Essentialism by Greg McKeown was one of those books that I just could not put down. Everything made total sense to me and some of the action items I left with I could not believe I had not implemented already. The book really helped me to narrow my focus and just put my energy into "the essential few".
The remainder of this blog post was prepared by Ashley H. She has been helping EngYOU with content creation and will be one of the main leaders in the Book Club! She reads a TON of books (at least 50 books per year) and I'm so thankful for her help.
Have you ever had so much to do you just take a nap instead? I certainly have. In college, that seemed to be my go-to response. Panic, eat some Oreos, take a nap, repeat. You’re going to be wholly surprised that my chocolate fueled panic attacks did not help me study any better. Crazy, I know.
On the other hand, have you ever been so involved with your work, you look up and hours have passed by? The “oh my gracious, I forgot to eat lunch!” days? Sometimes those days fly by because one fire after another keeps popping up, you can’t even get back to your desk before someone else has “just a quick question!”
Other days fly by in complete bliss because you’re doing what you love to do. What you chose to do. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would call that state of mind: Flow. Now, you might say that finding your flow is harder than spelling Mihaly’s last name, but Greg McKeown says differently.
This month the Reading and Leading book club has chosen Essentialism by Greg McKeown. Essential is quite the buzz word these days. We were all forced to reckon with the fact that a lot of what we claim we need, are actually just luxuries. However, we won’t always be able to count on a global pandemic to help us make these decisions. McKeown shows us how to say yes to the things that really make us say HECK YES! By saying yes to the only things we really want to do, we can avoid some of the tasks and obligations we agree to out of guilt, or a responsibility that we created in our own mind.
Unfortunately, McKeown does not give us the freedom to shirk all unpleasant responsibilities. We’re still going to have to go to the DMV, pay our taxes, and sit through 4th grade band performances. Perhaps though, if we are less bogged down by all the extra “yeses”, if we have experienced a full day of flow and fulfillment, then maybe Little Sally with her clarinet might be a little easier to take.
We hope you join Engineering YOU on LinkedIN this month to learn how to find what is essential to you and design your life around it! If interested, check out some notes below.
First things first, Click this link to be sign up for our mailing list on our Book Club web page so you don't miss any updates or resources:
Second things second, We'll be hosting the discussion forum on LinkedIN. There is no fee! All you need to do is request to join the group here: JOIN THE engineeringYOU Group
(We promise to let you in ;) )
SIDE NOTE: Not on LinkedIN? Not to worry, we'll also send out the reading guides through the mailing list so make sure you click the link in step 1!
Third things third, get your copy of Essentialism. EngineeringYOU just bought 2 copies at $18.50 each for two participants in our discussion group. We plan to select a random name from the group discussion and send them the next month's book. Next month could be you!
By the book from Amazon/Audible, a local bookshop (if you're in Phoenix, check out Changing Hands!), or grab a digital copy from your local library!
We can't wait to start reading with you! So grab your favorite beverage, a book, and maybe a friend or two and let's get to Reading and Leading!