7 Books that Changed My Life
Health, Habits, & Hurry
Reading is Power
Proverbs says that “the power of life and death is in the tongue.”
Words hold so much power, and that is why books can change your life.
But beyond just the power the words hold is what you do in response to them. You can read a book that changes thousands of people’s lives and have nothing in your life change. It is about how you take words on a page and allow them to change your life - applying them & coming back to them.
These are 7 non-fiction books that have changed my life, and I think, if you let them, they could change yours too.
The Books!
Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning
This book is all about knowing God in a more intimate and personal way, as Abba Father. Manning writes a lot about not being a “false self or imposter” with God but bringing Him every part of you - even the negative emotions.
Quote: “While the impostor draws his identity from past achievements and the adulation of others, the true self claims identity in its belovedness. We encounter God in the ordinariness of life: not in the search for spiritual highs and extraordinary, mystical experiences but in our simple presence in life.”
The Gospel Comes With A House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
This book is all about hospitality and how it must be a part of who we are as Christians. Our house, our time, our car, our money, & our possessions are not our own. She tackles this topic by sharing many personal stories, including how she came to know Jesus through hospitality.
Quote: “Hospitality shares what there is; that’s all. It’s not entertainment. It’s not supposed to be.”
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
This book is all about how to slow down and live a less hurried life. John Mark Comer writes the most practical, conversational, and yet profound books, and this one is no different. He walks through the history of speed and light, along the realities of our modern world, and he also offers four practices to help you combat hurry in your day to day life.
Quote: “Here’s my point: the solution to an overbusy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.”
In the Flo by Alissa Vitti
This book is all about cycle syncing and how to tune into your body to work with, instead of against, it! She gives tons of practical and helpful ideas for how to cycle sync your nutrition, exercise, and even your work.
Quote: “Women have a second biological clock, and it is equally as valuable as the 24-hour clock. The 28-day clock can be measured; it is predictable; and it demands the same respect, attention, and priority as the 24-hour clock.”
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
This book is a how to guide for natural birth control using the fertility awareness method / natural family planning. It teaches you how to be in tune with your cycle, read your signs of fertility, and chart your cycle.
Quote: “Understanding your cycle is not just about pregnancy, it’s about understanding your health and well-being.”
The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington
This book is essentially a guidebook to setting quarterly goals and actually achieving them. I don’t know that this idea is really revolutionary, but this book shifted me from having annual or monthly goals to quarterly ones.
Quote: “Most of us have two lives: the lives we live and the lives we are capable of living.”
I wrote another newsletter where I shared how I implemented some of what I learned from the 12 Week Year. You can read it here.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This book is the best book I have read on creating good habits and breaking bad ones. He talks about universal truths, no matter what habits you are trying to set. Things like habit stacking, the power of your environment, and visual cues are things I learned from this book years ago and still use in my day to day life.
Quote: “You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.”
Have you read any of these books?
What is a book you have read that has changed your life?
Thank you for reading!
Take care,
Caroline
I have been wanting to read In the Flo! It’s Not Hysteria by Dr Karen Tang is another good one about periods and women’s health, especially if you have period problems that the doctors can’t seem to give you answers about
Reading is power!