5 Life Lessons from the book: You are a Badass

For those who may not know me personally, I love to read. Although many of the books are about finance and investing, I learn a lot from reading other topics as well. The self-help books inspire me to do more with my life and the autobiographies/memoirs from celebrities allow me to escape my own reality and delve deep enough into their world that I can learn from their struggles and share in their triumphs.
 
One of the books I just finished was You are a Badass by Jen Sincero. It’s a New York Times Bestseller and was suggested by someone I trust so I decided to check it out. The book was great and there are some key life lessons we could all glean from it. Here are 5 of the key takeaways below:

1. “Our thoughts become our words, our words become our beliefs, our beliefs become our actions, our actions become our habits, and our habits become our realities.” In other words: You are in control of your destiny. What you end up doing and accomplishing in your life depends a great deal on what you believe is possible. What you believe is possible depends on what you tell yourself and what you think about yourself each day. If you want to change your reality, change your thoughts and beliefs. For me, that means saying positive words of affirmation each morning. It means reading devotionals and inspirational stories that help open my mind to what is possible. I tell myself I am smart and intelligent to help increase my confidence before heading to work each day. I tell myself that I will approach every situation as an opportunity to grow so I can view situations more positively. I tell myself that I am loved so I never doubt my self-worth. What things do you tell yourself? What beliefs do you have? What thoughts do you think? Your answers will shape your reality.

2. “Do yourself a favor and use irritating situations and people as opportunities for growth, not pain.”  We have all been in numerous situations, either at work or at home, that have been irritating or annoying. Perhaps one of our co-workers is being unreasonable, one of your children refuses to stop talking, or you come home to a messy kitchen that you just cleaned the day before. Instead of letting these situations frustrate you or put you in a negative mood, why not use them as an opportunity to grow? Whenever I have hard days or a series of negative things happen in my life, I change my thinking and view it as a “character-building” opportunity. Instead of lamenting subpar situations, use them as a chance to grow.

3. “Procrastination is one of the most popular forms of self-sabotage.”  There is no guarantee that you’ll have time tomorrow to do the things you are putting off today. Something may come up or take precedence that you didn’t expect. Don’t delay on your dreams. Don’t keep pushing off your goals. Recognize that there is no time like the present. Are there things you want to accomplish before you get married or have children? Are there things you want to do before you reach middle-age? Come up with a plan to start working on them now. You don’t want to look back on your life a year from now or 5 years from now and have regrets. Don’t delay on your destiny.

4. “Don't answer the phone or reply to texts while you're busy. Other people's needs can occupy several lifetimes' worth of our attention, and if you let them, they will.” Prioritize yourself. Set boundaries for yourself. Protect your time. If you are working on a creative project then put your phone away, dig your heels into the ground, and focus on the task at hand. While you can be available to others numerous times throughout the day, it is also important to carve out time for yourself that you can use to focus or recharge. If you constantly allow other people’s phone calls, text messages, and social media alerts to distract you, you will delay your own progress and find yourself engulfed in other people’s problems and issues. Put yourself first.

5. “The people you surround yourself with are excellent mirrors for who you are and how much, or how little, you love yourself.” Be mindful of the company you keep. Your friends are a reflection of the values you cherish. Are you around people who are of good character and who constantly strive to do the right thing? Are you around people who challenge you to view things with a different perspective, who are givers, who are ambitious? If not, re-examine your friend group. You will become like the people you hang around most. If you do don’t like who you’d become, then change your friends. Add people to your inner circle who challenge you, inspire you, and motivate you to be a better version of yourself.

5 Books to Read while Social Distancing from the Coronavirus

With coronavirus and the nationwide push for “social distancing,” you may find yourself home a lot more often than you’re used to. While binging Netflix shows and old movies can be fun for a while, you may also find that you want to do something a little different or perhaps use some of your extra time to gain new insights. If that’s the case, here are 5 books about business, finance, and real estate that you may want to consider read while quarantining:

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. This was one of the first books I read about finance and I can’t even articulate how good it is. Unlike most investment books that delve deep into the details of FICO scores and retirement accounts, this book is completely different. It actually tells of story of two fathers: one is well-educated and broke while the other is minimally educated but rich. In this book, Kiyosaki highlights the life lessons he picked up from both men. He also explains why accumulating wealth requires a shift in thinking and how pursuing a career in real estate or entrepreneurship can be the springboard we need to reach our monetary goals. While you may not agree with all of his life lessons, there is no doubt this book will cause a paradigm shift in the way you think about money, while entertaining you along the way.  

2. The White Coat Investor by Jim Dahle. This is one of my favorite personal finance books. Besides the fact that it was written specifically for doctors like myself and other high-income earners, I like this book for a couple other reasons as well. First, it’s easy to understand. If you never read anything about personal finance or money management before, start with this one. It goes over the basics, easily defines terms in an interesting way, and starts off by answering the most basic question “why should I even care?.” Secondly, this book is easy to follow and gives you all the tools you need to know to get your life in order. You don’t have to go picking stocks or making complicated tax manipulations. Instead, he walks you through the most important things so that you don’t screw up in a major way. You’ll gain some student loan insight and get basic info on retirement plans, buying a house, building wealth, and protecting your assets. It’s a must-read for any doctor and a really good read for anyone else.

3. The ABCs of Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy. After I read Rich Dad Poor Dad, I began to think about investing in real estate. Real estate investing is one ways many people accumulate wealth and since I didn’t have any personal experience in that area, I wanted to educate myself on the topic. Ken McElroy invests in real estate with Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, so I figured his book would be a great start. I’m so glad I got it. This book is like a beginner’s guide to real estate investing and does so in an informative, easy-to-understand manner. I learned a lot from this book including the benefits of real estate and how to properly evaluate a variety of deals. If you’re even the slightest bit interested in real estate investing, consider reading this book.

4. Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. Those who know me personally have seen me post quotes and excerpts from this book since the start of the new year. Ego is the Enemy is a must-read for any one with even the slightest bit of ambition. In this classic, Holiday walks us through how to manage our ambition, properly handle our successes, and overcome our failures in a clear-cut way. Each chapter is fairly short and clearly delineates a character trait we either need to develop further or break entirely to become the best version of ourselves. This book will make you examine your habits and really think about what you can do differently to reach the level of success you desire.

5. Lean In by Sheryl Stanberg. Sheryl Stanberg is one of the most well-known female senior managers in the country. From her work at Google to her current role as the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook, she is a household name and an idol for women in corporate business. In this book, Stanberg challenges us women to seek leadership positions and “lean in” to push ourselves even further to succeed in our careers. Stanberg examines how she reached such a high level of success in her own life and pinpoints tips to help other women overcome some of the most common obstacles. She famously talks about the “competing” desire to have a successful career while nurturing a loving family and provides some advice on how she tackled handled both priorities. For females who desire a successful career and family, it’s definitely worth a read.