It’s a summer of reading! Given my hand injuries and reduced workload, I am consuming a lot of nonfiction and focusing on self growth. I’m zeroing in on what makes me tick and how to use these qualities as strengths (which requires addressing my ambivalence on some of these traits) in order to step into my power. I’m on an upward trajectory, determined to use my gifts and in the process become a wealthy woman. Rich not just in money but also in terms of my relationships and self actualization.
Below are my top reads for the summer. Enjoy!
Getting What You Deserve
Y’all. This is a game changer for women. Rachel Rodgers is the baddest boss bitch you’ve never heard of until now. Mother of four, she became a millionaire in despite of her humble upbringing and scarcity mentality. I’ve read a lot of books and listened to hella podcasts about starting your own business, but none have felt as empowering as We Should All Be Millionaires. It was electric. For the first time, I began to believe that I could make real money in a fulfilling way. This book is not so much a method on how to start or run your business (she offers workshops on that) but more of a mind shift on why building wealth is both possible and necessary for women. Mindset is everything. So many unfulfilled dreams and ideas never come into existence because we never believed we could do it. That is the first problem. Unable to contain my enthusiasm from this book, I got two of my girlfriends to read it less than a month after I finished it. I am blasting my unwavering commitment to Rodgers through a megaphone to all of my female friends. Girl, go get what you deserve!
The Royal Advisor Class
Finally. The manual to understanding myself. I read the original version of The Highly Sensitive Person right after finishing a very overwhelming year and a half of graduate school and a failed relationship. To say that my nervous system was overstimulated, would be an understatement. The demands of my program and the emotional pain of the breakup were like nothing I had ever experienced before. I previously had no blueprint for how to navigate a perpetually arousing world. Always comparing myself to non-sensitive people, I muscled through a lot of situations that I didn’t need to. Until this book. Dr. Aron explains what sets apart highly sensitive people (HSP), who have sensory processing sensitivity. She validates the HSP experience, highlighting their strengths and challenges. She compares HSP to the “royal advisor class” in ancient societies (as opposed to the warriors and kings). HSPs tend to be “visionaries, highly intuitive artists, or inventors, as well as more conscientious, cautious, and wise people.” Reading this book truly changed my life. The updated version shows that more recent research confirms what was previously observed but not yet studied formally. We are real! Our experiences are valid, and we deserve to pursue careers and lifestyles that suit us.
Solitude Matters
Thank the fucking universe for this book! I first read Quiet a couple years after it was released during a period when I was beginning to learn a lot about myself in my mid 20s. I picked it up again this summer to reread it as I needed to be reminded of the significance of introversion. Susan Cain does an amazing job of describing the overarching traits of introversion while paying respect to the variance of this personality type. Introverts live a very different experience compared to extroverts. And we have a lot–I mean a lot–to contribute to our society. Susan shows how American culture puts extroverts on pedestals and looks down upon those who are quieter, more hesitant to speak up, and more inclined to spend time alone. Great ideas come from deep thought while alone. Many of our current and historical masterminds were introverts and created innovations in solitude. This is a must-read to better understand the introverts among us. They make-up 30~50% of the population. They’re our colleagues, family members, and leaders-in-the-making.
Watch Cain’s TED Talk, one of the most viewed of all time, and visit her website for more resources.