Beyond a List of Books to Read
One Action that will Significantly Improve Your Life
This time of year, there are a lot of articles recommending books to read. I often go through those lists to see what I’ve already read. If I haven’t read one that piques my interest, I check my library app to see if the local library carries it. If the library doesn’t have, maybe, just maybe, I’ll put it on my Amazon wish list.
However, the majority of the books that are recommended in these articles simply don’t tickle my fancy. And there’s a good reason why I’m not interested in most book lists — even the ones that tell me what Bill Gates has been reading.
Why is that, you ask? Because I’m not Bill Gates. Or Elon Musk. Or Warren Buffett. Or anyone else that many of these lists are based upon. Certainly not some “random” writer that I don’t know and may never cross paths with.
A couple days ago, I was meeting with a long-time friend and explained some general details about a conflict that I’ve been having with a co-worker. For the most part, he simply sat and listened to me. But as that portion of our conversation wrapped up, he mentioned a book that he had read.
His suggestion was so “on target” that I wrote down the title. When I got home, I found the eBook version online and bought it. Why did I act on his recommendation? Because he not only thought it was a good book, but he also thought it spoke to a particular issue that I was having — at the moment.
Most book lists that we encounter on Medium are nice lists. But the recommendations are made by complete strangers. And strangers really don’t know what’s happening in your life, so they’re suggestions are simply nice (or dare I say, a chance for them to make a little residual income when you click on the title and buy the book on Amazon).
So rather than ask you to ignore all those book lists, I would suggest that you do something like I did with me friend. Find someone to talk to about things that are currently happening in your life and let them help you explore possible answers that are pertinent to you.
Of, if I may add my own advice, find a professional life coach and allow him or her to help you significantly grow in one or two areas of your life in 2021.
Yes, a professional life coach can be “expensive” for you. A local life coach would cost you at least $500 for a month of weekly meetings. There are also “big league” coaches who can run you over $5,000 for a coaching package. Why in the world would you lay out that kind of money when you could just ask a friend for a book recommendation?
CBSNews.com said this about the return on investment (ROI) from life coaching:
The ROI from professional coaching is astonishing. According to one study of Fortune 100 executives, the Economic Times reports “coaching resulted in an ROI of almost six times the program cost as well as a 77% improvement in relationships, 67% improvement in teamwork, 61% improvement in job satisfaction and 48% improvement in quality.”
What if you were able to see half the return mentioned above? If your personal relationships improved by 40%, would it be worth laying out the money to see that happen? If you had a 30% improvement in your job satisfaction — without having to change jobs — would it be worth it?
And, if you read the article, notice other benefits that are mentioned in the very first paragraph: catapulting your career, breaking free from 9–5 jobs, and creating better, more fulfilling, richer lives.
How many books on the lists you’ve seen lately will actually help those three things happen in your life? A life coach not only helps you aim for these potential outcomes, but also keeps you accountable to reach them. Something that a book simply cannot do.
As a life coach myself, I do occasionally recommend that someone read a book. And on our next meeting, I ask them how they might implement key thoughts from that book and I hold their feet to the fire to get it done.
Most life coaches will give you a 30-minute to one-hour free consultation to see if the two of you can work together. Even if it takes a couple free meetings to find the person you “click” with, it will be well worth your time.
If your thinking about resolutions for your new year, consider adding a life coach to your list. An hour a week for a month or two, and perhaps another hour per month to complete any follow-up, will be well worth your time and money!
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Not sure if a life coach is right for you? Check this article to understand the difference between a coach, consultant, and counselor: