Eight books you should definitely read
It is fair to say I have 100% joined the nerd club in 2016! Last year I fell in love with reading and this year I have made it a real key part of my life. Last year I set out to read 10 books and achieved that, this year I set out to read 20 and today I finished my 24th book I've read so far this year.
Reading has become a priority to me. I feel sharper and smarter because of it. My appetite for learning has grown and a way I do this is through reading books. In school I used to think reading was stupid now I view it as a way to train myself and grow. People go to the gym to lift weights to grow their muscles and people read to learn, be inspired and grow.
So I thought I'd share eight books with you that I have read this year and would highly recommend to you. (These are in no particular order.)
Courageous Leadership - Bill Hybels
This is my favourite book I have read so far by Bill Hybels. It was an easy read yet very inspiring. This book is great for anyone who wants to be a leader. Whether you are young or old, you should read this book!
The Imperfect Pastor - Zack Eswine
This book changed my life. Big call but I mean it! As a pastor it’s easy to find your identity in what you do. It helped me so much. This book was so raw and honest yet so comforting. This is by far my favourite book I have read this year. If you are in pastoral ministry or want to be, I highly recommend this. I will be reading this once a year from now on.
Leading - Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson was brutally honest in this book and I loved it. I love sport and leadership so this book was the perfect combo for me. This book was not an autobiography but Sir Alex Ferguson shared leadership lessons he learned from his career and life. It gave an insight into his world, what it was like to lead men with big bank accounts and amazing talent. The thing that stood out to me from this book was Sir Alex Ferguson's relentless pursuit of success in football yet his family seemed to suffer because of that. It reminded me of the importance of family and not too let that suffer in career pursuits.
THE 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP - JOHN MAXWELL
A pure classic. I couldn’t put this book down!
Chapter One - Daniel Flynn
What a different and cool book. I love what Daniel Flynn and the team are doing with Thankyou! At first this book annoyed as it is written in landscape format haha! I couldn’t get over it and struggled through the first chapter but once I got used to it I flew through the book.
Daniel Flyn and the team are inspiring. As a young leader myself, I enjoyed reading about another young leaders journey, as Daniel shared their highs and lows so far. Often books can feel overwhelming as the author is often an older person with a great deal of life experience and there can feel like a massive gap between where the reader is and the author is in life. Chapter One was encouraging as it was written by someone around my age.
Love your work Daniel!, if you haven’t read this book you should! Also check out all the work Thankyou are doing.
Extreme Ownership - Jockco Willink & Leif Babin
AMAZING! You need to download this book as an audio book (the way the narrate the book is incredible). This book is written by a couple of navy seals and they share leadership lessons learned in the navy. It was fascinating hearing stories from the navy but then applying the principals learned to life today. This book is a must read (listen) for all leaders.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey
This would have to go down as one of the best books I have ever read. After having numerous people recommend this book to me I finally got around to reading it. This book is a book you can build your life around. You’d be crazy not to read this book.
Like A Virgin – Sir Richard Branson
This book is different to most books. The chapters are small and it’s really easy to read. This book is a compilation of random ideas scribbles down on a notepad, answers to questions that have been asked to Sir Richard over the years and gives an insight into how Sir Richard Branson operates. This book made me think bigger and dream bigger.