Happy new year, all!
& Happy birthday to Generation Ziz!! It’s been 5 years since the night I created this website with a commitment to helping others live and lead more empowered and full of purpose.
In honor of this significant milestone, I’m sharing what I find to be self-development basics. Self-awareness is an ongoing journey, and wherever we are in our journey, often our purposes in life change as we continue to grow.
I asked you all what your basics/go-to items were out of curiosity, and all answers received consistently mentioned topics like journaling, physical exercise, being outdoors, and sleep! Below I lay out a few choices for your starter pack! Now is always the time to work on yourself. Don’t let the pressure of the new year/new me trend force you to think you have to change your whole being to be successful.
BOOKS
There are so many self-improvement books out there (I hate that most book stores label everything as self-help). Yes, we are reading the book to ultimately help ourselves but there is something about the word I have never liked. A lot of them are just fluff, so here are two of my favorite basics!
Start with Why: Simon Sinek
I’ve been a fan of Simon Sinek even before I started my blog – I drew so much inspiration in the early stages of GZ, as I was figuring out the kind of person and leader that I wanted to be. Start With Why/Find your Why are bookcase essentials, and pieces you can always go back to.
I’ve also enjoyed the Infinite Game and Leaders Eat Last for business and leadership inspiration.
High Performance Habits: Brendon Burchard
Once you feel inspired to take action toward your “Why” you’ll absolutely NEED High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard. I’m not kidding. Get it now. It is by the far one of the single best books that will help you gain clarity with ACTIONABLE steps towards betterment. Not just fluff. I go back to certain chapters at least twice a year. My entire copy is littered with those tiny highlighter post-it bookmarkers!
JOURNALS/PLANNERS
High Performance Planner x Brendon Burchard
I personally have this planner and also recommend as a supplement to Brendon’s book above. it’s not your average journal of course! You are given specific & quick prompts to keep you on track throughout the week/month. Game changer!
Gratitude Journal x Sujatha Lalguidi
Of course – you can also choose any gratitude journal like this one (or just a blank one!), to develop the habit and simple practice of gratitude each day. Power of positivity goes a long way.
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
Smart Watches
I started off with the most basic version of a Fitbit and later was gifted an Apple Watch. Ultimately, you don’t need a watch, but like any goal, it’s helpful to document. And the watch apps do it all for you! It helps to visualize and to see how far you have come. Track your activity, sleep, and heart rate for improvement:
Sleep: Linen Lavendar Spray
This was by far one of my best 2022 finds. I’m obsessed. I spray this all the time and especially when I am winding down for the night before bed.
I could add a whole bunch of things here. If you are looking for more or anything more advanced or coaching services, feel free to reach out to me on any of my channels! A huge thank you to the community I’ve been lucky enough to build and be a part of – it is really something to know we are all brought together through a common purpose of bettering ourselves. Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey.
Your coach,
Aziza <3