Ted Ings' Winter "Read to Succeed"

Exercise builds the body and reading builds the mind. In the same way that you go to the gym to have a healthier body, you need to read to have a healthier brain.

Some of the benefits of reading are:

• It boosts creativity, imagination, and understanding.

• It improves communication, vocabulary and language development.

• It increases concentration, focus, and memory.

These are all essential skills if you want to succeed in the sales and service industry. With that in mind, here are my hot winter reads to get your new year off to a great start.

1. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Mark Twain

Fortunately, Brian Tracy doesn’t literally expect you to eat that live frog. It is a metaphor to get you to stop procrastinating and tackle your most challenging tasks every day.

Eat That Frog! shows you how to organize your time so that you focus on the most important jobs, and get on with them. This is great advice if you want to succeed in 2019.

For most of us, it’s impossible to get through everything on our to-do-list in one day. In this life-changing book, Brian Tracy cuts to the chase and explains that decision, discipline, and determination, are vital to effective time management.

You need to recognize that successful people don’t try to do everything. They identify the most important task and make sure they get them done. They eat their frogs first and then get on with the rest of their tasks for the day.

In this fully revised and updated edition, Tracy has added two new and very useful chapters. The first illustrates how you can use technology to help organize and prioritize your tasks for the day. The second chapter gives advice on how to stay focused in a world filled with constant distractions.

This is a tremendous read to start off the year.

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time By Brian Tracy Buy on Amazon

2. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

“A book is a conversation between the author and reader.” John Maxwell

John Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author, and in his bestseller, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, he shares his wealth of knowledge. This book is designed to guide you through a period of extensive personal growth and has had a profound impact on many lives.

Maxwell’s premise is that there are 21 irrefutable “laws” of leadership that are universally true, regardless of who you are or what you do. Each chapter discusses one of these laws. There are two things that you need to remember when you read this book. The first is that these are “laws”, not ideas or theories.

Maxwell does not suggest you follow them, he insists on it. The second is that they are “irrefutable” and to argue is pointless. Maxwell asserts that if you embrace the laws, you will be more successful. If you don’t read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, then you’re missing out on a potentially life-changing experience.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition) By John C. Maxwell Buy on Amazon

3. The Art of War by Sun Tzu

“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment, that which they cannot anticipate.” Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu was a high-ranking military general, strategist, and tactician, and his ancient Chinese military treatise, The Art of War, has been the most important military work in Asia for the last two thousand years. Yes! Two thousand years.

This treatise is composed of 13 chapters devoted to aspects of warfare and is commonly accepted as the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time. It has had a profound influence on Eastern and Western military thinking.

So why should you read this book?

The Art of War is relevant to everyone because the concepts and principles found within the book can be applied to everything from business and relationships to sports and other competitive endeavors.

Sun Tzu’s philosophy on how to be a great leader and ensure that you win is summed up in 33 pieces of advice that can be applied to everything you do in work, management, and life. And surely a book that has survived and remained relevant for two centuries has to be worth reading.

The Art Of War By Sun Tzu Buy on Amazon

4. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WITH OVER 28 MILLION COPIES IN PRINT! - That should tell you all you need to know about this book and why it should be on your reading list.

Changes in life, and in your circumstances, are inevitable. In his ever-popular bestseller, Who Moved My Cheese?, Dr. Spencer Johnson uses a simple parable of four mice to reveal profound truths about dealing with change.

He demonstrates that when it comes to accepting change and turning it into success, it is an attitude that matters more than anything else, and change should be viewed, not as an end, but as a new beginning.

This book will help you discover how to anticipate, acknowledge and accept change, allowing it to have a positive impact on your professional and personal life.

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life By Spencer Johnson Buy on Amazon

5. ROAR - How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum by Stacy Sims

“Women are not small men. Stop eating and training like one.”

Yes, this is a book about fitness and training but you don’t need to be super fit or a professional athlete to benefit from it. Every woman can benefit from being fit and eating correctly. Exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Stacy T. Sims, Ph.D., teaches you everything you need to know to adapt your nutrition and training to suit your specific needs as an active woman and achieve optimum performance.

Most training plans are designed for men and this often makes it hard for female athletes to reach their full potential. This book contains goal-specific meal plans, strengthening exercises and nutrient-packed recipes that will allow you, as a woman, to work with your body rather than against it. The comprehensive plan will enable you to build a solid fitness foundation, strengthen your bones, build lean muscle and boost power and endurance.

This book will help you stay healthy through the winter and get into shape for the summer. It will empower you with the knowledge you need to be fit, strong and healthy and this will have a positive impact on both your personal and professional life.

ROAR: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life By Stacy Sims, Selene Yeager Buy on Amazon

The new year is a great time to start working on a new you. These books will help you plot your course for 2019 and get your year off to a great start.