March 2021-Reading

 


The Flexible Body by Roger Frampton

Overview

I learned about Roger Frampton from his TED X talk. I loved the idea of movement based fitness. This book is more of a flexibility plan that a book about fitness.

What we can Learn

How to be healthy people with a decent range of motion.

Rating

I enjoyed the book and found the perspective refreshing. However, without actually committing to the process, it was tough to find any benefit. I just borrowed the book and would need to buy it to gin the benefits, but it wasn’t that good.


Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull

Overview

Part self-help and part leadership, this book is a winner. There are tons of lessons on fostering culture, organization and leadership.

What we can Learn

Hearing other’s win and losses is always helpful. To hear that even despite the success, others feel like failures makes my imposter syndrome less scary. I enjoyed the leadership lessons and story of the rise of Pixar.  

Rating

I’d read it again. I’d for sure read it and probably take notes or engage in others ways on the book to make it stick more, though maybe not enough to actually buy it.

 

The Good Fight by Les Parrott

Overview

This book by well known phycologist and relationship expert explains how to navigate conflict. Conflict will happen, but it doesn’t have to hinder relationship. In fact when conflict is done right it can not only bring people closer, but make them both better. This book had a lot of strategies and science to help readers understand conflict more.  

What we can Learn

I was deep in the planning phase for a busy season at work, so I thought of working with my boss. I was able to see healthy conflict can apply to many groups and pairs of people, not just marriages.

Rating

While I’d read it again, I found it strangely shallow and repetitive.

 

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben

Overview

This book is about designing your life to be happier. The author chose one goal every month and takes the reader on a journey of the success, failure and discovery along the way. Ruben is witty and relatable, so the book was a joy to read. Full of humour and interesting ideas, this book makes self work practical.

What we can Learn

Ironically, in 2020 I did something similar to the author. I had a yearly goal and then set one goal every month to contribute to that goal. Except my goal wasn’t happiness, it was health. I appreciated the ideas Ruben had and was able to use some of her revelations myself.

Rating

As I’ve said before, I am realizing how powerful story is. Having this “self-help” book as a personal story was way more impactful than if Ruben had just told me what to do. It was a fun read; one I’d do again and take a few notes on. But once I have the principals, I doubt I‘d read it again.

 

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