5 Books You Must Read From JDP’s Library
It’s always important to continue to consume content. Even though I’m in business, the majority of the books I read are actually not just focused on business. It’s scientifically proven that reading can strengthen your brain, increase your ability to emphasize, reduce stress and so much more.†
Life is busy – I get it! So I consume books in a variety of ways to ensure I am continuously taking in more stories, skills, and experiences. Other than reading the physical book itself, I would highly recommend taking advantage of audiobooks (listening on apps like Audible, which you can try out for free for the first 30 days), or if you’re really crunched on time, there is a tool called Headway, which summarizes the books.
5 books I would highly recommend (in no particular order):
Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorites! I took one of his courses on writing and loved it. The precipice to Talking to Strangers is that we as humans just don’t know how to communicate with each other. This is a very well-written and easily readable book.
In the book, he writes that if we just understood how to communicate better, all of these well-known moments in history may have not happened or ended up different. We often do more harm in failing to understand each other because humans are too quick to label and misconceive instead of just talking to each other and understanding each other. With the rise of social media, technology, and news reporting, the ways we have grown to make sense of strangers is becoming dangerous and inviting conflict and misunderstanding simply because we don’t know how to talk to them.
Without it being a business book, this analysis on communication is still very applicable to my business and how I approach conversation and communication with strangers, AKA: new clients. This is a great read that is highly attainable and is an important read for everybody!
I read this book in less than two weeks. It is a fantastic book about the art of negotiating.
Chris Voss was a FBI hostage negotiator and shares his experience in negotiation, namely ending on three main points: don’t compromise, active listening, and embracing conflict. One of the things that I took away from Never Split the Difference was how to disarm a conflict or situation with a stranger by simply asking the person for their name.
This is another great book, that in line with Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, discusses the importance of communication in everyday situations with strangers.
This is not a business or new book, but this is a great read nonetheless.
Born a Crime is an autobiography that recounts Noah’s childhood growing up in South Africa under the apartheid government and how he has navigated his journey thus far. It is a fantastic story of his upcoming, his resilience, and it is a really good read that has stuck with me.
This is a great business book that we hear about all the time and this has continued to stay with me because it contextualizes how I feel in the most real way.
The Obstacle Is The Way depicts how challenges show up in a business, how you address or overcome it, and how obstacles are just a part of the process. The questions that I catch myself asking when I’ve reached an obstacle is: how am I viewing this challenge? How do I actually overcome this? It is the idea of positioning obstacles as a part of the process instead of being victimized by it.
I read a lot of fiction, usually murder thrillers, because it’s like mind yoga — there is a study behind it that although reading in general is good for you, murder mysteries and books like these actually provide a lot of mental stimulation that can facilitate the improvement of your reflective capabilities, critical sense, analysis of small details and even your deductive skills and imagination.††
Lisa Jewell’s books are so vivid and I feel that fiction thrillers like these help to stimulate my brain and practice my detective skills too.
I’m constantly evolving and learning through the content I’m consuming in a variety of mediums and bringing those experiences and lessons into my work and relationships. What are your favorite books to read? How do you best take in the books or content?
Disclosure: I only recommend products that I use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own! This post may contain affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase or sign up through the links on our site at no additional cost to you.
HI THERE, I’M JORDYN
Serial entrepreneur, strategic integrator and financial aficionado.
My mission is to revolutionize the way businesses grow with strategic clarity and implementation. It goes beyond consultancy—as I want to be a dedicated partner in propelling your success with strategy and impactful execution with zest and honesty.