You may not know this about me… but I’m a total bookworm! 📚

What can I say, reading keeps me grounded and helps me stay sane – it’s self care y’all!

When everything around me feels like it’s happening at the speed of light, slowing down and reading a chapter or two helps me recenter (oddly – I even read out loud to myself lol).

In my email newsletter during the month of December, I decided to end 2022 by sharing a few of my favorite things. ✨

And first on my list was… you guessed it, books! Specifically, the books that helped me become a strong lady leader (my team’s words, not mine!), entrepreneur, and overall more productive person.

Book #1: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Chances are, you’ve already heard of this CRAZY popular NYT bestseller — and for good reason! Trust me, it absolutely lives up to the hype.

If you’re looking to start the new year off by setting goals and challenging yourself personally or professionally, this is just what the doctor ordered.

In fact, I credit this book with helping me get my sh*t together when I felt like the world was falling apart.👇

Come with me back in time to 2020… (I know you probably don’t want to, but humor me.)

I knew reading was meditative, but I just couldn’t seem to prioritize it over everything else. Between building a bookkeeping business and raising my family, reading kept landing on the back burner.

But then a dumpster fire 🔥 called 2020 came, Covid-19 hit hard, and I nearly lost my damn mind. I was spinning around like a top, trying to find steady ground when everything was rapidly changing around me.

Setting aside time to read every day? Forget about it. 🙅‍♀️

I totally got out of the practice. But in hindsight, I absolutely would have benefited from going deeper into the practice of reading regularly, rather than abandoning it altogether.

Fast forward through a grueling spring and summer to October 2020. I had to do something, I was at my omg-can-I-make-it-through-this breaking point. My mind felt like a literal ping-pong ball — I’m sure you know exactly what I mean. It felt like my brain was turning to mush, I had brain fog, and my attention span was approximately the length of a flea.

So I started reading 20 minutes every morning. Sometimes, because of said brain fog and attention span, I could barely read more than a page or two. But I kept at it, then started tracking how many days I read and what I was reading.

The result? Reading for 20 minutes a day became incredibly restorative – it’s like brain cardio friends! Not to mention, reading helps me fulfill my personal mission of constant evolution. 

Funny enough, Atomic Habits was the first book I read on this journey. And because of it, I was able to solidify my commitment to making daily reading a fully formed habit.

Since then, I’ve gone on to establish other healthy habits like:

👟 Walking

🧘‍♀️ Meditating

💸 And tracking expenses (Imma keep it real with you, I use fun stickers to track everything and it totally works!)

The key to long-term growth is to form small, manageable habits one at a time. And if you’re looking to make these changes, reading Atomic Habits is a great place to start.

Book #2: Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt

Michael does an amazing job of breaking down the science of goal setting. He has been instrumental in helping me on my journey to setting and achieving goals. 

When the pandemic hit, not only did life get flipped upside down, but bookkeepers like me got BUSY. There were all these new PPP loans and Covid-related government assistance programs, I spent wayyyy more time bookkeeping than being with my family.

I got into the business of being my own boss so I could spend MORE time with my family, and all the craziness that came with Covid was taking that away from me. Finally, I said something’s gotta give.

So reading this book was huge in helping me reclaim my work-life balance and teaching me the power of goal-setting.

Book #3: You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero

I’m the kinda person who believes in Magic. No matter where your religious beliefs lie, I firmly believe there’s something going on that we can’t see or explain — something greater than all of us. 

So this book’s focus on the law of attraction – aka LOA – really resonated with me. But I coined a slightly different term, LOAA. It’s the Law of Attraction AND Action.

Ya see, the law of attraction does not work unless you actually take action. 

This book is great for helping you achieve a more positive mindset that allows you to execute on a higher level. Actually believing that you CAN run an efficient bookkeeping business, and you CAN create a life you really enjoy living is crucial. If you don’t think it’s going to happen, it never will. 

Not for nothing, Jen Sincero is HILARIOUS. She’s not a sing-kumbaya-by-the-fire BS person. She’s real, she’s blunt, and she’ll make you laugh til you cry.

What books would you add to the list?

I know I could go on and on telling you about my favorite books. But I want to know which ones have played an instrumental role in your life! Let me know, and I’ll be sure to add it to my 2023 reading list.

To my fellow bookworms,

Justine

P.S. Speaking of things that changed my life… In early 2023, I’m opening the doors to join the next co-hort of my Bookkeeper’s Business Incubator program! This is only the second time I’ve launched a co-hort, and it’s shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. If you’re looking for the exact tools and systems that can help YOU skyrocket to success, I highly recommend joining the waitlist.