I wish I had a library room full of my favorite books and all the books I want to read. The last group always seems to be larger than the first.
But, I don’t so there are no sneak looks into my book stash. Mostly because a lot of them are stored on my Kindle, while others do exist as hard copies stashed throughout my house. But I thought I’d share my absolute favorite books and the books that I found worth reading, especially for the moment I read them. I recommend all these books and it took me a while to narrow them down. So, keep reading to find your next book.
Creative
For those fighting through the messy middle and the hard to start parts
The Creative Fight: Create Your Best Work and Live the Life You Imagine by Chris Orwig
“And herein lies one of the most powerful anti-dotes to being stuck: self-forgetfulness. Whether achieved by doing an activity or by extending kindness to someone else, when we think of ourselves less our lives expand.”
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.”
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
“No matter what your age or your life path, whether making art is your career or your hobby or your dream, it is not too late or too egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity.”
“Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace, and power in it.”
Entrepreneurial Creative Business
For those wanting to create their own space. None of these are necessarily for business, but for life, especially the creative or entrepreneurial life.
Beginner’s Pluck by Liz Forkner Bohannon
“What’s remarkable about the journey and commitment to become more curious is that curiosity isn’t something you have to ‘achieve’. It’s simply a place you have to find your way back to. Whether you’re just starting out or well on your way to becoming an expert, curiosity is the art of becoming fully awake once again.”
“Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed our inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure.”
“This is how you write your life: in action. It is not enough to intend or consider, you must choose to act, often and ongoingly.”
“Many carry the misconception that we should become more comfortable and that things should become easier as time goes by. This is a belief system designed to undermine you.”
Faith
For those searching.
The Untethered Soul – Micheal Singer
There is so much in this one.
“Instead of being encouraged to feel completely protected, loved, honored, and respected by the Divine Force, you’ve been taught that you’re being judged. Because you’ve been taught that, you feel guilt and fear. But guilt and fear do not open you connection to the Divine; they only serve to close your heart. The reality is that God’s way is love, and you can see this for yourself.”
“If you want to be happy, you have to let go of the part of you that wants to create melodrama. This is the part that thinks there’s a reason not to be happy. You have to transcend the personal, and as you do, you will naturally awaken to the higher aspects of your being. When a problem is disturbing you, don’t ask, “What should I do about it?” Ask, “What part of me is being disturbed by this?”
Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
“All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back in, listening to the other voice, taking that other point of view. Letting the other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”
Everything Belongs – Fr. Richard Rohr
“If we can learn to trust God, the next movement of our soul is to trust ourselves. You can trust yourself because God trusts you, using your journey, your experience. Nothing will be wasted; all has been forgiven; nothing will be used against you. In fact, God will even use your sins to transform you.”
The Sound of Life’s Unspeakable Beauty – Martin Schleske
Another one so full of goodness.
“These days we think spirituality means, above all, that our hearts find peace. It is actually the reverse: if my life is worth something to me, then I will get moving, understanding that my existence is a pilgrimage, a life of searching and listening.”
Faith, Business, and Creativity Meet
Because all of these interesect at some point and these books give a nod to their intersection.
Walking on Water – Madeline L’Engle
On prayer and creating – “Both involve discipline. If the artist works only when he feels like it, he’s not apt to build up much of a body of work. Inspiration far more often comes during the work than before it. . . Ultimately, when you are [creating], you stop thinking and [create] what you [hear/see]. To pray is to listen also, to move through my own chattering to God, to that place where I can be silent and listen to what God may have to say. But if I pray only when I feel like it, God may choose not to speak.”
Unlocking the Heart of the Artist – Matt Tommey
“If you are waiting for the exact blueprint and the perfect timing to get started, you’ll become paralyzed by good intentions.”
X: Multiply Your God Given Potential – John Bevere
“When you discover your gift, you’ll move in the right direction. When you develop your gift, you’ll rise in the right direction.”