Are you claiming to have found the BEST book of 2023 already? Really, Aaron? Won’t you give the highly anticipated releases due in November a chance?
Well. No.
I’ve found the most impactful book in 2023…for me.
One of my close friends recommended this book on a whim. He discovered it during one of the many Instagram lives he attended during the pandemic and never got around to purchasing.
He pulled the trigger just before the end of 2022 and was calling in the midnight hours to tell me I needed to get it.
He was right.
Before I get into that, here’s a review from ChatGPT, our favorite newsletter co-author, on the book.
ChatGPT Summary:
Meditations for Men Who Do Too Much by Jonathan Lazear is a powerful and transformative book that provides readers with practical and actionable advice for managing stress, anxiety, and overwhelming workloads. This book is mainly geared toward men who often struggle to balance their personal and professional lives and find time for self-care and reflection.
Lazear uses straightforward language to explore the challenges of modern life and provides a roadmap for finding peace and balance in our increasingly fast-paced world. The book is organized into bite-sized meditations and reflections that can be completed in just a few minutes each day, making it easy to integrate into busy schedules.
One of the standout features of this book is its approach to mindfulness and self-reflection. Rather than simply providing tips and tricks for stress management, Lazear encourages readers to delve into the root causes of their stress and confront the issues holding them back from living a more fulfilling life. He provides practical exercises, techniques for managing anxiety and stress, and strategies for developing greater resilience and self-compassion.
I’ve been a full-time working professional for 16 years, sometimes with multiple jobs and side hustles on top of that. In college, I worked two part-time jobs and was a community service program coordinator as a full-time student. In high school, I worked part-time at my church, part-time doing entry-level IT work with my cousin, and playing in the school band and orchestra while maintaining honors and AP honors in high school.
This isn’t bragging. It affirms one thing: I’m a man who does too much.
I always have been. It’s been the most significant area of improvement in my life. I don’t do too much because I want to but because I feel useless if I’m idle for too long.
My education asked that of me. My jobs asked that of me. Even the internet and all the apps ask that of me. Our work-obsessed culture focuses on productivity and efficiency. It begs us to give more and more, and when nothing is left, we are called “dig deep” and find a superhuman resolve to keep giving.
All I have to show for it is spiritual exhaustion.
Enter 2023.
My life won’t get simpler overnight, but I’m pruning away the areas that don’t serve me and my ultimate goals. I must have EVERYTHING in my life align with my core values moving forward. If they don’t, be gone.
Aaron’s Core Values
Love: Solve for love
Honor: Strong truth is better than a soft lie
Aeon: Place all your problems in the context of eternity
Courage: Be better than you were yesterday
Perseverance: Passion, creativity, and leadership must be honed
With this wild written installment complete: What’s your favorite book of 2023?