5 Must-Read Books to Kick Off the New Year

You know that feeling when you flip the page to a new chapter, or the smell of a used book, that can instantly transport you to a different world?

I love that feeling!

That’s why I’m Team Physical Book all the way.

There’s something so satisfying about closing the book at the end of a great reading sesh, especially if you’ve had an ah-ha moment or learned something important.

Whether you’re Team Kindle or you love having a real book in your hand, reading is an incredible way to flex your mental muscle.

I also love sharing what I’ve learned in books with others – for better or worse, you benefit from my Input strength and extreme book collection.

So in the spirit of a new year, I’d love to share the lessons that shaped my life last year from five must-read books.

Here are 5 must-read books to kick off the new year:

1. We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers

I came across this book when I was browsing the personal development section looking for books to read during my hysterectomy surgery. I had never heard of Rachel Rodgers or We Should All Be Millionaires, and now I need everyone to know about her! I bought a bunch of books that day, but this was the one I was most excited about. I read it in two days – I couldn’t put it down!

In WSABM, Rachel challenges women to think beyond the six-figure salary or business to help them build wealth. Her goal is to help put more money in the hands of marginalized women, who have historically been denied the opportunity to earn a significant income, and who have not had the same opportunities as white families to build wealth.

And in her words, as a Black woman who grew up in a low-income home, she should not be where she is today. She tore down the box society tried to put her in and created two million-dollar companies. Her second company, Hello 7, is now a multi-million dollar company, and she recently launched the Hello 7 Foundation to support Black mothers.

I love this book for so many reasons. Rachel is unapologetic in her quest to help women build wealth, and she inspires you to be unapologetic about the things you want in your life. She reminds you that it’s not your fault that you feel like you’re “bad with money,” because women were never trusted to handle their own money. She encourages readers to stop making “Broke Ass Decisions,” and instead start making “Million Dollar Decisions.”

Even if your goal isn’t to earn a million dollars in some way, the lessons in this book are critical for all women to hear. You’ll think about how you’re spending your time, learn how to set stronger boundaries, and realize that you are worthy of the life you want. Every woman needs to hear that until impostor syndrome is a thing of the past.

Finally, WSABM helps you get started on your wealth-building journey by laying out your Million Dollar Roadmap. Rachel shares insights on the systems and team you need, as well as the offers and pricing that will help you earn more.

And don’t forget your Million Dollar Squad! You need to surround yourself with other people who have what you want, or who want the same things as you. You need to see what’s possible.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. In fact, I’ve already read it twice, joined the WSABM Club, and am 100% behind the mission to help women earn wealth!

2. The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins

This was the book we all needed this year. Mel Robbins is my go-to whenever I need kick-in-the-pants type of advice. This book came at the perfect time.

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on all of us – some more than others – and it continues to be an unavoidable part of life. During the first year of the pandemic, many of us felt trapped in our homes, and if you have children, you had to face the choice of giving your attention to them, or to your work.

For many parents, that choice left you feeling like you weren’t doing anything well. You were half-assing every part of your life. I felt the same way. Some days, you might struggle with getting out of bed. Other days, you feel like you can’t handle even the smallest hiccup. The overarching feeling for many women during the pandemic is failure, disappointment, letting everyone down.

Mel Robbins felt the same way when she discovered the High 5 Habit. One day, she saw her reflection in the mirror, looking tired and worn down, and she gave herself a high five. That simple act turned her entire day around, and she kept repeating the habit until her outlook shifted, too.

You may not feel like you have much to celebrate about yourself right now, but that is exactly the time you need the High 5 Habit. Imagine what would happen if you started encouraging yourself, especially on your worst days. How might your mood shift? How might you feel about your never-ending to-do list or the world around you?

I practiced the High 5 Habit at a difficult time in my life. My mother-in-law had recently been diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer, and I found out I had to have a hysterectomy. The back-to-back health concerns took a huge toll on me, and I found myself depressed, unmotivated, and feeling terrible about myself.

When I started the High 5 Habit, it felt weird at first. I didn’t feel any different, and I still felt bad about myself. But I kept repeating it each day after I brushed my teeth. Eventually, as soon as I raised my hand to high five myself, I saw myself smile. It helped me start my day on a positive note, and over time, it helped me see that I was worth celebrating.

You’re worth celebrating, too. If you’re struggling with self-image, trying to juggle all the plates, doing everything for everyone else and nothing for yourself, please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the High 5 Habit. You deserve to feel great about yourself – no matter what your day looks like.

3. Atomic Habits by James Clear

If you want to start a new habit (or even break an old habit), this is the book for you! And don’t take my word for it, because Atomic Habits was listed as Amazon’s #1 best-selling book of 2021, and the #1 book on Audible.

As much as I try to avoid the typical white, male bro culture that is the productivity and success industry, this book is in a league of its own. It actually bucks conventional bro-wisdom and instead is backed by science, research, and the previous work of habit expert, Charles Duhigg.

The main theme of Atomic Habits is that it’s the little things we do each day that can add up to a big result over time. Much like atoms are the building blocks of life, habits are the building blocks of the success we want to see in our lives. In fact, changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them over time. 

James suggests that the most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become. He says any habit starts with your identity, or who you believe you are. So, if you believe you’re someone who is “trying to lose weight,” you’ll have less success than if you believe you’re an athlete.

Once you form your identity of the person you want to become with your new habit, you can learn to build on that habit with The Four Laws of Behavior Change: (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.

I love this way of looking at habits and how simple it was to identify my own habits – good and bad – in this way. I used this method to create a new habit around exercise (and if you’ve been following me for awhile, you know this is a huge struggle for me!).

First, I had to shift my identity from someone who hates exercise, to someone who loves exercise. It definitely helps having Peloton instructor Robin Arzon reminding you that you ARE an athlete, no matter what shape you’re in!

Next, I made my habit obvious by putting workout time on my calendar and laying out my workout clothes ahead of time. I made it attractive by buying myself new workout clothes that I actually want to wear. I made it easy by having the Peloton in my house (a decision I’m so grateful I made pre-Covid). And, I made it satisfying because I focused on how I felt after the workout, and how much less stressed I felt. That’s what kept me coming back.

Now, when I feel stressed, my first instinct isn’t to curl up on the couch with a blanked and the Real Housewives, it’s to hop on the bike! I never thought I would be the kind of person who would make that choice, but here I am. I may not see the immediate result of this effort, but I know that I’m creating a system to help me lose weight and get back into shape.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of Atomic Habits and start thinking about how you can use the Four Laws of Behavior Change to help make something stick.

4. Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi Jones

If your best friend, your therapist, and your hype woman merged into the same person, it would be this book!

I had been following Luvvie on Facebook for years, so when I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it – if for nothing else than her sharp, witty humor. There’s plenty of that in the book, and so much more.

Professional Troublemaker is a clarion call to be yourself – unapologetically. Luvvie shares her struggles with fear, and how she almost said no to the TED Talk that ultimately changed her life because of impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome impacts all of us. Whether we let the fear of rejection or criticism stop us from putting ourselves out there, or whether we’re afraid to show the world who we really are, impostor syndrome keeps us playing small.

Not to mention, our society conditions women to lead from a place of fear. We’re afraid of being too loud, too large, too bossy, too smart, too arrogant, too much. Luvvie is done with that.

She says a Professional Troublemaker is someone who is committed to not letting fear talk them out of the things they need to do or say to live free, and that’s exactly what this book helps you to do.

Luvvie outlines her Fear-Fighting Manual into three sections; Be, Say, and Do. One of my biggest takeaways from the book was the chapter, Speak Your Truth. As Luvvie says, “We’ve gotta say what’s difficult, even when our voices shake.”

This resonated with me on a macro level and a micro level. On a macro level, it gave me the courage to continue speaking out about racism and inequity, especially as it relates to women and the gender pay gap.

And, on a micro level, this chapter reminded me that it’s okay if I’m nervous about a difficult conversation. I can feel the fear or anxiety and have the conversation anyway. This has helped me push through hard conversations with my family, my husband, and at work. And the truth is – the conversation is never as bad as what we build up in our minds!

5. Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

This wasn’t the first year I read this book, but I often needed to hear it on repeat!

The core theme of the book is that for any challenge you’re facing, any problem you’re struggling with, or any circumstance that’s daunting you – you can figure it out. You have the tools, resources, and knowledge within you to solve any problem.

I love using the phrase, “everything is figureoutable” as a daily mantra, especially when I’m up against a tough problem. I’ve used this phrase, and the lessons in the book, to grow my business, pay off $40k in debt, and make the decision to leave my full-time job.

There are so many times when we limit ourselves and what we can achieve based only on our perception of the problem at hand. When you only see certain options, you think those are the only options available to you.

However, if you believe “everything is figureoutable,” you can begin to see new options, new possibilities, or new opportunities to help you move forward.

Recently, my mom and sister came to visit me. They made great progress on the 3.5-hour drive from Pennsylvania to Virginia, until they got stuck in standstill traffic. There was an accident not far ahead of them, and both sides of the highway were shut down for miles.

My sister texted me that they were 20 minutes away, but according to the GPS, it would take over an hour for them to get to our house. I called her to try to understand where they were on the highway and see if there was another option. “We can figure this out!”

Eventually, my mom drove over the median, turned around, and got off at the nearest exit. I helped guide my sister to a parallel highway, which took them around the accident and got them safely to our house.

It’s a simple example, but in a time of panic or feeling like there’s no way out, it’s easy to see that the only option is to wait it out. With some quick thinking and open-mindedness, you can create your own path and possibilities to figure anything out.

What’s next on the list?

I’m kicking off this New Year with: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty. This has been on my wish list for months, and I’m glad I finally picked it up.

We’ve all been through a lot these last few years, and I think we could all use some more peace and purpose! I can’t wait to share what I learn with you.

The Takeaway

Books are an inexpensive way to expand your knowledge, learn something new, and apply new ideas to your life. These five must-read books are no different. Grab one of these books, a cup of tea, your journal, and get to work! 

Take action now: Choose one of these books to start your year, or choose one from your list. Make time for reading by carving out some time in the morning or before bed, then spend some time reflecting on what you’ve learned.

What book are you reading right now? What are you taking away from it? Let me know in the comments!

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