One thing that I loved about Logan when we started dating, is that he loved to read. I grew up reading in the summer reading programs, getting all the possible prizes for reading so many books. Seeing Logan love it too, made me so happy. I knew that we would be able to read books together and enjoy talking about the different things we noticed or how we felt about different characters.

This past year, I started reading business books!! They were another ball game for me; these books take me longer to get through and are way more thought provoking than most fictional books we’ve read. I have to focus on what they are actually saying to really grasp the concepts. But, I’ve felt like I’ve grown because of these books. I’ve felt a different knowledge, encouragement, and inspiration come because of these books. We set goals to read a lot of books this year and we’ve decided to share book reviews on things we’ve read to help you know if it’s a pass or buy on each book.

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of both David and Goliath and Outliers. Between the two, I would recommend David and Goliath WAY over Outliers, but that is just my opinion! My brother actually liked Outliers better.

David and Goliath left me feeling inspired and motivated to be the best version of myself and to really play into my strengths while understanding my weaknesses. Gladwell shows how our weaknesses can play highly into our advantage and how to take on those “Goliaths” in our lives. Goliath thinks that his size makes him the strongest competitor. But what he doesn’t know is that David has been perfectly “trained” for taking him on by doing the “menial” work of taking care of sheep. Taking those times to really hone in on our strengths and talents is crucial. I don’t want to share too much, but if you are looking for a book that makes you feel like you can overcome those big things standing in your way, this is it.  Throw your stone, throw it well.

Outliers was OK. I was expecting a lot from it, and finished feeling a little bit disappointed by the way I felt. It wasn’t as motivating as the first one. But there were a couple key things that I really latched onto. First, to become a “master” at something, it requires 10,000 hours of work. That’s SO much time. It lets us know that we need to be continually working hard to really understand and hone in on what we are working on. There is ALWAYS room for growth. And second- opportunities are all around us. We may not see our current circumstances as an opportunity to become “something,” but if we use our current place or status it can really propel us forward. Don’t believe me? Look back at your life and think of all the things that have given you a leg up or a way to get as far as you are now.

I’m really excited about the next books we are doing! Stay tuned for the next #mandlreads