My 1st Book Review (and it's a good one)!

I love books! I love looking for them on Amazon, I love looking at them in bookstores, I love reading them, talking about them...you get the idea. I am a self-proclaimed book nerd! They make me happy. I was just talking to my youngest daughter today about what our favorite things to do are: mine is drinking coffee while reading a good book and then journaling about it. (She could't really think of just one favorite thing to do.) Books do something to my soul! It invigorates me, inspires me, entertains me, and truly makes me feel joyful. Ok, are you getting it now? I love books!

I aim to read about a book a month. I'm not much of a fiction reader, although my writing classes are stretching me a bit in this area. So my main focus on reading is self-development and personal growth. There's just something fascinating to me about reading ways to make me a better person. You are probably saying to yourself right now "I don't have time to read books." Yes, well if you make it important to you, I guarantee you will make time for it. I read a chapter each night before bed. It takes all of 15 minutes to get done. If you don't have 15 minutes to spare, get off Facebook! Totally kidding (sort of), but there are some great books on CD for the car too!

On to 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do, by Amy Morin. "Amy Morin is a licensed clinical social worker, college psychology instructor, and psychotherapist. Amy serves as Verywell's Parenting Teens Expert and Child Discipline Expert, and is a regular contributor to Forbes, Inc., and Psychology Today. She is the only person in the psychology industry who is talking about mental strength on a global level. She lives in Enfield, Maine (back cover of book). Amy has been through some devastating losses in her life. I won't tell you the specifics because I think it really adds to the content of the book. She pulls from those tragedies insight and paired with her background she has some amazing tips for the reader to master. Here they are:

#1 Don't waste time feeling sorry for yourself.

#2 Don't give away your power.

#3 Don't shy away from change.

#4 Don't focus things you can't control. (felt a little convicted on this one, not gonna lie!)

#5 Don't worry about pleasing everyone.

#6 Don't fear taking calculated risks.

#7 Don't dwell on the past.

#8 Don't make the same mistakes over and over.

#9 Don't resent other people's success. (guilty at times!)

#10 Don't give up after the first failure. (can I get an AMEN!?)

#11 Don't fear alone time.

#12 Don't feel the world owes you anything.

#13 Don't expect immediate results. (shoot!)

That's the breakdown of the 13 tips! I won't cover each one because the goal is to get you to read the book. I can't say enough good things about it. It's an easy read and has very practical application tips. Yes, it's great to read about self-development and personal growth but if you aren't going to apply it then what's the point? So get a highlighter, a journal, and mark up this book! I purchased my book at Barnes & Noble at LSSU, but I'm sure you can get it on Amazon. Enjoy the book and I would love to hear from you what you think of it!

Happy Reading,

D