Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

biz books

How to apply The Slight Edge

This Slight Edge by Jeff Olson is all about making slight changes to your daily choices to bring more happiness and success into your life. On this episode of Explore Your Enthusiasm, I talk all about applying the principles of The Slight Edge to your creative business, listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast174

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Learning how to apply The Slight Edge by @JeffOlson_ on #ExploreYourEnthusiasm with @TaraSwiger

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There is no shortcut to success.

To be a success, which is just another way of saying, to reach your goals and dreams, there isn't a secret sauce. There isn't something special that successful people know that you don't. It's super simple: You do the same habits, the same things you know to do, day after day. Over time, they build upon each other into a successful business, succesful relationships, and a successful life. That's the premise of The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, and in today's episode, I share how to apply it to your life and creative business.

I highly recommend this book! Buy it here. 

How to listen:

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

What I’m Reading March 2017

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance – Oh man. This memoir really hit home. The author grew up just a few miles from where I did, but above that his home situation was similar to mine. The way he places it all in a social and historical context really helped me process it all in a new way. Basically, until I write my memoir you can read JD's and get a good view of my early life.
  • Vlog like a Boss by Amy Schmittauer – As I've scaled up my video production (and hired a producer/editor!) and am looking at marketing the comic book shop, I wanted to read a book that tells me exactly what to do. This is a good overview of what exactly to do.
  • Moonglow by Micheal Chabon – This novel has stuck with me even though it feels a bit slow at times. Very character-driven, with a plot that unfolds before you even know it's happening.
  • Jane Steele, by Lyndsay Faye – a fun retelling of my favorite book, Jane Eyre. If you're into the ninja nun assassin novels I read a few months ago, you'll like this.
  • The Vegetarian, by Han Kang – a super creepy novel.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last March.

And in March 2015, and March 2014!

What I’m Reading: October 2016

A list of alllll the books I read this month (there were a lot!) and what I plan to read next. Read more at TaraSwiger.com.

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I read

  • How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams – I took copious notes on this book! In it, the Dilbert cartoonist explains how he reached crazy goals (spoiler alert: systems!). So you know I loved it and recommend it.
  • The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters, by Sherri Lynn Wood – Oh man. I love this book. It gave me so many quilty ideas! It's exactly the kind of craft book I love – lots of ideas + inspiration + “how to think” stuff, without step by step instructions (which I never follow anyhow).
  • Leaving the Saints, by Martha Beck – Oof. I thought I was reading a (well-written) book about the author leaving the Latter Day Saints. And then it turns into so much more. It gutted me and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
  • The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, by Susan Wise Bauer – Yes, the author is a bit sniffy about those of us who haven't had a “classical education” but I always say what I learned in college wasn't so much conjugating French verbs but HOW to learn anything, and how to think critically. This book gives you the tools to apply that critical thinking to both fiction and non-fiction. It also provides a list of books in literature, history and philosophy to round out your classical education. Since it's a library book, I didn't read the blurbs for all the suggested books, but I did take notes on critical method and the books I haven't yet read. (I started a new note keeping system during reading, would you like to see it? Lemme know on Facebook!)
  • Year of Reading Dangerously, by Andy Miller – The above book led me to the “reading” section of my library (meta!) where I found this. Funny, interesting, and definitely got me re-excited about my Great Books project. (My list is here.)
  • Self-Compassion, by Kristin Neff – This book is summed in her TED Talk. If you enjoy the talk, read the book. (It's just $7.99 on the Kindle right now!)
  • Love Warrior, by Glennon Doyle-Melton – Like I said last month, I found Glennon's blog, read a ton of her archives and immediately checked her first book out from the library. And then her next book came out and I snatched it up… and then it was named Oprah's next Book Club pick. I hope that won't turn you off from this, a totally gripping memoir about a woman's understanding of herself, as a woman, in this world that objectifies and sexualizes us.
  • All the Things We Never Knew, by Sheila Hamilton – Another memoir! This one by a woman who slowly uncovers her husband's mental health diagnosis and struggles to keep him safe and alive, even after it's totally destroyed their relationship.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

Yeah, so I read a LOT this month. I didn't even share them all here (I skipped the ones I didn't love, or wouldn't recommend.)  Here's to another great month of reading!

What I read last October.

And in October 2014.

What are you reading?