Essentialism

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
★★★★

I enjoyed this one, but while I appreciate the concept of saying "no" to more things so you can make progress on what's really important, I find it difficult to apply in my current position. Still, will probably add this to my list of books to reread in a year or so.

Mind Magic

The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything, by James R. Doty MD
★★★★

Science-backed information on manifesting and eliminating the common misconception that manifesting is "magic" with absolutely no work behind it? Yes, please! I enjoyed this, and look forward to trying the meditations included in it when time allows.

Never Split the Difference

Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, by Chris Voss, Tahl Raz
★★★★

To sum up: if you'd like to learn how to use lessons learned and implemented by a top FBI hostage negotiator in your own life, pick this book up! If you're a real estate agent, go read the Full Fee Agent. You probably don't need both. However, if you have the time, definitely give both a shot. This was wonderful, and I loved the stories from Voss's life and work.

The Full Fee Agent

How to Stack the Odds in Your Favor as a Real Estate Professional, by Chris Voss, Steve Shull
★★★★

As a real estate adjacent customer service rep (more or less) and a person studying for their real estate license, this was invaluable. A quick read, I appreciated the lessons Steve Shull and Chris Voss passed along relating to getting business, setting boundaries, and how to talk to clients. It meshes pretty well with the Ninja Selling program (iykyk) and is worth your time.

Unreasonable Hospitality

The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect, by Will Guidara
★★★★★

On a scale of 1-5 stars, this one gets an 8. I know that's unfair and doesn't make sense, but it just hit home so hard. I loved every page. I loved the restaurant stories. I loved hearing about the Dreamweavers, the Legends, and the ways in which the author and his team treated people with unreasonable hospitality. If you're in customer service and want to step up your game, this is an awesome book to pick up. I plowed through it in a weekend.

Atomic Habits

An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by James Clear
★★★★★

This book is one I intend to make part of my new year ritual, rereading it between Christmas and my birthday in early January. The information on building habits is continually helpful, and I'm inspired in new ways every time I read it. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone trying to do anything with the habits, good and bad, in their lives.

The Greatness Mindset

Unlock the Power of Your Mind and Live Your Best Life Today, by Lewis Howes
★★★★

I spent most of this book hoping the author would talk about how to discover one's Meaningful Mission, but that was never part of the journey for the reader. It was a good book, however, and I enjoyed it greatly. I was able to get through it in about 4 days, while many others reading it at the same time found the 18-hour audiobook quite a lot to get through.