My first ‘Self-Improvement’ book in nearly 10 years.
When I worked for my previous employer they were obsessed with self-improvement. So much so I had quite literally forgotten fictional books could even exist.
It was a toxic relationship really. I started working for them so young and without parents to dote on me and tell me they were proud I craved it from any authority figure that would answer.
I couldn’t bear disappointing them, especially with a hobby they found so productive like reading.
But it sucked all the joy of reading right out of the room for me. Hearing about learning traits, business reform, and any other blah blah blah bullshit they spewed quickly had me putting the idea of reading on the top shelf far out of reach.
So when I did slowly fall back into reading I kept it private. Never speaking about it at work for fear they would look down on my love of fiction and fantasy. My own parents were religious growing up, my dad mainly, so I already had a habit of keeping these things at arms length from others to keep them safe.
However, by doing so I isolated myself from the possibility of friends and people who shared my interest. So I walked a lonely path for a long time and only recently feel confident in myself, my choices, and my character to share.
So a shout out to anyone looking to talk about books and bookish things– I’m your girl!
Now my nail tech and I had the same experience with this book. I don’t know how it popped into my head or came across my For You page, or where I really got the idea to read it. I know I’ve said that before but sometimes things just happen in my life and I choose not to question them.
I was between books one day and was not ready to commit to another romance or multi-book series. I needed a bit of a break, something different, something to mix it up.
My problem with ‘Self-Improvement’ books is that I feel obligated to study them, take notes, and apply their teachings to my life. I understand it’s not a requirement but let’s just wrap it up with unprocessed trauma.
The beginning of this book is pretty in your face as the author walks you through the trauma of his youth pretty vividly. But that is only the first chapter or two and he quickly changes gears to talk about how he overcame his setback which led to him being named for a big baseball accolade during college.
I couldn’t tell you the steps or pillars or laws he lives his life by. But I can tell you I’ve made some small changes in my life, like starting this blog, because of this book.
I was always a rule follower and goal setter growing up. But as I grew through my young adult years and into my early 30’s I started checking off less and less of my goals.
I’ve re-written my goals countless times. Every New Year, when I feel inspired throughout the year, or when I need to remind myself that I do indeed have goals.
They are pretty generic to say the least. But I write them year after year, my goal post never moving yet neither do I.
For starters I want to speak another language. Well that might be too broad, so let’s start with Spanish. Atomic Habits takes about the small things we do today that lead up to the big thing in the future. So today I can practice Spanish on Duolingo, build up confidence and speak with my family in Spanish, and maybe even record some training videos for my software company in Spanish.
When I reach the goal of recording training videos I’ll book a flight to Mexico, the ultimate goal of speaking Spanish.
Though if I was to book the flight today I would arrive hoping and expecting everyone I need to speak with can understand English. So I have to wait, I have to earn it, I have to improve.
I also want things like traveling the world, saving money, paying off debt, lifting weights, making friends, enjoying bookish things, writing a book, and so much more. Each of these breaks down to small habits that I can add to my day to day, or weekly routine to improve. Even a 1% improvement is heading in the right direction.
Hence this blog. Holding myself accountable to post twice a week, every week. This will improve my writing skills, use my niche interest to my advantage, and hold me accountable to someone other than myself.
In all honesty I feel like I need to read Atomic Habits a second time to really let it sink in. And I will, I might, probably. My first read through was an audiobook but if I read it again I want the physical book to highlight, write, and better absorb the building blocks of better habits.
And I’ve challenged myself to read 1 self-improvement book per month over the next 14 months, from now till the end of 2026. What could it hurt?
My nail tech is a self-improvement queen and we have amazing conversations for 3 hours every three weeks going tit for tat on moral, ethical, self-awareness, habits, and so much more. It’s obviously something I enjoy so why not put some effort behind it and see where it leads me.
I’ve googled the top 25 self-improvement books and there are some that seem appealing, but nothing I am willing to commit to my TBR. I’m open to suggestions to say the least.
Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
| 💎 Re-Read Worthy
| 🌿 E – Everyone
Clarity 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Credibility 💬💬💬💬
Inspiration 💡💡💡💡💡
Takeaways 📝📝📝📝📝
Engagement ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Title: Atomic Habits
Author: James Clear
Genre: Self-Help
Format: Audiobook
Length: 320pages
Published: October 8th, 2018 by Avery Publishing
