Summer readings #2.

6/23/2016

Again, I'm so glad to finally, after years of reading books and articles for my degree, read books that I've chosen to read myself. It appears that I'm on a self-help kick.

Carol S. Dweck's Mindset: The new psychology of success

Finished reading Carol Dweck's #Mindset, which succinctly defines the fixed and growth mindsets. Light ref. text. pic.twitter.com/7NqhJC5E1y
— Jeffrey Nordstrom (@jeffnords) June 8, 2016

Mindset was an interesting book to read. Although I don't think it said anything I haven't heard before in my reading and education, its overall tone and syntax made the ideas easy to digest and new. Dweck's sentences were terse in a way that lead to a sortof meditative, incursive reading state. Recommended, but light. And the last chapter's boring. FINISHED READING JUNE 8, 2016

Harriet B. Braiker's The Disease to Please: Curing the People-Pleasing Syndrome

Now that I've moved into the "21 Day Action Plan" section, I think I can say I've finished reading the "book" part. pic.twitter.com/4JZbkvIvYO
— Jeffrey Nordstrom (@jeffnords) June 15, 2016

I felt that this was a good book for me. I feel as if I was raised to be a "people pleaser" at the expense of my own boundaries and needs. This goes back to what first set me on this self-help kick, Nonviolent Communication, but The Disease to Please brought a lot of my personal issues into a sharper focus. I've started to realize how I was raised to believe that personal boundaries and needs are inherently selfish, so I've basically lived my life without them. Most of my personal issues right now stem from a severe lack of personal boundaries. I'm still working through the "21 Day Action Plan," but the book itself was very good. FINISHED READING MAIN PORTION OF THE BOOK JUNE 13, 2016. FINISHED 21-DAY ACTION PLAN [pending]

Brené Brown's Daring Greatly.

Finished reading @BreneBrowns Daring Greatly yesterday. I think I'll keep it around for reference. #selfhelp pic.twitter.com/rqOMOMxcsC
— Jeffrey Nordstrom (@jeffnords) June 23, 2016

Daring Greatly isn't a "deep" book, but it's a practical one that clearly advocates for vulnerability in contrast to a shame culture and mindset. I think this was a good contrast to The Disease to Please because although I hope to "cure" my "disease to please," I don't want to give up on my open vulnerability to do it. I've also got my share of shame triggers, plenty of which I'm battling with right now, plenty of which push me to mutter horrible things to myself under my breath. Recommended, light read, but I kind-of want a heavier text on the topic. FINISHED READING JUNE 22, 2016

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