9 Books to Read to Start Your New Year Off Right
We can pursue goals and positive changes at any time of year (and highly recommend it), but for many of us, the New Year feels like a fresh start. Here are 9 of our favorite books to help set you up for success this year:
Habits
Atomic Habits
By now you may have heard the many positive reviews of Atomic Habits. I can confirm they are warranted, and this book is the ideal place to start if you are serious about creating or breaking habits. The focus of the book is on making small changes that eventually lead to creating habits. One of the most powerful concepts in the book is the idea of becoming 1% better each day with these small changes. After a year, imagine what kind of impact that would have on your life.
Health and Fitness
Thinner Leaner Stronger
The name is off-putting, but this book really delves into the science of building muscle and getting lean. It shares the why behind or debunks much of the fitness advice you’ve heard. If you can’t get past the name (which I can totally understand), check out Bigger Leaner Stronger. This version is targeted toward men but has the same exact information as Thinner Leaner Stronger.
Thinner Leaner Stronger Workbook
This is a companion workbook to Thinner Leaner Stronger with pre-filled one year workout plan and room to track your progress. You can certainly track on your own (and we have a great fitness tracker), but the workbook helps you start the program effortlessly.
The Vertue Method
If you want a program focused on improving your strength and mobility rather than aesthetics, the Vertue Method is a great program. As a bonus, the program can be done at home which I came to appreciate during the pandemic. The program combines strength training, mobility work, as well as yoga for a well-rounded workout.
Prefer videos? Check out the video program at Shona Vertue.
Personal Finance
Start Late, Finish Rich
This is the book that started my personal finance journey. I felt like I was way behind in my retirement journey and this book taught me two key things:
It’s not too late to turn your finances around and retire comfortably
Automate your finances as much as you can
The Millionaire Next Door
After reading Start Late, Finish Rich, I found Millionaire Next Door. While Start Late, Finish Rich was more of a how-to book, Millionaire Next Door was more of a glimpse into the lives of those who learned how-to and did it. Learning what millionaires do and don’t spend money on was eye-opening, and I learned I shouldn’t cut corners on everything and some things really aren’t worthwhile.
Relationships
How to Win Friends and Influence People
While the title sounds like a manual on how to manipulate people, it’s really about how to be a more considerate, kind, and genuine person which in turn helps you win friends and influence others. Some of the examples are dated since the book was originally published in the 1930s, but the principles are still very relevant for both personal and professional relationships.
Career
Taking the Work Out Networking: Your Guide to Making and Keeping Great Connections
This book is geared toward introverts but is full of actionable and effective networking tips that can be used by anyone. We introverts tend to thrive with networking that is not face-to-face which works very well for our new remote and hybrid world.
Other
Skinnytaste Meal Prep Cookbook
You know how much we love meal prep, and this book is perfect for both new and seasoned meal preppers. I don’t like that the name promotes diet culture, but Skinnytaste recipes are delicious. No one will ever know that these are lighter recipes because Gina aka Skinnytaste believes in quality, full-fat ingredients, and real sweeteners - just in smaller quantities. While I love all of the cookbooks and the site, the recipes in this book are particularly suited for meal prepping with specific instructions for storage and reheating.
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