Leading a business is hard. As an entrepreneur, you know this better than anyone. And you also know that if it were easy to start a business, the competition would be a lot more fierce.
As an entrepreneur, you also know that your role is one that requires significant sacrifices in other areas of your life, which can have a negative impact on your mental health and overall personal well-being.
Each recommendation is a reminder that financial success shouldn’t come at your expense. … [+]
The consequences can be severe: In fact, the data analyzed shows that entrepreneurs are “twice as likely to report a lifetime history of depression, three times as likely to suffer from bipolar disorder, three times as likely to experience substance abuse or addiction,” and “twice as likely to attempt suicide or be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.” conversation.
The bright spot in these findings is the fact that they are a hot topic. With the stigma around mental health issues now less than ever, it is easier for entrepreneurs to seek and find help when they need it, especially among younger Americans. There is a greater awareness and acceptance of the need to manage personal health and wellness and better balance work, family and personal issues.
While these five books aren’t a substitute for professional counseling or therapy, they offer evidence- and experience-based perspectives on the unique mental health and work-life balance challenges of entrepreneurs. If you’re looking for guidance, purpose, or simply reassurance that your struggles are not unique or insurmountable, be sure to add these books to your reading list.
1. Marie-Hélène Pelletier — Resilience Planning
Marie-Hélène Pelletier Resilience Planning It reveals a fundamental truth that many entrepreneurs have a hard time accepting: Resilience is not an innate personality trait.
Pelletier knows, as most entrepreneurs do if we’re being honest, that everyone has a limited capacity to handle adversity. What she also knows, and what most entrepreneurs don’t understand, is that while resilience may not be something we’re born with, everyone has the ability to increase their ability to overcome difficulties. All it takes is a plan.
Pelletier’s book details that plan, with real-world examples from his own experience as an award-winning mental health professional. At its heart are simple, customizable exercises that anyone can follow in their own way, with or without professional guidance, to find their own inner strength and determination. Call it self-care, personal development, inner growth, whatever you want to call it. The exercises are designed to help you stay ahead in your entrepreneurial endeavors for longer, while protecting your health and avoiding burnout.
2. Robin Hanley Defoe — Eliminate stress the smart way
Eliminate stress the smart way It offers a different, equally important perspective for entrepreneurs who want to avoid burnout and increase their productivity without putting undue strain on their mental (and physical) health.
Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe’s approach is focused on managing and ultimately reducing the stress that is an inevitable by-product of the entrepreneurial endeavor. Without downplaying the unpleasant side effects of a high-performance lifestyle, Dr. Hanley-Dafoe shows readers how to live with them and channel them into effective, disciplined, and productive leadership strategies.
in the end, Eliminate stress the smart way is a roadmap for “hacking” your nervous system and using it more effectively. Implement its strategies to improve how you handle not only the daily demands of your job, but also the personal and family obligations you handle when you get home at the end of the day (or manage remotely, if you travel a lot).
3. Heather Plett — A place where kindness resides
A place where kindness resides It’s a guide to living a more purposeful, intentional life, no matter how you spend your days. Though it’s not written for entrepreneurs, its universal lessons apply to a wide range of personal and professional situations, making it the perfect guide for anyone serious about personal growth.
Unlike many books aimed at entrepreneurs and business leaders, A place where kindness resides Extremely intimate and raw, author Heather Plett explores difficult themes such as how childhood and early adult trauma impacts our “adult” personalities and coping mechanisms, how “holding space for yourself” can increase our productivity and potential despite competing personal and professional demands, and how “radical kindness,” something still frowned upon in our cut-throat business culture, can be the secret to a fully realized life and career.
Plett isn’t trying to tell entrepreneurs how to live their lives, but her near-universal insights might be just what some people need to hear to break out of old habits that are impeding long-term professional success.
4. Marshall Goldsmith — Past experiences may not necessarily lead to the next goal.
if A place where kindness resides Marshall Goldsmith’s broadly applicable roadmap for a balanced and successful life Past experiences may not necessarily lead to the next goal. This is a specialized book aimed at business managers who want to reach the pinnacle of corporate success.
Goldsmith, a renowned executive coach, details the subtle differences that separate top performers from the rest. Some of them defy convention, but are not surprising – like saying “thank you” more than you think they should. But as any successful business leader knows, effective execution is key.
5. Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson — Resilience: How to develop an unshakable core of calm, strength, and happiness
Lead author Rick Hanson said Resilience: How to develop an unshakable core of calm, strength, and happiness It’s to introduce us to what he calls “the critical inner strengths built into your nervous system.” These 12 innate qualities are like dials that, with proper training, can be turned and tweaked to optimize your daily activities and increase your resilience in the face of adversity.
Rick’s neuroscience-based lessons are especially important for leaders, who often set the tone for those around them: Mastering your inner self, he argues, will help you do the same for your team.
Final thoughts
A great book can truly change your life by helping you see yourself, your work, and the people around you in a whole new light.
Of course, these five books don’t have all the answers, and if you’re struggling with mental health issues exacerbated by your demanding role as a business leader, you may need more support – so please seek it out.
