2023 Reading List & 3 Books Which Changed the Way I Live & Lead
What is it that makes the air of New Year’s Day feel lighter?
24 hours ago, I was the same person, wearing the same ankle high gardening boots, mesmerised by the same view, breathing the same country air.
But today, that air feels different.
Not to upset tradition, last night I kept Nana hours. I was tucked up & lights out, one minute past the moment daylight was swallowed by the sparkly night sky. Call it 9.30pm.
Hours later I woke to the unmistakable sound of distant percussive explosions. It was the exact stroke of midnight, & as though my subconscious was prodding me awake, desperate to share the excitement of a clean slate.
Today the page has been turned, & pre-existing life chapters are now labelled, “last year”. Gosh it feels good.
While 2023 now lies in the archives, it’s lessons will be close by my side as I step into 2024.
I took to my books last year to make sense of the nonsensical. For me & my clients. Their words offered unconditional support, inspired my creativity & quenched my ravenous learning appetite.
While there were many, three titles in particular have, & will change, the way I lead my life.
Just as she did in her first memoir, Wendy Mitchell’s One Last Thing seemed a fitting final read for the year. Diagnosed at 56 with young onset dementia, this British single mother, author & dementia advocate is a courageous inspiration. Her first book Someone I Used to Know, I quote often in keynotes when describing emotional engagement. An excerpt published in My Beautiful Mess & able to be read here
She closes her trilogy with an eloquent letter she’s penned to herself. Prior to her dementia diagnosis & her knowing instinctively, something wasn’t right with her mind.
“Unlucky. You’ll tell yourself that word too. But I want to tell you a story with a different ending to the one you’ve already written in your head. I want to tell you that although you’ve never heard of young-onset dementia, they will soon be words that slip so easily from your tongue. I want to tell you that what will at first feel like a curse will in many ways bring you joys you couldn’t imagine - yes, joys.”
Julia Baird’s Bright Shining explores the attitude of grace. While at times the subject matter was heavy, I realised as I went on, this provided the perfect contrast to illustrate grace. The strength it offers amongst a powerful undercurrent, enabling you to hold your head high, place one foot in front of the other & continue to make your impact on the world.
And lastly James Kirby’s, Choose Compassion. Compassion is not kindness. Nor is it empathy. It is a motivation which can only exist in the presence of suffering. While kindness is something we want, compassion is something we need. It knits together fractured souls & enables us heal. To move on. Because life always moves on.
In 2024, I commit to stepping through the days with an eloquent grace, a compassionate lens & a deep belief we all have a purposeful impact to be discovered, explored & shared.
May our new year continue to be light.
Peta x
Sales Coach | Consultant | Mental Health Speaker for Beyond Blue
Author of My Beautiful Mess - Living through burnout & rediscovering me
Founder of Momentum Mindset™ - Six months online course with coaching support for Sales Professionals
My full 2023 reading list here:
1. One Last Thing - How to live with the end in mind
Wendy Mitchell
2. Bright Shining - How grace changes everything
Julia Baird
3. Hidden Potential - The Science of Achieving Greater Things
Adam Grant
4. Clear Thinking - Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary
Shane Parish
5. The Art of Risk - What we can learn from the world’s leading risk-takers
Richard Harris
6. The Joy Thief - How OCD steals your happiness & how to get it back
Penny Moodie
7. Enchantment - Rewakening wonder in an exhausted age
Katherine May
8. Kindness - What surviving on the kindness of strangers taught me about perspective, connection & happiness
Kath Koschel
9. Reclaim - Understanding complex trauma & those who abuse
Dr Ahona Guha
10. How Many More Women? Exposing how the law silences women
Jennifer Robinson & Keina Yoshida
11. Difficult People - Dealing with the Bad Behaviour of Difficult People
Dr Rebecca Ray
12. Good Arguments - What the art of debating can teach us about listening better & disagreeing well
Bo Seo
13. The Song of Significance
Seth Godin
14. Hear Yourself - How to find peace in a noisy world
Prem Rawat
15. Disarming the Narcissist - Surviving & thriving with the self-absorbed
Wendy T. Behary
16. Choose Compassion - Why it matters & how it works
James Kirby
17. How to Deal with Difficult People - Smart tactics for overcoming the problem people in your life
Gill Hasson
18. What About Men?
Caitlin Moran
19. Purposeful Curiosity - How asking the right questions will change your life
Costas Andripoulos
20. Way of the Peaceful Warrior - A book that changes lives
Ian Millman
21. Four Thousand Weeks - Time Management for Mortals
Oliver Burkeman
22. Humble - Free yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World
Daryl van Tongren
Peta’s 2024 services:
Sales coaching for individuals & teams
Design your own Masterclass with Peta
Momentum Mindset™ 6 month online course for sales professionals with coaching support
Mental Health Keynote Speaking - as delivered for Beyond Blue
Consulting (limited availability) - diagnose your challenges, recommendations, develop strategy for implementation