Book Review: Get Up & Grow, 21 Habits of Successful People by Duke Matlock

I plan to incorporate several recommendations from this inspiring book.
Get Up and Grow: 21 Habits of Successful People
By Duke Matlock

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 130 pages
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Morgan James Publishing (March 13, 2018)
Genre: Christian Growth, Christian Self Help, Non-Fiction
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

Get Up and Grow is about developing habits that foster personal and professional growth in four critical areas: spirituality, success, health, and margin. In six chapters, Get Up and Grow will enable you to shift your paradigm and create a culture of growth and investment in your life. By utilizing your mornings as opportunities for development, Get Up and Grow will change the way you view success and will create the space to see exponential growth.

Review:
This is an easy read and full of good recommendations. A glimpse at the Table of Contents shows the good topics that are covered. I can understand that these are all good habits to encourage for morning routine. Unfortunately, not everyone is a morning person, including me.

Over the past year particularly, I have been taking an extra half hour to an hour in the morning to start my day with Bible reading and prayer. This does start my days off well. I may add reading a chapter in an inspirational book which I would find doable.

The Chapters on Health Habits and Habits on Margin suggest actions that are not necessary to do in the morning time. I could do better at planning meals, preparing a to do task list, reviewing the list at end of day, and planning for rest. I’m not as likely to add the exercise in the morning even though I surely should!

Our Pastor gave this to Board members in March. I started to read it daily but then set it aside. I finished reading it in the week before our May meeting so it would be fresh in my mind. I enjoyed the learning process. This is a book that can be read a bite at a time, over 21 days, or during several days. I am glad to have the paperback as I did place some markers. Having read it once, I plan to go back and re-read. I also am ordering copies for my children and a couple of friends. I recommend this as a good development tool.

Source: March 2023 gift from Pastor. This qualifies for 2023Print goal.

Audible Book Review: You Need A Budget by Jesse Mecham

This book contains useful tools for those who struggle with spending and saving.
You Need a Budget
The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want
By: Jesse Mecham
Narrated by: Jesse Mecham

Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 12-26-17
Language: English
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genre: Budgeting, Money Management, Non-Fiction, Self Help
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
For most people, budgeting conjures up the same feelings as, say, prison and dieting. But your initial instinct couldn't be further from the truth. You just haven't budgeted the right way.
You Need a Budget will teach you four simple rules to completely revolutionize the way you think about managing your money. With a budget, you'll break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, get out of debt, and save more money. A liberating, enabling, empowering budget will actually make you feel more free, not more restricted. The YNAB philosophy is centered around these four rules:

• Give every dollar a job. Take your cash, checking, and saving accounts and assign jobs to that money. Begin now with what you have on hand. Then follow your plan. Pick your priorities, and make sure your dollars are helping you move closer to the things you care about most.
•  Embrace your true expenses. Look ahead and identify the larger, less frequent expenses that tend to sneak up on you. Break those expenses into manageable monthly amounts. Consider insurance premiums, birthdays, holidays, charitable giving, car repairs, etc. This practice evens out your cash outflows, decreases your stress, and helps you make better decisions.
•  Roll with the punches. Accept the fact that life always changes and you'll likely always go over budget somewhere. If an unexpected expense comes up and you need to change your budget, just change it. The YNAB philosophy not only tolerates changing your budget but encourages it.
•  Age your money. The goal of this rule is to increase the time between the moment you earn money and the moment you spend that money. In other words, if you're going to break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, you need to learn to live on money you earned a month or two months or even three months ago.

YNAB's four rules are the pillars of a tried-and-true system that gets you to engage with your money every day. It helps you change your behavior so that you're proactive and in control of your finances. It's not about stressing over last month's statement; instead, you're looking ahead and actively deciding how you want and need to build a life of meaning, not stress.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 YNAB Licensing LLC (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Review:
This engaging nonfiction gives a workable plan to help anyone manage their money. The author, Jesse Mecham, provides four precise steps to follow for getting control of your funds. A short version of the rules is: 1) Give each dollar a job, 2) Embrace (identify) your true expenses, 3) Roll with the punches, and 4) Age your money (increase the time it remains in your bank or pocket).

These rules are very important for those living paycheck to paycheck, especially considering the stress of dealing too many bills and too little money. Even those with excess funds will find the rules helpful to reduce wasted spending and help achieve goals once they are prioritized. After covering each of the rules, Mecham presents several focused chapters on couples, slaying debt and teaching kids to budget.

Mecham uses real-life examples that readers/listeners can relate to. The book moves along well and is a good length so it isn’t overwhelming. The pdf that is provided is primarily an appendix of additional resources. Since this shorter work does leave room for more detail and hands-on practice, it is good to know that there are great videos available online. I shared the videos of the basic rules with my office staff to encourage them to remember the benefits of budgeting. I recommend this to everyone who struggles with money management.

Audio Notes: Mecham narrates this with an engaging voice and clearly knowledgeable base. I am glad that I picked this up at a good discount as a daily deal.

Source: 9/9/18 Audible Daily Deal $1.95. This qualifies for 2020TBR, 2020Audiobook, and 2020Alphabet goals.

Audible Book Review: Plan Z: How to Survive the 2009 Financial Crisis by Robert Pagliarini

With people out of work and the market down (well - up and down) I thought I'd listen to this book.

Plan Z: How to Survive the 2009 Financial Crisis (and even live a little better)

by Robert Pagliarini

Published 2008 by Skyboat Productions
Genre: Financial, Non-Fiction, Self-Help
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

Plan Z is a FREE audiobook by number-one best-selling author Robert Pagliarini. It will show you exactly what you need to do to survive this recession....

Review:
This is a short work that presents practical suggestions for addressing finances and assets during a recession. The author recommends minimalizing ‘things’ when possible and also budgeting for everyone. I think these suggestions are good for everyone in all times and I recommend it accordingly.

Audio Notes: The narration was presented by the author and was clear and direct. I am glad I had this available to listen to.

Source: Free 2009 Audible. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Audiobook goals.

Book Review: Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four by Josh Venkataraman and Barbara Venkataraman

This reveals that working for a good cause may mean persevering through a frustrating process.
Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four
by Josh Venkataraman and Barbara Venkataraman

File Size: 1221 KB
Print Length: 101 pages
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07Z5TYNT7
Genre: Civics, Non-Fiction, Social Activist Biographies
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

This book will take you through my incredible four year quest for justice for The Groveland Four and teach you how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be. It is a primer for positive action, a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn: everything takes more time than you think, nothing ever goes according to plan, help can come from unexpected places, time is on your side, everyone is connected to everyone else, you can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it, your goals can change along the way, and flexibility is key. Let's get started, shall we?
***Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to establish "The Charles Greenlee Memorial Scholarship" to benefit a child with an incarcerated parent.

Review:
The Groveland Four refers to a 1949 ‘notorious’ case of four young African-American men who were accused of raping a 17-year-old Caucasian woman in Lake County, Florida. One of the accused was shot while fleeing. Charles Greenlee was a 16-year-old who had just arrived in town seeking work. He and the others were taken into custody and beaten until two of them confessed. Evidence that supported their innocence was suppressed and they were found guilty by an all white jury. Greenlee was sentenced to life in prison and the other two were sentenced to death. Thurgood Marshall appealed the convictions which were overturned on the basis the men did not receive a fair trial. Before a new trial could take place two of the men were shot, one killed, by the county sheriff. Later investigations revealed the bigotry and lies that surrounded this travesty of justice.

Josh Venkataraman, as an energetic college student, read a story about the Groveland Four and became determined to do something about this injustice. His interest soon turned into a passionate effort to seek a pardon for these men. Josh learned that pursuing a cause takes a bit of luck getting support by the right people, sometimes hitting the right time, but most of all it takes perseverance. The book describes the long journey and shares the input of many other characters who were involved in the process including a Pulitzer prize-winning author, Greenlee’s daughter, and even two middle-grade students who started with a book report and expanded to active postcard campaigns.

This is a wonderfully inspiring work that shares a frustrating process. I had heard of the Groveland Four but didn’t really know the full story. The cause to seek posthumous pardon, and possible exoneration, was a worthy cause but still it struggled for support to get attention, to get through the bureaucracy of government and to succeed in the even more difficult task of getting on the agenda of the clemency board.

I liked the way the book was presented with concise sections focusing on specific stages of the process and adding the people and events that provided support and encouragement along the way. Josh shares the thoughts of the other participants during the events so the reader feels more engaged in the effort. I recommend this to readers who are interested in history and in learning about the process of promoting a specific cause.

Source: December 2019 received from the Authors. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Alphabet Author title goals.