5 Must-Read Books for 2021

5 Must-Read Books for 2021

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

I feel like every year I make it a goal to read a little bit more.

Truth be told, slowing down is not easy for me, so picking up a book nightly sometimes feels like a chore. However, years ago I discovered that educational books and motivating books are my jam (who’s surprised truly?)! 

I can easily lose myself in a book that helps me live a more aligned and intentional life.

So you’ll see a trend here in my top reads for 2021 and I hope they motivate you if you find that reading romance novels, murder mystery and fantasy just aren’t your jam. BTW no shame there sometimes I wish I could dive into them, but alas after more than 33 years on this earth I know what I like.

Are you similar? Then this list is for you!

5 MUST-READ BOOKS FOR 2021

These are some of my favorite books I’ve read over the past few years, but one I’m looking forward to most in 2021 (more on that later). Happy Reading!

1. ATOMIC HABITS BY JAMES CLEAR

I’m a BIG fan of James Clear and his work and teaching on habits. In fact, this book changed my life and I’m not exaggerating. I shared more about my journey with habits and how this book shaped my 2020 and beyond on this podcast episode of The Beautiful Climb Podcast.

James has an amazing way of presenting the data and stories around building habits and how the work of habits sets you up for success. I’ve pretty much recommended this book to everyone I know and my clients, it’s that good! 

If you haven’t read it and you’re a human, it’s time to order it!

2. RICH AS F*CK: MORE MONEY THAN YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH BY AMANDA FRANCIS

As an entrepreneur, I’ve been following Amanda Francis’ work for quite some time. Although, I understand there are a lot of mentors and leaders around money mindset, I’ve found her work and way of teaching just resonates most with me. I’ve invested in her programs and found this book to provide the same exceptional value (although not a substitute for her courses).

I read this book in just 14 days, which might be a record for me. It shares her story and her teachings around money mindset in a non-bull shit way while being super motivating.

It’s a must-read for anyone in 2021 if this is the year you get your money story focused on abundance rather than lack.

I’ve had quite the journey with money as a woman, and talk about it in detail on this podcast episode.

3. I’M STILL HERE: BLACK DIGNITY IN A WORLD MADE FOR WHITENESS BY AUSTIN CHANNING BROWN

Like many of you, the events of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 brought a lot of my upbringing and pre-programmed beliefs to the surface. While I’ve always tried to be an advocate for black lives and persons of color, I recognized that I was also lacking so much education on what it really meant to be an ally.

I found Austin Channing Brown’s work as I researched more ways to try and understand more about the Black Lives Matter movement and what it’s like as a black person in America and while I’ll never truly understand as a white woman, I found this book to be beautiful, heartbreaking and eye opening all at the same time.

I truly believe we don’t know what we don’t know, but when we know we have to do better. This book is an excellent example of great storytelling in general, but through Brown’s stories, you also develop a deeper understanding of what’s truly happening in our country.

Once again I recommend this book to everyone and love all the information Brown provides on social media and beyond.

4. UNTAMED BY GLENNON DOYLE

If there’s ever been a book that made me gasp, cry, shake my head vigorously and stop every 5 minutes to read a line to my husband it is Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

Seriously, THIS BOOK! It might be one of my favorite non-fiction books to date because of the impact it has had on me as a woman and mother. It’s a beautiful and honest reminder of what living a life of alignment and freedom really means and how it’s different for each of us.

This book almost gave me a level of permission I had been seeking. To strip away old generation stories around what makes a woman a woman and how to be a “good” person. If you’re a womxn it’s time for you to get your hands on this book.

5. WE SHOULD ALL BE MILLIONAIRES BY RACHEL RODGERS

Ok, so technically at the time of writing this blog post this book hasn’t been released yet, but that won’t stop me! 

I’m most looking forward to the first book by Rachel Rodgers in 2021 for so many reasons. Not only is Rachel a mentor of mine through her membership community, but one of my favorite discoveries to come out of 2020. Her book, mission and work is so inspiring and needed because like her I also believe we should all be millionaires.

There is no doubt in my mind that this book will be one of those life-changing reads that we come back to time and time again. If you’re looking to feel empowered around making more money in business, this book is going to be a must for you as it is for me.

P.S. Have you tuned in to The Beautiful Climb podcast? I release new episodes every other Friday on topics around productivity, motherhood, habits, goals and going after the life of your dreams! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at thebeautifulclimb.com

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

How to Handle Imposter Syndrome as a Small Business Owner

How to Handle Imposter Syndrome as a Small Business Owner

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

You're here for a reason.
You saw the title and you're like, this is something I need support with. 

Now one of the things I want to share with you is I’m not promising to rid you of your feeling of imposter syndrome because I don’t think it ever fully goes away.

What I do believe, as with anything mindset related, you have to actively be flexing your muscle to move through something difficult. It’s not that things stop happening to you.

It's not that the feelings stop coming. It's not that you ever stop, comparing yourself to somebody else. It's not that you ever don't feel like there's not a space for you or the market never feels saturated, or your money mindset doesn't come into play and is like, “You can't do that!” 

It's not that those things stop happening. 

It's that you become stronger, and your mind becomes stronger and as a result, you can move through those things quickly and with confidence, and they don't affect you for long periods of time.

Remember as an entrepreneur your goal is to constantly be growing as you work towards new things, so you’re probably going to feel a bit at some time, but what I want you to have are ways to process and move through it quickly so you can continue taking action in your business.

If you want to skip reading the post and watch the video below, I’m sharing the same tips, plus a little inspiration around handling competition.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Imposter Syndrome was first discovered in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes and stems from the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications.

As you can imagine this impact two groups of people a great deal:

+ Perfectionist. Perfectionist’s set ridiculously high expectations, and this is coming from a recovering perfectionist herself. Perfectionists often feel like they’re never good enough or measure up to their own expectations.

On the flip side perfectionist also do everything they can to avoid shame or embarrassment so putting themselves out there in a situation, where they could possibly look like they don’t belong is the worse (again speaking from experience here).

+ Experts and Leaders. Those that are considered an expert or leader, think influencers, coaches, mentors, teachers, might feel as if they need to know everything before moving on. 

They spend their time-consuming information, rather than taking action because they never feel ready or good enough to move forward.

As you can probably see, these feelings don’t work well with being an online entrepreneur. As entrepreneurs 90% of the things you will do have to come from experience. It’s one of the golden rules of marketing...test, test, test and then evaluate your results to move forward.

You can’t possibly test if you’re not taking action.

If you let your inner feelings of being an imposter run the show, you're not putting yourself out into the world. 

You're not testing things, you're not marketing, you're not fine-tuning your voice.

You're not finding your authenticity, you're not growing a community. 

And as I've shared time and time again, those things are absolutely necessary when you are launching, running and wanting to scale an online business, there's no way around it.

4 WAYS TO MOVE THROUGH IMPOSTER SYNDROME

1. REFRAME YOUR THOUGHTS

When you find yourself having these feelings of imposter syndrome - feeling like you can’t do it, or you need to overdeliver to be worthy, or that you don’t fit in - I want you to stop and think about how you are acting?

As a result of the thoughts that are going through your head or the feelings that you have, what are your responses and then how do they manifest themselves in action or inaction? 

Remember, it's not just what action you're taking, but it can also be what action you are avoiding. You might find yourself constantly postponing, postponing and postponing until it’s ready, but we know that being ready is totally up to you.

When you recognize these thoughts and recognize the things that are happening you can build up your awareness and that muscle to move through it quickly so that when that happens again, you can be like, “Oh, wait, wait, I know what's going on here. And I'm going to take a couple of minutes to work through this!”

2. ASSIGN YOUR VOICE

This is a little trick, one I’ve used while working through my recovery of perfectionism, and that’s separating my inner perfectionist or in this case the feeling of being an imposter, from my true identity.

I suggest giving your inner critic a name. 

And the next time you hear that little voice that says, “You don't belong here,” you can separate her from you. 

Give her a name. Talk to her and tell her, “Not today, Sally, I don't have time for you to show up today. I've got things to do!”

So this can be one of the things that you do to recognize that this isn't you, this voice isn't who you are, this is a small little voice in your head that does not control the outcome or does not control your success.

3. RECOGNIZE YOU ARE WORTHY

You don't need to justify anything. 
You don't need to justify why you charge what you charge. 
You don't need to justify why you do what you do. 
You don't need to justify anything because you are worthy as you are. 

And you can show up as you are at this moment. If you are changing who you are, and you are changing your voice, then you're missing the point of building a personal brand, you're missing the whole entire mark.

The whole point of a personal brand is to show up as your true self and build community around what you have to offer.

But people don't just buy the products and services, they're paying attention to you. They're here for you. 

If someone sells something similar to what you sell, why did they choose you? Because of the personal brand. 

And one of the best things that you can do for your business is to own your voice. Practice putting your voice out there. 

In order to do this, you have got to start to recognize that you are worthy. 

If you don’t feel it, spend your time working on your mindset around your worthiness. One of my favorite tricks is to put reminders everywhere around you, post it in your bathroom, your office, your can and remind yourself every single day that you are worthy of all of the success.

4. GET SUPPORT

Having someone in your corner who understands when you’re feeling like an imposter can be one of the best strategies for an online entrepreneur. Find yourself a community, a business bestie or a coach that can support you when you’re feeling as if you’re not good enough.

These feelings can keep you from having a successful business, so it’s important that you don’t ignore them or you’ll find yourself feeling stuck in your business for an extended period of time.

CONCLUSION

Imposter syndrome is just one of the many feelings that might come up for you as you build your online business. It’s important that with every strategy you implement you also take the time to build up your resilient mindset.

I recognized this need very early on when I also felt intense feelings of imposter syndrome, comparisonitis and perfectionism, so I got support.

It’s one of the many reasons we have a Mindset Coach inside of my signature program Roadmap to Freedom.

Roadmap to Freedom is a live 90-day program for the new and aspiring female entrepreneur ready to simplify the process of building an online business that allows her to make money on her terms and create a life of abundant experiences and impact.

Doors open October 2020. 

If you’re looking for not only the mindset support to grow your business, but the step by step strategies I’ve taught over one hundred women, through this program, I invite you to learn more about Roadmap to Freedom at brandmerry.com/freedom.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO AND SOME BONUS TIPS BELOW.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

My 2019 Summer Reads for Life and Business

My 2019 Summer Reads for Life and Business

June 21, 2019

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Last year I shared a blog on The Top 7 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read and you loved it. I followed it up with Must-Read Personal and Professional Books for 2019.

I know that books (and audio) are some of the best ways to advance your personal and professional development.

And, as I’ve admitted before, reading is not something that just comes “natural” to me. In fact, I have to create a habit around taking the time to silence my mind and dive into a great read.

What I’ve found over the past three years of running my business is that I gain so much clarity around my next steps and content and resources to share with you when I immerse myself in a book written for personal development.

So, today I’m sharing four of my favorite reads for Summer 2019 (some of which I’ve already read and a few I’m diving into soon) so you can run to your favorite book store and grab a copy.

P.S. If you’re looking for inspiration in your biz and feeling a little lost or uninspired, reading is my secret weapon and always gets my energy and thoughts in alignment to share content.

SUMMER READ #1
OWN YOUR EVERYDAY BY JORDAN LEE DOOLEY

I gave this book a shout out on Instagram Stories while reading it on the beach in Florida and had to include it in this list. If you’re not already a fan of Jordan, I fully believe you need to follow her. I was inspired by her story while attending the Kajabi Summit in March and started following her on social.

I had no idea she was releasing a book at the time, but when I learned more about her work I wanted to dive in. Her ability to merge personal story with life lessons is amazing and one of my favorite parts about her book.

The tagline for Own Your Everyday is Overcome the Pressure to Prove and Show Up for What You Were Made to Do and it’s such an amazing book for the everyday woman (that’s you and I btw). She talks about our need to be perfect, to have it all figured out and bring such light and grace to the personal development space. Check it out here.

SUMMER READ #2
GIRL STOP APOLOGIZING BY RACHEL HOLLIS

I’ve talked about Rachel’s books before and if you don’t know who she is, I’m afraid you might be living under a rock at this point. Rachel has taken the personal development world by storm and is such an amazing brand to watch and study (hello, I’m a branding nerd).

This is the second book, following Girl, Wash Your Face, and I was so fortunate to receive an advance copy. I highly recommend checking out this book as a summer read, especially if you carry shame in asking for and reaching for your goals. Buy it here.

SUMMER READ #3
JUDGEMENT DETOX BY GABRIELLE BERNSTEIN

I’m a little late to the party here, but I’m such a fan of Gabby’s and the way her book The Universe Has Your Back transformed my belief around money and releasing the HOW.

I think one of the best things we can do as business women is to release the past stories we carry that affect where we want to go. If you’ve got big, audacious goals (and I know you do) then it’s time to go the past story work. I’m excited to read Gabby’s book and dive into the 6-step process she presents in the book. Buy it here.

SUMMER READ #4
HIGH-PERFORMING HABITS BY BRENDON BURCHARD

If you’re a friend of mine you know my obsession with Brendon Burchard and the work he is doing in the world. Another amazing speaker I met at the Kajabi Summit and was brought to church by his words.

When I finally dove into High-Performing Habits I felt like he was speaking directly to me. I’ve only felt this way one other time and that was reading Daring Greatly by Brene Brown! This book made me laugh and cry and understand my high-performance habits better than before.

I love Brendon’s work because it’s so deeply rooted in research, so if you’re a nerd like me I highly suggest grabbing this book this Summer. Buy it here.

Do you have a favorite book you’ve read or are excited to dive into this Summer? Let me know in the comments below!

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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Why perfectionism is bad for business (entrepreneur edition)

Why perfectionism is bad for business (entrepreneur edition)

April 25, 2019

PREFER TO WATCH, INSTEAD OF READ? I’VE GOT YOU BOO. SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH A QUICK 6 MINUTE VIDEO!

It's a trap. I'm talking about perfectionism, more specifically, perfectionism in business.

I know it's really easy when you dive into this whole entrepreneur thing that you want every single thing to be perfect.

So I have to know, do you struggle with perfectionism and more specifically, did you feel that heightened when you became an entrepreneur when you started diving into the world of entrepreneurism?

I know I did, and you and I are not alone. There are so many women who struggle with this. Today, I want to talk to you about what perfectionism means for your business and how you can start to escape it.

Real talk. I have struggled with perfectionism my entire life, and I'm not talking about that one time in college when that one paper had to be perfect.

I'm talking about perfectionism on an emotional, mental, and physical level really impacting me for years and years. And so when I tell you I get you, I am not freaking lying.

That feeling of almost being paralyzed to do anything in your business, redoing and redoing an email and a website, trying to get it absolutely perfect to the point that you feel exhausted and slightly overwhelmed and comparing yourself to other people in the online space because let's just admit it right now, comparisonitis plagues perfectionists so much.

I get it - all right. Maybe you're not that far gone, and to that, I say bless you, but perhaps you are, and you need to hear exactly what I'm telling you today.

Throughout my entrepreneur journey, I had to come face to face with my struggle around perfectionism. And today I have some harsh truths for you; perfectionism is keeping you stuck. I know, I get it.

When I first heard it, I was like, who do you think you are? But it's true and after three years of really making this a focus, to dive into how perfectionism was keeping me stuck, how it was keeping me in a safe space, I have come to learn that it is an excuse that so many entrepreneurs use, and it's probably an excuse that you're using today.

It's a belief that you have held onto for so long that it's ultimately keeping you stuck.

It is keeping you in a safe bubble where you are not taking risks and big, bold chances. And I have to tell you; it is those risks and big, bold chances that make you a better entrepreneur and more importantly, a better version of yourself.

And so with everything, I genuinely believe that you have a choice and you might be thinking to yourself, I know that and I believe that, and maybe you know that on a surface level, but have you actually thought about that today?

Have you thought about the fact that you can live with something forever and ever and you can wake up one day and have a choice to no longer let that be your truth?

You have a choice right now.

You can choose to stay safe in this perfectionist bubble, redoing things over and over again, not putting your voice out into the world, or you can choose to take action, and you can choose to get super uncomfortable, and I have to tell you, that's where growth comes from. It comes from doing uncomfortable things.

Also, side note, if the fear of failure is like going off in your head right now, watch my video from last week because we talked about the fear of failure and what it truly means.

But I have a question for you. Does everyone who struggles with perfectionism stay hidden? The answer is no. Obviously, because there are big important people in this world who are out there sharing their message that struggle with this same thing that you and I struggle with and I know that was a huge part for me.

When I realized that these people out there every single day are doing it even though they might be a little fearful that they might fail or that it won't be perfect. They're still doing it. I'm standing in front of you today to tell you that you have a choice.

You deserve to show up, and you deserve to be seen just as you are in this moment, even if it doesn't feel perfect, it's your job to decide not to let this label keep you from achieving greatness.

My first live stream was horrible. My first webinar blew up in my face, my first launch. It did not go as planned, and the only way that I grew was by putting it out there and continuing to take action over and over again.

So how can you ever perfect something if you're not willing to put it out into the world? If you are afraid of what people are going to say, I have to tell you there will always be people who love you and there will always be people who want to bring you down.

You have to focus on the people who love you, and you have to put your stuff out there and to be your true authentic self anyway.

So how are you going to show up and take action and take risks even though it is scary, even though you want it to be perfect and it's not there yet because I am telling you your business, your life of freedom, it all comes back to you and the choices that you will make today.

If for you, that action means finally getting started, your thriving online business. If that means for you saying yes to the dream that you've had forever playing over and over in your head, but you're afraid to do it because guess what? It's not perfect yet.

I want to invite you to my upcoming masterclass where you'll hear from someone who has been where you are struggling with perfectionism, and we're going to talk about exactly what you need to create a thriving online business that doesn't waste time, energy, or resources, and get you to profitability faster. You can go to brandmerry.com/masterclass.

Please share your biggest takeaways from this blog post and how you’re going to implement this information in your own business!

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P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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Must-Read Personal and Professional Books for 2019 + 3 of My All Time Favorites

Must-Read personal and professional Books for 2019
+ 3 of My All Time Favorites

February 4, 2019

I remember a time when the only thing I would read was a Nicholas Sparks book - no joke.

Not to mention the only time I would even pick up said Nicholas Sparks book was on vacation.

I had convinced myself I didn’t have time to read or didn’t need to read (yes, I understand how ridiculous that sounds).

When I dove head first into entrepreneurship I became consumed with personal development, all my entrepreneurs know this feeling, and I became obsessed with learning as much as I could.

It wasn’t until I started seeing results from what I was reading that I realized this is an essential part of growing. Now I make it a priority to read weekly, both a mix of personal development and professional development books.

As we set out on our year-long (heck, maybe longer) journey of full-time travel I’m gearing up to load my Kindle with must reads.

Today, I’m sharing what’s on my reading list for 2019 + some of my personal favorites that I find myself re-reading or quoting on the regular.

MY PERSONAL FAVORITES

Anything Brene Brown, but seriously I’m not even kidding! Some of my personal favorites are Daring Greatly and Braving the Wilderness. If you struggle with perfectionism she is your girl!

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein. Struggle with trusting? I get that and this book changed so much for me in terms of leaning fully into my goals and trusting the process, even if I didn’t always understand it.

Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. I’m really hoping you have heard of this book, I mean how could you not, it took the world by storm and for good reason. It’s an amazing book and so beautifully told, I highly recommend!

MUST-READS FOR 2019

Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz

I’m halfway through this book and it is blowing my mind. If you’re looking for strategic ways to grow your business without working more this is a must read.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

I’m obsessed with creating habits in 2019 and making sure that every single day I’m taking action to get me towards my goal and living a more intentional life. I’ve heard amazing things about this book.

High Performance Habits by Brendan Burchard

Speaking of habits, this book by Brendan Burchard has been a must-read for a while, but this year I’m truly diving into the idea of high performance and studying more of the psychology behind what makes people successful.

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

This book dives into what makes people truly successful! Did I mention it is a complete system? Sign this girl up.

Primal Branding by Patrick Hanlon

Branding is my jam, so I’m always excited to learn more not just about branding, but WHY people buy.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama DUH!

I want to know what books are you loving right now or are currently sitting in your Amazing shopping cart? Head over to Instagram and let me know!

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