Of course you know all about Essentialism, by Greg McKeown, by now — Rachel and I consider it a must-read. This is the kind of book you’ll find yourself going back to again and again.
Here are some other books we love and recommend. Don’t feel like you need to read ALL of them (and certainly not all at once!). Trust your gut about which of these speaks to you most right now:
The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman: This is a hugely popular, internationally bestselling book that has saved a lot of people’s relationships. It includes a quiz that both you and your partner can take that indicates your primary “Love Language,” which is the way you prefer to express and receive love. {This is another way of defining your value system, similar to how various people have a different Emotional Currency or different Core Desired Feelings.} Not everyone is wired the same way, and a LOT of people’s fundamental differences in relationships can be attributed to their having different Love Languages.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson — We can’t recommend this book enough. As you can probably imagine from the title, this is a no-nonsense guide to living life more intentionally and caring less about things that don’t matter (or that you can’t change anyway).
E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality, by Pam Grout — If you want to bridge the gap between logic and spirituality, this is the perfect book to get started. You will be seriously amazed by the results of these experiments. Check out our Bonus Book Club episode on the podcast to hear us talk more about this book.
My Year With Eleanor, by Noelle Hancock — In this memoir, the author spends an entire year doing one thing every day that scares her. If you want to break through some GAILs and seriously up your courage, this book will be particularly inspiring.
The Big Leap, by Gay Hendricks — This is about “upper limit problems.” In other words, the ways we tend to sabotage ourselves when things are going well in our lives, and how to prevent that. Really fascinating and useful!
A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson — Also a hugely popular, internationally bestselling book. Marianne Williamson has been one of the most well-known and praised spiritual teachers for decades. This book is a culmination of the lessons she learned while studying “A Course in Miracles,” which is a spiritual text that she’s a master of. If you’re looking for something that will give you a lot of “aha moments” and truths about life and the way you see it, this is a great book to dive in to.
Let us know what you think of any of these books we’ve mentioned, and feel free to post your own recommendations!