Founder of 35Thousand Misty Reich is also an executive coach. Here she reveals the self development books that have changed her life for the better.
Books for Figuring out What you Want and & How to Make it Happen
How to Get off the Fast Track and Live a Life Money Can’t Buy, by M.M. Kirsch
‘Nearly 30 years old, this book is a practical step-by-step guide to determining if you are equipped to step out of a fast track career, and if so how to make a big life change to a more fulfilling life’ says Misty. Kirsch explains clearly how to cope with the change that comes with this and how to make it all work financially. Misty, who used to read this book once a year when working in the corporate world, says that there is a check list at the front which determines whether or not you are ready to get off the fast track. ‘I failed it for years’ she laughs.
Great for anyone feeling stuck or hankering after change, some of the best bits are about people who have left a job they didn’t love, followed their heart’s desire and gone on to great success. ‘It’s an old book, and dated,’ says Misty, ‘But it really earned a place in my heart. In fact, I’ve just ordered another copy in case they ever take it out of print,’ she says.
Available on Amazon here
The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
Written by entrepreneur Tim Ferriss, Misty is a fan of this New York Times Bestseller. For people who are committed to making change in their life, ‘It’s aimed at helping you figure out how to live the life you want now rather than waiting for retirement’ she says. And whilst you may not be able to implement everything, it’s packed with great takeaways for saving time, money and helping you become more self-sufficient and efficient. ‘Ferriss has some great ideas that use your readily available resources which are inexpensive to implement,’ she says. ‘One of the most useful parts however is about how to outsource the things you don’t like doing, leaving you with the things that matter the most, and that only you should be doing.’ Off the back of this book Misty employed a virtual assistant – which she has had ever since, ‘Over the years she has handled everything from shipment of my pets to holiday planning and doing my expenses,’ she says.
Available on Amazon here
Books for Self-Belief, Self Confidence and a Positive Mindset
Change your Questions, Change your Life, by Marilee Adams PHD
‘I use this book all the time with my clients,’ says Misty, ‘It is especially helpful for people who struggle with what I call ‘The spiral of doom,’ or self-critical thinking, those people who make a small mistake or say the wrong thing and then spend the next day beating themselves up about it.’ Written much like a fable, but grounded in solid neuroscience Misty says there is a particularly helpful mind map in the middle of which enables us to see that trigger happening and how our subconscious kicks in as either a ‘learner’ or a ‘judger’. Our brains often take an autopilot process and Adams outlines questions that will enable us to question how we are responding and change our internal dialogue towards more constructive, observational thinking.
Available on Amazon here
You2: A high velocity formula for multiplying your personal effectiveness in quantum leaps, by Price Pritchett PhD
‘Small but mighty, this is a great little book for kick-starting a step change in your level of achievement,’ says Misty. More of a pamphlet than a book (it’s just 36 pages), the brilliance of You2 is in its brevity and ability to get to the crux of the topic. Geared around rewiring your mindset, ‘One of the first concepts is about quitting trying harder and it unpacks the idea of working smarter’ explains Misty. ‘It teaches us to step back and reframe our thinking and shows that solutions should come with ease.’ If you are in any doubt of your abilities, this is a great book to pump you up to know that you can do anything.
Available on Amazon here
You are a badass – How to Stop Doubting your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, By Jen Sincero
‘This is a swift, funny, kick in the butt for anyone looking for inspiration to pull themselves together and make things happen’ says Misty. Here, success coach Jen Sincero serves up 27 chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice and easy to do exercises which can help you change self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviours, create a life you love TODAY, and make some money in the process. Encouraging you to take a journey you have never been on, Sincero lives by the advice that if you want a life you have never lived you have to do things you’ve never done.
‘In my executive coaching practise, I find my coaching style is very aligned with Sincero’s’ says Misty, ‘In that nothing is too serious, and this book really demystifies how big our problems really are.’ And for times that Misty feels stuck herself, this is a great book for untrapping her mind, “I find I have to work on the tapes playing in my head at times,” she says, ‘And find this no bullshit way of talking very helpful, “I often go back to this book over and over and re-read all the pieces I highlighted,” she says.
Available on Amazon here
Books for Understanding Why We Do What We Do and how to Shift our Behaviour
Above the Line by Stephen Klemich and Mara Klemich, PhD
‘Everyone should read this book and take the indicator assessment,’ says Misty, ‘It will totally open your mind as to why we do what we do and why people react to us and to situations the way they do. Not just applicable for work, it will make you a better human, parent, friend, spouse and leader.’ Written by a husband and wife team who are a leadership coach and a neuroscientist and psychologist respectively, they have devoted their lives to helping others discover insight for transformation. “I use their psychometric test when I coach people’ says Misty. ‘The tests most businesses do, don’t take into account how we are triggered, and how people are experiencing us which is hugely important,’ she explains. This book values both the heart and the mind so you can change long ingrained behaviours.
Available on Amazon here
A Book for Selling and Sales Confidence
Sell it Like Serhant by Ryan Serhant
‘Gratuitous I know, as this is my brother’s book, but it has genuinely impacted the lives of thousands of people,’ says Misty. Once a shy, jobless hand model, Serhant entered the real estate business in 2008 and nine years later he emerged as one of the top salespeople in the world and a big US TV star. An authority in the art of selling (people have said of Serhant that he could sell milk to a cow), whether you’re selling footballs or life insurance, Serhant reveals how to close more deals than anyone else. With useful lessons, lively stories and a big dose of humour, this book is extremely helpful to people wanting to up their business game. ‘It helps you look at yourself and be a more successful sales person and tackle the barriers that get in the way,” says Misty. The thing she most loves about this book ‘Is that Ryan shows real vulnerability. You think he has it all – a TV show, a book, a flourishing business, lots of money, and he has a beautiful wife and family – yet at the core he shows he battles insecurity like the rest of us. He goes on to unpack how he has harnessed this and made the most of himself.’ Not only beneficial for real estate professionals, anyone can benefit from Serhant’s mindset and inspiring approach.
Available on Amazon here
Books for Inspiring Creativity
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
‘A lot of my coaching clients have insecurity about creativity,’ says Misty, ‘And they don’t see that we can all seek our own and tap into it.’ Written by Pressfield, a prolific historical writer, he identifies the enemies each of us face during the creative process and reveals that even he battles with his own creativity every day. ‘Pressfield talks a lot about resistance, the discipline required to tackle it and how creativity isn’t just transferred via magic pixie dust,’ says Misty. ‘This is a quick read but with really powerful concepts.’
Available on Amazon here
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
‘This is a 12 week programme of exercises and explorations to help stimulate creativity’ says Misty. With a step by step approach, this book guides you towards discovering your creative self whether that be through words, music, projects or paints. ‘My biggest takeaway,’ says Misty, ‘Are The Morning Pages, a daily journaling practise where you sit and write. I really struggled at first to know what to write (I wrote shopping lists) but eventually my whole business came to me in this process.’ Loved by many including some famous names such as Russell Brand and Martin Scorsese, author Elizabeth Gilbert says, ‘Without The Artist’s Way there would have been no Eat, Pray, Love.’
Available from Amazon here
A Book for Effective leadership
The Advantage: Why organizational health trumps everything else in business, by Patrick Lencioni
‘Patrick Lencioni is my go-to for leadership and organisational effectiveness’ says Misty, ‘This book pulls together Lencioni’s prior work including The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team and gives a practical step by step approach to building/rebuilding organisational and team effectiveness.’ With easy-to-follow processes, the crux of this book is about how to unify the heart and minds of a team, maximize their potential and engage them towards a goal. A must-read for employers and employees alike, Misty says, ‘It’s brilliant for people running a team or a business, for building trust and creating a rally cry so everyone knows what they’re aiming towards.’
Available from Amazon here
