Both professionally and personally, I am a life-long learner. I seek out knowledge and new ideas because I know I can be better. Additional knowledge allows us to communicate better, reach new goals, understand ourselves and others better, and even expand our professional opportunities. I was recently drawn to the following four books because they triggered a curiosity within me to know more. Through them I learned more about how being happy creates success, how to communicate ideas with passion, how to accept feedback to improve my performance, and how following your passion brings your dreams to life. If you are curious too, I encourage you to check them out. 

Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo shares nine public speaking secrets from the now famous TED Talks. TED, which stands for technology, entertainment and design, brings together the world’s leading innovators and thinkers for powerful talks that are 18 minutes or less. Often inspiring, sometimes life-changing, these talks strive to make great ideas accessible and spark conversation. Do you present ideas and information in your workplace? Talk Like Ted will give you real-life strategies to reach your audience in formal presentations and in your informal every day encounters.  The two elements of the successful TED talks that empowered me the most are mastering the art of storytelling and remembering that each exchange of ideas is just having a conversation. 

Is happiness a conscience choice or a product of circumstance? I believe that being happy is a decision we make every day in how we approach life. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor shares the positive psychologies that is fueled by choosing happiness and how positivity in our lives leads us reach our goals. This sounds like a great idea, right? What happens as soon as the day does not go as planned? Achor outlines simple steps to manage and control the unexpected in life. Start your day with one act of gratitude to another through an email, letter or phone call. Identify and enlist people in your social network for support. Take steps to rework your brain to recognize the positive and minimize the negative from taking control of your thoughts.

Our desire to learn and grow can often be in conflict with wanting to be accepted and liked. Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sehila Heen shares the science and art of receiving feedback well. Do you want to learn a new skill at work? Do you want to be selected for the next project team? Do you want to move to the next level of responsibility in your organization? Then you should actively be seeking feedback from your direct supervisor and peers. Knowing what your skills and strengths versus are the perceptions of your skills and strengths are critical in your ability to be effective at work and life. Getting feedback once a year in your annual performance evaluation does not help you continuously improve your performance or facilitate life-long learning. Knowing how to ask for and accept feedback on a regular, ongoing basis will. This book will help you with the skills you need to ask for feedback and incorporate that feedback into improved performance. 

Most of us have a secret dream life in our minds. The dream of a different career, home or relationship can often be eclipsed by the realities of day to day life. Do Cool Sh*t by Miki Agrawl is a great reminder of why the dream matters. The author sets forth a challenge to quit your day job, start your own business and live happily ever after. At times in the book, this seems a little simplistic – like saying “just do it.” What really impacted me were the personal stories the authors shared of people who did take the risk to follow their dreams and ended up loving the results. The strategies set forth in the book are really sound for defining what you want to do in business and some non-traditional business strategies for getting there. Some of the best advice offered: Is success really what you think it is?