Susan Henderson Coaching - Recommended Reading

DIY Mastermind Group:
Insider Secrets for Creating a Successful Mastermind Group of Your Own by Susan Henderson

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I love to read. I own hundreds of books and visit my local library 1-2 times a week. I'm featuring books here from my own bookshelves or from the library that I have read, integrated into my life, and do recommend to you unreservedly. I hope they are as helpful to you as they have been to me. Enjoy!

This listing is a work in progress, so please check back periodically. If you've read and integrated a book into your life that you would recommend with gusto to your fellow entrepreneurs, please contact me. Thanks.

Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating work That You Love (revised 2009 edition) by Barbara Winter. This timeless book first published in 1993 with ideas and advice for budding entrepreneurs has been revised and updated for today's tough economy. Chapter 8 on Creating Multiple Profit Centers was the big "aha!" moment for me as I finally got that you don't have to choose just one thing. The $100-an-hour technique in chapter 11, Getting Ideas, is brilliant. There is so much more. Get this book!

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The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield. This book clearly exposes what resistance looks like in all its forms and then tells you the combat strategies to win the war against this little sucker of your creative life force. It is a war worth winning. You are worth it.

The Identity Code: The 8 Essential Questions for Finding Your Purpose and Place in the World by Larry Ackerman. With over 20 years of experience in helping organizations and individuals identify their purpose, the author discovered the Laws of Identity and the 8 Essential Questions that will help you crack your own identity code. As you answer these questions in a series of exercises, your identity will become clear giving you a foundation to make truly meaningful decisions in all areas of your life. It's working for me and I highly recommend this book.

I recommend Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny because so many of us with our varied and often changing interests have had trouble choosing a career path in the fear that we would choose the wrong one and be stuck. So we take jobs that barely pay the bills. This wise and wonderful book gets you out of that mindset and on your way to getting paid the decent salary that you are worth.

What Should I Do With My Life? The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question Po Bronson tells the stories of people who have found the most meaningful answers to that question with his great insight, empathy and humor. Bronson is both an observer and a character sharing his own story, as well. I loved this book and read it straight through while riding the Alaska ferry from Juneau to Prince Rupert, B.C. and pondering this very question.

The Gifted Adult: A Revolutionary Guide for Liberating Everyday Genius by Mary-Elaine Jacobsen I own an earlier version of this book titled Liberating EveryDay Genius: A Revolutionary Guide for Identifying and Mastering Your Exceptional Gifts. It is the same book with a name change. (shrug) Jacobsen estimates that 20 million Americans are "gifted adults". If you are here reading this, American or not, I bet you are one,too. I especially like how this book helps us deal with the top ten criticisms and framing new responses, such as
#8: "Can't you just stick with one thing?" New Response: "No, Probably not." Love it!

Barbara Sher first wrote about Scanners in 1994 in her book I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was. The response was astounding and people wrote asking for more. In Spring 2006, her latest book Refuse to Choose!A Revolutionary Program For Doing Everything That You Love was released and it is a must read for all us who want a better understanding of what a Scanner is and affirmation that this a good way to be.

The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One. Margaret Lobenstine refers to those of us with a multitude of interests as Renaissance Souls. This book will help you determine if you are one through a short quiz and is filled to the brim with exercises, resources and interviews to help you manage a satisfying lifestyle doing all the things you love.

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day Michael Gelb identifies the seven key principles of the Da Vinci approach to thinking and learning. He shares with readers how you can develop and adopt these elements through inspiring yet practical examples and exercises. I bought this book and the wookbook and return to them when I am needing a genius booster shot.

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie is, in my humble opinion, a truly life-changing book. As the Greek philosopher Epictetus said: "we are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens." With deep inquiry (The Work) into our painful thoughts, we see we have a choice and that suffering is optional. It is simple, but powerful. This book is packed with examples of people using The Work to expose the truth (reality) of their painful thoughts or limiting beliefs and they are much happier for it. I know I am.

The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction by Rebecca Z. Shafir. What a gem of a book. Not only has this helped me listen to others in a much more focussed way-thus seeing a marked improvement in business and personal relationships, I also learned new tools to deal with hearing my own inner voice. The simple act of mindful listening can change your life dramatically.

Voice Power: Using Your Voice to Captivate, Persuade, and Command Attention by celebrity voice coach Renee Grant-Williams provides you with the tools and techniques to boost your confidence in your speaking ability in all areas of your life. "The people we deal with in this life come to know us by the three ways in which we present ourselves: (a) how we look; (b) what we say; and (c) how we say it." If you are having trouble being "heard", buy this book.

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"A house without books is like a room without windows." ~Heinrich Mann

"I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves."
~E.M. Forster

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."
~Charles W. Eliot

"Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life." ~Helen Exley

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket."
~ Chinese proverb

Starting From Scratch: Secrets from 22 oridnary people who made the entrepreneurial leap by Wes Moss
I love this book because the author tells the stories of 22 real life entrepreneurs from different industries who share what made them successful. From his many interviews, he discovered four key steps, which he calls the Art of the HUNT and which had a big impact on his own business. Originally published 2005, updated & revised edition 2008.

The Big Leap - Conquor your hidden fear and take life to the next level by Gay Hendricks. This is one of the best books I've read on getting in touch with your limiting beliefs and how we can transcend the upper limits we have put in place because of those beliefs. The writing style is user-friendly and presents stories of people who dramatically changed their lives when they became aware of what was holding them back.

"It's not an accident that successful people read more books."
~ Seth Godin

Linchpin - Are You Indispensable? By Seth Godin. From the bookjacket: "Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations. Like the small piece of hardware that keeps a wheel from falling off its axle, they may not be famous but they're indispensable. And in today's world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom." Although most the examples are in reference to jobs, there is much to learn and integrate into your own business.

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