Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Some studies show that imposer syndrome is strongly correlated with self-sabotage and feelings of shame.

But as Brené Brown explains, that vulnerability is at the core of all our emotions, not just the “bad” ones.

Vulnerability is neither good nor bad. It just is. And embracing it means being courageous.

Daring Greatly is arguably the best book on the subject. As a primer, watch Brown’s TED talk here.

The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin

Play it safe. Listen to the experts. It was the perfect propaganda for the industrial economy. What boss wouldn’t want employees to believe that obedience and conformity are the keys to success?

Those days are over. In this new economy, it’s no longer safe to play it safe. Success requires constantly stepping outside your comfort zone.

Creating and selling an info product is a perfect example of doing the uncomfortable. This book will inspire you to get it done ... and to be proud of giving it your all.

From the book: “In the connection economy, it’s the person who doesn’t enter the arena who is punished. In the connection economy, the fearful are disconnected. They are the ones who are punished, not by sinking but by being isolated. We’ve greatly exaggerated the risk of sinking, without celebrating the value of swimming.”

The book is a bit slow in the first couple of chapters. But you’ll end up highlighting the heck out of it once it gets going.

The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Stern

One of the common themes in my teachings is to focus every single day on action and execution and stop obsessing on the end goal.

Goals are very important. They give us something to shoot for. But once you set a goal, you need to immediately shift your focus to taking the right actions consistently and developing the right work habits.

Because if you’re doing the right things consistently—day in and day out—you’ll inevitably reach your goal.

That’s an important concept to keep in mind when you’re creating and launching an info product. They’re so many moving parts, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and distracted. You need to keep your head down and stay focused on the task at hand.

This little book (you can read it in an afternoon) expands on this idea and provides many practical examples of how to do this well.

Why Disorder May Be Good For Us (a Hidden Brain podcast episode with guest Tim Harford)

This is one of my favorite podcast episodes of 2017. Economist Tim Harford explains why as creators and artists we need to learn to embrace the chaos in our lives and businesses and use it to our advantage.

Many freelancers are perfectionists. And while that’s a great quality to have at times, it’s also a huge obstacle to getting your work done and out in the world.

Harford’s example early in the episode about the pianist Keith Jarrett is extremely powerful. So is the Martin Luther King speech example.

It’s a must-listen episode!