3 Short Reads on CHANGE

CHANGE is the only constant in life and yet we struggle to cope with it when it occurs. Most of the times, when we struggle to adapt to the change, the reason is our refusal to move out of our comfort zone into something new and unknown. Here's sharing in this post about 3 easy-to-read and interesting titles on Change. These reads are like a joyride for the readers, as they embark on their journey to understanding and embracing change.

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE by Spencer Johnson - An all time bestseller on the subject of CHANGE, the beauty of the book lies in its simple approach to connect with the readers. This parable/ fable is about 4 characters - 2 mice, Scurry and Sniff and 2 "little people", Hem and Haw, who are living happily in their maze, regularly getting their supply of "cheese". Things get tougher when one day they find the cheese missing. This is precisely where the things get interesting and the book traces the journey of each of the characters in how they respond to this unforeseen situation. The book may be a short (sub 100 pages) but has immense lessons for us regarding dealing with change. For me, the biggest lesson was to always be ready to adapt to the situation and be willing to move out of our comfort zone if it leads us to better and/ or favourable opportunities. The "cheese prompts" in the book act as wonderful pointers that guide us during the process of change. 

THE SHARK AND THE GOLDFISH by Jon Gordon - Here's another wonderful, though ultra short read on CHANGE. Imagine yourself being forcibly pushed out of your comfort zone by a wave of change, how would you respond ? Would you crib and play the blame game or would you try to adapt to the new situation as fast as you can by learning the tricks and tips of surviving ? This book is precisely about provoking us to think whether we tend to become a goldfish or a shark, when pushed into unknown territories. This fable is about a goldfish, a freshwater fish, who lands up in an ocean and is scared about how to survive in salt water. This is when an elderly Shark handholds and guide the Goldfish about what surviving in an ocean entails. The book is interspersed with pieces of advice that the Shark provides to the Goldfish. The key message of the book is to stay positive even when the going gets tough for us. 

OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING by John Kotter - If the above two mentioned books are about individual change, here's a one that talks about addressing change at an organisational level. This book is a fable about a colony of penguins who discover that the iceberg they are living on is melting. The book beautifully captures the dilemma that different team members face while confronting change. The fable in the book captures the emotions of fear, confusion, indecisiveness, and the similar very nicely and the readers can easily draw a parallel with their workplace. While reading this wonderful i almost started mapping the characters against the Innovation Diffusion Curve and it was real fun. The book is a must-read considering that the author, John Kotter has spent years researching the topic of change and flashes of the same can be found in the book too, with reference and mapping done to the 8 Step Process of Successful Change. A thoroughly enjoyable read and quite visually appealing too. 

Hope you like the above recommendations and here's ending this post with a wonderful quote on Change by Mandy Hale 

"Change can be scary but you know what's scarier ? Allowing fear to stop you from growing, evolving and progressing"

Week 1 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 1 : Jan 1- Jan 6, 2019

Books Read - 5

1.  20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith - If ever you were looking for an impactful book to guide you about discovering your passion and purpose in life, then this is the book. Don't get misled by the length of the book (it's an extremely short book) and just pick it up, read it and by the end you would come out with so much clarity about your life. The chapters are short, crisp and well articulated. Never will you come across a book where every word carries so much meaning. The title is derived from the fact that we never really count our lives in terms of days lived and if we give that a thought, we will realise that the importance of every remaining day of our live and would strive to make it count.
2. The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking - I landed on this book because of my quest for understanding the science/ concept of Happiness. Denmark has been voted as the happiest country of the world multiple times and that's what pulled me to this book. Hygge is a  Danish concept of Happiness and this book is all about that. In fact, it's an encylopedia on Hygge. The book is laden with ample of details for anyone seeking to understand the concept of Hygge, right from the history to the rituals and to the things that make up the Hygge. Hygge takes the concept of Happiness on a different plane all together and doesn't just refers to revelry but connotes camaraderie, socialising, minimalism, culture, tradition, inclusion, positivity, and i can go on and on. Towards the end, there is a dedicated session on correlating Hygge and Happiness and that's like an icing on the cake.
3. Just Shut Up and Do It by Brian Tracy - This is a blueprint on setting goals and achieving them in 7 lucid steps. The book covers all the key facets of goal setting and goal getting in an easy to remember and implement form. The presentation of the book is simple and easy and just about anyone can get started on esatblishing goals after reading this book. The book is like a companion, helping us in actualising our goals. 
4. Do the Work by Steven Pressfield- This is a book which is all about the types of resistance that impedes our growth, be it in personal or professional space. The book discusses about the resistance that appears in the form of doubt, fear, procrastination and/or any other self-sabotaging behaviour and then goes about delivering actions and methods to address them. 
5. The Shooting Star by Shivya Nath - Freedom, Independence, Self-Discovery, Exploration are just few of the words that could best describe this wonderful book. It's a beautiful memoir of a "nomad" (well, that's how the author address herself) , her journey about breaking the stereotypes and following her passion of exploring the world. The protagonist takes us on an incredible journey across different continents, countries, culture and people. All through the book, there are so many life lessons we could derive from the experiences of the protagonist (author herself). The book is about an exciting and enriching journey from the known to the unknown.          

Announcement - Launching Weekly Round Up of Books Read in 2019 for 52 Weeks

Dear Readers,

Here's an interesting announcement - Every year, each booklover sets a target to read a certain number of books. This year, my target stands at 200+ books, across different genres and authors.

To ensure my accountability and committment to the target, i would be posting a weekly roundup of the books read during each week in 2019. That means, for each of the 52  weeks, i will post the numbers, titles and a short summary of the books read by me. Few of them could be a re-read also, just to ensure that you don't miss out on any of the must-read books.

Hope the readers find the books worth reading !

Enjoy the weekly round up posts :)


Best
Narinder - A book eater  :)

24 Life Changing Books - 2

There's really no dearth of books that are a real source of inspiration and motivation. Every day, every moment we discover real gem of books, some old and some new, but the message conveyed remains the same - become your best version. Here's another compilation of  24 amazing books that can transform our lives and catapult us to new heights of success, happiness and achievement in life.

My criteria for selection remains the same

• The book should touch our lives and personality at a deeper level
• The book should should be an easy and simple read so that any reader could relate to it
• The book length should keep the reader motivated to finish it in 1-2 readings to deliver the desired impact instantly. 

The books are listed in random order and not in terms of any rating or preference. Here goes the list

1. 52 Changes by Leo Babauta - Nice compilation of 52 topics - simple and relevant. There is a bit of exaggeration or extrapolation for few topics but that gets compensated with the rest of the topics. Nicely structured with clear guidelines on how to implement the change. The book has a nice mix of topics ranging from the most basic and obvious ones to the most relevant ones.
2. Happiness in a Nutshell by Andrew Matthews - Wit and Humour is always at the core of each of Andrew Matthew's book and this one is no exception. Simple nuggets of wisdom, beautifully illustrated and rendered in a funny yet engaging way. The book is quite addictive. 
3. The Art of Good Life by Rolf Dobelli - Though this book is promoted as a follow up to his earlier book "Tha Art of Thinking Clearly" but this book stands on its own beautifully. The selection and delivery of  all the 52 ideas in the book are unique and contain lot of substance and weight. The book definitely delivers on what it promises to i.e. a good life. It leaves the reader with plenty of food for thought and action too. 
4. Think Small by Owain Service and Rorry Gallagher - The beauty of the book lies in linking the concept of "small changes" with human behaviour and converting into an easy to use framework. The 7 steps mentioned in the book have been carefully culled out from behavioural scientific which renders lot of credibility to the content of the book. 
   
5. The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer - The story of a Dolphin which teaches the reader a lot about life including the importance of goals and dreams. The book is a story of hope and courage and a great reminder about how we can overcome our biggest fears and struggles by listening to our inner voice. 
6. One Minute for Yourself by Spencer Johnson - Here's another gem from the author. A first glance at the title and one would think that the book is all about self-care and like but once we start reading, the realisation dawns that the book is more about utilising the power of that "one minute". The book reveals a lot about the potential of the "one minute" and how it could transform our lives for the better.
7. Enjoy Every Sandwich by Lee Lipsenthal - Much on the lines of "The Last Lecture" and "Tuesdays with  Moorie", the book chronicles the journey of a doctor (the author) on being detected with a terminal disease (a rare form of cancer with only 10 percent chance of surviving). The book, in its own unique way, makes the readers realise (via the protagonist) about the value of "being alive" and how much importance each moment holds for us. The book is indeed quite heart-rending. 
8. The Law of the Garbage Truck by David J. Pollay - Living in a world full of toxicity, this book comes as a real blessing. The book is like a manual on avoiding toxicity and negativity in life. In the book, the "garbage" refers to anger, frustration and similar negative emotions and guides the readers on how to avoid garbage in life (personal and professional), whether in terms of being dumped or dumping it on others. The message of the book is straightforward - Avoid Garbage in your life and achieve happiness and success. 
9. Do The Work by Steven Pressfield - A wonderful book about the resistance we face in life in the form of fear, self-doubt, procrastination and other forms of self-sabotaging behaviour. Primarily written from a writer's perspective but the content is equally applicable to any form of creative pursuits that we may engage in. The lessons delivered are quite powerful. 
10. Choose the Life You Want by Tal Ben-Shahar - If i have to identify two key messages from this book, they would be - 1. elements of happiness, and, 2. the power of choice. The 101 nuggets of happiness i.e the chapters/ topics are carefully chosen and laden with real examples/ stories that appeal to the reader. The book is definitely going to leave the reader much happier than before.  
11. Attitude is Everything by Jeff Keller - The topic of  "Attitude" is definitely among the topics that has been explored at length, researched in depth and also written about a lot. Make no mistake, this book discusses the topic in an entirely different way, a way that is far more engaging, enlightening and makes you reflect deep about our own attitude. The lessons are not only short and crisp but highly impactful too.   
    
     
12. Don't Sweat The Small Stuff by Richard Carlson - This book is about the reiterations we need in our life about many of the small things that negatively impacts us in a big way. The 100 topics/ chapters dealt with in this book are bound to leave us much more relaxed and calmer by virtue of the simplicity and clarity of the content.    
13. The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins - Quite an inspiring book, especially because of the way the author discovered the wonderful tool of "5 seconds". This book is for anyone looking for the missing inspiration to get back and go for things. How "5 seconds" could prove to your "push moment" is the key idea of this book. Apply the concepts in the book and you might discover the panacea.
14. Little Voice Mastery by Blair Singer - A cluttered mind is the source of confusion, distraction, aggression and disappointment in our life. With so many voices playing in our head, it becomes very difficult to focus and listen to the right voice. This book is about that inner voice (crudely called as mind chatter) and guides us primarily on 1. getting aware of the voices in our head, and 2. filtering and identifying the voice that will lead us to growth, freedom and success in life. In a nutshell, this book is a useful guide on how to use the mind chatter to our advantage. 
15. Live It ! by Jairek Robbins - The book attempts to bridge the achievement gap and taking you to where you want to be.  The 3 step process described in the book (Learn It, Live It and Give It) helps the readers not only create a realistic vision but also helps convert that vision into reality. On of the important component of the 3-step process is about creating an exponential effect through giving back.   
16. Just Shut Up And Do It by Brian Tracy - Don't get deceived by the length of this book as this book is one of the most powerful books on the subject of Goals. The book is a blueprint for achieving our goals and lays out the formula in 7 lucid steps. The book highlights the importance of action in actualising our goals and acts as a ready recknoner in times of inaction, doubt or fear. 
17. The Dip by Seth Godin - Succintly put, the book wonderfully teaches that winners are not only good at winning but good at quitting too. The book delivers about "dip" that all of us hit at some point in our life. A real winner is the person who knows how to beat the dip, much before they hit a cul-de-sac.
    
18. Life is Tremendous by Charlie Jones - Perhaps one of the shortest but the most lively book on personal development. The enthusiasm of the author is quite evident in each page of the book. The seven laws of leadership mentioned in the book deal with the most essential skills needed to be productive and successful.
19. 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class by Steve Siebold - No idea, why 177  secrets ! But the book is a great attempt at compiling the secrets of world class achievers/ champions. It talks in detail about the thought processes, attitudes and actions of the achievers. Each chapter has a lot to offer the readers and include sections on action items and external references too. A powerful book to become a champion.
20. The Little Big Thing by Henry Fraser- An incredible true story of a young man who never lost hope even in the direst of circumstances and situations. An inspirational memoir filled with courage, hope, perseverance, passion and an intent to live life inspite of all odds. Definitely an emotional read but very inspiring, teaching us to celebrate life in the face of gravest adversity. Indeed a very touching account.   
21. Life's Golden Ticket by Brendon Burchard - This book delivers powerful messages about life - the need for transformation and showing gratitude to the chances that life provides us every now and then. With the metaphor of an amusement park, the protagonist takes the readers on a journey of personal transformation and creating a turnaround, from a life laden with obstacles and tragedies in life to a one filled with positivity, love and redemption. 
22. The One Thing by Gary Keller - Staying focused in a world full of "distraction" is the biggest challenge today. Smitten by the bugs of  "Busyness" and "Multitasking", we carry on without any realisation of how our obsession with these two (busyness and multitasking) is doing us more harm than good. The book provides a whole range of tools, techniques and methods to get focused and live a more fulfilling life.   
23. Ready For Anything by David Allen - A nice compilation of 52 principles that could really bring about a turnaround in terms of success and achievement in personal and professional spheres. The 52 principles are nicely categorised in 4 sections and each of the 52 chapter has enough food for reflection and action.
24. You can be Happy No Matter What by Richard Carlson - Another masterpiece from the author. Among the many highlights of the book, one of the key highlight is the structuring. The book explains 5 key Principles of Life and then explains (in 5 different chapters) their impact on 5 key areas of our life. The 5 key principles mentioned in the book are all about what each of us can relate to easily - 1. Thoughts, 2. Moods, 3. Separate Realities, 4. Feelings and 5. Present Moment. The 11th chapter on checklist for life answers some of the very pertinent questions about life.    

Book List - Three Books about Life's Lessons

There's something special and unique about certain books that instill in us that extra bit of courage to take on life's challenges, even the unforeseen ones, in the right spirit and be grateful for everything that we possess. Many a times in our life when tragedy strikes us, we get stunned and get stuck, unable to move ahead with our life. These precisely are the times when we seek solace by drawing inspiration from people who have been there before and have bravely overcome these adversities. These 3 amazing books are my personal favourites when we think about human courage and resilience. These 3 books are not only full of wisdom but are a testimony to the fact that nothing is bigger than the opportunity called life. However grim the situation may be, life always provides us with plenty to feel good about and cherish. And the most important lesson is to embrace life'e unpredictability.

• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - This is about the author's tryst with life after being detected with a terminal pancreatic cancer. The book captures the lecture titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" delivered by Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007. The book provides immense learning as the author recollects the memories from his childhood to the present and the lessons he learnt. He further shares about how living life and enjoying every moment is much more than anything else and how, after getting aware of his illness he started valuing every moment of it. The core message delivered by the book is to enjoy the life to its fullest and cherish every shades in it because one never knows when life may end.

• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom - Here's another gem and this book is all about the lessons and learnings on living and dying that the author(Mitch Albom) gathers from one of his university professor, Morrie Schwartz, who is suffering from ALS(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a disease characterised by death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles. After watching his college teacher on a TV program, the author connects with his professor after a gap of 16 years and visits him. The author spends 14 Tuesday's with his professor and every meeting is about lessons and learnings on living and dying.

• Enjoy Every Sandwich by Lee Lipsenthal - This book is another masterpiece about reality of life. The book details out the life of the author post diagnosis of esophageal cancer. Inspite of being a medical doctor, how the protagonist deals with the vagaries of life is the central theme of this book. With a 90% chance of dying within 5 years, the book traces the author's journey of realisation and his ascend by accepting mortality, finding purpose and mission in life and appreciating every moment of life. 

So, to be fully alive and live well

• Accept Life's unpredictability
• Accept mortality and 
• Always exhibit gratitude for what you have always  

24 Life Changing Books

Books have the power to change and  this post is all about 24 life changing books that can transform our lives. This is not a sacrosanct list but purely my pick. These books have been my companion and support system, always preparing me well to deal with any upheavel in my life. This list is neither comprehensive nor complete but just an attempt to get the readers started with few real gems.

This compilation is based on the following premises:

• The book should touch our lives and personality at a deeper level
• The book should should be an easy and simple read so that any reader could relate to it
• The book length should keep the reader motivated to finish it in 1-2 readings to deliver the desired impact instantly. Almost all the books are short reads. 

Here's the list (the books are not ranked in any particular order)

• Notes to Myself - Hugh Prather 

A lovely insightful and honest book which provides ample of opportunities for self-reflection. The beauty of the book lies in how it came about out of personal scribblings and notes. Every page is like a food for thought to discover ourself. Read the detailed review at http://bit.ly/2qbC6YT

• The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

This book is all about fulfilling our dreams. It is about how a young man discovers his true calling, listens to his heart and realize all his dreams. This book is for every soul who dare to dream. 

• Who Moved My Cheese - Dr. Spencer Johnson

Most probably, the first (and maybe the only) book that explains the topic of CHANGE in such an interesting manner. It's a lovely fable which delves into the importance of change, why we resist change, what it takes to move us out of our comfort zone.

• The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - Robin Sharma

The book uses a fable to share about the modern day dilemma of materialism. It's about dreams and  goals but most importantly it's about how we, most of the times, tend to forget the real purpose of our existence end up pursuing goals which only leads to a dead-end. 

• The Greatest Salesman In The World - Og Mandino

If looking for a shortcut to success, then this book fills that void. A wonderfully written book which talks about the principles of success. The book is like a convergence of sales and success and describes how a young man is shared the secrets of success by a dying old man (a trader) in the form of ten scrolls. The principles mentioned still hold relevance today. 

• Eat That Frog - Brian Tracy

Procrastination is the bane of effective time management and if there's any book which deals nicely with this then it's this one. This book is about prioritization and how simple habits and techniques could help us crack the productivity conundrum.

• Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey

This book is like a treatise on the subject of Productivity, Effectiveness and Efficiency. The book serves as a manual on Personal Excellence and deal with the topic so comprehensively and holistically. No need to look any further than this book for achieving your best self. 

• The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

Ever imagined, what if we just had today to live. This book is a real account of the author's tryst with reality after being detected with terminal illness and with limited time to live. The book is about living our dreams now and not waiting for any other day or occasion.

• Tiny Buddha - Lori Deschene

A nice book about the vagaries of life. For sure it contains good wisdom on living a better life. The book is all the more interesting because of the way the book got conceived. The author's personal experiences make the book very authentic. Read the detailed review at  http://bit.ly/2ECIH1J

• Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl

Mere words can't describe the greatness of this book. The book has many useful lessons on how to survive and thrive in most adverse circumstances in life. It's an account of the author's struggle for survival in Nazi's concentration camp during World War 2. The book is a lesson about living a purposeful life even in face of dire constraints 

• One Small Step Can Change Your Life the Kaizen Way - Robert Maurer

Applying the principles of Kaizen to bring about positive and progressive personal change is the theme of this book. It's amazing to note how the philosophy of incremental change could be descibed in such a simple way and that too with huge impact on our life. 

• Fish - Harry Paul, Stephen C Lundin, John Christensen

This book is about happiness and shows how even the most mundane task could be made exciting and fun-to-do. Applying the 4 guiding principles of Fish philosophy can transform any workplace into a highly motivated and productive place full of positivity and result-orientedness.   

• Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom

The book is all about hope and optimism. Based on a true story, the book is about a young man (the author) who gets to learn a lot from his once professor, who unfortunately is nearing death due to a terminal illness. The beauty is how the author's professor delivers life lessons even in the face of imminent death.

• Finding Your Strength In Difficult Times - David Viscott

When feeling short of advice or suggestions while dealing with upheavel in life, this book serves as a true companion. Written in a succinct manner, the book provides nuggets of wisdom for self-discovery and sane living. The book describes about how to develop a positive outlook while facing adverse situations and circumstances in life. Read the detailed review at http://bit.ly/2lGpiEg

• The War of Art - Steven Pressfield

This book is all about enabling us to be creative. It talks about the various resisting factors, the inner conflicts, the demons inside us that hold us back from being our creative best self. It then discusses about how to overcome the different types of Resistance and create our best possible self. 

• The Secret - Rhonda Byrne

This bestseller book is all about the ancient theory of "Law of Attraction" and describes how our thoughts create our desired reality. Not only the universal principle of "like attracts like" but also how to apply it in our real life is so beautifully explained.  An amazing book, it teaches us how we can manifest our own dreams by the power of thoughts and how our thoughts act like magnets and create the universe that we consistently "think".   

• Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach

An interesting book about the story of a seagull who pushes the limit to reach greater heights. The message is all about self-discovery, moving out of comfort zone and achieving our best possible self through the power of self-belief and confidence.

• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success - Deepak Chopra

This masterpiece is a convergence of spirituality and practicality. The book explains how understanding our basic "human nature" and following the universal laws of nature enables us to achieve personal success. The premise is - whatever laws work with nature will work with humans too. 

• The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod

This wonderful book, through its easy to apply approach provides six habits (routines) that can catapult us to greater heights of success and achievement. These requisite six habits of success mentioned in the book help build the required discipline to start our mornings more productively and calmly.     

• The Gifts of Imperfection - Brene Brown

A wonderful book with a profound message that "even with all our imperfections, we(humans) are still complete". Backed by research, the book delivers how inculcating the 3C's of Courage, Compassion and Connection can lead us embrace imperfections and lead us towards "Wholehearted Living". The book also highlights the need to be be authentic self and letting go of what holds us back from achieving that "self".  

• The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz

Drawing from the Toltec Wisdom, the book delivers four simple yet extremely powerful principles to help us get rid of our self-limiting beliefs and create a life full of love and happiness. The simplistic approach to explaining the four principles and their application in our lives makes it a wonderful read. 

• The Art of Living - Epictetus

This book makes a good read because of the crispness with which the underlying message is delivered in each of the teachings. The instructions are simple and clear and each of the 93 instructions in the book still hold as much relevance today as when the book was written. 

• Sam The Magic Genie -  Brian Mayne

An interesting tale on how positive thinking can change our lives for better. This book reiterates that even during times of fear and doubt, being positive is the only way to keep moving forward. The book presents the message of "positive thinking" through an interesting adventure tale undertaken by a boy who is struggling in life.

• Achieve Anything in Just One Year - Jason Harvey

An excellent book that can help create our dream life. A book full of inspiration where each of the 365 days provide a wonderful quote to start the day followed by relevant stories and/ or action items. Overall a highly impactful book.

Hope you have found your pick from the above !