When by Daniel Pink

I like Daniel Pink, and this book did not disappoint. The idea is simple: When you do things matters. I know. It sounds obvious. But how many of us really pay attention to that and manage our work and activities accordingly?

We all have a peak, trough, and rebound period throughout the day. Those might be different times for each of us, but they tend to be the same times each day for each individual. Logical, reasoning work is usually best done during peak times, whereas creative, insightful work should be done during the rebound time. Even if you get those two switched up, avoid doing important work during the trough time period.

Plus, he provides research demonstrating the value of naps, so it is an automatic win for me!  🙂

The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher

I have heard about this book for a while and finally read it. It was wonderful. Some books introduce me to new ideas and concepts. This one didn’t. The principles covered are solid, well-known principles. Nothing really new. The magic of the book and the reason it is worth reading (and I bought a copy after I read it) is in the execution. Some of his specific examples of how to say things are simply incredible. If you talk to other humans and sometimes find it difficult to do so, you will benefit from this book!

The Power of Who by Bob Beaudine

This is a book given to me by Jon Acuff’s team at the Stage & Page workshop. It is a book on networking, but not in the traditional sense. It isn’t a book of tactics. The subtitle gets close to the heart of the book. “You Already Know Everyone You Need to Know.” We naturally network because we naturally make friends. We mess it up and complicate it when we make it “networking” rather than simply being kind and friendly to the people we meet.

One quote that I loved: “One of life’s pleasant little phenomena is that once someone holds a special place in your heart, they never really leave.” It’s so true! I try to keep in touch with people, but it isn’t always easy. This helped remind me that I don’t need to feel guilty about it. I still love these people, and it would be a joy to talk with them whenever those opportunities come along. They still have a place in my heart.

Beautiful Savage: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Enjoyment, Satisfaction, and Meaning by Wes Young

This book was written by a new friend I met at Jon Acuff’s Stage & Page workshop. (There are a few others that I will be reading soon.) Wes and I sat next to each other at the event and discovered we were the two people from Texas, so of course we would become friends! The first third of the book is a fable, while the second two-thirds is the framework Wes teaches for success.

One of the things I appreciated most about the book is how Wes addresses something I have wrestled with for years: the tension between contentment and complacency. He says, “Ambition IS CRITICAL to contentment. Not the enemy of it. The gap between where you are and where you want to be isn’t a character flaw to be fixed — it’s the source of your aliveness. The resistance you face isn’t something to merely endure — it’s what makes victory sweet. The battle isn’t what you have to get through to find happiness — the battle IS where happiness lives.”

I’ll share one more quote that impacted me: “When what you’re building has a bigger impact on people other than just you, you tap into something transcendent. Your work becomes worship. You business becomes mission. Your success becomes service.”

Powerful stuff!

What did you read this month? Let me know if the comments.