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November 25, 2013

The Time I Picked Up A Business Book By Choice

I’ve always loved reading… well, that’s what I thought until a teacher in elementary school told me about non-fiction books.  In my mind, books are a form of entertainment and an excellent form of escape from the crazy world around us.  TV does that same thing, but at least with a book, I don’t feel like I’m rotting my brain ;-)

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown at least a little bit wiser and have seen the advantages to reading non-fiction books.  What took me the longest to jump on board with though was the idea of reading business books.  Oh my heavens… the idea of reading a business book in my spare time sounded only a tad more fun than getting a root canal!  Reading is supposed to be for fun and enjoyment!  And especially since being done with school, I don’t have to write a paper about a book when I finish it!  (Can I get a hallelujah??)

However, as I’ve just entered into my 6th year of business as a photographer (holy cow, where has that time gone??) and am about to wrap up my first year of being a full-time photographer, I realized it was time I got over this fear of business books and check some out.  So on my list of goals for 2013, I put down that I needed to read at least 3 business books.  Totally doable!  Well, when I sent the list to Ben for him to check it over and make suggestions, he increased that number to 5.  Clearly he didn’t understand my feelings on the whole thing, but seeing as he’s my husband and has a much better understanding of business and all things surrounding it, I agreed to read 5.

And as any good procrastinator would do, it’s now the week before December and I’m in book number 4!  Meaning, I still have a book and a half to go!  Yikes.

So what HAVE I read?  Well, I’ve actually listened to two books and read two books.  And if you enjoy audio books, I highly recommend listening to Quitter and Start by Jon Acuff.  He wrote them, he reads them, and he’s hilarious.  Although, I suggest purchasing them too (which I want to do) because there are several things in there that this visual person needs to go back to and underline with a brightly colored pen.

Back in February, we met Kevin Hall at United and got a copy of his book Aspire.  Kevin is a story teller but he does so through the study of words.  And he does such an incredible job of not just talking about words and what they mean, but what they mean in our lives and how we make them action steps.  It’s one of those books that I’m thinking of going back to read year after year. (You can read more of what I think of the book here.)

As for the E-Myth, I’m only in chapter 5 right now, but Zach and Jody Gray have been talking about this book for ages.  And I WISH I had read it when I went to their workshop almost 2 years ago.

I think what I love most about these books is not just how engaging the authors are (they would have to be for me to keep reading!!), but how these books are applicable to so many areas of business AND life.  Granted, The E-Myth is mainly for small businesses, but Aspire would be good for ANYONE to pick up and read, no matter what your age, profession, or season of life you’re in.  And Jon Acuff?  Well, he’s just entertaining all the way around and while they’re good for people who want to change jobs or careers or go from being average to awesome, I really think all college students should read them.  Jon Acuff is good at giving a good dose of reality with the encouragement someone needs to get off their bum and make something happen!

And because I feel so strongly about this and reading and growing, I’m going to give away a copy of Kevin Hall’s book, Aspire.  All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what your favorite book is (it can be ANYthing! Although I’d love suggestions for my last business book to read for the year!).  I’ll announce a winner on Wednesday’s blog post!

  1. Dayna says:

    Although it isnt strictly a “business” book, I highly recommend reading Strength-Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath (and buy it new so you can get the code to take the test). This was super helpful for me. First it shows you your strengths – which we then compared with a spiritual gifts inventory – super revealing!!! But an added bonus is that it lets you understand the strengths in others and appreciate why others think and act differently from you. Plus if you need something to sneak in before Dec. 31 this is a pretty quick and easy read!

  2. One book that has changed my life is actually titled “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi! It’s an awesome financially savvy book.

    :)

  3. shellie says:

    I think the last book I read was Love and Respect by Eggerichs. It’s real helpful for one as a couple and for counseling couples too.

  4. Read Firefly Lane for a fictional treat after you finish your 5th business book! It’s a great book that pulls you into an amazing friendship! Thank you for the write up on reading books related to business… I need to do start reading and learning MORE about that asap!

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