One of the most common questions we receive is, “What are you reading right now?”
Anyone who knows anything about Rich and I knows we read a LOT.
So what’s better than sharing how the books we are currently diving into are making an impact on our lives?
Audiobooks – Don’t Rule Them Out
Rich is a huge fan of audiobooks. I wasn’t so much because in all honesty, the narrator’s voice used to lull me to sleep. While the concept of an audio book is amazing (you cannot quite wash the dishes or go for a walk or drive with your nose in a book) I’ve heard numerous people say they have that same issue of falling asleep while listening, even when it’s a good book.
However, I found a solution!
Setting the reading speed to 1.5x is just enough to keep my brain firing so that I do not get tired and can get so much more out of the book.
Rich also likes to adjust the setting depending on the speed of the narrator.
Try it out. It can open up a whole new world of reading for you.
The Book We’re Both Reading
There’s one book that is currently on both of our nightstands, and for good reason.
It’s a powerful book called the Alter Ego Effect. It’s written by Todd Herman and focuses on how you show up in different areas, or separate fields of play in your life such as work, social life, home life, in a different way.
It’s not about being fake, rather channeling a persona and stepping into a different aspect of yourself.
Even all star athlete Bo Jackson has used this method on the field. He had a temper back in high school and ended up creating a persona that was cool and collected so that he wouldn’t lose that temper during the game.
Why So Many Books, Rich?
Rich has a tendency to pile the books up the nightstand… and keep piling.
He reads many at once, but to him it’s natural. Plus he made a very valid point in mentioning that in school, you are learning about more than one subject at a time. You’ve got several books and several topics, so he finds it interesting that some people choose to read only one book at a time.
Some books take a while to read, some you can easily blow right through. There are even books that Rich opens up in the middle and just starts reading (not me!)
There’s an online marketer that mentions reading a book each day. Not necessarily word for word, but even when reading the first and last section of each chapter and flipping through for the main concepts, you can gather a lot of information in little time.
Another concept we had heard of is Ultra Reading, and we tested this out at one of our early events. We brought a big stack of books from home, and had the 15 or 20 attendees read one for 2 minutes, then teach the group about what they had learned from that two minutes of reading.
It’s really amazing how much you can pick up in that short duration of time when you are really concentrating on absorbing the information.
Natasha’s Stack of Books
So what else am I absorbing right now?
One that I’ve been deep into is Mastery of Self, by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
He relates being a master of yourself to being the sober person at a party full of drunk people. If you look at the characteristics of someone who is drunk, they are experiencing mood swings and crazy outbursts, talking nonsense that isn’t real, experiencing tremendous highs and lows.
In that same setting, you are the one with clarity of mind and being intentional in your interactions with the world around you.
It’s eye opening stuff.
I’m also reading Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World. Having three kiddos, of course I have a powerful parenting book on the list.
I also have 100 Days to Faith Over Fear and the She Reads Truth Bible.
Then, a little bit different than the others, I’m also reading Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies, which is a great book of strategies in the self help world, if you don’t mind the swearing in the book! She has a lot of great things to say and is really funny, but you definitely need to be able to accept or overlook the “spicy” language .
Rich’s Stack is a Little Different
Golf Visualization, for one. He hasn’t picked up a golf club in awhile, but maybe this will change that.
Power vs. Force is another one. Wishes Fulfilled by Wayne Dyer. Also, Prosperity by Charles Fillmore. Traffic Secrets, by our friend and business mentor Russel Brunson.
And then there’s Homeless to Billionaire, a powerful book that left Rich understanding that any excuse of “I can’t” is in our own mind.
The Value of Books
You can read however you want, it’s all about what works best for you. Whether audible, one book at a time, many at once, or even starting smack in the middle.
The important part is realizing that just one golden nugget makes that book valuable to you, and can create a powerful ripple effect.
One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received was hearing readers say they just couldn’t put my book down.
Never underestimate the power of a book and the hard work and heart that went into it.
A book can change your mindset, and it can change your life.
Additional Resources
Hope you enjoyed that episode! If you did, please give us your honest review on Apple Podcasts… It would mean the world to us!
Join our 5-Day “Get Clarity” Challenge and don’t forget to grab a copy of my book Unstoppable Influence: Be You. Be Fearless. Transform Lives.
Make sure to share, get in touch and follow our social pages here:
IG @unstoppableinfluence
FB Unstoppable Influence
Natasha’s FB Natasha Hazlett