B is for Books

When it comes to finding my happy place there has been no greater influence and assistance than books. I’ve always been a reader, but there were some years in the middle where I didn’t read, and found myself lost in anxiety and depression. When my husband and I made the decision to have a baby I knew I had to do something to lift myself out of the situation I was in. I had some amazing friends suggest some books, and thus the journey began. This is a list of my favorite books. Books that have  left an indelible mark on me, and that I recommend to anyone/everyone who will listen. 🙂 (In order of how they found me.)

 

The Bridge Across Forever

A friend of mine gave this book to me the summer after my sophomore year in college. It was a seriously tumultuous time in my life. This book gave me the very first glimmer of the power of my thoughts to change my world.

I will always remember the scene where Richard is getting ready to fly back home. He always goes through a mental visioning process to see his flight, safe take off and landing, and yet this time he can’t see himself landing where he’s supposed to land. He heads out anyway. Turns out there is a problem and he’s diverted somewhere else to land. That was so powerful to me.

This is the book I’ve held as a favorite for the longest. This book also led to all his others which also had a deep impact, especially One, and Illusions.

You can pick up a copy of Bridge Across Forever on Amazon here.

 

Ask and It Is Given 

Though it took about a decade, this book was really the next step after Bridge. This book gave me a better understanding of the Law of Attraction, and how to use it in my daily life.

This book also came at a time when I was surrounded by a loving and generous online community of LOAers. The learning was deep and powerful during this time of my life. This book led to all the others by Abraham, as well as many hours of listening to their audios.

This book was instrumental in me moving from anxiety and depression to finding my happy place (and being able to stay there).

You can get a copy of Ask and It Is Given on Amazon.

 

 

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements came to me in the same time period as Ask and It Is Given, and the Abraham books. This book had a profound effect on me.

The idea to not take anything personally, well, life changing. I may not always consciously feel like I’m living the four agreements, but they are now part of my subconscious, so they’re always there.

When I start feeling like I’m losing my ability to find my happy place, this is the book I reread, over and over again.

Understanding and living within these 4 agreements has literally changed my entire life, who I am, and how I walk in the world.

You can get The Four Agreements on Amazon here.

 

Eat Pray Love

Eat Pray Love came into my life during my early years of Motherhood. (Can you believe it’s the 10th anniversary already?!!!) It was a time when I was feeling overwhelmed, lost and drowning. My kiddo screamed 24/7, I was exhausted, and feeling like a complete failure. I was also feeling as though I’d completely lost myself. Everything I’d learned had gone out the window, and all I could do was beg for more than 20 minutes of sleep at a time.

I don’t even remember how this book fell into my hands, I can only thank heaven it did.

This book reminded me that it’s ok to be ME. It’s ok, in fact, it’s necessary, to take care of myself. It’s crucial to take care of my needs, and my growth if I had any plans of making it out alive being a good mother. If you haven’t read this yet… highly recommended. Reread it if you have. 🙂

You can pick up a copy of Eat Pray Love on Amazon.

 

The Desire Map

This book came to me when I was in the thick of building my blog. I was feeling like I was losing myself to the work. I was living LOA in most of my life, things were getting better with the kiddo, but the work part… not so much.

I was working so hard, and I wasn’t feeling good about it.

The first few years after I found this book I set goals with soul, and followed the plan consistently. Now I mainly use it as a reminder that how you feel is the most important thing.

Though I’ve not set “goals” this year, this book has led my business through a complete transformation that feels really good!

You can pick up a copy of The Desire Map on Amazon here.

 

10% Happier

I found this book through a conversation at my book club. I’d tried meditation many times in the past, had decided it just “wasn’t for me”, was convinced I “couldn’t make my brain stop”.

I love love love this book!!

I’ve always been a fan of Dan Harris (back when I watched the news), he’s so funny and sharp, and he’s a total skeptic. His personality shines through in this book.

This book gave me permission to question the “Gurus”. Which gave me permission to do what was right for me. This book also led me down a delightful rabbit hole of meditation books, which eventually helped me create a meditation practice that 100% works for me.

You can read my full review of 10% Happier here.

 

Parenting in the Present Moment

This book came to me after I’d been able to create a fairly consistent meditation practice, however, I hadn’t been able to generalize that mindfulness into my parenting. I still found myself yelling way more than I’d like.

This book was a rush of relief. It is written in a way that made me feel like I was OK (not completely ruining my kid), as well as gave me the guidance I needed to create a mindful path to parenting.

I’m by no means perfect at this, and sometimes I still yell, but it’s rare now, and I owe it all to this book.

It’s also a book I read and reread when I feel like I’m lost in my parenting. (which happens. lol)

Get a copy of Parenting in the Present Moment on Amazon here.

 

Big Magic

This book was incredibly powerful to me as a writer. It was also the first time I ever went and saw an author live on a book tour. We got there hours early and got a second row seat to see Elizabeth Gilbert.

She took questions, and actually chose me to ask a question. After answering she started to walk away, then turned around, looked directly at me, in the eye, and said, “Keep writing. Just keep writing.” then smiled and turned to the next person. It was electric for sure.

You can read my full review and the 11 limiting beliefs this book busted for me. 

 

 

Year of Yes

I don’t know what took me so long to read this book! I only read it last month, and it landed on my list of top books.

I’ve been a huge fan of all Shonda Rhimes shows since the beginning of time. It was delightful to get the behind the scenes feelings and story from the writer herself. I laughed. I cried. I adore this book.

Bigger than just loving her shows, this book came at a perfect time. As an introvert myself I sometimes struggle to get out in the world, and do the things I want/need/should do. Year of Yes is all about how Shonda, another introvert mother, decided to just start saying yes to everything. What results from saying yes is nothing less than spectacular.

You can read my full review of Year of Yes here.

There you have it… the top 9 books that have helped me find and stay in my happy place. I really really wanted it to be a list of 10, but I couldn’t think of one more book, and who wants to add books just for the sake of creating a list of ten (me me me me me… you have no idea how much the OCD me wants 10 books on this list!). But I guess it leaves room for one more book to show up and make the list, just when I need it most.

What about you? What’s been your most influential book? Tell me in the comments. 🙂

This post is part of the A-Z challenge… you can see all my A-Z Happy Places here.