13 Books that changed my mindset in 2020.

In January 2020, I set myself to read on average a book a week - 52 books in a year. Below are the 13 books out of the 52 read in 2020, which had the most impact on me and really changed my mindset for the better.

1. The Comparision Cure: How to be less ‘them’ and more you by Lucy Sheridan (Non-Fiction)

I read this book while I was on furlough, feeling a little lost. I stuck on this comparison cycle - should I do being more with my time?, should I have a side hustle?, should I be volunteering? It went on and I ended up being more productive than ever. Volunteering for Mustard Tree, setting up my house illustration side hustle, doing courses, CPDs and of course, reading. Then I read this book, and started to realise I am so worried about what others think about me; I have forgotten how to live my best life. This book is great for anyone who is feeling a little lost in life and needs some coaching to go back to their own values and beliefs. It is filled with little exercises to complete - my favourite is the visualisation of your ideal day. Best book for resetting your life on your terms.

Your definition of success, and your pursuit of it, should present you with broad and deep growth based on who you are and how you want to feel every day. Anything else is at best a compromise and at worst a tragedy.

2. Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King (Non-Fiction)

I have this on my Kindle and I don’t think I have gone back to a book so much in a year. This book is simple filled with useful chapters on how to manage everyday challenges in your life such as managing toxic jobs or people to nutrition to how to stop procrastinating.

3. Me and White Supremacy: How to recognise your privilege, combat racism and change the world by Layla Saad (Non-Fiction)

I read this after the horrific killing of George Floyd and as the Black Lives Matter protests spread across our cities and the world to show the we stand together in unity against racially motivated violence against black people. I have to say this book really opened my eyes to my own privilege as a white woman. It is a 28 day guided exploration into your own privilege and what you can do to help combat racism.

Your desire to be seen as good can actually prevent you from doing good, because if you do not see yourself as part of the problem, you cannot be part of the solution.

4. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Non-Fiction)

I can not recommend this book enough. This challenges the idea of how we really can not judge a book by its cover and really makes you think about how we react to strangers, in our personal and professional life. Trigger warning: it does touch on some sensitive subjects such as sexual assault, rape and violence against black people.

5. Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking by Matthew Syed (Non-Fiction)

This book is about the power of diversity in our personal and professional lives. Diversity is a word, which certainly has been thrown around a lot this year, however this books digs deep into why diversity is so important for business, progress and innovation. Recommend to anyone especially those who are in a position of power or are in recruitment/HR.

This will prove to be a key source of innovation in the design of systems, allowing individuals to play to their strengths, and to bring their distinctiveness into the workplace.

6. The Little Big Things by Henry Fraser (Non Fiction)

In a year where life changed the way we knew it, this book was a perfect anecdote from someone’s life who really did have his life changed over night and how he adapted his life and mindset to cope. A relatively quick read and recommend to anyone who struggles to cope with change or is currently facing a health issue, which changes the way they have to live their lives.

All of us had come to realise that we would become stronger if we focused on the things we were able to do, not the things we couldn’t.

7. Creativity Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that stand in the way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull (Non-Fiction)

This book a must read for any leader, director, manager or team leader out there. This isn’t just for creatives, though does have some lovely stories about the making of Pixar Films; this book is for anyone who wants to run a successful, innovative team.

The responsibility for finding and fixing problems should be assigned to every employee, from the most senior manager to the lowliest person on the production line.

8. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Fiction)

Matt Haig is my favourite author and I will recommend all his books but this one is something special. I am glad I read this book as it is all about ‘what ifs’ in life, and it is true that we truly will never know what life could be like if we didn’t or did make a certain decision, and even if we could know, doesn’t mean we would be any happy or the outcome wouldn’t still be the same.

9. Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bergman (Non-Fiction)

This was a perfect 2020 book when the whole world seemed to be against each other and judging each other, this book reminded me how actually humans are naturally kind, and the power the media, TV etc. in distorting our view of society. I also recommend his other book which I read last year- Utopia for Realists too.

10. Dear Life: A Doctor’s Story of Love and Loss by Rachel Clarke (Non-Fiction)

I read this after losing my uncle in late October this year. I have always felt uneasy around the subject of death, however this book really helped me understand it better. I cried a lot through this book, however it really has helped me sit a bit more at peace with death.

11. The Nanny State Made Me: A story of Britain and How to Save it by Stuart Maconie (Non-Fiction)

This book fascinated me, and really challenges my understanding our state system in the Britain and the power of good it can have on society. I received this a birthday present however it came at an appropriate time where Marcus Rashford was challenging the government on free school meals, where society were demanding a greener, healthy environment and businesses nation wide were struggling through a global pandemic, where large global corporations are not paying taxes or going under begging the state to bail them out.

12. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (Non-Fiction)

Again, I would recommend all her books and her fantastic podcasts however this book really made me realise how it is okay to be vulnerable - personally and professionally. As someone who has battled with imposter syndrome and poor mental health most of my life, I have been accustom to hiding my emotions in the fear of judgement or failure, but actually after reading this book, I realised, it’s just my own judgement that’s holding me back. Doesn’t mean I am going to be crying all the time or talking about my feelings all the time, just means I might say ‘I am fearing I am getting this wrong, can you help?’, a little more.

When we stop caring about what people think, we lose our capacity for connection. When we become defined by what people think, we lose our willingness to be vulnerable. If we dismiss all the criticism, we lose out on important feedback, but if we subject ourselves to the hatefulness, our spirits get crushed. It’s a tightrope, shame resilience is the balance bar, and the safety net below is the one or two people in our lives who can help us reality-check the criticism and cynicism.

13. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Non-Fiction)

This was the last book I read of the year- book 52 of 52, but it really helped me focus on some small changes I can make to my life to lead a better life in 2021, in line with my goals and values in life. Recommend to anyone who feels they are rubbish to sticking to habits or has a clear goal in life but need help with the process to get there. A quote from the book-‘The goal is not to read a book; it is to become a reader’- I guess I can say ‘I am a reader’ now.

Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe.

That’s all- if you made it to the bottom of this page- I am sorry I wrote so much but I love sharing my learnings and thoughts about books.

I have not shared all those books but if you would like to follow my reading journey- I have logged all my books on Bookshop.org- an online store which supports local bookshops nationally.*

All there is left to say is - Happy New Year all.

*I make a small commission from anything bought via this link however all money raised will be going to charity.