their faults
• Calling your partner names or expletives
• Lashing out when you are inebriated
• Cutting your partner off when you are hurt
• Responding to your partner’s complaints with your own
• Shouting
• Threatening to leave the relationship / physical violence

Good fight tactics all involve one premise: being close than right. Unfortunately, most people have been taught they must fight to win. Winning means losing love.

Ground Rules

• Only one person talks at a time
• Take time out to cool down – it’s healthy and helpful when one person becomes flooded with uncontrollable emotion
• Agree on a time to talk and make time for an in-depth discussion
• Understand the differences presented in the conflict
• Choose a physical location that protects your privacy and offers an opportunity to express vulnerable emotions
• Both parties are rested and sober

Signs of a good fighter

• Accountability for behavior
• Making requests instead of complaints
• Listening more than speaking
• Willing to reveal fears and vulnerabilities
• Acknowledging your partner’s point of view

The good fight is a fight for love instead of righteousness. A battle for true understanding instead of revenge and a struggle for authentic revelation instead of defensive competition.

You’ve read The Good Fight – How to Get Closer Through Conflict, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

http://ift.tt/2n8CFx4

You’re reading 6 Ways to Embrace Jealousy, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

“Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.” – Unknown   

In Mandarin Chinese, “a vinegar jar” is referred to as a person with a jealous nature.
As a recovering perfectionist and an overachiever, taming jealousy has been one of my biggest challenge on the self-discovery journey.

Truth be told, I had been a giant “vinegar jar” all my life ever since I was little.  The tiniest situation with minimal threat could spark like a matchstick and prompt a strong, acidic inner fire running through my veins in just a second.  It’s like having a built-in radar that can detect any level of external competition going on in the air…

“Why can she deserve all the attention and love?!”

“Life’s not fair.  I work my heart out also, why can’t I get to that same level?!”

“She’s just born lucky…”

It can go on and on…

Almost all of us have experienced jealousy at varying degrees at one point or another.  And It’s part of being human to experience different emotions.  It’s normal to get jealous at people for the things we don’t have yet.  But, often, it causes most of the drama in life.  The need to measure up can really get into our psyche and make us act bizarrely when we don’t allow ourselves to process this awkward emotion.  As a result, it sabotages our relationships with others.

For the sake of looking better than how we really feel inside, we either stuff that jealousy inside or let it turns into resentment.  Either way, we are not getting more compensated emotionally.  We become unauthentic towards how we truly feel and what we want to express.

1. Celebrate others’ success like it’s your own

It’s easier said than done.  We are still living in a world of separation.  Celebrating for other’s success isn’t a natural behavior in this social structure where we honor outstanding performance through constant competition.  But the fact is that we are oneness.  When we enable ourselves to celebrate other’s achievements with genuine blessings and open-heartedness, we are at the receiving end as well.

2. Hone in your unique gift

As human, we tend to rate our work-in-progress with other brilliant performers who share similar talents or gifts.  It’s important to remind ourselves not to fall into the comparison trap so we can focus on honing in our crafts and skills with a growth mindset.

Practice makes proficient, not perfection.  When we are aiming to be perfect, it’s easy to dwell on the need to be better and start beating ourselves up for being inadequate.

Every single one of us is born unique and special in so many different ways.  The biggest difference is how much people allow themselves to appreciate and embody their own gifts and talents without getting into the subconscious competition mode.  There is only one You.  The innate traits in you are non-duplicable.

When you are willing to be comfortable in your own skin, and not to judge yourself by the social norms, you allow the true self-confidence to shine from within unapologetically.

3. You have “that part” to be cultivated

The fact that it’s so hard to celebrate other people’s success is because of our inner longing for the same thing that we don’t seem to have physically.

We are energetic beings.  When things are really distant from your energy field, you don’t perceive them.  But, when you perceive something that stirs up the jealousy in you, it actually means that you are drawing the things approaching your field. Instead of seeing the things as you don’t have them, start looking at it as “the things you want is coming closer to you.”

A mantra: “The more I celebrate for people’s success, the luckier I get.”

4. Count the blessings

We need to consciously heal this part of us that are coming from a place of lack.  Deep down, we are yearning to be more of who we are.  More successful.  More empowering. More purposeful in life.  More authentic.  More self-honoring.

When you feel the wave of jealousy coming at you, it’s a great opportunity, to be honest with yourself.  If the feeling sustains you, or it drains you.

Daily gratitude is the best tool to heal the scarcity in you.  You can use sticky notes to put the word, gratitude everywhere to remind you to count the blessings so your heart can feel nourished.

The more you are grateful for what you have, the more it comes to you.  Don’t go into jealousy for what other people have because that is a block.  You tell the Universe that this is what you don’t have.

5. Exercise compassion

A negative comment can be a form of jealousy.  We can develop more compassion towards the situation when receiving negative judgments from other people.  Empathy is an awesome healer.  Realizing that you probably have something (e.g., physical possessions, talent or gifts) people “desire to have,” and they don’t yet find the way to have it.

It’s important not to let in these energies as they don’t belong to you.  They are merely the projection onto you from others.  Understand where these comments are originated from, but continue to believe in yourself and march towards your dreams and goals instead of being hindered.

6. Open up to authentic communication

Rather than focusing on the negative vibe that jealousy can put on you, look at it as an opportunity to express your vulnerability.  Where is this emotional flare-up coming from?  Is there an underlying fear of loss, abandonment, judgment?

When we give ourselves permission to talk about the deeper feelings behind jealousy, we become more honest and open with not only ourselves, but it supports us build relationships with greater intimacy.

---

Jen Yang is a Self-Love catalyst, an empath, and a recovering perfectionist. She is passionate about supporting busy professional women to tune into their own feminine power, to feel confident and enthusiastic about their life, relationships, and work, and to claim back their worth.

Website: http://ift.tt/2iGUjVC

 

You’ve read 6 Ways to Embrace Jealousy, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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You’re reading 5 Ways to Conquer Stress When Life is Overwhelming You, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

I get it, you’re overwhelmed.

You feel like you’re being pulled in every direction.

When you fall into bed at night you wonder where the day went.

You never get any time for yourself. You often give your last ounce of energy to the next person in line who requests another chunk of your precious time.

It’s frustrating.

You can’t cope with all this stress. You can’t help but wonder, will life always be like this?

You know you can’t go on like this for much longer.

Something has to change.

Have a look at these five stress busting strategies I use when life gets chaotic.

1. Say ‘Yes’ More Often

You’ve heard the advice before, just say no! Though sometimes saying no is more stressful than saying yes. If you’re like me, the thought of saying no to someone can trigger all sorts of uncomfortable feelings. Especially when you’re feeling stressed and vulnerable. You don’t want to offend anybody. You don’t want to burn bridges. After all, these people have helped you in the past so why shouldn’t you return the favor? I know the feeling. I found that during times of increased stress it has helped me to say yes, though with a limit.

“Yes, sure, I can pop over and help you with [INSERT FAVOR REQUEST] but I’ve only got thirty minutes to spare.”

By saying yes and including a time limit you remain in control of your time. You aren’t leaving yourself wide open to somebody who might think you have more time on your hands.

2. Don’t Meditate

It’s frustrating to try and sit down for fifteen minutes to meditate when the environment you’re in is noisy and disorderly. I have found it much more beneficial to actually stop meditating completely when life is more stressful than usual. You’ll find yourself feeding your stress by forcing yourself to meditate. If it isn’t going to happen, let it go. Instead, check in with your breathing and practice mindfulness as you go about your daily activities. Doing this for a few minutes a handful of times throughout the day feels much better than sitting for one longer meditation session.

3. Get Out of Bed Earlier

If you live in a chaotic household it’s no fun starting the day feeling stressed. It sets the tone for the rest of the day and leaves you feeling like you’re chasing your tail until bed time. The solution to this is simple. Rather than getting up at the same time as everybody else, get up earlier and use the time for yourself. This could be valuable time to journal, write a to-do list or simply be in silence. You’ll start the day feeling calmer and ready to tackle your priorities

4. Start Having ‘Quiet Time’

If like me you live in a busy and sometimes noisy environment consider implementing just thirty minutes of ‘quiet time’ into your daily routine. Silence can do wonders for reducing stress levels. Research studies conclude that exposure to sounds that are prologued and consistent increase stress levels significantly.

In our house we have decided, as a family, to have thirty minutes of silence every evening. That doesn’t mean you have to sit there staring at each other stifling silly giggles. Use the time productively. The children can either read a book or do some drawing whilst the adults of your household can simply sit with each other, read or just enjoy the moment with your eyes shut.

5. How to Defeat Stress: Render it Powerless!

The clock will never stop ticking. The situations you find yourself in won’t last forever. Everything is temporary. So let go of your frustrations and instead really feel and live what you are going through. Rather than being affected by your emotions stop and take some time to observe them. Flip stress on its head and use it in your favor. I find that when I’m experiencing a particularly stressful period of time, and when I accept that I cannot change the circumstance, I not only handle it a lot better I feel better. When you accept that you cannot control everything that is going on around you start to see it from a different perspective. You start to feel different about the situation and that, ultimately, renders it powerless. You can experience adversity without being affected by it. But it takes work.

There’s no doubt about it, stress sucks.

It’s overwhelming and draining.

When you’re pulled in every direction it feels like your existing, not living.

But you want to change that. And you can.

You can quit this toxic cycle of chaos and start living the calm life you desire.

Just pick one of the strategies above and use it consistently for the next week and see how you feel. Then add another. Over time you’ll start to notice how lighter and happier you feel.

But only you can make it happen.

I’m routing for you.

————

Russell is on a mission to simplify one million overwhelmed lives. He wants to help you gain control of your overwhelming and stressful life so you can live with more calm and fulfillment. Get the free toolkit 14 Ways to Create a Calm Life.

You’ve read 5 Ways to Conquer Stress When Life is Overwhelming You, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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You’re reading How to Read a Book a Week (52 Books in 52 Weeks), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

New year resolutions are something that I don’t share publicly.

The goals I write down are personal and most of them won’t be applicable to others. However, I did identify one resolution that I think can be helpful. For the past few years, I’ve stacked books on top of books (virtually) based on recommendations I’ve received from friends, podcast guests, and my personal discoveries.

The problem was: I’ve never made the time (and priority) to set up the right systems to read more books.

Now, I’m laying out a public challenge to you and myself called ‘The BAW (Book A Week) Challenge’.
The goal is simple: read 52 books in one year (one a week; four a month).

*Note: Yes, this is published in March so if you want to participate it can be 48 books.

If you just want the list of books that I’ll be reading, you can scroll down. If you’re interested in participating, read on.

How I’m approaching the reading process

1. Picking 1-3 areas of my life that I want to most improve or optimize

This year, with the goal to find more balance, I’ve decided to pick diversified topics most important in my life: Health & Wellness, Wealth & Business, Biographies. You can decide to go deep in one topic, and just read books on business, or just on health. Personally my ADHD will drive me nuts, but whatever floats your boat!

2. Create a list of books you want to read

Scour the web, browse through Amazon, take some of my suggestions — do whatever you need to get as many recommendations as possible. Make sure it’s from a diversified circle of people or source, so you can get a diversified group of books. Try to go beyond 52 books if you can.

3. Categorize them into the 1-3 areas 

• If you have more than 2+ topics, you can either:
  • Read 4 books a month on one topic, then 4 books on the next. Or…
  • Diversify by reading books on each topic every month (this is my approach)
• Have a free for all section
  • This gives you the freedom to either choose a book that is not related to the topics you chose, or read another book around your chosen topic. For me, these are topics around psychology, philosophy, relationships, history, fiction books, and more.

4.  Go through your book list and start adding books in the order that you’re interested in 

What usually works for me is to select topics that I can immediately apply in my life. Otherwise, you feel forced to read something that’s not directly applicable.

Another tip to keep in mind is to do some back research on the length of each book. For example, you wouldn’t want to cram in multiple 400-page books in the span of a month. Unless you’re a reading machine, then all the power to you! And last but not least…

5. Put the rest on your backlog

The backlog is there in case you run into a book that you lose interest in (which happens more often than you think). I’ve found that it’s rarely a good idea to finish a book for the sake of finishing a book. If you’re not vibing with the author, drop it and move on.

 

My last $0.02

• Take the time to study the process of reading faster. If you’re going to be reading 100,000’s of words, taking a few minutes to increase your reading speed can save you a massive amount of time.
  • Measure how fast you currently read using this free test.
  • Check out these free resources (or research on your own) on how to read faster:
    • Blog post on Tim Ferriss, Blog post on Rype, Blog post on Mark Manson
  • Try repeating the test again, and practice until you see some improvements
• Audiobooks can speed up your ‘reading’ MUCH faster. If you can retain non-fiction books in audio format, then this option is highly recommended. Although for certain books that involve more visual representation (such as bodybuilding or nutrition books), I prefer reading them.
  • Check out Audible or Audiobooks.com
• Even though I’ve resisted Kindle for awhile (I’ve always liked the tangible feeling of books), adopting it into my life has been huge. I no longer have to carry around books when I travel, and I can bring one tablet that contains all of my books.
• If you slip up and forget to read a book (which will happen), keep going. The real purpose of the challenge is not to read 52 books in 52 weeks, it’s to develop the habits, time management, and reading skills to read more books. As long as you end up reading more books than you normally would, you’ve already won.

Without further ado, here’s my book-a-week reading list. Use and share it as freely as you please.

January

• Health: Becoming the Iceman by Wim Hof
• Wealth: The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes
• Biography: The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
• Free for all: The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

February

• Health: The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Wealth: The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million Hardcover by Mark Roberge
• Biography: Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Paperback by Walter Isaacson
• Free for all: Getting Everything You Can Out of Everything You’ve Got by Jay Abraham

March

• Health: The 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Tim Ferriss
• Wealth: Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene M. Schwartz 
• Biography: Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Paperback by Ron Chernow
• Free for all: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

April

• Health: The Bulletproof Diet: Lose up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Energy and Focus, Upgrade Your Life Hardcover by Dave Asprey
• Wealth: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
• Biography: Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull
• Free for all: Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan by Bill O’Reilly

May

• Health: The FastDiet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Michael Mosley
• Wealth: Smart Pricing: How Google, Priceline, and Leading Businesses Use Pricing Innovation for Profitability by Jagmohan Raju
• Biography: Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s Mass Market Paperback – August 2, 2016
  by Ray Kroc
• Free for all: Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger, Expanded Third Edition Hardcover – 2005 by Charles T. Munger

June

• Health: Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime by Aubrey de Grey
• Wealth:The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
• Biography: Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton
• Free for all: Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas L. Friedman

July

• Health: The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama
• Wealth: Who by Geoff Smart
• Biography: The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty by J. Randy Taraborrelli
• Free for all: Lying by Sam Harris

August

• Health: The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease Reprint Edition by Daniel Lieberman
  Wealth: When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man by Jerry Weintraub
• Biography: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
• Free for all: The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker

September

• Health: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt
• Wealth: How to Build a Real Estate Empire
• Biography: Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird
  Free for all: Our Country’s Presidents: All You Need to Know About the Presidents, From George Washington to Barack Obama by Ann Bausum

October

• Health: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Wealth: Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential by John Neffinger
• Biography: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
• Free for all: Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

November

• Health: The Men’s Health Big Book of Food & Nutrition by Joel Weber
• Wealth: The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business  by Patrick M. Lencioni
• Biography: The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
• Free for all: The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence by Gavin de Becker

December

• Health: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 
• Wealth: Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff
• Biography: Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft by Thor Heyerdahl
  Free for all: The Complete Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage, Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, Age of Faith, Renaissance, Age of Reason Begins, Age of Louis … Revolution, Age of Napoleon, Reformation by Will Durant

The Backlog

Health & Wellness

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Siddhartha by Hermann Herse

Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz

 

Business & Money

What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School by Mark McCormack

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

Disrupt You by Jay Samit

Becoming a Category of One by Joe Calloway

 

Biographies

The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson

Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times by Thomas Hauser

Empire State Of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office by Zack O’Malley Greenburg

Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

 

Other

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

On The Shortness of Life by Seneca

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari 

What If? by Randall Monroe

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