Listed here are wholehearted endorsements – books and e-books and forums that I recommend to my friends over and over again. I attribute much of my present joy to the hard work I put into the exercises within these resources. If you purchase (most of) the items through the links provided, I will make a small profit through an affiliate sale. If that makes you uncomfortable, simply type the title into google and skip my links. This stuff is that good.
Books
The Art of Non-Conformity: The message of The Art of Non-Conformity is deceptively simple. “You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to. You can do good things for yourself and make the world a better place at the same time. Here’s how to do it.” Unfortunately, this isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Chris shows you how.
The Boss of You: The best way for me to describe my love for this book is to try and count the number of times I’ve loaned it out. A fool’s errand. I give up already. If you have any desire, even in a tiny, balled-up corner of your heart, to start your own business, you NEED this book.
Firestarter Sessions: Danielle describes her product as “a digital experience for entrepreneurs,” but it’s so much more. You’ll craft a cocktail line that kills it. You’ll finally realize that it’s ok not to be the best at everything. You’ll accept that cash liberates (no more guilty demons). Oh, and you’ll learn a lot about running an authentic and crazy successful business, too. So there’s that.
The Girl’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business: The cover identifies this books as “candid advice, frank talk, and true stories for the successful entrepreneur. Now, I don’t know yet that I’m successful, because I’m just getting started, but when I pulled the book out to reference for this list, I found pages and pages of notes. This book is a treasure trove of information and exercises.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: It’s impossible for me to not start a list of resources that have changed my life for the better without including the Seven Habits. Is Stephen Covey a bit heavy-handed at times? Yes, absolutely. But no single book has had such a profound effect on my life – in reading the Seven Habits I developed the personal mission statement that is the guidepost for life’s hard decisions.
Tribes: Can you believe this was the first Seth Godin book I read? Godin pushes you. Out of your comfort zone, to your edge. If you’re looking for that push to do something great, Godin is your guy.
Courses
Blogging Your Way: One of the best courses online, led by Holly Becker of Decor8, who really is as lovely and giving as she comes across on her blog. Part inspiration, part kick-in-the-pants, it’s a fab course for anyone seeking to improve their blogging.
30 Days of Yoga: I’m pretty much an evangelist for this course. In a testimonial, I wrote, “Marianne’s 30 Days of Yoga program is simply the best money I’ve ever spent. And it’s ridiculously affordable for the value it provides.” I stand by those words.
