Developing a Better You

Tag: Cholesterol Clarity

A Few of My Favorite Personal Development Books

In last week’s post, therapist Susan Stocker offered suggestions on beating the blues by taking inventory of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. As a follow up, I’m sharing a favorite personal development book of mine from each category:

PHYSICAL

Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers? by Jimmy Moore with Eric C. Westman, MD

As high cholesterol and heart issues run in my family, this is a topic of personal interest. Moore and Westman turn the traditionally understood relationship between cholesterol and heart health on its head. With layman’s language, this is a very readable and compelling book for anyone looking for a more complete understanding of this very common health issue.

MENTAL

30-Second Philosophies, edited by Barry Loewer

This unique book takes fifty of the world’s most important philosophical ideas and explains them in one page each. Clear language and bold graphics help even a novice grasp these concepts that most of us have heard about but never really understood. Reading these passages will help you think about your life and the world in new and better ways.

EMOTIONAL

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

Why are the Danish people consistently ranked as the happiest in the world? This small, compulsively readable book answers that question. Author Meik Wiking, the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, balances sharing his research findings with colorful anecdotes and insights into Danish culture. After reading this, don’t be surprised if you find yourself buying a new sweater, lighting candles, and inviting friends over for comfort food in front of the fireplace.

SPIRITUAL

The Diary of an Old Soul by George MacDonald

George MacDonald (1824-1905) is widely considered one of the most influential and important writers of the Victorian era. Written in 1880, this collection of MacDonald’s poetic prayers is one of the most beautiful and compelling books I’ve ever read. Organized with a short prayer for each day of the year, my edition also has blank pages for doodling or journaling your own thoughts and prayers in response to his. This is a book I’ve returned to again and again when I need a balm for my soul.

So how about you? Do any of these books spark your interest? Pick one up today. What are some of your favorite personal development books? Share them in the comment section below. For fun, I’ve included a video tour of my former closet library from my YouTube channel. Thanks so much for being a part of this community. I hope these recommendations encourage, equip, and empower you on your journey to Becoming Yourself.

My Favorite Resources for Personal Development

Personal Development: The Crossroads of Should and MustI got a phone call from my sister the other day. We had a long, wide-ranging conversation about everything from the challenges of raising teenagers to how to have a relationship with God. Several times during the call, I suggested books that had helped me in a few of the areas we were discussing. She seemed genuinely interested in hearing about them.

With that in mind, I thought I’d use this post to share some books and websites that have helped me become a better version of myself. I hope they can be an inspiration and a catalyst for growth in your own life. Here are some of my favorites in various categories:

CAREER: The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna – an easy read that uses colorful pictures and engaging graphics to communicate concepts. This book helps you find your true passions, then goes on to show how to turn them into a career by differentiating our “should do’s” from our “must do’s”.

Personal Development: Daily RitualsHABITS: Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey – this fascinating book is made up of short entries on the lives and daily habits of over 150 successful people from a variety of creative fields. It gave me so many useful tips on how to practically organize and live out each day for both productivity and enjoyment.

PHYSICAL: Cholesterol Clarity by Jimmy Moore – this book helped me understand the latest science on cholesterol, diet and overall heart health; kennedypm.com – a fun, engaging blog full of nutritional insight, easy recipes and beautiful photography (full disclosure – this is my daughter’s website and yes, she’s awesome 🙂 ).

Personal Development: Walking With GodSPIRITUAL: Walking With God by John Eldredge – this book helped me deepen my personal experience of God by showing how an intimate, conversational relationship with God is possible; Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – this classic work from a master writer provides an intellectual foundation for a belief in God and a Christian worldview.

FINANCIAL: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – this 23 minute episode on financial planning had me laughing out loud yet was the gut punch I needed to start educating myself on finances and retirement; The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey – a clear, easy to follow method for finding freedom from financial stress by one of America’s most trusted names in financial advice; Money: Master the Game by Tony Robbins – if you read Dave Ramsey and are interested in upping your financial knowledge even higher, this book is a more in depth look at investing for your future. It’s packed with interviews with the most successful investors in the world and delivered with Tony’s well known motivational style.

Personal Development: John OliverMENTAL: lumosity.com – a free website where you play fun, short games designed to exercise your brain, a key to warding off the mental decline that comes with advancing age; Words I Wish I Wrote by Robert Fulghum – a collection of moving, motivating, and thought provoking excerpts from many of the top writers in history that inspired Fulghum’s own classic “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”. Organized by category for easy reference, this is a gem I’ve turned to again and again to shape my thinking about life and my place in it.

Personal Development: Words I Wish I WroteSERVING: volunteermatch.org – a great website that allows you to search for volunteer opportunities in your area based on your skills and interests. I’ve used it to volunteer with a wide variety of wonderful organizations.

GIVING: charitynavigator.org – this website provides a way to give to the needs of the world with confidence by ranking charitable organizations on their financial trustworthiness and effectiveness.

I’m SO grateful for the guidance and insight these writers and resources have given me. Choose one that looks interesting to you and dive in! If you do, you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

Have any favorite resources of your own that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear about them! List them in the comments below.

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