Monthly Archives: December 2017

What To Read This Christmas

I honestly can’t believe that this time in a week it is Christmas Day.

Are you ready for it? I think I am!

I wanted to share with you a list of the books that I have read this year in case you wanted to curl up on the sofa at some point with a good book.

And yes, I really have read 49 books this year.  I aim to read one personal development book a week and can quite easily read a light hearted book in a day if on holiday.

If you only have time to read one book then I would recommend  ‘The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington’. I think we live in a time where a lot of us just aren’t getting enough sleep and the consequences of this can be huge.

If you have time for a second then definitely ‘My Story by Jo Malone’. It is possibly one of the most interesting biographies I have read, I really couldn’t put it down.

 

Non Fiction 

  • The Sleep Revolution – Arianna Huffington
  • Female Breadwinners – Suzanne Doyle-Morris
  • Get the Presentation X Factor – Tina Coulsting Carter
  • Frazzled – Ruby Wax
  • They F**K You Up: How to Survive Family Life – Oliver James
  • Leading – Alex Ferguson
  • Why Now is The Time To Crush It – Gary Vaynerchuk
  • Ask Garyvee – Gary Vaynerchuk
  • My Story – Jo Malone
  • A Path appears – Nicholas Kristof & Sherly WuDunn
  • The Fire Starter Session – Danielle La Porte
  • Screw business as usual – Richard Branson
  • The Storytellers Secret Carmine Gallo
  • The Glass Wall – Sue Underman & Kathryn Jacob
  • Secrets of Six Figure Women – Barbara Stanny
  • Flip It – Michael Heppell
  • Busy – Tony Crabbe
  • Raving Fans – Ken Blanchard
  • Taming Your Gremlin – Richard Carson
  • An Entrepreneurs Guide to Book Marketing Success – Georgia Kirke
  • The Happiness of Pursuit – Chris Guillebeau
  • Your Best Year Yet – Jinny Ditzier
  • The Go-Giver – Bob Burg & John David Mann
  • The 100 Year Life – Grafton & Andrew Scott
  • Option B – Sheryl Sandberg
  • Will it Fly – Pat Flyn
  • Moments of Truth – Jan Carlzon
  • What to put on your LinkedIn Profile – Naomi Johnson
  • Thinking Fast & Slow – Daniel Kahneman
  • The ACT of Attraction in Business – Tamsen Garrie
  • Do The Work – Steven Pressfield
  • Why You Need a Business Story & How To Create It – David Sloly

 

Fiction

  • Night School – Lee Child
  • The Help – Kathryn Stockett
  • Confessions of a Murder Suspect – James Patterson
  • Confessions The Private School Murders – James Patterson
  • 16th Seduction – James Patterson
  • Speaking in Tongues – Jeffrey Deaver
  • The Husbands Secret – Liane Moriarty
  • No Where to Run – Nancy Bush
  • Pay it Forward – Catherine Ryan Hyde
  • Before I Let You In – Jenny Blackhurst
  • The Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson
  • Friendly Fire – Patrick Gale
  • More Than You Can Say – Paul Torday
  • The Wrong Side of Goodbye – Michael Connelly
  • The Five People you meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
  • The Way Back Home – Freya North
  • In the company of The Courtesan – Sarah Dunant

I would love to know what books that you have read this year and which ones you would recommend.

Time to Reflect on 2017

Well, here we were heading to the end of another year. Before the festive season gets into full swing it is a good time to reflect on how the year has been for you.

Take the opportunity to look back on what you’ve learnt, what you’re proud of and what, if anything, you feel needs to change in 2018.

 

I hope 2017 has been a great year for you. But, as you go through the questions below, be sure to celebrate the successes – however small they may have been. And, if something didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, then don’t beat yourself up. Simply celebrate the good things and let the other stuff go.

 

So, sit back with a cup of tea, or maybe a glass of festive cocktail, and mince pie and enjoy reflecting on 2017. Then prepare for an even better 2018!

 

  1. What three things are you proud of achieving in 2017?
  2. What five things are you most grateful for in your life?
  3. What new skill have you learnt?
  4. What was the most important lesson you learnt?
  5. What was your favourite book and why?
  6. Describe your 2017 in 5 words.
  7. If you visited some new places in 2017 what was your favourite?
  8. Which five people did you most enjoy spending time with and why?
  9. What have you learnt in your career?
  10. What was the best compliment that you received this year?
  11. What did you try for the first time this year?
  12. What worries turned out to be unnecessary?
  13. What was the funniest moment of the year?
  14. Which two things would you do differently?

So, that’s your reflection of 2017. I trust it’s helped you to take stock.

Looking forward to 2018.

  1. Which one goal do you most want to achieve?
  2. What do you hope to achieve in your career?
  3. Which one place do you want most to visit?
  4. What skill would you like to improve or learn?
  5. What one thing do you want to change to improve your work life balance?

In January we’ll focus in more detail on how to set goals so that you achieve them but for now celebrate everything that you’ve achieved – no matter how small – and have in your life.

In the meantime, I hope that you have a lovely Christmas and New Year.