See You In A Hundred Years and Another Great Book!

I have been inspired to start reading more and tonight I think Todd got the bug too. I don't remember the last time I bought a new book. I'm a used book girl, but the book I so badly want to read is brand new so I had to give in and go to Border's to pick it up. While I was there I picked up a book for Todd too.

I bought Todd the book Strengths Finder 2.0. I was required to read it for work and it completely changed my relationship with my boss and coworkers. It was eye-opening. I learned a lot about myself, but more importantly, my boss learned a lot about me and how to best use my strengths. I'm now encouraged to do more of the things I do well, rather than working on the areas where I'm weak. Genius, right? I think so. So many people spend their time trying to fix their problem areas instead of letting others that are stronger in those areas help. This book shows how you can be excellent with the talents God has already given you.

If you're a person that is interested in why people act the way they do or how to better relate with others (whether friends, family, or coworkers), I strongly recommend this book.


And just in case you're curious, I listed our top 5 strengths below:

Tara -
1. Significance
2. Individualization
3. Relator
4. Harmony
5. Learner

Todd -
1. Competition
2. Woo
3. Achiever
4. Maximizer
5. Adaptability

You want to know what those mean and what yours are now, huh? Go get this book!

Now, to switch gears, the book I got for myself is "See You In A Hundred Years" by Logan Ward. It's the story of a young couple living in New York who sell their apartment to buy a farmhouse in Virginia so that they can live like people lived in the year 1900. It's a little extreme for me, but I'm really inspired by it. I feel like technology tends to take over (I call Todd's iPhone "the other woman" in our relationship!).

I think about my grandmother who was born in 1919 and how different her life was at 26 compared to mine. She didn't need e-mail - people just came by to talk and tell stories. She didn't need to live close to town because she grew everything in her garden. I used to love picking green beans and strawberries with her. I want to be more like that. Not entirely - I'm not going to give up my cell phone or the internet (I'm not even going to give up the DVR!), but I do want to be able to plant something and keep it alive. I want to hem my own pants and sew my own buttons. I could go on and on, but for now I'm going to sit by the fire and read how the Wards made it by in my new book. It's probably a good thing there is nothing good on TV tonight! :)


More info on this book can be found here.