Category: Inspiration

For me, reading had become a luxury only afforded on a beach holiday (which I haven’t been on for a while). I really wanted to make reading a daily habit, because it improves my writing skills (an important part of my everyday job) and broadens my mind.
The big question that remained was: What to read?

I’m a big fan of a real-life story. I love autobiographies/biographies that recall the story of a struggle, followed by a triumph. I feel content if I finish a book feeling inspired, motivated, or more informed. Whilst we all have our favourite genres, being part of a book club is advantageous because it gives you exposure to books you wouldn’t usually read.
This winter we thought we would start our own book club and caught up with a few friends who share some of their favourite reads.

We hope some of these great books will help you while away the cold winter days…

Mental Toughness Training for Sports: Achieving Athletic Excellence by Jim Loehr

“I suffered with being really nervous every time I played matches with tennis. For years I would get so nervous that my best shot (which is forehand) would be the worst shot because I was so stiff and stressed.

After reading this book, I realised that a lot of mental attitude was so important to calm my nerves and get me into a positive, energised and relaxed frame of mind. Now I am winning my matches almost every time and I am enjoying my tennis more than ever. This strategy can be used with any sport and life in general. It is not a big book and really easy to read. I have given this book to many people and they “love it”. It’s an old book so you can find it at the www.bookfinder.com or Thrift Books.” – Jodie Smith, Director of www.bodecare.com, the largest non-toxic range of dry body brushes in Australia.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

“This was a book that took me a few goes to get into but once I did, I was really drawn to the clarity of the structure that Stephen Covey provides for the Seven Habits. Each habit is so important, yet four really stood out for me: Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind as it put a clear focus on knowing the purpose toward which all our activity is heading, Habit 3 – Put First Things First where Covey outlines his time management matrix and the importance of planning and recreation, Habit 5 – Seek first to Understand, then to be Understood – what a game changer this is in producing more effective communication, and Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw as this puts into perspective the ineffective habits we can unwittingly slip into and the importance to stop, reflect, learn, and consolidate. Covey had a great way to weave in good stories to illustrate each of the habits. As a result of this book, I am now more mindful in how I manage what I do with my time, more mindful of what I choose to place my focus on, more mindful to tune into understanding others (basically, listening first) and where possible aim to slow down in order to speed up! I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to be more effective in all areas of their life – it is an interesting and practical book to read.” – Patrea O’Donoghue, MAPS, www.positivepsychologystrategies.com.au

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin E. P. Seligman

“After hearing the author, Prof Martin Seligman speak in 2006, I began my immersion into the world of Positive Psychology. This book was the first of Seligman’s books that I read – and boy, was I compelled by what I read, especially the chapter on health. It changed how I began to think because it put forth such a strong rationale for the importance of healthy patterns of thinking. Not wishful positive affirmations, but coming from a place of genuine understanding of what is helpful and what is not. Especially when it comes to the habits of thinking that we develop and our ability to change unhelpful habits once we know how. Not only has it helped me cope far better with life’s general ups and downs, it helped enormously when a family member was diagnosed with a ‘terminal cancer’ (given six months to live). The information in the chapter on health was so impactful for me at the time I first read Learned Optimism. It really helped me know that this person had a good chance to get through the ordeal; if he held onto his natural state of optimism (he has defied the medical odds and is going stronger than ever two years on). This book formed the spring board for me learning about the applications of Positive Psychology and has strongly shaped how I work with clients bringing about their desired positive changes. I would recommend this as compulsory reading for everyone! In particular for people who want to understand the importance of developing healthy, more considered patterns of thinking – and that is a skill that we all would benefit from learning.” – Patrea O’Donoghue, MAPS, www.positivepsychologystrategies.com.au

Taking Control by Jillian Kingsford Smith
 “The best book I’ve read in a while is Taking Control by Jillian Kingsford Smith. It is a collection of stories of people around Australia who are living with Multiple Sclerosis. While I don’t have MS, my sister was diagnosed last year and this book helped me understand what she was going through when she first found out. I found the stories quite inspirational and it also made me look at the way I live my own life and things that I could change to ensure I live healthily and happily. I think this book would be a ‘must-have’ for anyone who has been diagnosed with MS, so that they know that they are not alone and that they can get on with their lives.” – Rachel Sherman, www.rachelsherman.com.au

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The best book ever was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I’ve always been intrigued with the roaring 20s and F. Scott Fitzgerald writing style. It was such an American Classic, and it was my favourite book I ever read! It took to me to a time and place I wish I had experienced and lived. It was such a time piece, and a wonderfully written story!” – Kelly Barrett, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4677866/

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

“Various people I respect mentioned over and over a book they love called “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. I had to pick it up. The book shaped how I interact with people every day. It then lead me to create a business teaching people in over 120 countries how to build friends at towerofpower.com.au! People skills are one of the most important skills you can ever learn so never hesitate to invest in this skill.” – Joshua Uebergang, Tower of Power, www.towerofpower.com.au
 
You can read more about this book here in Joshua’s book review on How to Win Friends and Influence People.

 Aesop’s Fables, by Aesop (a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE)

“I won it aged six in an essay writing competition. It taught me about morals; about seeking the real truth in the written word and in always really thinking about the true motivations that lie behind actions.” – Stephanie Vilner

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

“Dad is a journalist and interviewer and taught my brother to read before he was two. I was a relatively late starter at four, I think! We were, as you can imagine, voracious readers and my Dad had around 5000 books. When I was ten, he presented me with a copy of A Passage to India. I read it and then a few weeks later, he was interviewing Sir David Lean (director of the A Passage to India film) and let me wag school to attend the interview. When I had a scholarship interview for a very good school in London, the English teacher asked me about what books I had enjoyed and why. I mentioned the impact of Aesop’s Fables and also A Passage to India. I feel sure that was instrumental to my getting that interview.

For business, Malcolm Gladwell’s books have been instrumental. I highly recommend Tipping Point and that you reflect if you’re a maven, Connector or Salesman as a primary trait; Outliers for its fascinating, thought-provoking examples I quote in a business context at least weekly.

For children, never dumb it down and I say do not buy copies with updated language because kids might not understand it. Let them read Famous Five, Secret Seven, etc. all as originally written. When they don’t understand a word, take the time to explain it. We will dumb down our common language most significantly if we think our children too dumb to understand things. Gift them Ladybird books, but with original art. I am lucky enough to still have all of mine, around fifty or so. The picture quality is beautiful, and the methods still work! We taught both our kids to read using the same books we had! My favourites are Cinderella, Things to Make and Do, The Nurse and The Party. In fact, this early love of parties, crafting and looking after others etc. has totally inspired me all my life. None more so than now as I get set to launch www.partyforacause.org, my social enterprise startup that shall fundraise as we all have fun partying.” – Stephanie Vilner www.partyforacause.org, www.facebook.com/partyforacause

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

“The most life-changing and inspirational book – best book I ever read – was The Lord of the Rings from J.R.R. Tolkien. Now the reason for that is simply that I was around 12 when I first discovered audio cassettes of the said story and devoured them with a passion. Soon I discovered there was an actual book detailing the story, not just tapes. I read the books, and discovered my passion for reading! I found The Lord of the Rings to be very inspirational – Good triumphing over Evil, stories of success and victory, brave heroes and fair maidens. One man (or hobbit) who rises up to a task which he never thought he would be able to face and bare, but he perseveres, achieves and succeeds.

I found this book to be a key mile-stone in my life. It changed my views, embedded in me the desire for great, fantastic stories of heroes and wonderful creatures, woke in me a passion for reading, taught me that if you just set your mind to it – you can achieve anything!” – Alex Andrasch, Contact Point IT Serivces, www.contactpoint.com.au

• The Stand by Stephen King
• April Fool’s Day, The Potato Factory, The Power of One all by Bryce Courtenay
• Baby Steps: A Bloke’s-Eye View of IVF by Jason Davis
• “Michael Robotham’s books. He has 9 – The Suspect is his first, and Watching You is the new one released this week. Aussie author and the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read – brilliant.”

What’s on your reading wish-list this winter? What are some of the best books you’ve ever read?   

So you come up with a great idea for a new radio station, only to be refused a radio license…for no good reason. It’s at that point that most people would give up. Luckily Charlie Caruso is not “most people”. Charlie has continued to fight for her radio station, PuggleFM by taking her concept online and creating the successful PuggleFM podcast. This is her journey so far…

1. Tell us your story:
I am the Founder and CEO of PuggleFM: www.pugglefm.com.au
which is Australia’s first family friendly radio station. In April, one of our podcasts reached No.1 on iTunes under our category, after only opening our iTunes podcast channel in February!

 What is PuggleFM?
Parents choose PuggleFM. PuggleFM is the trusted podcast hub and online radio station for parents around the world! PuggleFM caters to a new class of parent – and we’re bringing the best of the best news and information directly to you!

Parents can subscribe to their favourite podcast channels via iTunes and listen to our
collection of great content while driving the kids to school, sitting on subways or trains, waiting in line at the bank, while cooking, cleaning, ironing or doing any other of the million jobs we busy parents do each day!

Struggle with the commitment of reading the never ending stream of blogs, tweets, posts and email updates, but value the information? Well PuggleFM can help as our podcasts enable you to multitask and get more out of your day!
PuggleFM is for busy parents who are sick of sensationalism and scandal seen throughout mainstream media, who crave useful, engaging information without the advertising! We pride ourselves on our commitment to credibility and our dedication to providing the very best for parents around the world!

2. How did you identify the goals you wanted to achieve?
It is hard to establish achievable, valuable goals without first thinking about the bigger picture and your business strategy, and I have always found it extremely beneficial to think about long term and understand your long term goals before you focus on the shorter term. If you aren’t always working towards the “bigger picture” it’s easy to be disheartened when you don’t reach the shorter goals. It’s important that success isn’t about smashing every short term goal out of the water, and never failing to achieve on a day to day basis. In business, success involves a daily grind, and sometimes just keeping your head above water is a goal reached in itself!

With PuggleFM, I knew I wanted to provide an alternative media source for parents where they could share important knowledge together as well as have reliable credible access to content with integrity, that wasn’t a discreetly positioned advertisement. When I had my children, I knew I had to at least TRY to make the world a better place, and having well-informed, well-connected parents is a powerful weapon to achieve such change. That has always been my goal. Everything else is steps/pathways in getting there. I haven’t gone down the paths I had originally envisaged; I’ve had to skips steps in some places, and retrace steps in other areas. So long as the general direction is towards the “bigger picture” then I know I’m on the right track.

 3. How did you work towards achieving your goal – did you have a plan and a deadline to achieve your goals?
I don’t do plans and deadlines well! That’s not saying I don’t feel they’re important, they’re essential if you’re expecting success, I’m just not very good at achieving them. That’s just the kind of person I am, and it is my blessing as well as my curse.

Expanding on what I said previously, I have an end goal and I think about that every day. That is the fuel for my drive and kindles the passion and ensures I battle through the daily grind. Without that end goal, nothing would be worth the effort.

However, I know the value of identifying the steps in how you plan to achieve the end goal, and it’s important that you do have a plan on how to achieve the end goal. Just try not to be too strict about it, allowing yourself to bend, adapt and evolve is crucial, and this wisdom has been born from experience.

I think it’s important to identify the methods of reaching the end result, and put a rough time schedule against it. Bearing in mind, things take as long as they need to take, there are no shortcuts, and stretching yourself to reach a goal by your original deadline is not always useful.

The key is understanding your options, that many pathways that are available to attain the “bigger picture”, continually researching for new ones that might not exist, where they hadn’t before, and always keep an open mind to opportunities, as opportunities present themselves to everyone. Those who find success are the ones open and waiting for these opportunities.

It is also important to write yourself weekly and daily goals, to keep your day to day operations on track. At the end of each week analysis them what tasks were achieved and which weren’t and work out why some tasks have been ignored now for weeks. If those “tasks” keep popping up and growing, work out the repercussions of simply not doing them, and if they are bad – use that as your motivation and do them now! If not so bad, then loose them!

4. What was the biggest challenge you encountered along the way?
How much time have you got? I guess the biggest challenge for me, and it literally felt I was being winded by an unknown bully that was beating my hopes and dreams out of me (a tad dramatic, but it’s how I felt and still feel) was the fact that the Australian Government and ACMA refused to grant PuggleFM a radio station license (I applied for FM/AM and digital and LPON) for no real reason. I thought the concept of PuggleFM, which was to improve the continually dropping standards of radio media and to allow parents to come together under one title of being “parents” (instead of minority groups, religions, age, etc) might be a valuable alternative for Australians. I fought that battle for a year and a half, and even took my case to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. (Charlie explains her story here for Today Tonight).

I invested heavily into the concept on the hope and passion that this could be valuable for families across Australia, only to be told “no sorry, were keeping these licenses for those who can bid over $2mil – and no more community licenses are available.” That was a sickening blow, and still angers me. However, being extremely stubborn, and still focusing on the “bigger picture” I started the radio station online and have formed an incredible following internationally, and have found great success via iTunes podcasts (thank you Steve Jobs).

Without having that focus and drive towards the “bigger picture” or the end goal, it would have been easy for me to throw in the towel when I couldn’t attain a FM transmission license. It’s because I saw that process as a step towards my goal, and not my end goal, was I able to side step and find an alternate pathway.

5. What inspires you and keeps you going when you encounter obstacles?
As I have previously stated, my focus on the end goal – what I want to achieve with PuggleFM – is what gives me the drive, passion and energy to get back up after each unsuccessful step up. You just need to look at children when they are learning to walk to get it. They attempt to walk for months before they can. They don’t stop trying just because they didn’t get it the first time. Instead, they’re pulled by this force and know that this is something they will get, and that in their own way, using whatever aids that might assist them, they get there in the end (and usually when the camera has a flat battery and is in the other room). If kids can be that persistent, and believe in their hearts they will achieve, I think, why on earth can’t we?

6. What advice do you have for anyone wanting to achieve a goal?
Think very carefully about why you want to achieve your goal, what is the REAL driver behind your motives? What is your REAL motivation? Unlock that knowledge and you have all the passion, desire, energy and stamina you need to achieve the end result. Also define the end result and continually research alterative pathways in achieving the “bigger picture”. Had I not done this, then I might not have come across online radios, or podcasting, or any of the other avenues I have taken in order to reach my end result.

Also – if you give up, you didn’t want it bad enough. Those who want things bad enough always reach their end goal, they might have had to take many different paths, bend and break even on the way, but they refocused, regrouped and in the end found their own success. It takes the right motivation and the ability to ride the highs and bounce back from the lows.

 7. What are the next goals you hope to achieve?

The end result or bigger picture for me is still unattained but well within my reach. I’m looking at opening up a merchandise wing for PuggleFM that will generate income to supplement our operations of PuggleFM, whilst not compromising our content nor allowing advertising to infiltrate our information. Every day is exciting, presents new challenges, but comes with new rewards. Chasing my dream has been the most rewarding adventures of my life and I encourage all reading to find their dream and chase it for their rest of their days as there is nothing more fulfilling then being free of regret.

Find out more about PuggleFM here, and take a listen to their podcast here…

Jo Thomson says it’s important to “to take chances and get uncomfortable” when working towards achieving a goal. Jo was a midwife for a number of years before leaving this industry to focus on her passion, personal coaching. A move from the Central Coast, N.S.W to Onkaparinga Hills, SA in January was the start of an eventful year for Jo – here’s the rest of her story…

1. Tell us your story:

I quit my job of 14 years as a Midwife to concentrate on my Personal Success coaching business. I also moved from the Central Coast, NSW to Adelaide. As a single mother for 18 years, I hope to help other mums boost their self-esteem and recently created a 60 Day Self-Esteem program.

2. How did you identify the goals you wanted to achieve?

Quitting my job is something I have wanted to do for a number of years. Being a coach and all about personal development I regularly write goals. The goal to create a self-esteem program came about from re-assessing the direction my business was heading and discussing it with my own coach. I use and encourage my clients to use a goal book when setting goals.

3. How did you work towards achieving your goal – did you have a plan and a deadline to achieve your goals?

I had an initial plan however it evolved in the time I was developing the program. I started working on it in September and (although a little unrealistic looking back on it) had wanted to get it launched in January.

4. What was the biggest challenge you encountered along the way?

Under estimating the time it would take to get all the components together, which included learning and doing tasks I have never done before in addition to other things I had happening in my life at the time.

5. What inspires you and keeps you going when you encounter obstacles?

I have a fantastic group of friends and mentors that encourage and support me. I also figure if I am going to encourage others to take chances and get uncomfortable than I need to be doing the same myself.

6. What advice do you have for anyone wanting to achieve a goal?

Write the goal down, make them SMART! Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Put them in a book and add pictures.

 7. What are the next goals you hope to achieve?

Make the program into a web-based program rather than an email based one and to make it into an affiliate product. Present a webinar or live workshop on self-esteem.

Connect with Jo on facebook on her business page or on the 60 Day Self Esteem Challenge page.

“I can’t tell you how many times I sat staring at the phone with my fingers hovering over the buttons, but when I put it into perspective and thought of how many more people I could help by spreading the word the decision to call editors became easy,” says Lisa Grech as she recalls her experience of creating a charity event to support her local community.

Lisa is a mother, teacher and the business owner of Little Grasshopper in Canberra and she shares with us her story about how she conceived Little Grasshopper’s ‘Baby and Kids Gear Op Swap’ parties…

1. Tell us your story and how you identified the goals you wanted to achieve:

At the beginning of this year I felt an intense yearning to give back to my community in some way.

I own an online baby gift store – Little Grasshopper (www.littlegrasshopper.com.au) and as I am passionate about all things baby I decided to set a goal of creating my own charity event in support of a local community organisation that supports mothers and babies in crisis. Hence Little Grasshopper’s ‘Baby and Kids Gear Op Swap’ parties were born!

2. How did you work towards achieving your goal – did you have a plan and a deadline to achieve your goals?

I knew that I wanted to help my chosen organisation before the cold Canberra winter, so had to move quickly. I have been incredibly lucky to have had the support of some marvellous people who gave up their time for me in the process. Being my first attempt at organising an event of this scale I really needed it!

Since hatching the idea I have put a lot of thought and effort into the planning and submitted a press release to the local media. I now have many families on board to hold their own parties for May and June this year. I’m really proud of this achievement and hope it will help as many families as possible.

3. What was the biggest challenge you encountered along the way?

My original plan was to simply hold my own op swap party, with the remainder of the clothing and blankets going to Karinya House (my chosen organisation). The idea quickly grew and I soon realised that I was going to have to dream bigger if I wanted to help them as much as I could before winter.

The thought of going to the press was extremely daunting to me and admittedly one of my biggest hurdles. I can’t tell you how many times I sat staring at the phone with my fingers hovering over the buttons, but when I put it into perspective and thought of how many more people I could help by spreading the word the decision to call editors became easy. They were all so lovely and willing to help that I was so pleased I had called them. I was also proud of myself for having done it – I spent lots of time rehearsing what I was going to say so as to not wreck my chances!

4. What inspires you and keeps you going when you encounter obstacles?

The thought of people suffering unnecessarily pains me and although I’m not saving the world with one sweep of the hand I feel that every little bit helps. When I feel discouraged by obstacles I remember to be grateful for the smallest of things in my life, look at the bigger picture, search for another way to get there and remember what the final outcome will be. I actually visualise myself reaching the goal and how I will feel – that seems to help!

5. What advice do you have for anyone wanting to achieve a goal?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Use all the avenues available to you to find the right people to support you in realising your goals.

6. What are the next goals you hope to achieve?

Giving back to my community is something I am passionate about now – especially after having a child. I’m always dreaming up ways I can help, so I dare say my next goal will be to support another community organisation in need.

Check out Little Grasshopper’s gorgeous selection of baby gifts here…