Here’s to developing a better self for the future
I have so much time at home that I find myself reading a lot of books during this quarantine period and I would like to recommend some of the books I’ve read.
These books have shifted my perspectives in life and changed the way I handle my day with more confidence.
1. The Art of Happiness
The Art of Happiness is written by reverend Dalai Lama and Dr. Howard Cutler. “Through conversations, stories, and meditations, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. Together with Dr. Howard Cutler, he explores many facets of everyday life, including relationships, loss, and the pursuit of wealth, to illustrate how to ride through life’s obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace.” (Amazon)
In the book itself, he shares his ideas about compassion for people around the world. During this period, we all want to exercise more empathy in our relationships with people. He mentioned having compassion not only for the people around you but also compassion for yourself. Sometimes, we do not want to be too harsh or too hard on ourselves for not doing anything at home. I admit that sometimes, I too didn’t know what to do at home and what the future is gonna be, but this book is able to give me some insights on how I can start to adjust my lifestyle and have more compassion for the people around me.
2. The Magic
The Magic is a sister book by The Secret written by Rhonda Byrne. In essence, The Magic is about gratitude; being thankful for everything that you have in life.
From this book, I learned to be grateful for everything that I have. For example, I’m thankful that I have access to clean water. I’m thankful that I have a roof over my head. I’m thankful that I have an audience that I can reach out to. And I’m thankful for every single thing in my life, especially during these dark times. We see a lot of negativity on social media and it is so important to be thankful for everything in our life.
3. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying is written by Marie Kondo. This book has really helped me tremendously in changing my life. I recently renovated my room and I kind of changed my entire setup as I was inspired by this book. It encouraged me to tidy up my space and also to give respect to the things around me.
Re-Evaluate the People and Things in Your Life
Marie Kondo taught me about discarding all the unwanted items in my life, such as the clothing in my wardrobe. She also linked unwanted items, such as unwanted clothing, to unwanted people in your life.
Sometimes, there might be toxic people or toxic friends in your life that you have to let go of, and even though you can have a good time hanging out with these friends, it might not be beneficial to your work life or your social life or your mental health. It is so important to reevaluate what these people do in your life. If they really do not benefit you at all in the long term, maybe it’s good to distance yourself away from them and also to cut them off from your life.
Declutter Your Space and Mind
Marie Kondo taught me how to declutter my clothing. I donated the clothes that I do not wear anymore and color-coordinated the reminding pieces of my clothing. It’s really these small changes that make your life more simplified and you are able to find greater joy in life.
4. Joy at Work
Joy at Work is another book written by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein. I find it beneficial because she taught me how to clear and declutter my digital life and it can be as simple as clearing up the desktop space in my computer.
My desktop used to be very messy and disorganized and there are files and documents all over the place. This book taught me to clean up my digital space because I look at my laptop every day and it’s good to have a clean space to be productive. I deleted and discarded all my documents, images and files that I do not need anymore.
I hope you find these books helpful and do comment what are some are the books that have changed your life!
