Gift a Book Challenge

Books have not only impacted my life, they have transformed it. A few that have triggered the biggest shifts:

- The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

- The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

- Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley

- BRRRR by David Greene

- Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday

- Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday

- Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

- Grit by Angela Duckworth

- Unf*ck Yourself by Gary John Bishop

- Stop Doing That Sh*t by Gary John Bishop

These are just a sliver of the hundreds of books I've devoured thanks to Miss Windsor, my highscool English teacher, who introduced me to classics such as Catcher in the Rye, Anna Karenina, Wuthering Heights, and other glorious pages of magnificent escape.

Books have opened up possibilities - different worlds I can explore and live in for a few minutes or several hours. As I grew older, I leaned into more non-fiction material - self-help, business, personal development, real estate, marketing, dabbling with fiction on the side when a good series crosses my radar (Harry Potter, Maze Runner, Game of Thrones...).

Books have been my inanimate friends since elementary. They've made me laugh, opened my mind, challenged my perspective. They've been a source of escape, of inspiration, of courage.

I've held on to every single book I've bought or have been gifted, amassing quite a collection. This year, as I chip away at my life, discarding everything that blocks my view from what truly matters, I've come to terms with letting a lot of my books go. They're better off released from my bookshelves and storage boxes out to the world to have a better chance of landing on the hands of someone who might be in need of hearing what they have to say. Someone else who needs an adventure, a solution, or a nudge to a different direction.

The handful that are way too close to my heart that I intend to re-read, stay.

My first batch to donate involved 7 boxes of books in an assortment of genres. Instead of just dropping them off at the thrift store, I decided to download the Little Free Library app that has a cool navigation map of little libraries in my area. My husband and I went Little Free Library hopping and spread these little treasures in Hayward and Castro Valley.

It felt great knowing their life and purpose lives on. I invite you to do the same. You can download the Little Free Library app on your phone or you can gift some of them to someone you think they can help. They're better off out there instead of gathering dust on your bookshelf or boxed up in your attic. Let them go and allow them to start a new chapter for someone else.

Use hashtag #giftabook when you share the books you're gifting or giving away. I'm curious what they are!

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Dedicated To Multiplying Your Happiness,

Marge

A Life Well Lived Team

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