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Seeking Success In A Finite Number Of Hours A Day

This article is more than 10 years old.

We all have a finite number of hours in a day – 24 to be exact.  What we choose to do with those hours is of the utmost importance. We can waste our time, or we can use our time to improve ourselves and our lives. I have always felt passionate about the importance of reading books that can help us to learn and grow because learning from the wisdom of others is a fantastic way to learn for ourselves.

At a time in my life when I was struggling to juggle my role as a CEO and a single mother, I still made it a priority to find time to read quality books that would help me to grow. By reading about the experiences of others, we can learn lessons in leaps and bounds in a far less painful way then having to go through those lessons firsthand. So as an entrepreneur with a passion to become a great leader, I focused my attention on books that could help me achieve that goal.

I’d like to share some of the most impactful books that helped me in my role as a CEO and leader:

The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive:  A Leadership Fable,written by Patrick Lencioni

This book taught me a tremendous amount about how great leaders take responsibility for creating and perpetuating the culture of their company. I can honestly say that this book truly shaped my views on the importance of selecting a great executive team; creating a clear direction with easy to understand measurements of success for the company; over-communicating every single day to your company; and reinforcing the culture of the company by hiring and supporting a fantastic team of people that embrace the culture and desire to make it succeed.

Who Moved My Cheese, written by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

This is one of my favorite books in life.  I love that it is short, simple, with big print, and pictures. It is one of the easiest reads you will find. With effortless simplicity it teaches the lesson that things in life don’t always go as expected and when that happens we have to choices:  We can curl up and die, or we can go find new cheese. This book inspires you to overcome your fears of the unknown and recognize the need to venture into new territory in life so you can find all the blessings that life has in store for you. Anyone who is facing a challenge, a loss, or a disappointment in life will find this book to be a true lifesaver. It’s definitely a must read.

Confronting the Myth of Self-Esteem: Twelve Keys to Finding Peace, written by Ester Rasband

The title of this book may make some question what this has to do with being a CEO and a leader, but there is not a single one of us who hasn’t struggled with our self-esteem at one point or another. A simple Google search on the term “Self-Esteem” elicits over 58 million results. Clearly this is a subject that many struggle with. Some might assume that a person in leadership wouldn’t have self-esteem issues. After all, they are the leader. But that is like assuming that every supermodel believes she is beautiful. News story after news story of eating disorders, drug use, and suicide attempts among models would show that not to be true. Self-esteem, or the search for it, is something that touches all of our lives at some point. It touched my life in my late 20s. I had gone through a divorce, and was struggling. As I walked through a bookstore the title of this book caught my attention immediately -- “The Myth of Self-Esteem.” How could it refer to self-esteem as a myth when it was the search for it was impacting my own life so greatly? As I devoured its pages, this book taught me that feeling good about oneself would never be found by seeking it from external sources. It taught me that feeling good about oneself would be found by the act of doing good. It also taught me that inner peace comes from giving our best efforts in selfless service of others. Ultimately it taught me that true self-esteem doesn’t come from the opinions and praise of others, it comes from having a knowledge of who you truly are, which we find when we build a relationship with God, the Universe, or whatever higher power you personally believe in. This book was genuinely life-changing and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without having read it.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams, written by Deepak Chopra

This book touched me spiritually in that it helped me to look inward for answers. It helps point out our fear-based ways of thinking that hold us back. It encourages looking for comfort in the uncertainty of life rather than attempting to control that which cannot be controlled. It points out that what we focus on each day is what our future will hold. This book helped me to understand that the best way to find success in my own life was to help others to achieve success in theirs. That one lesson alone became a driving principle in all I did in business, and ultimately I believe it was living that principle that had the greatest impact on the amazing success we achieved.

As I mentioned, we only have a finite number of hours in our day, and what we do with those hours will make all the difference to our future success. Make time to read great books that can teach you important life lessons. Don’t waste precious minutes on meaningless activities that don’t contribute to making you a better person. When you wake up in the morning have inspirational books and talks playing while you get ready for the day. When you commute to and from work, listen to motivational books and talks along the way. Find those pockets of time to let the great life lessons of others lift you, and teach you, and shape you into the very best of what you can become.

~Amy Rees Anderson   (follow me on twitter:  @amyreesanderson )