I Want to Read More Books in 2018 – Here’s what I’m Doing to Make that Happen

I love the idea of setting goals, but I’m not usually very good at following through. Now, this may sounds like I’m harping on myself – but the truth is, I HATE feeling forced to do anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s an outer or inner pressure, I have a physical reaction to feeling like I have to do something, despite my wishes.

So how do I accomplish anything? I am a firecracker when I set my mind to something that I feel passionate about. I can zip through a project or goal like it’s nobody’s business and trust me when I say that nobody can stop me! When I have a case of “the shoulds” though and don’t really want to do something – I can literally waste 6 hours moping around my apartment thinking about how much I don’t want to do it.

That’s where I’ve learned to re-phrase certain things or come up with little mental tricks that help get me moving.

There is a book I’m really excited to read because it helps explain some of the psychology around how people react to expectations. It is called The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Ruben. She studies happiness and has divided people into four personality types – depending upon how they react to both inner and outer expectations. In the book, she does a deep dive on each personality type and explains what exactly that person needs to succeed. Some people are GREAT at meeting outer expectations (deadlines from a boss etc) but can’t make themselves meet an inner expectation to save their life (going to the gym). I have heard her speak about these tendencies on a few podcasts and found the idea really intriguing.

I think better understanding how I view both inner and outer expectations will help me figure what I need in order to meet the goals I’m setting for the year - reading more books being one of them. I thought this would be the perfect book to kick off the new year as I think it may help me feel better equipped to meet some of my other goals.

One piece of advice that I think is super cliché, is the idea of accountability partners. I’ve always kind of shrugged it off because it adds a different level of commitment – and remember, I hate feeling forced to do things! That being said, I was having a conversation with my friend Marijo today, and she mentioned that she wanted to read more books in 2018 as well.

I told her about the Four Tendencies and she thought that sounded like a good read. I offered to let her borrow the book after I was done with it. She had just ordered a few books by the author Chip Heath on business/life and offered to do a book swap. Out of the blue – she decided to set a specific goal to finish one of the books by January 22nd. I thought this was a great idea and committed to do the same thing!

It’s funny how having this level of accountability doesn’t feel limited, instead of feels like a fun challenge. This moment has opened my eyes a bit to the possibility of creating more challenges or levels of accountability in other areas. I’m ordering the book tonight and am going to hunker down and read it in the next few weeks.

If this goes well, I may continue doing this throughout the year to keep me motivated to continue reading. Maybe Marijo and I will do a few more swaps throughout the year, or maybe I’ll enlist a few other friends to join in. I like the idea of doing book swaps because it also gives me ideas of new books to read. There are so many potential books out there, that having a recommendation from a friend can make it a much easier choice. Besides, if two people have read the same book, it opens the door for some interesting dialogue. After Marijo and I have both read our books, I think I’ll propose a coffee date sometime to chat about what we both got out of the books.

I should also point out, it’s not that I dislike reading, but it’s just not something I make time for right now. When I’m going through a phase of reading more, I tend to feel more intentional in my life – not to mention I see an improvement in both my writing and vocabulary. It also gives my brain permission to slow down and come into the present moment. Sitting and reading almost feels like meditation to me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! Maybe it will give you some ideas of ways you can kick-start some of your own goals in the new year.

All original content by me. xo, @coruscate

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