Year of Words Book Recommendations for Dream

Welcome to Year of Words week 12! The word of the week is DREAM. When I think about getting inspired, and making my dreams come true, there’s two kinds of books that come to mind. How to, and Memoir. I love having a mix of instructional manuals, and stories of people who have done it. Because, if one person makes their dream come true, it’s proof that you can too. This week’s list will feature both self improvement (how to) and memoirs.

Memoir: 

Wine to Water description from Amazon.com:

The captivating story of an ordinary bartender who’s changing the world through clean water.

Doc Hendley never set out to be a hero. In 2004, Hendley-a small- town bartender- launched a series of wine-tasting events to raise funds for clean-water projects and to bring awareness to the world’s freshwater crisis. He planned to donate the proceeds through traditional channels, but instead found himself traveling to one of the world’s most dangerous hot spots: Darfur, Sudan.

There, Doc witnessed a government-sponsored genocide where the number-one weapon wasn’t bullets-it was water. The Janjaweed terrorists had figured out that shooting up a bladder containing 10,000 liters of water, or dumping rotting corpses into a primary water source is remarkably efficient for the purposes of mass extermination. With limited funds, Doc realized that he couldn’t build new wells costing $10,000 a pop, but he could hire local workers to restore a damaged well for a mere $50 each. He’d found his mission. Today, Doc and Wine to Water continue to help stricken peoples repair and maintain water- containment systems in places like Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, and Haiti.

Doc is a regular, rough-and-tumble guy who loves booze, music, and his Harley- but he also wanted to help. Wine to Water is a gripping story about braving tribal warfare and natural disasters and encountering fascinating characters in far-flung regions of the world. It is also an authoritative account of a global crisis and an inspirational tale that proves how ordinary people can improve the world.

 

I chose this book because sometimes we don’t choose our dreams, they choose us, and it’s just a matter of doing whatever it takes to make them happen. This book has many reviews, and a 4.8 out of 5 star rating. It’s definitely going on my TBR pile.

 

Losing my Virginity description from Amazon.com:

“Oh, screw it, let’s do it.”

That’s the philosophy that has allowed Richard Branson, in slightly more than twenty-five years, to spawn so many successful ventures. From the airline business (Virgin Atlantic Airways), to music (Virgin Records and V2), to cola (Virgin Cola), to retail (Virgin Megastores), and nearly a hundred others, ranging from financial services to bridal wear, Branson has a track record second to none.

Losing My Virginity is the unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time. When Richard Branson started his first business, he and his friends decided that “since we’re complete virgins at business, let’s call it just that: Virgin.” Since then, Branson has written his own “rules” for success, creating a group of companies with a global presence, but no central headquarters, no management hierarchy, and minimal bureaucracy.

Many of Richard Branson’s companies–airlines, retailing, and cola are good examples–were started in the face of entrenched competition. The experts said, “Don’t do it.” But Branson found golden opportunities in markets in which customers have been ripped off or underserved, where confusion reigns, and the competition is complacent.
And in this stressed-out, overworked age, Richard Branson gives us a new model: a dynamic, hardworking, successful entrepreneur who lives life to the fullest. Family, friends, fun, and adventure are equally important as business in Branson’s life. Losing My Virginity is a portrait of a productive, sane, balanced life, filled with rich and colorful stories:

Crash-landing his hot-air balloon in the Algerian desert, yet remaining determined to have another go at being the first to circle the globe

Signing the Sex Pistols, Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Boy George, and Phil Collins

Fighting back when British Airways took on Virgin Atlantic and successfully suing this pillar of the British business establishment

Swimming two miles to safety during a violent storm off the coast of Mexico

Selling Virgin Records to save Virgin Atlantic

Staging a rescue flight into Baghdad before the start of the Gulf War . . .

And much more. Losing My Virginity is the ultimate tale of personal and business survival from a man who combines the business prowess of Bill Gates and the promotional instincts of P. T. Barnum.

 

I find Richard Branson to be incredibly interesting. He seems to be so calm, and friendly, and have so much fun in life, and yet he manages to run these incredibly huge and successful businesses. His story is definitely fitting for the word dream… whether you’re talking about him making his dream come true or dreaming about a life like his.

 

Maiden Voyage description from Amazon.com:

What begins as the sheer desire for adventure turns into a spiritual quest as a young woman comes to terms with her family, her dreams, and her first love.

Tania Aebi was an unambitious eighteen-year-old, a bicycle messenger in New York City by day, a Lower East Side barfly at night. In short, she was going nowhere—until her father offered her a challenge: Tania could choose either a college education or a twenty-six-foot sloop. The only catch was that if she chose the sailboat, she’d have to sail around the world—alone.

She chose the boat, and for the next two and a half years and 27,000 miles, it was her home. With only her cat as companion, she discovered the wondrous beauties of the Great Barrier Reef and the death-dealing horrors of the Red Sea. She suffered through a terrifying collision with a tanker in the Mediterranean and a lightning storm off the coast of Gibraltar. And, ultimately, what began with the sheer desire for adventure turned into a spiritual quest as Tania came to terms with her troubled family life, fell in love for the first time, and—most of all—confronted her own needs, desires, dreams, and goals…

 

Even those who seem lost, and unfocused have dreams… sometimes it takes a crazy adventure and a huge risk to find out what they are. This book has many good reviews. This whole things sounds absolutely crazy to me, but as someone who’s trying to let go of the reins a little bit… it’s definitely going on my TBR stack. You can read the reviews and buy it at Amazon here.

 

A Smile as Big as the Moon description from Amazon.com:

Besides being a football coach at his Michigan High School, Mike
Kersjes taught special education classes, dealing with children whose disabilities included Tourette syndrome, Downs Syndrome, dyslexia, eating disorders and a variety of emotional problems.

One autumn Kersjes got the outlandish idea that his students would benefit from going to Space Camp, where, in conjunction with NASA, high school students compete in a variety of activities similar to those experienced by astronauts in training for space shuttle missions. There was only one problem: this program had been specifically designed for gifted and talented students, the best and the brightest from America’s most privileged high schools.

Kersjes believed that, given a chance, his kids could do as well as anybody, and with remarkable persistence broke down one barrier after another, from his own principal’s office to the inner sanctum of NASA, until Space Camp opened its doors, on an experimental basis, to special ed students. After nine months of rigorous preparation, during which the class molded itself into a working team, they arrived at Space Camp, where they turned in a performance so startling, so surprising, that it will leave the reader breathless. A truly triumphant story of the power of the human spirit.

 

As someone who is very interested in “education” and learning, and empowering kids to learn in ways outside of sitting at a desk for 7 hours a day, I find this story very intriguing! Interestingly enough, one of the reviews left on this book was from a parent of one of the students in this group. She ranted for quite a while about how they didn’t learn any history, or math, or grammar because of this whole project. I find that so sad… can you imagine what these kids DID learn on this adventure?! Oh so much more I’m sure. I can’t wait to read this one. You can read that review, and all the others on Amazon.com, just click the banner below.

 

Self Improvement: 

If you go to Amazon and search for goal setting, or something similar, you’ll find a ton of self help books that will give you the 10 steps to success. This week I’ve chosen books that I believe with help people make their dreams come true, that you might not find on a simple search. I’ve read a ton from both authors, and truly believe achieving your dreams comes first and foremost from inside your head. These two books will help you get your “head right”. 🙂

The Art of Non Conformity description from Amazon.com:

If you’ve ever thought, “There must be more to life than this,” The Art of Non-Conformity is for you.

Based on Chris Guillebeau’s popular online manifesto “A Brief Guide to World Domination,” The Art of Non-Conformity defies common assumptions about life and work while arming you with the tools to live differently. You’ll discover how to live on your own terms by exploring creative self-employment, radical goal-setting, contrarian travel, and embracing life as a constant adventure.

Inspired and guided by Chris’s own story and those of others who have pursued unconventional lives, you can devise your own plan for world domination-and make the world a better place at the same time.

 

Chris Guillebeau was one of my earliest influences when I decided to create a business from home, and live my life on my terms. His manifesto was the 2 degree shift I needed, in my thinking, and my actions. This book takes the manifesto a bit further. I’m sure if you’re struggling to believe you can have your dreams, it will help you believe, and achieve!

 

Infinite Possibilities description from Amazon.com:

Understanding is the elixir that reveals your place in eternity, and with it your beliefs can be aligned and your imagination ignited to achieve anything you can dream of.

We are spiritual beings filled with infinite potential — adventuring through a field of possibilities, creating our own reality, our own fate, and our own luck.

Infinite Possibilities is a fresh and inspiring look at how each of us can turn within to discover our true purpose, ignite our imagination, and manifest our desires. Mike Dooley explains that our dreams are not accidental or inconsequential, but rather serve as invitations to understand the truths about ourselves, hinting at the lives we can create. Once you learn to open your heart and mind, thinking far beyond what spirituality has traditionally meant, it becomes evident that life itself is the ultimate adventure, filled with opportunities that day by day lead us to discover who we really are and why we are here.

A profound exploration into the mysteries of the universe, Infinite Possibilities opens windows, doors, and unexpected pathways to a bold and fulfilling way of living. Prepare to be astounded and challenged by Mike Dooley’s guide to living the life of your dreams — purposefully, lovingly, brilliantly.

 

For well over a decade I have been getting daily emails from Mike Dooley. They are insightful, inspiring, and often times very funny. Mike has a way of looking at the world, that will inspire you to believe your dreams are possible, while also providing a very concrete way to make them happen.

 

What I’m Reading This Week:

Last week worked out pretty well with sharing on Tuesday, but I’ve already picked up my book from the library and started it, so I feel pretty confident I’m going to stick with this one this week. 😉 I will be back tomorrow to share some teasers from the book.

The Audacity of Hope description from Amazon.com:

In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Obama called “the audacity of hope.”

The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama’s call for a different brand of politics—a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces—from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media—that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.

At the heart of this book is Barack Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats—from terrorism to pandemic—that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy—where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, and members of the Senate is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.

A public servant and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Barack Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes—“waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.”

 

I’m a fan of President Obama. I think he has done an amazing job of sticking to his dream for America despite all the push back and hatred he’s dealt with. I’m eager to dive further into this book and read his story.

There you have it, the book list for Dream. If you haven’t joined the Year of Words book club yet, it’s never too late! Enter your email address below, and then click “join” on the next page. Choose a word from the list of words each week, and a book that fits the word for you, and share your choice, thoughts, and anything else you’d like to share with the group. 🙂 Look forward to seeing what you choose this week.