’Tis the Season: Some Books Keep Me Warm
Grab some hot chocolate, a quirky bookmark, and curl up in a blanket.
‘Tis the season to complain about the sky turning dark by 5 pm, which also means it’s the perfect season to curl up with a book and a mug of hot chocolate. Ah, how I love it!
You can also binge watch some comfort movies like ‘You’ve Got Mail’, which is my all-time comfort movie.
Sometimes you want to escape into movies and books because the reality of winter is hugely romanticised and it isn’t as rosy and warm as it seems.
The sun resembles a pale yellow yolk in a grey sky speckled with drifting clouds.
Cold, cold wind. Gray smog. Festive lights.
Across the northern part of India, you feel the cold seep into your bones.
The water you splash on your face feels like needles poking your skin. Skin feels patchy without cold cream and your lips turn into chapped rodents without a lip balm.
Amidst winter, we talk about climate change. If you were to visit some of the southern states in December, you would be surprised to find that it is actually quite cold in the evenings. Just last week, Twitterati went nuts over the fact that Chennai is witnessing cold vibes and people are wearing mufflers and sweaters…..seriously, we are talking about winter vibes in the southern part of India, which is almost impossible! Recently, on a trip to Coimbatore, I was surprised to find the weather nearly as cold as Delhi.
Of course, most folks look forward to winter: the twinkling Chirstmas lights, the warmth and music in shops and restaurants, the scent of hot chocolate and plum cakes.
Plus, winters are a cosy time to read books and I discovered few must-read books!
Eric Barker’s ‘Barking Up the Wrong Tree’
Alex Howard’s ‘Decode Your Fatigue’
Prakash Iyer’s ‘How Come No One Told Me That?
Decoding the Science of Success
Ever wondered why some folks are more successful than others? Why and how do they get away with breaking the rules and how do they still reach the top?
Is it destiny or plain luck? Or, is it something else?
Eric Barker’s ‘Barking Up the Wrong Tree’ decodes the ‘Science of Success’ with an evidence-backed and compellingly insightful approach.
Richard Wiseman, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire, undertook a study of lucky and unlucky people to see if it was just random chance, spooky magic…or if there were real differences that caused such different results in life. Guess what the results of the survey were?
That luck isn’t really what works the magic, it is about the choices we make.
Nearly everything comes back to this key point - yes, our choices in life.
Meanwhile, Barker also urges us towards choosing greatness over goodness.
In his view, “We spend too much time trying to be “good” when good is often merely average. To be great, we must be different.And that doesn’t come from trying to follow society’s vision of what is best, because society doesn’t always know what it needs.”
In Stanford Professor and best selling author Robert Sutton’s view, “This is the kind of book that you will be glued to even as you keep turning page after page simply because you can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Some thought-provoking insights from Eric Barker’s ‘Barking Up the Wrong Tree’:
We always think we need more: more help, more motivation, more energy. But in our current world, the answer is often the exact opposite: we need less. We need less of those things so that we can go all in our priorities.
Know thyself and pick the right pond. Identify your strengths and pick the right place to apply them. When you choose your pond wisely, you can best leverage your type, your signature strengths and your context to create tremendous value. This is what makes for a great career, but such self-knowledge can create value wherever you choose to apply it.
So, what happens if you fail at something? You won’t die like Batman, so you shouldn’t act like you are Batman. Try things. Quit what fails. Then apply grit.
Decoding Fatigue and Chronic Stress
Often we ignore the early signs of fatigue, which is a common mistake we all make.
According to Alex Howard’s ‘Decode Your Fatigue’, it is imperative to understand and analyse the symptoms of fatigue and not brush it aside as a figment of your imagination. I highly recommend this book to all of you who experience fatigue.
Stress, according to Alex Howard, is not the problem, neither is our body’s response to it. When coupled with fatigue, however, it triggers a maladaptive stress response.
What does fatigue feel like?
You wake up feeling so tired that even getting out of your bed feels impossible.
Stepping out to buy something seems too exhausting.
Bloating after eating food, suffering from a leaky gut and inflammation.
You find it hard to relax your body fully.
Your mind is restless and mostly racing with anxiety.
You feel as though you have no energy to do anything.
How to Fix Fatigue Quickly
Understand the Gut Brain Axis. When we eat mindlessly, without paying any attention to what we are eating, we tend to not chew properly. This affects our digestion. So, the first step is to be mindful while eating and not watch TV/OTT.
Chew your food at least 20 times and eat in a quiet place.
Avoid stuffing yourself with processed snacks, packaged foods and cola drinks.
Check with your doctor in case of any fungal overgrowth that is responsible for triggering anxiety. There can also be issues caused by growth of parasites in the large intestine that affect your bowel movements.
Your blood sugar levels are responsible for maintaining your energy levels. So, inculcate blood sugar-balancing habits such as eating regular meals on time.
Balance your lifestyle with Circadian rhythms. Don’t overuse mobile devices at night or stay up too late to watch films on Netflix or other OTT platforms. Remember, blue light from mobile devices and laptops affects our internal body clocks.
Check your thyroid levels regularly. The thyroid gland plays a key role in our body’s metabolism.
Strengthen your immunity by taking Vitamin C and D, avoid refined sugars and coach yourself to eat what is healthy for your body.
Discover your ‘baseline’ -Alex Howard defines this as ‘how much activity you should be doing - and learning to pace your activity is critical.
While the book offers an excellent and thorough roadmap to heal your fatigue, it also sets a gentle reminder, “Ultimately, your healing journey isn’t only a physical and emotional one - it’s also a journey for your soul. Trust the process, listen to your body.”
Another must-read book is Prakash Iyer’s ‘How Come No One Told Me That?’
You may wonder what can you possibly learn from a boatman that isn’t already known to you, right?
There is extraordinary wisdom in every day moments that we pass through.
We just don’t see it.
This book nudges the reader to ‘Change the way you usually think.’
While emphasising on the need to train and invest in people, Prakash Iyer cites Abraham Lincoln’s famous quote, “If I had six weeks to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four weeks sharpening the saw.”
What makes this book worth reading is Prakash Iyer’s warm and intelligent observations. You can apply it to a workplace scenario or your personal life.
Here are few anecdotes from Prakash Iyer’s book, ‘How Come No One Told Me That?’
An alteration tailor can help us look good and be the best we can. What we need in life, then, are two alteration tailors. One for our clothes, and another for our lives. What we need is someone who can tweak our strengths and tell us where we are going wrong. And help us get it right.
Focus on others. Help other people. Care. Leadership is not about me. It’s about them.
Let people do what they are good at. Don’t tell experts what to do. Tell them what you need. Why keep a dog and bark yourself?
Magic happens when everyone takes responsibility for shared outcomes.
Referring to Dhoni’s magical stamp of leadership, Prakash Iyer cites how MS Dhoni tackled ‘late comers’, which had become a serious problem when he took charge as captain. A simple measure he took as a cue forward from Anil Kumble did the trick and ensured that cricketers don’t keep each other waiting!
At work and in personal life, there are many anecdotes from this book you will find useful. Do grab your copy soon!
Few good things I did in November 2022
Donated three boxes of children’s books to a nearby local library.
Enjoyed a fun-filled, horse cart ride in the temple city of Palani, Tamil Nadu.
Contributed to a noble cause that I am spiritually committed to.
I love hearing from all readers!
Let me know what books you’re looking to read this winter.
Talk about your most recent book recco and wait, your recco might be featured!
Reply to this email with a book recco to get in touch! Mail me at swapnazanand@gmail.com
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