Suggested weekend reading:

 

Need to make changes? Are the goals for 2016 feeling a little "distant?" There is still room to improve and plenty of time in this year to make it happen. Summertime is a perfect time to start as the approaching fall season makes a great benchmark to monitor progress. The effort in making changes now could become a newly established habit within three months, which would be helpful given that fall is when a lot of businesses are at their most frenzied pace. Whatever changes you are hoping to accomplish, This Year I Will...: How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True by M. J. Ryan is a helpful resource. It is compact (only 219 pages), but it is full of motivation, strategies, inspiring stories, and information which help with quotes and proverbs to help illustrate Ryan's points. Below are a few of the proverbs and quotes M.J. Ryan uses to introduce topics:

 

The biggest room in the world is room for improvement. - Japanese Proverb

 

The truth is that, no matter what kind of game you find yourself in, no matter how good or bad the luck, you can change your life completely with a single thought.
- David Gregory Roberts

 

Habits are cobwebs at first; cables at last. - Chinese Proverb

 

We are the choices we make. - Meryl Streep

 

The sections of Ryan's book are divided into six main thoughts....:

• The Adventure of Living Your Dreams
• Preparing to Change
• Getting Into Action
• Keeping Going
• Twelve Tips For Keeping Your Promise To Yourself
• Conscious Self-Creation

 

...and the chapters within each section are brief - generally between three and six pages long with no-nonsense titles such as:

• You've Got to Really Want This
• No Time Is the Perfect Time to Begin
• Focus, People
• It's Going to Feel Awkward at First
• Show Up, with Grit
• The Imperfect Is Our Paradise
• Have a Little Fun with It, Will You?

 

Ryan coaxes you into believing in yourself through the book's journey and it's simply a helpful read if you have some imperfect habits that you would like to adjust. Not that the book is a quick fix, but Ryan gives clear and precise guidance and encouragement toward helping you through the effort. Even a decade after being published - This Year I Will... is still completely relevant, ultimately useful, and is also available on iTunes. It's simply a great book and a good read for your weekend. Enjoy!