Capitol Book & Podcast Club – October 2019

Capitol Book & Podcast Club – October 2019

We’ve caught up with the times and have added in Podcast suggestions to our Capitol Book & Podcast Club – enjoy!

Jeff Quade, CHM HR Director is reading…

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. “Officers eat last,” he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What’s symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort–even their own survival–for the good of those in their care.

Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a “Circle of Safety” that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.

Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.

Anna Torres, CHM Accounting Specialist is listening to…

In Feb 2018, an aspiring actress vanished from her Hollywood apartment. Rolling Stone journalist Neil Strauss was asked to help the family get answers. Together, they found them…sometimes at great personal risk. For the first time in a serial podcast, go inside a gripping multi-state investigation as it unfolds from the moment of the disappearance to each twist and turn in the case. Stay not only more informed than the news, but listen as the official story is dismantled with in-the-moment first-hand reporting with the leading figures in the investigation. The new #1 podcast from the team behind Up & Vanished and Atlanta Monster.

Melisa Barron, LVN, CHH ATX Clinical QA Specialist is reading…

When I decided to start exercising consistently 10 years ago, this is what actually happened:

• I tried “getting motivated.” It worked sometimes.
• I tried setting audacious big goals. I almost always failed them.
• I tried to make changes last. They didn’t.

Like most people who try to change and fail, I assumed that I was the problem.

Then one afternoon–after another failed attempt to get motivated to exercise–I (accidentally) started my first mini habit. I initially committed to do one push-up, and it turned into a full workout. I was shocked. This “stupid idea” wasn’t supposed to work. I was shocked again when my success with this strategy continued for months (and to this day). I had to consider that maybe I wasn’t the problem in those 10 years of mediocre results. Maybe it was my prior strategies that were ineffective, despite being oft-repeated as “the way to change” in countless books and blogs. I was right.

Is There A Scientific Explanation For This?

As I sought understanding, I found a plethora of scientific studies that had answers, with nobody to interpret them correctly. Based on the science–which you’ll find peppered throughout Mini Habits–we’ve been doing it all wrong.

You can succeed without the guilt, intimidation, and repeated failure associated with such strategies as “getting motivated,” New Year’s Resolutions, or even “just doing it.” In fact, you need to stop using those strategies if they aren’t giving you great results. They don’t work because they all require you to fight against your subconscious brain (a fight not easily won). It’s only when you start playing by your brain’s rules and taking your human limitations seriously–as mini habits show you how to do–that you can achieve lasting change.

What’s A Mini Habit?
A mini habit is a very small positive behavior that you force yourself to do every day; its “too small to fail” nature makes it weightless, deceptively powerful, and a superior habit-building strategy. You will have no choice but to believe in yourself when you’re always moving forward. The barrier to the first step is so low that even depressed or “stuck” people can find early success and begin to reverse their lives right away. And if you think one push-up a day is too small to matter, I’ve got one heck of a story for you!

Aim For The First Step
They say when you aim for the moon, you’ll land among the stars. Well, that doesn’t make sense, as the moon is closer than the stars. I digress. The message is that you should aim very high and even if you fall short, you’ll still get somewhere. I’ve found the opposite to be true in regards to productivity and healthy behaviors. When you aim for the moon, you’ll won’t shoot because it’s too far away. But when you aim for the step in front of you, you might just keep going and reach the moon.

I’ve used the Mini Habits strategy to get into the best shape of my life, read 10x more books, and write 4x as many words. It started from requiring one push-up from myself every day. How ridiculous is that? Not so ridiculous when you consider the science of the brain, habits, and willpower. The Mini Habits system works because it’s how our brains are designed to change.

I relished the opportunity to share this life-changing strategy with the world. I loved writing Mini Habits. You’ll see my passion in the content as well as the overall quality and presentation of the book.

Note: This book isn’t for eliminating bad habits (though some principles could be useful for breaking habits). Mini Habits is a strategy to create permanent healthy habits. Some categories include: exercise, writing, reading, thinking positively, meditating, drinking water, eating healthy foods, etc.

Melisa Barron, LVN, CHH ATX Clinical QA Specialist is listening to…

In this intensely divided moment, one of the few things everyone still seems to agree on is Dolly Parton – but why? That simple question leads to a deeply personal, historical and musical rethinking of one of America’s great icons. Join us for a 9-episode journey into the Dollyverse. Hosted by Jad Abumrad, creator of Radiolab and More Perfect.

Dan Naidu, RN, Capitol Case Manager is reading…

Tim Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, has taught and counseled students, young professionals, and senior leaders on the subject of work and calling for more than twenty years. Now he pulls his insights into a thoughtful and practical book for readers everywhere.

With deep conviction and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about work today. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-interest.

DeDe Payne, CHM Billing Coordinator is listening to…

Comedians and paranormal enthusiasts Betsy Sodaro and Marcy Jarreau invite their comedian friends and celebrity guests to tell their true paranormal experiences and hear spooky stories submitted by listeners.

Theresa Garcia, LVN, CHH SA Field Nurse is reading…

Set during the early part of the 19th century, George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” is a work of epic scope that centers on the intersecting lives of the inhabitants of the fictitious titular town of Middlemarch. The themes of the novel are as numerous as its characters. Through the narrative of the story the author addresses the status of women, the nature of marriage, politics, religion, and education in the 19th century. The story is principally concerned with the lives of Dorothea Brooke, an energetic, intelligent, wealthy young woman and of Tertius Lydgate, an idealistic, talented, yet naïve young doctor. Strong parallels can be drawn between the two characters; they both have great aspirations in their work and find themselves in marriages in which they are not happy with. In addition, numerous sub-plots draw together the lives of the inhabitants of the town. Considered one of the great achievements of English literature, George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” was immensely popular upon its original publication and remains to this day one of the finest examples of the author’s prolific and accomplished literary career. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

****** Theresa recommends that anyone who wants to see a Victorian exhibit, to go to the “Victorian Radicals” exhibit at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA).

Theresa Garcia, LVN, CHH SA Field Nurse is ALSO reading…

Along with Adler and Jung, Otto Rank was one of the intellectual giants in the inner circle around Sigmund Freud. Art and Artist, his major statement on the relationship of art to the individual and society, pursues in a broader cultural context Freud’s ideas on art and neurosis and has had an important influence on many twentieth-century writers and thinkers, beginning with Henry Miller and Anais Nin.

Art and Artist explores the human urge to create in all its complex aspects, in terms not only of individual works of art but of religion, mythology, and social institutions as well. Based firmly on Rank’s knowledge of psychology and psychoanalysis, it ranges widely through anthropology and cultural history, reaching beyond psychology to a broad understanding of human nature.

Kara Cox, CHM Executive Director of Operations is reading…

Rachel Hollis has seen it too often: women not living into their full potential. They feel a tugging on their hearts for something more, but they’re afraid of embarrassment, of falling short of perfection, of not being enough.

In Girl, Stop Apologizing, #1 New York Times bestselling author and founder of a multimillion-dollar media company, Rachel Hollis sounds a wake-up call. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people—whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee—instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want. With a challenge to women everywhere to stop talking themselves out of their dreams, Hollis identifies the excuses to let go of, the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself.

Sasha Vishnevetsky, CHM HR Coordinator is reading…

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity–principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

Sasha Vishnevetsky, CHM HR Coordinator is listening to…

Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus discuss living a meaningful life with less.