Day 19: Pick Five Important Books to Re-Read This Year
“The Stoics often spoke about focusing one’s inputs. They point out that the goal of reading is to achieve mental clarity and gaining control over our thoughts and perceptions.” (Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge, Email Day 19)
I read a lot. I’ve moved quite a bit. Every time I move, I cull my book collection. I donate the ones that were fictional fluff to enjoy on a rainy day, and I keep the ones that I know I will return to time and again.
These are five of the books that I’ve kept on my shelf and read multiple times. They have formed me, and each time I’ve read them, I’ve discovered something new. I’m opening each of them now and sharing one line that I’ve underlined in a past reading to reflect on
- Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer – “A leader is someone with the power to project either shadow or light onto some part of the world and onto the lives of the people who dwell there.” (78)
- Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl – “They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” (66)
- True Calling by Cyndie Silbert – I loved learning about the feminine archetypes and how to integrate my Chameleon and Honeybee! “The Chameleon believes in change because it is both possible and necessary. Inspired by her vision, she naturally attracts others to join and follow her.” (36) I went deep with these ideas by attending two retreats led by Cyndie on Maui and working one-on-one with her on Feminine Mastery.
- Radical Self-Forgiveness by Colin Tipping – I loved working through all of the exercises. I did this just recently on Jan 1 and loved Exercise Four – “Identify the qualities you have adopted or rejected in order to conform or feel like you really belong in order to be accepted by your family, church, peers, etc…” It was a doozy!
- The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, and Rising Strong by Brene Brown – “I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, inspiration, and faith.” (TGoI, 81)
An Example of Going Deep with an Idea: Objectivism
Last December, I read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged for the first time ever. I couldn’t put it down. I woke up early before work to get in thirty minutes of it, and altered my weekend plans to indulge uninterrupted hours of reading. I love going deep with ideas. So as I read, I discovered the Ayn Rand Institute. I started watching introductory videos about the philosophy of Objectivism and then I discovered that the ARI is hosting a one-day conference this weekend in San Francisco to explore Rand’s ideas further and apply them to Silicon Valley culture. I’m signed up, and I can’t wait to go! When I find something that resonates, I dig in. I soak it up. I make connections to what I’ve observed in the world.