When in trouble as a kid I was sent to my room to read.

What worked as a time out in the moment also helped to cultivate a love of books that set me up for with a passion for learning + growing as an adult.

You may be getting ready to pick a title for the holidays to relax or to put under the tree, so I wanted to share my 20 must read books to make 2021 be your best year yet from our two walls of book cases in our back room.

♥️ 25 Must Read Books for 2021

In no particular order here are my must read favourite books. Ok, it was originally going to be a handful but I couldn’t get rid of any 😉

You’ll find a little blurb about each one and I hope you (and your loved ones) enjoy them as much as I have. To keep this message from being too long, I’ve listed the first seven below and you can ready the rest over in the Studio Mag, simply click the pink button below.

The Slight Edge

Jeff Olsen
This book really showed me the power of the small things we do consistently over time, hello compound interest!

Essentialism

Greg McKeown
Choosing what to focus on isn’t easy as a creative. We often have multiple projects + books on the go. What I learned through this book was the importance of keeping things simple.

Fear is Not the Boss of You

Jennifer Allwood
Jen dives into what really beneath the things that are holding us back from doing what long to do. It’s a fun read all the while getting to the heart of the matter.

Marketing Made Simple

Donald Miller
This is some of the best money I’ve spent on marketing and messaging in a long time. It’s simple + easy to implement and you’ll come out with incredible insight about your business and how you help your customers.

The Art of Work

Jeff Goins
Jeff has an incredible way of stilling the nervous energy and doubts that we’ll eve find our true work.

Fascinate
Sally Hogshead
Sally’s books, there’s another one called How The World Sees You, and her Fascinate test was mind blowing. It was a important piece of the puzzle to better understand myself. In case you’re wondering I’m a Secret Weapon.

What’s Best Next

Matt Perman
As a person of faith, Matt’s book connected the dots from what we do everyday to the purpose of life in a real and simple way.

One thing he changed for me was seeing the ordinary, sometimes called mundane activities we do each day are actually gifts we give to others. Needless to say that was another life changing moment right there!

The Power of Habit

Charles Duhigg
I loved this book! Sure we all know that we need good habits and struggle with some bad ones. This book unpacked what’s going on and gives you the power to change those stubborn habits that aren’t serving you well.

Awaken The Giant Within
Tony Robbins
This book helped me to take back the power that I’d given to others. Truly powerful and one of many transforming moments in my life toward freedom.

Purple Cow

Seth Godin
Sometimes we need help to see things from a different perspective, and Seth does that in this easy to read book. It’s time to stop comparing and start being uniquely you!

Atomic Habits

James Clear
Once you understand how powerful habits are, you want to learn more and this book gives you a simple framework that anyone can apply.

The Power of Habit was great to understand what’s going on in habit creation, this book helps you take action and create them.

Digital Minimalism

Cal Newport
With technology invading all areas of our lives today, Cal’s book is essential if you want to build good relationships without having the beeps and dings of technology distracting us at every turn.

I think I’ll be giving this one another read to ensure my new habits from covid support my goals and values.

Profit First

Mike Michalowicz
A fantastic plan for ensuring your business is a profitable one, no matter what income level you are at. A simple strategy that is easily implemented that makes it easy to know what you can and should spend your money on to continue to grow.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R Covey
I remember reading this one when I was pregnant with our son, many years ago. It was revolutionary and blew concepts I had in my mind. Taking responsibility for my life and the choices I make was one of the best things I could do to change my future.

Good to Great

Jim Collins
Jim showed the power of the Stockade Paradox, it we keep pushing int her gift direction, we will eventually hit breakthrough. The importance of facing the brutal facts to be able to see the obvious and difficult steps needed to turn the flywheel … and in time it will happen.

Flip the Switch

PJ McClure
This was one of the first books I read about our mindset and it’s impact on the kind of life I was living. Unfortunately, through my life experiences I had come to the wrong conclusions that life was hard, attention was a negative thing and be careful about looking good.

Thankfully I’ve re-learnt what true success is and that there is freedom in being me and to confidence comes from leaning into who I am, not from what others say about me.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Donald Miller
Honestly this one was hard to get into at first, but I discovered it was part of the genius of the story. By the end I had fresh insight into the value of living with purpose and being the author of your own story.

Start With Why

Simon Sinek
Just like in the Goal Setting System of the FUSElife framework, getting the heart of why you’re doing what you’re doing changes your motivation, your enthuasim and your results. It works for business + life.

Simon’s Ted Talk inspired my imagination and unveiled why Apple’s marketing resonate so strongly with us, unfortunately it’s not quite the same since the loss of Steve Jobs. He really understood how to apply this important lesson.

The Best Yes

Lysa TerKeurst
It’s not always easy to choose what to say yes to or what to decline. Lisa helps us get clear about that decision we face multiple times everyday, year after year.

The Power of Neuroplasticity
Shad Halmstetter
The first half of this book was really insightful for understanding how our minds work and how our habitual thoughts impact our life. Truly fascinating and easy to understand.

The Power of your Subconscious Mind

Joseph Murphy
Joseph shows you how to work with your mind and choose a better way of thinking. there’s so many different examples covering all kinds of difference areas own our lives.

The Barefoot Investor

Scott Pape
This book changed our family finances for the better forever. Scott’s strategy is simple and brings different money minds to a place of harmony. Yes, a spender can live in harmony with a saver and both enjoy life together 😉

The 12 Week Year

Brian Moran
90 day planning isn’t new, and the good news is that planning before starting a project can reduce the time it takes to do it by 20%. Who’s not curious about how to have those kind of savings in their work + life?!

I do agree that what makes the real difference is “learning to manage your thinking and your attitude”. How we think is an essential part of what I call the Success Pie : mindset, skills + strategy. Doing isn’t the only piece of the puzzle, yet it’s the one we focus on and try to change the most.

Strengths Finder

Tom Rath
Taking personality tests and reading books to learn more about myself, why I do the things I do and why I do them that way has been life changing.

Instead of fighting with myself and trying to be someone I’m not, I found peace and freedom in leading into who I am. It’s also the reason behind the design of the FUSElife Planners, because one size doesn’t fit all and the secret is found in you, not in the latest tip or tool.

I’ll share more about my favourite tests and why in an upcoming article. I know they’ll help you embrace your unique strengths to be more productive, achieve your goals and live with purpose.

The Bible

God
I can’t list all these other must read books that have changed my life without mentioning the one that has had the greatest impact of all. It’s continues to change my life everyday.

The wisdom and guidance found in it’s pages are alive and it’s one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given.

There are even more than the ones I’ve listed in today’s article and maybe I’ll do a part two sometime in the new year. Needless to say reading is a passion and a huge part of my life and I hope of yours too.

Success comes when you #takeAction

• 📌 Pick a couple of titles that capture your curiosity this holiday season and get ready to make 2021 your best year yet!
• What’s some of your must read books that I can put on my list …