Below are the books, people, & places that inspired me in 2015:

Books

The Power of Now gives new meaning to “living in the moment”. Eckhart Tolle reveals the benefits of focusing your energy on the present moment. Tolle writes, “The present moment is more powerful than the past & future combined”. Some books have the power to change the way you look at life. This is one of them.

Are You Fully Charged?  Tom Rath digs deep into the latest scientific data to come up with practical ways to find more meaning in your life, improve your relationships, and increase your energy. My 3 favorite: Help someone each day (meaning); Give people your full attention (relationships); Stand, don’t sit (energy).

Author Jon Acuff show’s you how to “Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck“.  Acuff’s writing is funny, self-deprecating, & actionable.  Looking for a fresh start in 2016? It may be time for a “Do Over.”

Greg McKeown’s “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” shows why the path to achieving more is found by doing less. McKeown makes a compelling case that the ability to FOCUS on your main priority & saying ‘No’ to all other requests is the master skill to success. 

Positive self talk gets talked up in Joel Osteen’s latest book, “The Power of I am…”. Osteen asserts that positive self talk, even during your worst moments, will cause you to take positive actions that will lead to your best life.  It is hard to read a few pages of any Osteen book and not get excited about being alive.

People

Darren Daily is daily mentoring email from Darren Hardy. Hardy is is the CEO / Publisher of Success Magazine & best selling author of my all time favorite business book, The Compound Effect.  Organizations pay Hardy $50,000 to speak to their group.  You can have Hardy coach you each morning for free.

Josh Vogel is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and author of the monthly video blog “The Sloth Report.” Josh takes complex concepts of Gracie Jiu Jitsu and makes them applicable to the average person.

Christopher Dodson, MD of the Rothman Institute is the orthopedic surgeon who put my knee back together after I tore my ACL while training jiu jitsu.  From the moment I met Dodson, his confidence was contagious.

Dresher Physical Therapy took over where Dr. Dodson left off.  Dresher’s amazing PT staff guided me from from hobbling in on crutches 4 days post surgery, to jogging in 90 days.

Places 

Our family’s most memorable week of 2015 took place at the El Conquistador in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.  The El Con sits atop a 300 foot cliff overlooking where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a week of waterfall hikes in El Yunque Rain Forest & the awesome beaches of Palomino Island.  Amazing experience.

Wishing you a REMARKABLE 2016!

– Joe Ciccarone

2015 Inspire Awards