What book changed your life? #PayItForward this #GivingTuesday

Welcome to my weekly CMO newsletter, where you will find insights about Marketing, Life, Family, and Happiness. All the good stuff. I hope my stories will help inspire during these turbulent times.

Today's read time is ~2 minutes.

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”

― Harry S. Truman

I have always been an avid reader. It started in our public library in the Gorbals, Glasgow where all the young primary school kids would hang out. The love of the library really flourished when one day I had to wait for my mother and I decided I should do it in another public library in Govanhill. These libraries were almost like a refuge for poor kids like me.

I still remember the exact location where my first true love of reading was waiting for me. The book was called Lightning by Dean Koontz. From that day, I fell in love with reading and the power of a sanctuary, that we call public libraries.

For me, just the act of reading changed my life. I am convinced it is one of the key reasons why I was able to change my future from what had appeared to look so set.

Fast forward to now, I read every day. I wake up early and dip in and out of at least 4 books (most leadership or personal development). My morning routine of reading and journaling is one of my most coveted moments in the day. So much so, I lose track of time every day when I do this.

Then just recently, I stumbled upon a course from Ryan Holiday called, Read to lead. It was a 5-week course with 2 emails a week plus live Q&As. In that very course, Ryan Holiday challenged us to pick five people we respected and to ask each of them to recommend a book that changed their lives.

What book changed your life?

All of these books below have been game-changers for me. Some have made me laugh out loud or cry. All of them have changed me for the better. Now if you can't buy them all and you have to choose 1 book, then for me it would be Scott Galloway 's book, The Algebra of happiness. It is incredibly insightful and punchy, all with an amazing sense of humor.

So over to you now. Which book changed your life? Can you pay it forward by gifting it to someone? It is #GivingTuesday, so just one book, just one person. It could make all the difference.

#PayItForward #YOLO #ReadToLead #Leadership

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Author: Michelle is the SVP, Chief Marketing, Citizenship & Communications officer for Samsung Electronics America. Before that Michelle spent 16 years at Procter & Gamble, most of her time in Prestige Beauty, then moved to become the CMO at Vertu, British luxury handmade mobile handsets. For upcoming posts, follow Michelle on LinkedIn and twitter. All statements made, and opinions expressed in this article only reflect her personal opinion.