I’ve been going so hard that it’s been hard to find time to read. Here are the 2 books that I’ve been working on during my recent travels and have now finished reading.
INFLUENCE, SCIENCE & PRACTICE
BY ROBERT B. CIALDINI (www.influenceatwork.com)
This one was actually a re-read of a book that was part of the curriculum of my OPEX CCP (Coaching Certificate Program) around 2016-2017. I enjoyed it then, but it was well worthy of a refresher. One of the things they don’t tell you about aging is that you will be so busy, and you will have so many things you want to do, that it sometimes takes years to get around to even a few of them. Re-reading this book was one of those that took me 6 years to get around to (!). It is one of the most entertaining and well-written textbooks I’ve ever encountered, bringing the knowledge of the psychological field regarding influence and compliance down to earth in a fun, readable, and practical way. In summary, there are 6 primary tools of influence that lead humans to comply to a request: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.
FACING CODEPENDENCE
BY PIA MELLODY, WITH ANDREA WLLS MILLER AND J. KEITH MILLER (www.piamellody.com)
I remember hearing about codependence a long time ago, probably in the 90s, maybe in a community college psychology class, or maybe from some of my messed-up friends (the ones who liked to throw around terms they’d heard from pop psychology or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings). I had a lot of messed-up friends, and I’m a bit upset with myself for not learning what codependence actually was any sooner. It turns out that me and many of my friends, family, and loved ones are probably codependents. This is a condition resulting from the maladaptive behaviors that helped us survive childhood trauma. When I reflect on this, every generation of my family that I know of grew up with the presence of abuse, addiction, or chronic illness. So, this is probably the only reality we know or have ever known. Even though I have many friends and acquaintances who did not go through these traumatic experiences (I assume), the ones who were “messed up” were the ones I most resonated with and bonded with. This book explains the condition and helps guide readers on the path towards recovery. I am very thankful for finding this book when I did.
Nic Nakis 