Personal Development Books

I've been asked a few times which book I recommend for Personal Development and why I like them. I'm always talking to new coaches and challengers and they always ask why I have the confidence that I do. I also like to continue to further my own growth as I'm going to be the coordinator of our local MOPS this year. I always want to grow and be the best leader I can be for those that serve with me.

If you want others to follow you you need to be a good leader. To help you become a great leader here are some suggestions of books to read. These will help you find out how you lead and explore the personalities of those you lead to best make those you lead follow you. Jesus came to serve not to be served and we ware supposed to follow this model and serve others. As a leader we aren't here for everyone to look up to us and cater to us we are there to serve them and help them become better.

Here are my top choices in no particular order:

1. Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

This is my favorite book. It talks a lot about how by making one kittle change in our lives we can start to effect someone else and then eventually that person will effect someone else and before we know it our one little change has effected a whole bunch of other people. It shows how some relatively small changes can help you in all areas of your life. That one decision can make a huge difference in the end. It talks about how one small decision can get you momentum to become bigger. IT also talks about you have to be constantly changing. Things that work today won't work tomorrow.

2. Go Pro by Eric Worre

This book is a must if you are a Beach body coach. It talks about how to interact with potential customers. It tells you how to convert them into true customers and then potential coaches for you. Then it talks about how to get those under you started out right. It also talks about how you won't become a success over night. Anything that is great in life is worth waiting for. It will take time to see your successes. Just keep going.

3. The Top Ten Leadership Commandments by Hans Finzel

My favorite part about this book is the fact that the author talks about both his successes and failures. He talks about how he learned from his failures and turned his weaknesses into strengths. This book takes you through ten leadership principles that lead you through the life of Moses. It is a great book for all leaders. It takes you through how you need to have a vision for your leadership before you begin. It also talks about how you are here to serve others but also need to have a life. It gives you tips on how to check your ego and keep your eyes on the prize. This book radically changed the way I lead others.

4. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

This book gives you 21 tips to get more down. The basic principle of this book is that you should do your hardest task of the day first and get it out of the way. Don't procrastinate and just do it. The more you think about it the longer it will take you to complete it. We all feel like we don't have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything we want to accomplish and this book gives you practical advice on how to get more done or at least prioritize and get the stuff done that is most important.

5. Leads Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges

This book takes you through the life of Jesus and uses biblical principles to show you how to be a servant leader. It takes you how to lead with your head, hands and heart. It teaches you what habits you need to have to become a leader. It has many practical examples. It talks about how to influence and encourage others.

6. Jesus Hearted Woman by Jodi Detrick

I found this book by accident. I was on the MOPS website looking for something else and I saw a review of this book and knew I had to read it. I wasn't sorry that I did. This book goes through 10 qualities of a leader. This book is great in teaching you how to deal with both internal and external problems that you will face in your leadership. My favorite part about this book is the fact that it feels like you are having a conversation with the author. Her humor and readability make this book a quick read.

7. On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis

This is probably my go to leadership book. I love how in the beginning he talks about how any leadership journey will have challenges but also talks about how to overcome them. This book is very personable and gives you a clear "how to" to becoming a leader. As my life evolves I find myself reading this book over and over again and gaining new wisdom.  
8. Good to Great by Jim Collins

My favorite part about this book is about how it talks about getting the right people in your organization and then worrying about getting them in the right roles. It gives great examples of how companies have taken themselves from no names and made themselves into household names. It gives you clear tasks to get yourself a good team and become a success.

9. Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell

This book talks about the different types of leaders. Some of us are born leaders while other must learn to be a leader. It talks about how a leader has influence and how to use that influence. I love the chapter on establishing priorities. I love how it breaks them down into the things only you can do and letting other handle the things that you cannot do or you are ill suited for. I like how it discusses what to say yes to and what to say no to. I also love how it discusses change.

10. Axiom: Powerful Leadership Principles by Bill Hybels

Most of the principles in this book are from a ministry perspective but can be used in any walk of life. This has so many relevant and practical examples. I love how you read this book it helps you nail down the reasons you lead. I love how there are 76 short chapters too. I read one each day like a devotional.

As you can see each book gives you a different perspective on how to become a great leader. I hope this review helps you choose a book to read to help you become a better leader. Have a blessed day everyone.

Reading Books

I often get asked how I can read so many books in the course of a year. Most people cannot believe I can read at least four books a month with three children under 5 in the house. Two of these are usually bible studies. The other two are usually personal development. I also usually read one fun book a month. Then I have my devotional readings that I do each morning. So how do I do it?

I make my devotional time a priority each morning. This may mean getting up 15-30 minutes earlier. It may mean that I read my devotionals out loud to the girls because they got up early. It may mean that at nap time I spend the first part of it with God before I work on my business stuff or work out. I may mean that I do it with my husband in the evening and we discuss and pray together. This is my one nonnegotiable in a day. I will spend time with God. It is usually first thing in the morning but let's face it life can be unpredictable and sometimes I have to put it in a different spot in my day.

My second thing I do is my personal development. I want to be the best I can be for both my family and my challengers of my Beachbody business. Most books have on average 12 chapters. I make it a priority to read one chapter  a day. Sometimes I break the chapter into sections and read one section in the morning while the girls are still sleeping and after my devotional. A second section in the afternoon while they are napping. A third section while I'm waiting for dinner to cook. Then finish off the chapter after I get the girls in bed. Others times I read the entire chapter in one sitting. Again I tailor this to my day depending on what the girls moods are like and what else I have planned for the day.

I also use this same formula for my bible study books. I just try to read when I can and make it a priority to finish a chapter a day. This means in a month I can finish two personal development books and two bible studies. I sometimes don't get to the bible study book and that's ok. I have a built in cushion as most books are only 12 chapters and there are usually 30 days in a month. This gives me 6 extra days to play with.

Lastly are my fun books. These only come out when everything else on my to do list is done. These usually come out at about 9:30 when all my work is done, the girls are completely asleep and I finished all my other reading I wanted to get done for the day. This is my way to unwind before bed. This is my rest. Someday I don’t get to my fun book at all. Other days I read 30 minutes. Yet others I read two pages and fall asleep on the couch. The blessing of these books are that they are purely there for relaxation and recreation so it doesn't matter how much I read or how long it takes me to read.

I hope these ideas inspire some of you to read more. I'm always looking for new personal development books and bible studies to read. So leave me a comment and let me know what you are reading right now or any good books that you think I should read. Have a blessed day everyone.

Hospital Go Bag

So yesterday I packed my hospital to go bag. Since this is my third go at this I think I have my bag down to a science. So what is in my bag?

1. Comfy clothes to go home in

I know I need a comfy pair of clothes to go home it. I love taking a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeved shirt for the ride home. We don't have to go far from the hospital to our house so I don’t need anything fancy

2. Clothes for the baby to go home in

This was hard for me as a lot of our stuff is pink! The rest of it was so trashed after three kids I wondered why I even kept it. I found a cute giraffe outfit and a cute ducky outfit for the baby to wear home.

3. Cloth diaper

I love my cloth diapers. I will put the baby in one as soon as we are going home. I use prefolds and Bummi covers with Snappi closures. I will use the hospital diapers while we are there so I don’t have to worry about the wet bag etc.

4. Nipple cream

I love breastfeeding my kids but know how hard it is on my nipples during those first few days. I will have my medulla nipple cream ready. I use it after each nursing session so that I don’t have problems down the road. If I'm proactive then I don't have a problem even after pumping for three months with the twins.

5. Lip Balm

After giving birth my lips get really dry so I will have my lip balm with me

6. Toiletries

I usually take a small thing of shampoo, my toothbrush, my hairbrush and my moose. I'm very simple. I don’t use a hair dryer ever. I don't need to be fancy just feel like I am clean.

7. Book

I will be taking my tablet with me as it has my bible, my bible studies and my books on it. This way I can distract my mind during labor and can have something to do while I am nursing the baby.

8. Music

I also have music on my tablet. This is also used during labor. I also have a play list saved on my I heart music on my phone and my ear buds.

9. Phone

I will have my phone with me so that I can take pictures and post them. I love for everyone to see the baby. This is also fun as no one knows the babies sex. Will it be a boy or girl?

10. Water bottle

If you know me I go nowhere without my water bottle. I drink so much water. I will also have my Shakeology packets with me so my Shakeology water bottle will come in handy when I want to have my Shakeology each morning during my hospital stay.

So there you have it. This is my top ten.

I'm getting so excited to meet Baby D! I cannot wait to see his/her face and hold her. This will be a bittersweet moment as I know that this is our last. Hope everyone has a blessed day.

Lead Like Jesus Quote that I Keep Thinking About

So I just finished the book Lead Like Jesus and in the book Ken Blanchard made this great quote:

"The lord never calls the qualifies. He qualifies the called.

Is there something the Lord has placed on your heart that you feel like you need to do but feel very underqualified for? Maybe he is calling you to a new job. Maybe he is calling you to be a stay at home mom. Maybe he is calling you to spend more time with your kids. Whatever he is calling you to do you need to do it.

Maybe some of the questions running through your mind are:

Will we have enough money?
Will I have enough time to get all the items on my to do list done?
How will I ever gain the trust and prestige I have now at a new company?
How will I survive eight hours at home with the kids?
Will I miss my job?

One thing I learned is to just do it. Whatever door good is asking you to walk through walk through it now. I love this saying:

This is so true. Sometimes we feel God nudging us to do something but because of all the questions we have an unknowns we never make take the first step. Then God nudges us again. Usually this is in the form of a trusted friend saying you should really do this. Or maybe it is a devotional about the exact thing you are struggling with. It could be a sermon on a Sunday morning. It could be in a book your reading. But you still choose to ignore God's nudging.

Then one day he just gets fed up and closes the door. He gave you some chances to do it on your own, but know he forces you to make his decision. At the time we may ask ourselves why did God do this to me? But if we really sat back and thought why we'd see that he wanted us to move forward.

At the time that old door closing can be heartbreaking, but much good will come from moving forward and following God's will. Has there ever been a time in your life when God has closed one door, but opened another? Let's give someone else some encouragement today an share of a time when this happened to you and tell them of the blessing the new door God opened was for you.

Have a blessed day everyone!