Back in September, I started shared a few of my favorite things from the month. From books to podcasts, to hikes, or products – I’ve done the same type of roundup for October that you will find below!
Books
- How to Change – This book reminds me of parts of “Think Again” by Adam Grant, some of “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, as well pieces of “Grit” by Angela Duckworth. It’s a great book and I learned a lot about how to overcome barriers to change from some of the tools provided in the reading.
- May it Be So – This is the book I followed through 40 days of simple prayers. About 1 sentence of prayer per day based around the Lord’s prayer. I loved it and recommend it for anyone who feels unsure how to pray. This is a great starting point.
- Upstream – This book looks at how to prevent issues before they happen, by thinking upstream. I highlighted a lot in the book, so you know it was a good one.
Podcast Episodes
- Laws of Leadership of the Level 1 Leader + Level 2 Leader – Theses are two episodes from the John Maxwell Executive Leadership Podcast, but both are excellent and the one builds off the other. If you’ve never heard of this concept before, John Maxwell uses a pyramid design to illustrate the 5 levels of leadership – Position, Permission, Production, People Development, Pinnacle. This podcast is reviewing one level each week and sharing how we can use the lessons from the book “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” to grow in our own leadership at each level.
- 4 Steps to Better Health – A short but simple podcast about health from Brendon Burchard. Most of the content you’ve likely already heard at some time or another, but I appreciated his 321 step for better sleep.
- How to Add Value – This is also from Brendon Burchard. Another simple but packed lesson full of ways to increase your leadership impact by adding value to others. He shares a few specific tips and a framework for how he’s added value to others that you don’t want to miss.
- Achieving the Legacy You Want to Leave – This one is from the John Maxwell Leadership Podcast. John teaches about what it means to leave an intentional legacy and step by step how to do this well. I took lots of notes on this one.
Products
- Essie Expressie Nailpolish – You can get it pretty much anywhere but I just love how quickly it dries. It means I don’t hit my nails on something 30 minutes later and ruin the paint.
- Workout Leggings from Amazon – These women’s leggings are comparable in quality to Lululemon but far less expensive. And incredibly soft and comfortable.
- Chatbooks – These are my favorite way to keep my photos. I initially was printing a book after each trip I took. I’ve seen added the Monthbooks which are a way to print 30 photos per month and have them set up as a collection. I’ve printed 61 photo books since I initially started using the program in 2018.
- Hiking Boots – I ordered these back in December of 2018 for a trip I took to Utah and have not purchased a pair of hiking boots since because these are perfect. They’re supportive but also lightweight to walk in. I’ve worn them well over 100 times and still think they are great.
- Gallon Jug – I’ve been trying trying to drink more water daily. So I bought this jug for my daily gallon of water. It’s not really the cutest looking thing, but it’s effective. I just fill it up in the morning and before bed need to have it finished. I actually drank 1 full gallon of water 6 days in a row because of this thing.
Hikes
- Valley View Trail at Middle Creek – It’s just under 2 miles long and has a great view from the top. You can read more about that hike here.
- Spicebush Trail at Middle Creek – This one is also short but can be added to others in the area to make it longer. It’s beautiful in the fall and the trailhead goes by a tiny stream.
- We took a short hike one evening to the overlook at Chickies Rock to enjoy the beautiful view of the Susquehanna River surrounded by fall leaves.
Experiences
- For King & Country Concert – We went to the concert in Hershey, PA in later October. It was rescheduled from earlier in 2020 and I can’t recommend their show enough. It was incredible. The stories they shared, their energy from the entire band, and the way they used lighting and visuals was beautiful.
- A Trip to Minnesota + Iowa – Back in early October, Teddy and I went to Iowa for a Penn State Football game. Rather than flying in and out only for the game, we made a long weekend out of it and explored Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. We had a great trip seeing fall leaves, harvest season, and the game. One of my favorite towns to visit on the trip was Galena, Illinois which is full of shops and restaurants in a historic town.
- We saw Hamilton at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. It runs until November 28th, so get your tickets now. What a wonderful experience seeing it live.
- We also traveled to Watkins Glen area in October, again for the fall foliage. We spent time at Watkins Glen and also explored other waterfalls within a 30 minute or so radius. Although very well known for wineries, we spent our time outdoors and exploring and didn’t visit any wineries on the trip.
Apps
- Peloton App – I hit my Century Ride (100 rides) for Peloton this month and have been doing quite a few of their strength and stretching classes lately. I love the amount of choices you have for classes and the app connects directly to my watch to log my workout.
- SheReadsTruth App – This is the app I keep on my phone for online bible studies but also as a bible on my phone. I’ve used their studies for years, but find that when I don’t have a physical study or bible with me, this app has exactly what I need.
Media Follows
You probably already know I’m not much on following media itself (ex: news), so my time on social media I try to make positively influential to my life. These were a few of my favorite people to follow during the month –
- @Loswhit – An excellent story teller, author, dealer of hope, and one who navigates tension filled conversations with grace.
- @AdamGrant – An organizational psychologist who is full of wisdom and happens to fill books and a podcast (and Instagram) with that wisdom.
- @JenniferDukesLee – Author of “Growing Slow” and advocate for resting in a hustle culture.
- @RyanHoliday – Also an author (sensing a theme here?) full of thought provoking questions and conversations.
While I write this as a helpful tool to share with others, I find it helpful for me as well to reflect on my last month by looking through my photos and notes on my phone. It’s a great way to review where I spent my time during the month and see if there’s any changes I’d like to make for the upcoming month. So thank you spending your time reading it!
