Measuring Time in Books

I read a lot. Which may sound like a boast, but, in this case, it's actually more of a confession. Despite the fact (or maybe because!) I come from a family of readers, reading wasn't particularly encouraged once I'd learned to do it. But, to be fair, this is probably because I used to read ALL the time. My mother tried to encourage me to put down my book and play outside, eat, even watch TV for goodness' sake! So, while I realize in the real world most people strive to read more than they do, for me reading is more of a guilty pleasure and something I have to stop myself from doing as much as I want to.

So, as I look back on the decade, I can't help but look at it in context of books. I read more fiction than non, but when I look at the non-fiction I read this decade, it feels like it reflects my own story. I married my husband in 2010, and we immediately were faced with some family health issues, so I threw myself into light fantasy (think witches and vampires) as an easy escape, but soon replaced fantasy with happiness philosophy (Four Agreements, The Happiness Project, Conscious Living, Revolution From Within, Happiness Now!, The Gifts of Imperfection). Shortly thereafter, I joined a CSA to get weekly farm fresh vegetables, which jumpstarted cooking for the first time in my life (yes, I signed up having no idea what I'd do with all these bizarre vegetables we'd be getting every week, so quickly had to learn to cook with them). I started reading books about nutrition and the meaning it can have (Real Food, Omnivore's Dilemma, Whole, Cooked).

As it got closer to the birth of my first child, I studied up on childbirth and birthing options. I read so much about childbirth, I could easily teach a class on it, as well as gained the confidence to have two natural, drug free births. ...But, oops, I didn't read much about raising those kids, so I quickly turned to books about sleep, hiring a nanny, potty training, etc. A few years later, I didn't see a path for success where I was professionally, and read about looking at work and success differently (How Will You Measure Your Life, Happier, Year of Yes, Springboard, This Time I Dance). After the happy surprise of a promotion, I was able to put much of that learning into effect as I created a new type of role. The next books taught me about having a bigger impact with my words and actions (Made to Stick, Weekend Language, Drop the Ball). Then, about cultivating strong female leadership (Feminist Fight Club, Becoming, Brave Not Perfect, and endless books written by female comedians). At the start of this year, when I began leading a change effort to create an innovation organization, not surprisingly, I read many books on change management, innovation organizations, and leadership (Switch, Originals, The Goal, Pivot to the Future, Leading Change, Dare to Lead, Creativity Inc., The Ten Faces of Innovation, and Ten Types of Innovation to name a few).

Which brings me to current day - I'm reading Start with Why by Simon Sinek, and the timing couldn't be better, as I had the opportunity to witness Sadhana Joliet help innovation teams to understand and articulate their WHY.

There are a lot of things I’m looking forward to during this decade, and reading new books is definitely one. What will you be reading this year - or even this decade?