Summertime: And the Reading’s Easy

As we head into the long, hazy days, I like to offer some literary suggestions — specifically books that I’ve found useful in my career, helpful in my personal journey, inspirational, or all of the above.

When you need a recharge or looking for a quiet moment, I hope that you’ll check out one of the books below. Reach out to discuss your reactions to them and let me know which books you enjoy!?

I look forward to hearing your favorites from this summer as well!

Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen & Roy Schwartz: Brevity is confidence. Length is fear. This is the guiding principle of Smart Brevity, a communication formula built by Axios journalists to prioritize essential news and information, explain its impact and deliver it in a concise and visual format. Now, the co-founders of Axios have created an essential guide for communicating effectively and efficiently using Smart Brevity—think Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for the digital age. They also share communications lessons learned from their decades of experience in media, business and communications.

Finance Intelligence for Entrepreneurs by Karen Berman, Joe Knight, with John Case: Using the groundbreaking formula they introduced in their book Financial Intelligence: A Manager’s Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean, the authors present the essentials of finance specifically for entrepreneurial managers. Drawing on their work training tens of thousands of people at leading organizations worldwide, the authors provide a deep understanding of the basics of financial management and measurement, along with hands-on activities to practice what you are reading.?

Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting by Wayne Dyer: This book is dedicated to your mastery of the art of realizing all your desires. The greatest gift you have been given is the gift of your imagination. Everything that now exists was once imagined. And everything that will ever exist must first be imagined. Wishes Fulfilled is designed to take you on a voyage of discovery, wherein you can begin to tap into the amazing manifesting powers that you possess within you and create a life in which all that you imagine for yourself becomes a present fact.??

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand: On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins: For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare — poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world’s top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him “The Fittest (Real) Man in America.” He shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: One of the most inspiring and impactful books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has captivated readers for nearly three decades. It has transformed the lives of presidents and CEOs, educators and parents—millions of people of all ages and occupations. Now, this 30th anniversary edition of the timeless classic commemorates the wisdom of the 7 Habits with modern additions.With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity—principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

Take-away: Brian would love to hear what you’re reading and what you think of the suggested books. Reach out to him at [email protected].