When you have a spare moment to pick up a book it can be tempting to head straight to the Liane Moriarty (Nine Perfect Strangers is her newest offering), but why not wedge in some personal development on your down time? 

Make a cuppa, find a comfy spot to nestle in and turn the pages on these highly recommend inspiring reads:

1. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

According to Brown, leadership is not about titles, status and power over people. "Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognising the potential in people and ideas, and developing that potential," she says. 

This is a book for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead. You can also check out her other books: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Braving the Wilderness, Rising Strong and I Thought It Was Just Me

2. Playing Big by Tara Mohr

Five years ago, Tara Mohr began to see a pattern in her work as an expert in leadership: women with tremendous talent, ideas and aspiration were not recognising their own brilliance. They felt that they were 'playing small' in their lives and careers and wanted to `play bigger', but didn't know how. As a result, Tara devised a step-by-step program for playing big from the inside out and this book is the result. 

3. Make Your Mark by Margie Warrall

In Make Your Mark, Margie Warrall outlines seven simple steps that will show you how to reset your compass, bring your boldest dreams into reality and make your own special mark on the world. Whether you want to get more enjoyment from the path you're on or completely overhaul your life, you'll learn valuable tools to map out a plan, achieve your biggest goals and overcome any challenge.

4. It's All Good by Cassie Mendoza-Jones

According to Cassie Mendoza-Jones, it's during our most challenging times that we learn and grow the most. She says, "When we detach ourselves from past disappointments and future outcomes, trust our journey, and surrender to where we are now, we can tap into a newfound ability to breathe fresh energy into all areas of our life."

5. Reaching For The Stars - A Woman's guide to becoming a Stellar Virtual Assistant by Rosie Shilo

In her latest book, VA advocate and mentor Rosie Shilo reveals the steps, tips and tricks used by Australia's most successful Virtual Assistants. Featuring dozens of VA stories and insights from her own VA journey, you'll learn how to do things right from the start and fast-track your way to running a stellar VA business.

6. The Tracksuit Economy by Emma Heuston

Trouble fitting your personal life into the corporate world? Struggle to balance work with parenting? Yearning for a life outside the office? Welcome to the world of the flexible professional. The Tracksuit Economy is an inspiring guide to finding a work-life balance that works for you. With challenges and solutions for everything from self-employment to remote working arrangements to freelance consulting, Emma Heuston will help you regain your freedom. With knowledge and insight from years in the field (via her comfortable home office), she delivers realistic options for work outside the corporate office structure.

7. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

To make the journey into The Power of Now, author Eckhart Tolle believes we need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. He offers simple language and a question and answer format to show us how to silence our thoughts and create a liberated life.

8. Stories for Work by Gabrielle Dolan

Stories for Work walks you through the science of storytelling, revealing the secrets behind great storytellers and showing you how to master the art of storytelling in business. Stories hold a unique place in our psyche, and the right story at the right time can be a game-changer in business; whether tragedy, triumph, tension or transition, a good story can captivate the listener and help you achieve your goals.

9. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwarz

First published in 1959, David J Schwartz's classic teachings are as powerful and useful today as they were back then. Practical, empowering and hugely engaging, this book will not only inspire you, it will give you the tools to change your life for the better - starting from now. 

10. Winging It by Emma Isaacs

CEO and entrepreneur Emma Isaacs says that she forgot to draw up her life plan, and she doesn't have a list of five-year goals.

Like Sheryl Sandberg, who told us to 'lean in' to find success, Isaacs wants to show us that you can't plan every detail and wait for the confidence to kick in before you begin; instead, take action now, do what feels right and figure the rest out as you go along. In other words, you've got to learn how to 'wing it' rather than wait.

11. Align + Attract: Align Your Energy to Create a Business You Actually Love by Kerry Lee Rowett

You might love the idea of creating and growing an aligned business, but how do you actually do it? When you work for yourself there are constant challenges, decisions to make and directions you could go. If you lose connection to yourself and your own sense of alignment, you can easily get pulled off course. As an experienced Kinesiologist, Rowett's book guides you to a greater connection to your own alignment.

12. Girl Wash your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis

Do you ever suspect that everyone else has life figured out and you don't have a clue? If so, Rachel Hollis has something to tell you: that's a lie. As the founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Rachel Hollis developed an immense online community by sharing tips for better living while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own life. Now, in this challenging and inspiring new book, Hollis exposes the twenty lies and misconceptions that too often hold us back from living joyfully and productively; lies we've told ourselves so often we don't even hear them anymore.

13. Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek's recent video on 'The Millennial Question' went viral with over 150 million views. 

Start with Why is a global bestseller and the TED Talk based on it is the third most watched of all time. Why are some people and organisations more inventive, pioneering and successful than others? And why are they able to repeat their success again and again? According to Sinek, it doesn't matter what you do in business; it matters why you do it.

14. The Awakened Woman: Remembering and Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams by Dr Tererai Trent

In her latest book, Trent points out that there is a massive, untapped, global resource in women who have, for one reason or another, set aside their wisdom, their skills, and their dreams in order to take care of the personal business of their lives. Not only is this a type of invisible suffering experienced by countless women, this rich resource is a secret weapon for improving our world. Women have the capacity to inspire, to create, to transform - and Trent's call-to-action will awaken hearts, give permission to recapture dreams, and provide the tools to forge a brighter path for all.

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