What Are You Reading?

As you will recall, I have enrolled in Purdue University Global to pursue an Associate Degree in Business. Because I am pursuing a degree, I have been reading a lot of academic texts. I have learned a lot and appreciate the information. I have already put into practice a few things that I have learned from just these few courses that I have taken.

In addition to academic reading, I have also been reading other non-fiction books. I have recently finished reading Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. I did buy the "adult" version. There are many curse words in the passages, but it didn't bother me. In fact, I think that they were able to add depth to the experiences explained by David Goggins. I have sense learned that there is an edited version of the book that does not include curse words. I would recommend that every high school student read that book as they prepare for life in and beyond high school. I especially appreciate his chapter on failure. I have learned over the years that failure is not bad. Don't misunderstand me. Failure is not fun, but failure is a learning opportunity. Failure can be a set back and a time to evaluate, but it is not an excuse to stop. Goggins writes, "In life, there is no gift as overlooked or inevitable as failure.....because in every failure a lot of good things will have happened, and we must acknowledge them." That portion of the book reminded me of Carol Dweck's book Mindset and her work on Growth Mindset. It's been a while since I read that book, but perhaps it is time to review that book again.

I am currently reading, and nearing the end of, Originals How Non-Conformists Change The World by Adam Grant. Though these may seem as completely different books, I have found that there are some common themes. The primary common themes are speaking truth and managing the mind. Grant sprinkles each chapter with various stories and examples of the chapter's topic. I find that the stories add a personal perspective to the topic and helps to make the topic more relatable. I was attracted to this book by the title. Non-Conformists, I loved that word. I think of myself as a non-conformists. I have certainly done things in my life that didn't make sense to a lot of people, but in the end, it was the best decision for me and my family. One of those decisions was to create and open De Beau Microschool. It helped my family, and has helped many families since then.

Finally, I am currently rereading and reviewing The Index Card Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to Be complicated by Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack. My world has been changed and impacted by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. I felt like I was spending money left and right and losing control. I was thankful that I had a book to go to for review and reset. Again, one of the main topics is mindset. Be firm in saving and creating an emergency fund. Be sure to have appropriate insurance. I was thankful to have had those topics explained well, and active in my life before the hurricanes. Because we had appropriate insurance and an emergency fund, we were able to evacuate both storms. Our home was deemed "totaled" by insurance. We are preparing to build a new home. In reviewing The Index Card, I feel better prepared for the upcoming hurricane season and my future with my family.

I enjoy reading and learning while reading. While I am learning from my academic reading, I do not find it as interesting as my personal choices of non-fiction. I have learned from the books and this blog post, that it's all about the mindset. What are you reading? What is your mindset?

References:

Dweck, C. (2017). Mindset. Robinson.

Goggins, D. (2018). Can't Hurt Me. Lioncrest Publishing.

Grant, A. M. (2016). Originals how non-conformists move the world. Viking.

Olen, H., & Pollack, H. A. (2017). The index card: why personal finance doesn't have to be complicated. Portfolio/Penguin.