2024 is here! I don’t know about you but 2023 flew by. Every time I turned around it was a new month. Sometimes it went so fast I was trying to catch up with meeting my goals. 

One of the goals I set for myself was to read 12 books in a year, which would have been about a book per month. Some I finished quicker than others. 

Are you looking for some book recommendations?  Here are 12 books that I completed throughout 2023. May these inspire you for your reading goals in 2024.

These books were a combination of supporting authors I knew, business, spiritual growth, and writing.

I will link to each of these and give you my thoughts about each book below. 

1. The Purpose and Power of Authority – Miles Monroe
2. Bounded by Love – Rev Damone Paul Johnson
3. On Writing – Stephen King
4. Black to Ghana – Charleslisa DeJesus
5. Better Not Perfect – Dr. Shai Butler
6. Peaks & Valleys – Spencer Johnson
7. Woman Up! – Aimee Cohen
8. The Power of Awareness – Neville Goddard
9. From the Trash Man to the Cash Man – Myron Golden
10. Nothing is Missing – Nicole Walters
11. Two Weeks Notice – Amy Porterfield
12. you² – Price Prichard
13. The Bible (Bonus)

I started 2023 with what many others seek to find. What is my purpose? And I will tell you that it’s typically not in any book. I’ve looked. But it’s more of what you captured as you go through a book about finding your purpose.

The Purpose and Power of Authority focused on your Personal Authority Profile and had you look into 12 areas to understand your purpose. It took me about 2-3 months to complete this book because I wanted to work through the questions with thought. At the end of it, I came away with a summary of my authority. This helped guide my focus for the rest of the year, 

In keeping with a spiritual theme, I continued with a new book that was released by a former pastor of mine, Dr. Damone Johnson. Bounded by Love provides you with biblical stories around love and how you can use those in your day-to-day life. 

Earlier in 2023, one goal was to focus more on writing and improving that skill set. So after researching, I came across On Writing by Stephen King. I knew of his movies but I had no idea the plethora of books he had written over the years. The first part gave me the background to the legend himself such as his upbringing and early writing years. The second part was geared toward writing techniques but in a book format. 

If you have read any previous blogs, you would have seen several posts regarding my trip to South Africa in March of 2023. Soon after we returned, a good friend, Charleslisa DeJesus, published a book about her recent trip and experience to Ghana. The timing was perfect to read about another country in Africa. Black to Ghana, gives tips and knowledge regarding how to travel to Ghana. 

In keeping with my theme of knowing the actual author, a fellow church member had published a book as well. Better Not Perfect by Dr. Shai Butler was based on her story from childhood to adulthood. It’s based on not having to focus on always being perfect and what happened when being perfect was at the forefront of her life. A great read for anyone needing to stop with a perfectionism mindset.

Peaks and Valleys took me about 2-3 hours. It’s from the same author who wrote Who Moved My Cheese. The main character in this book gets solid advice from a successful man and helps him navigate through a difficult time in his life. Life will throw you some curve balls, but how you handle it will be the key.

I purchased Woman Up several years ago but never read it until this past year. This talks about 7 reasons why you sabotage your success. I felt like it was directed toward a woman who is navigating the corporate ladder versus being a solopreneur or entrepreneur. However, there are good nuggets to help anyone succeed in business or on their regular job. 

Getting back into more of a spiritual realm, the Power of Awareness was geared toward being aware of your thoughts and how those thoughts can become reality. This was harder to get into. It probably took me longer to read because there were many times when I would read a sentence or two and then realize I wasn’t sure what I had just read. So I would re-read the same area to understand. You need to read every word to make sure you don’t miss the point.

For the last year, I’ve been following Myron Golden’s YouTube channel and gaining lots of insight and knowledge about wealth using biblical principles. So when I saw he had authored books I decided to invest in one of them. From the Trash Man to the Cash Man gives you the building blocks to start from the beginning and build wealth. It was written around 2007, so some examples relating to technology may be a bit dated, but there is still pertinent information to set you up for success.

Nothing is Missing by Nicole Walters was one of my favorite reads of this year. I could not put this book down. I have been a follower and customer of Nicole’s for a while so to get the backstory on her life as a child and through adulthood raising adopted children was inspirational. The message for me was that you have everything you need right now to do amazing things with your life.

If you are ready to create a digital course for your business, check out Amy Porterfield’s book, Two Weeks Notice. It is a comprehensive view of everything you need to get started. No matter the size of the course you want to create, Amy’s book has the foundation that you need to get started. It also contains a workbook-style approach so you can get your ideas and processes in order. 

Another short read is you² by Price Pritchett. There are 18 principles to follow to level up your life. If you are playing too small, then it will take you longer to get where you need to go. Be bold and make quantum leaps to get to success faster. If you need a quick guide to get started on your reading journey, this is it.

And as a bonus book, which I’m still in the process of reading all the way through, is the Holy Bible. My goal was to read the entire Bible in a year. I did not meet that goal, but as of the time of this writing, I made it to Jeremiah which is more than halfway. You’d be surprised how you can elevate yourself just by doing a daily reading of the bible. I did a segment in a post about what happens if you read the Bible 4 times a week based on a study.

These were books that were either suggested or some that I came upon because of where I was at in my personal growth. I hope this list gives you a starting point if there are certain goals you are looking to obtain for 2024.

The post 12 books 1 year: Growing My Mind first appeared on Angela P. Banks.

When you think of the word abundance what comes to mind? More than enough, overflowing, or plentiful? Well, it’s certainly not scarcity. Abundance is a large quantity of something or having more than what you need. 

When we think about an abundance mindset, it is the belief that there are enough resources in the world for everyone – and of being grateful for whatever the universe provides.

if you come from a place of struggle or a place of just making ends meet, it’s hard to understand an abundance mindset because you may not have seen your life play out that way. Always looking at it from the outside can take on a different perspective when it’s always someone else who gets to enjoy their abundance.

By being closed-minded to this approach you are shutting yourself off from your blessings. If you feel others will receive a promotion, a new car, or a new relationship, but not you, then that’s a limited or scarcity mindset. 

Our minds are powerful. If you keep telling yourself whatever you want will never come to pass, then it will never happen. The world is limitless. Ideas are limitless. Money is limitless.

Get yourself on the right trajectory of life. If you are surrounded by family and friends who are always complaining about the lack thereof, then find some new friends and limit your family time with those individuals. 

Grow your knowledge. Read a book, listen to a podcast, feed your soul, and work on your mind. Stop saying phrases like “I’m broke” or “I won’t ever be able to afford that”. Speak life into yourself and any words that come out of your mouth. If you keep saying you are broke, then you will be broke.

Check out this video from Myron Golden on Abundance. You don’t lack Abundance, you lack Awareness. If you have never listened to personal development videos, you can start now.

Also, be grateful for the little things. If you receive a refund check for $5, then cash it. How will you be blessed with the big things if you aren’t grateful for the small things? 

Every morning when you wake up, write down 5 things that you are grateful for. It can be having the ability to get out of bed without being sick or the fact that you are still employed when so many people have just lost their jobs. 

An abundance mindset does not always have to revolve around money. Having an abundance of quality friends to share ideas with or an abundance of quality clients that come into your business establishment to request your services can be just as amazing as unlimited income. 

The next time you sit down remember to internalize that feeling and mindset to set you on your way. You’ll be surprised what can happen in your day to day just by adjusting your attitude.

Every day won’t be a walk in the park. However, starting your day off with the right mindset can change your whole outlook on what happens throughout your life.

If you found this helpful, check out 7 ways to get balance in your life.

The post Having an Abundance Mindset for an improved life. first appeared on Angela P. Banks.