What I’m Reading in July 2020
How many books do you read a month? There are soooo many books out there to choose from. Today I’m going to share with you my July 2020 reading picks.
I LOVE to read..always have..always will!
The Premice of it All
BK (before kids) I used to read a TON. Even growing up I was like this. I would read and wash the dishes. Sometimes I would even read a book in a day.
To be honest though me not reading consistently now has nothing to do with the kids. It has more to do with me taking the time to read. How many times as moms and caregivers do we neglect things for ourselves because we are doing all of the things for other people? I think that society tells us to do that. They reinforce that the right way to be a mom is to give and give and give of yourself to make sure the needs of everyone else are taken care of.
According to New Parent, when moms are reading to their children they are often distracted by household chores or cooking and cleaning. Just imagine if moms are distracted and too busy to read to the kids imagine how they are when it comes to reading for themselves.
Well, this month I reject that notion. I am worthy of time. I got that from a Rachel Rodgers training that I just started and it UUHHHMAZING! I KNOW without a shadow in my mind that there is time in the day to read books to myself, honey! I just need to take the time to do the thing. And so that’s what we are doing this month. Luckily I was able to start this new habit while my kids were visiting family.
Why is it important
It’s mainly important because it’s something that I like to do. In this Parents Magazine article, No, Moms: It's Not Selfish to Make Yourself a Priority, they discuss the results of a survey that shows while most parents feel like they give their children just the right amount of time they don’t feel as though they have spent enough time with their own friends or on their own hobbies.
This is common among my friends especially moms. Taking time to do the things that I enjoy relaxes me and allows me to recharge among other things.
Another reason why this is important is that we all need to be reading a lot more. And scrolling Instagram does not rank that high when it comes to the type of reading that I am talking about.
According to Blinkist, reading as an adult has several benefits:
Slows the progress of dementia and Alzeihmers disease.
Reduces stress and relaxes you.
Improves focus and concentration
Reduces depressive thoughts
Makes you more empathetic
Improves your general knowledge
Boosts sleep quality
And That's That
All in all, this month I have decided that I would dedicate time to read. So here we go. I am going to read for an hour a day. I am reading two books this month and will switch them every day. The problem I have is when the book is good I want to keep reading! I never want the characters to go home. I get immersed in their world and want the story to go on forever! Is reading like that for you?
This month I also decided that I am going to read two books. Ironically enough neither of them would probably be considered pleasure books, but they are both on my massive books to-read list on goodreads.com. Maybe next month I will add a third book that is strictly fiction. I will note that these books do not contain lots of pages. I am not going to focus on finishing the books this month. I am going to be focusing on just creating the habit...the habit of reading a chapter a day.
“It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It's what we do consistently.” -Tony Robbins
The Goods
Here is what I am reading for July 2020:
Superfans by Pat Flynn
Dangerous Prayers by Craig Groeschel
Superfans is 206 pages long and discusses how to create your biggest supporters beyond the followers and Likes on Social Media. I can already tell you the book is very interesting. I have already started sharing my thoughts on it here. Pat Flynn does a great job of storytelling. I am most excited about the exercises. These were a sweet surprise! I am all like yes tell me about your concept, but honey please give me all the details on how to execute it!
I chose this book because I am a Facebook ads consultant that helps business owners use Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and social media to grow their business’ and thought for sure this could help my customers as well as help my own business.
Now the second book, Dangerous Prayers, is 186 pages. The book is all about “unlock(ing) your greatest potential and tackle your greatest fears by praying stronger, more passionate prayers that lead you into a deeper faith.” I took that straight from the Amazon website because that description was sooooo good.
Now I have seen the author Craig Groeschel, preach numerous times at my church, Elevation, in Charlotte, NC. So I was familiar with him. But when I saw lots of people posting about his new book and the accompanying devotional on the Bible app I just knew that I wanted it. I am open to new ways to improve my prayer life and relationship with God.
I am excited about this book and a little nervous as well. To be honest, I am only a little nervous because of the things that I may possibly have to change in order to live the life that God wants for me, but I am ready for the challenge. Even typing that can be a little scary, but I know that God is calling me to more.
So my books for this month...my reading habit this month is to read one chapter a day in either the book Dangerous Prayers or Superfans. I am doing this because I ENJOY reading and I can’t wait to expand my mind! No, really I enjoy reading and I am worthy to do more things that focus on bringing me joy.
What are you reading this month? Have any suggestions for books that I should read next? Share it all with me in the comments.