Summer is inching towards us in Canada and since my retreat last week I’ve been inspired to step up my own game and connect more to my own word of the year (R I S E).

I’ve been spending time re-reading the books and passages from books that have helped me in activating my own awesome this past year.

It occurred to me that because I love discovering what other people are reading, you just might be interested in what is on my own bookshelf too.

Today I’m sharing the top 5 books I recommend to my own clients (and business bff’s) when they’re looking to Activate their own Awesome.

1. Year of Yes, by Shonda Rhimes – This book helped me in more ways than I can say. It reminded me that if I’m saying No to something, I’m definitely say YES to something else. And, wow. That was that a serious perspective shift for me. It got me to thinking about all the things I really want to do but have put off doing. I can happily report I’ve made big changes for my health AND my business because of Ms. Rhimes’ writing. (Plus, I LOVE that she’s an introvert — INFJ here!).

 

2. The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon – I read this book back in 2011. It was introduced to me in a mastermind group I was in at the time. Mr. Gordon’s book introduced me to “energy vampires” and helped me identify who and what was sucking all my goodness away. After reading it the first time, I developed my own roadmap for navigating the negative energy that I was faced with. After re-reading it, I’ve honed my roadmap and developed my own blueprint for building what I want my world to look and feel like. It’s like a big dose of reality and positivity all rolled up in one neat package.

 

3. Let The Elephants Run, by David Usher – I’ll be honest. The reason I was interested in this book last year was because the word elephant was in the title. When I picked it up to read and discovered it was about activating your creativity? I was all in. Mr. Usher teaches you how to access your creativity and build upon it so that you can let the ideas flow. One of the biggest challenges my clients face is creating compelling content week after week to share with their audience. For me, Let The Elephants Run helped me hone in on my own creativity to stretch as a web designer AND help me tap into a voice I want to share with my own audience on my blog. Plus: Elephants!

 

4. Rising Strong, by Brené Brown – Ms. Brown helped me own my story of struggle. The book helped me face the truth about what had really been going on so I could choose to RISE. Reading this book also made me realize that showing up was my own power. And I had been giving it away to others in my life AND business. Talk about WHOA. Need to find your brave, courage, and truth? Read this book.

 

5. Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert – This book is exactly what it’s title says. It’s about developing your own creative ideas and learning when you’re ready to receive. Ms. Gilbert taught me that by stating out loud what the secret wishes I held in my heart were, it actually gave me permission to actualize them. Do you have big business goals? Read this book, find your courage, declare your intent, and commit to your success. Boom.

Now, I turn to you. Have you read these books? What books would you add to this list?