Top 5 Must Read Books for 2023
In 2022, Rob and I read books that weren’t just filled with inspiring ideas, but real tactical business, wealth and life advice. Books that created a real change in our daily life, financial blueprint and business goals. As we kick off 2023, we wanted to share some of our favorites with you. So here we go.
This list is not in order of priority and will span many topics, as we know that life if more than just one business. 😉
Money Mindset
The Psychology of Money
This must read book made the list because in our current world of comparing to the influencer, life is endless perfect social media images flashing the exotic cars, expensive watches and such… the author doesn’t hold back exposing the accumulation of material things, primarily for desire for admiration and respect and how that need to service the ego impacts your happiness, financial security and can often lead to massive loss. The book perfectly explains the distinct difference between being rich vs wealthy. After Rob and I read this book, we had real conversations about spending, savings and created a new wealth plan for our family. Highly recommended!
Financial
The Latte Factor by David Bach
In 2022, Rob hosted his Platinum Event in our current home of Florence, Italy. We invited Florentine resident and expat, David Bach to speak to our group on what it means to Live Rich. David is a multi-time New York Times Best Selling Author, has appear on top talk shows like Oprah and The View multiple times and does more than talk the talk. After writing The Latte Factor, he moved his family to Italy, where he currently still resides, walking the walk of living rich. We had so many huge ah-ha moments when reading this book, but our two biggest was to pay ourselves first AND to set our kids up for financial stability and success. After reading, we examined and optimized our financial savings plans and opened our little one an IRA, taught her to buy stock and kick-started her financial blueprint.
Growth
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Gallup
One of the most impactful things Rob and I have done to understand each other on a deep level is take the Strength Finder test and examine our results together. (BTW- With the purchase of this book, you’ll get the unique code to take the test yourself!) Many of us have little sense of our natural talents and strengths. We’re often taught to become experts in our weaknesses — and spend our lives trying to fix them, while our strengths lie dormant. With this test/book we learned what our top strengths are, which includes the possible pitfall for each strength. For example, one of my (Kim) top strengths is strategy. In real life, this means I love to problem solve, which is great. The pitfall can be that sometimes, friends/family come to me with problems and they want me to just listen, and not solve them… which is soooo hard for me. After reading this book, Rob (and my close friends) learned this about me and now preface the conversations we have with whether they want help or just an ear. This has helped me not verbal vomit solutions and ideas when that’s not what they were looking for… and it helps them understand that this is my strength (and not fault me if I can’t help myself sometimes).
Relationships
If You’re In My Office, It’s Already Too Late: A Divorce Lawyer’s Guide to Staying Together
It’s no secret to our longtime listeners that we love John Gottman’s teachings, especially The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. In our podcast, FriDate, we talk often about his teachings and how we apply them. However, for this list, in the category of Relationships, I need to share this book. Divorce attorney James Sexton shares the relatable, and often hysterical stories of marriage problems that lead to divorce. Many of the things he talks about aren’t in a normal relationship book. For us, this book has small light-bulb moments that allow you to see yourself in stories, and course-correct where needed.
Health
Hope for Cancer: 7 Principles to Remove Fear and Empower Your Healing Journey
Rob and I aren’t looking at vanity health goals anymore. Instead, we’re training for longevity. We have always been huge supporters of integrative medicine. We believe in finding and treating the root cause of disease, not just putting a band-aid on it. We have all read the stories of the peopl that ate like crap, had a heart attack and then went vegan right? Well, we believe in taking the steps to prevent disease as best as we can and not just change our lifestyle after a diagnosis.
This year, one of my friends who is battling cancer shared this book with me. It has given her a plan, helped her heal her body and most importantly, provided the HOPE and mindset that she needs to win this battle. Right off the bat, I knew this strategy was different. The way they talk about cancer cells not invading your body, but being cells that are desperately in need of “self-care” struck me. This holistic approach, combined with modern medicine truly has given me HOPE. And, we’ve already begun implementing some of the strategies prevention.
P.S. Of course, we love fun reads, here’s a list with our favorite, mindless and entertaining books.