I have grown a lot in the last 3 years since my separation, but it has not happened by accident. I took an active role in my own recovery. Often finding myself living a real-life interpretation of snakes and ladders I fought to continue growing, learning, and pushing boundaries. It took effort, resilience, and motivation to stay moving forward … and it took a lot of help from friends.

One of the key habits from Steven R. Covey’s book The 7 habits of highly effective people is the habit of “Sharpening the sword”. This reflects on a constant need to improve, to grow, and to learn in all aspects of your life and is reflected a mantra I have taken to heart:

If you’re not growing – your dying!

This is a way of life for the Navy Seals who are constantly being forced into new and uncomfortable situations.  It is crucial for leaders so they don’t lose track of those pack.  However, it is also crucial to those of us trying to rebuild our lives.

My journey is nowhere near complete but I did noticed that I have collected quite a few resources that I found incredibly useful over the past two years. So, in the interest of ‘iron sharpening iron’ I thought I would share my favorites. I have great plans to grow and evolve this collection as time allows, but since Rome wasn’t built in a day I thought it best to start somewhere.

And of course … I am looking to grow my ‘to read’ list and would love to hear what recommendations you have for building a better, more productive, and more fulfilling life.  Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  I look forward to hearing from you.