The the ten best new books (published in 2020) I read over the last month are
- (5+) Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life by J. Douglas Holladay (HarperOne, 2020)
- (5.0) Practicing: Changing Yourself to Change the World by Kathy Escobar (Westminster John Knox Press, 2020)
- (4.5) None of the Above: Nonreligious Identity in the US and Canada by Joel Thiessen and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme (New York University Press, 2020)
- (4.5) Using Your Outside Voice: Public Biblical Interpretation by Greg Carey (Fortress Press, 2020)
- (4.5) American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country by Jack Jenkins (HarperOne, 2020)
- (4.0) Virus as a Summons to Faith: Biblical Reflections in a Time of Loss, Grief and Uncertainty by Walter Brueggemann (Cascade Books, 2020)
- (4.0) This is God’s Table: Finding Church Beyond the Walls by Anne Woofenden (Herald Press, 2020)
- (4.0) Proclaim! Sharing Words, Living Examples, Changing Lives by Marcus George Halley (Church Publishing Incorporated, 2020)
- (3.5) Neighbors: Christians and Muslims Building Community by Deanna Ferree Womack (Westminster John Knox Press, 2020)
- (3.5) HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act at a Time by Brad Aronson (LifeTree, 2020)
So What?
J. Douglas Holladay makes his first ever appearance on So What Faith thanks to his excellent new book Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life. Holladay has led a far more diverse life than most people, including making significant contributions in public service, finance and business, non-profit work, and teaching and journalism. His education includes degrees from the University of North Carolina, Princeton Theological Seminary and Oxford University in England.
While there is never a bad time to re-think success, the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to engage in this important personal practice. What does a meaningful life marked by purpose look like? How do you define success, and align the way you live your life with that understanding? What does thriving look like for you in your professional pursuits and in life more generally?
Reading Eight Essential Practices is enlightening. Putting the practices to work is life changing.
The eight practices are
- Know and live your own story, rather than fulfilling someone else’s dreams and expectations for you.
- Maintain deep connections in your core relationships, rather than assuming they will take care of themselves or they don’t matter.
- Regularly express gratitude, rather than taking good things for granted and only focusing on worries or problems.
- Learn to forgive and serve, rather than falling into the trap of believing your life is only about the wrongs done to you.
- Define success and failure for yourself, rather than allowing your worth to be defined by others’ shifting and subjective standards.
- Make sure risk continues to play a role in your life, rather than allowing the torpor of security to deaden your soul.
- Integrate your life, rather than compartmentalizing it.
- Work to leave a legacy for others, rather than being stuck in the small and limited world of self-focus.