If you’ve followed me for a while now you will be well aware that I love to read! I have been asked on a multitude of occasions to share my top book recommendations so here you go:
How To Win Friends And Influence People
This is the first ever self-development book and I read and after it I was well and truly hooked. My copy is full of notes and bookmarked pages. I even wrote myself a summary of it afterwards and stuck it on my wall, to make sure that I implemented the lessons I had learned. So what is it all about? People skills. It teaches you how to use conversation and body language to win people over to your way of thinking, which ultimately leads to business success. More than just a book about making friends, this is a guide to succeeding as a leader and making those around you feel empowered.
I am a self-confessed workaholic. If you are too, you need to read this book. It discusses what it really means to be successful – and it isn’t what you think. It opens your eyes to finding a balance between business and pleasure, one that benefits your health and happiness. The book uses research and scientific findings to fight the corner for mindfulness, meditation and unplugging from technology. It is full of inspiring quotes and anecdotes which spoke to me on a personal level. This book inspires you to rethink your whole routine and lifestyle, and it completely shifted my priorities.
This book changed my life. Seriously. It is an incredible read which opens your eyes to how to say no. It talks you through how to prioritise. It tells you to do less, but to do these things better. It shows you how by cutting out unnecessary work we end up being more productive. Plus it outlines practical tips to implement these principles into your own life. If you’re a people pleaser or you feel overworked and overcommitted and underappreciated, this book is for you.
The Little Book Of Mindfulness
If you’re new to mindfulness this is a great introductory book that is small enough to take in your handbag. It is crammed full of 5-10 minute mindfulness tasks which help to reduce stress and bring you into the present moment. These include body scans, stretches and breathing exercises. It is none-intimidating and easily accessible. Mindfulness is often overcomplicated and made out to require hours of meditation and reflection – this book shatters those ideas and shows how you can be mindful even when you lead the busiest of lives.
Similar to the book above, this is a simple and easily accessible book full of mindfulness tasks. This one is slightly bigger and is full of beautiful imagery – just looking through it makes me more calm. It is full of creative prompts, activities, instructions and inspiration. I particularly love the written tasks such as making a list of the 10 people who make you happy or 3 things that you are grateful for that day. Even better yet, this book has an accompanying app which includes guided meditations and body scans which you can do anywhere anytime.
Two Bonus Books:
These ones don’t quite count as reading books, but they’re still pretty awesome. The first is the Q&A a day book. This is a book where you answer a question for each day of the year. You fill this out for 5 years and it is fascinating to see how your answers change over time. I am 4 years into mine and its amazing to see how I have developed. The second is a colouring book. I have spoken about the benefits of colouring in my de-stress blog post. Basically it is an amazingly satisfying, relaxing and mindful activity that I highly recommend!
Happy reading,
Zanna xx
