Here’s to forever self-helping, researching, laughing, crying, and taking advantage of this human life through reading! Dusty doesn’t read unless there’s a 50-word maximum. But fear not…he listens to audio books like a champ! I push my propaganda right on to him audibly and hope for the best!

I’ve heard people say judgmentally, “Oh, I don’t read self-help books.” Whoa…we could all use some improvement. For anyone who claims not to need improvement, I beg of you, can you please write a book so I can help myself to your perfection?

I love.love.love self-help! Rather than flailing through life making assumptions, believing presumptuous statements, or following ideas indiscriminately, I make the choice to research, continually ask ‘why,’ and dig deep into self-awareness so that my opinions feel more substantiated, rather than blind, arbitrary, ungracious, egocentric, or unilateral. I think life would just be easier if we realize we’re all fallible and embrace our (and others’) unique imperfections.

Also, enjoying a hearty laugh helps ease the stresses of daily life. Audio books do this for me. I mean, I assume that why fellow drivers cautiously stare at me at stop lights — they’re wondering if I’m laughing or crying as tears stream down my ugly-laugh-cry face.

I believe it’s an injustice to ourselves and to society at large to stop researching, learning, and asking ‘why.’ The more we research, the more we learn about how myopic we stupid humans really are. We focus so much on “I” when “we” are so affected by inefficient, selfish, biased decisions. Researching things helps me to grow my knowledge and consciousness to hopefully give me a more universal view of things and to realize the ripple effect of lil-ole-me’s lil-ole actions.

Anyhow, here’s my ongoing library (in no particular order) that I will add to for as long as this blog lives. Many have been forgotten and will be added to the list as my mind makes room to accommodate those fleeting memories. I am open to any book recommendations, regardless of opposing views, because I am always open to learning from all angles! If you have a good one, tell me!

DONE!

• The Power of Vulnerability, Brene Brown
• The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday
• Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounter Consciousness, Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner
• The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
• 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help that Actually Works, Dan Harris
• Love Warrior, Glennon Doyle Melton
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k, Mark Manson
• Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, Amy Cuddy
• Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday
• Strategic Thinking Skills, Stanley K. Ridgley
• Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics, Richard Thaler
• Redefining Reality: The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science, Steven Gimbel
• What I Told My Daughter: Lessons From Leaders on Raising the Next Generation of Empowered Women, Nina Tassler
• The 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferriss
• Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to the True Nature of the Universe, Robert Lanza & Bob Berman
• The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton
• Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write About Anything, Dorsey Armstrong
• Scream-Free Marriage: Calming Down, Growing Up, and Getting Closer, Hal Edward Runkel & Jenny Runkel
• The Third Alternative, Steven Covey
• The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Sir Ken Robinson
• The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
• Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell
• Emotional Intelligence, Travis Bradberry
• How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
• House of God, Samuel Shem
• Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
• The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, Gary Chapman
• Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
• Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence – and How You Can, Too, Gary Vaynerchuk
• Analysis and Critique: How To Engage and Write About Anything, Dorsey Armstrong
• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach
• Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life, Glennon Doyle Melton
• Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant
• Edge of Eternity, Ken Follett
• Fall of Giants, Ken Follett
• Winter of the World, Ken Follett
• The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure, Grant Cardone
• The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss, Anderson Cooper & Gloria Vanderbilt
• Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, Jane Mayer
• Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik
• Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, David R. Hawkins
• Stress and Your Body,  Professor Robert Sapolsky
• Discrimination and Disparities, Thomas Sowell
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell
• 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene
• A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America, Bruce Cannon Gibney
• Law School for Everyone [The Great Courses], Edward K. Cheng, Joseph L. Hoffmann, Molly Bishop Shadel, Peter J. Smith
• Critical Business Skills for Success [The Great Courses], Michael A. Roberto, Clinton O. Longenecker, Eric Sussman, Thomas Goldsby, Ryan Hamilton
• The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama
• Dare to Lead, Brene Brown
• Becoming, Michelle Obama
• The Mueller Report, Robert S.Mueller
• Power Moves, Adam Grant
• Conspiracy, Ryan Holiday

QUEUED UP

• Fatal Invention, Dorothy Roberts
• The Art of Investing: Lessons from History’s Greatest Traders, John M. Longo
• Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body, Jo Marchant
• The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear into Faith, Gabrielle Bernstein
• Healing With Body Energy, W. Brugh Joy
• Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue, Ryan Holiday
• Living Well, Spending Less, Ruth Soukup
• Lullaby, Jonathan Maberry
• Where Should We Begin: The Arc of Love, Esther Perel
• Operation Paperclip, Annie Jacobsen
• The Half-Life of Marie Curie, Lauren Gunderson
• Fear, Bob Woodward
• The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker
• Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell
• Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker
• Foreign Affairs
• The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt
• Quantum Mechanics [The Great Courses], Steven Gimble