Hi there!

Thank you for joining me in my home on the internet :). However you found your way to this corner of the blog, I’m happy you’re here, whether it's your first time here or 100th time visiting :).

I think it’s common to have been a bookworm as a child, then slowly lose the time, focus, and interest as reading becomes more required, maybe through school or work. Eventually, as we move forward with our lives, reading and other hobbies can take a backseat to daily activities, to-dos, obligations, and life as a whole.

This happened to me. I distinctly remember keeping my elementary school-age nose in a book on family road trips and being told to enjoy the scenery, when all I wanted to do was keep being engrossed in whatever fantasy or historical fiction book about a female heroine I was reading.

My passion for reading eventually fell to the wayside as I got busy with school, work, chores, and extracurriculars, working for and eventually being blessed with the opportunity to go attend undergraduate and graduate school on scholarship.

During this of my life, I remember being assigned books to read, maybe 200-500 page books in half a week to a week, sometimes less time. That might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much. I do remember it was an overwhelming blur.

Thankfully, I was able to graduate from both schools. However, as a result of years of intense studying and work, the love for learning, reading, and writing that helped fuel me, and also sparked my post-high school academic journey, disappeared for a while after my final graduation.

It wasn’t the end of the world, and that’s ok! However, writing has become a key component of my career, and reading sharpens my writing skills. I’ve also always hoped to remain a lifelong learner, and simultaneously continue to develop and positively shape my mindset and outlook on life. Plus, reading (especially when it’s not required!) can be a lot of fun!

Reading has become more of a priority for me throughout the last half-decade, and I hope to be more intentional about sharing book recommendations on this website. I’m not a book blogger or book content creator and books are not the sole focus of this blog. However, I do believe reading is a small, somewhat approachable joy.

The sense of peace, happiness, and accomplishment that can come with finishing a book, as well as the insight and wisdom gained that no one can take from you, is a feeling like no other :). And that, my friend, is something we definitely want to encourage here on Joy Made Approachable :)!

Two books I wanted to share today have helped me in continuing to positively shift my mindset and thought patterns, and encourage a growth and abundance mindset.

These are both non-fiction books and are fairly approachable. I highly recommend both - however, what you choose to do with these recommendations is totally up to you and your preferences :).

Two Non-Fiction Books that Can Inspire You to Positively Shift and Grow Your Mindset

101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think, by Brianna Wiest, has become a wildly popular book throughout the last few years - I picked it up last fall, slowly read my way through it during the winter, and finished it this past spring. In 101 Essays, Wiest shares a variety of insights on topics such as success, purpose versus passion, failure, love, relationships, small joys, gratitude, and many other subjects. It’s oriented mostly towards those in their 20s, although it was still very relevant to my current stage of life in my early 30s.

This series of essays was super encouraging and also helped me question some of my deeply helped perceptions of myself, others, and the wider world and help shape those ideas into healthier ones.

Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts is written by Christian author and ministry founder Jennie Allen. It’s written from a Christian perspective about different tactics to start to reverse thought spirals from negative to positive, as well as sharing personal anecdotes about her seasons of struggle and doubt. Get Out of Your Head was a comforting, encouraging, and thought-provoking read!

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Wrapping Up

I think reading, especially as widely and as often as we can, can spark connection, empathy, genuine conversations, creativity, imagination, and joy, among many other characteristics. Plus, I think doing something healthy we enjoy, whether that’s reading, or something else, gives us space to be with, get to know, and become friends with ourselves.

Until Next Time ❤

Thank you for being here and taking the time to read this post! I appreciate it, and hope you found some inspiration :).

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“We read to know we are not alone.” - C.S. Lewis

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