Now that we have a new year, many of us are searching for inspiration to move us forward in 2018, and help us reach our goals.

One of my 2018 goals is to read 1 new book per month These are the books I look forward to reading this year to encourage, motivate, and educate me. I hope you will find them inspiring as well:

Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss

We all need mentors, particularly when the odds seem stacked against us. To find his own, legendary author Tim Ferriss tracked down experts to help him navigate life. Tribe of Mentors shares everything he learned along the way, including profiles of mentors with their secrets to success, happiness, and meaning. I can’t wait to dig into this one as I map out my goals for the new year.

Mercy for Animals by Nathan Runkle and Gene Stone

Mercy For Animals is one of the most important organizations leading the way in preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies. I’m a big fan of their work and am an Instagram follower. This book is sure to be an eye-opening overview of animal welfare and factory farming in the United States. If you’re looking for affirmation on living a plant-based lifestyle or want to know more about becoming involved in animal activism, this is a great read.

Hug Your Haters
by Jay Baer

This is the first-ever customer service book for modern times, bringing to life the realities of customer expectations in the social media era.

Baer wants to help readers move on from legacy forms of customer service like telephone and email and move into 2018 armed with methods for delivering on customer expectations — all in the public’s view online. The book also covers how to embrace complaints, turn bad news into good news, and transform haters into ambassadors for a brand.

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
by Scott Adams

The creator of the Dilbert comic strip in this book wants to help you succeed, but by telling you all about his failures. Scott Adams doesn’t offer a roadmap in his book but rather examples to glean tips and tricks from that make it easier for luck to find you.

Performance Partnerships: The Checkered Past, Changing Present and Exciting Future of Affiliate Marketing
by Robert Glazer

If you think affiliate marketing is an old-school marketing strategy that no longer has merit, think again. This book on the subject draws on insights from all types of leaders and influencers in this field to illustrate why it is something you should consider adding in 2018 if it’s not already part of your marketing strategy. He also shares why performance partnerships should also be expanded and leveraged now and in the future. This is a must-read for anyone in the B2C industry who is struggling to grow revenue or who somehow thinks affiliate marketing is no longer relevant.

Gift From the Sea-50th Anniversary Edition
by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

By the time she sat down to write this sparse, lyrical book, Lindbergh was already a mother of five and a professional writer. A trip to the seaside-inspired her to write her thoughts on the writing life, the good life, and the life of a woman. It's a book you can turn to again and again, especially if a seaside setting provokes bouts of introspection for you, too.

The Four Agreements
by Miguel Ruiz

The book is marketed as 'a practical guide to personal freedom,' but most can use it to check one’s self when trying to solve a problem, listen to criticism, give constructive feedback, or resolve a conflict. The agreements- don't gossip, don't take things personally, don't make assumptions, and do your best; help from a rational position of trying to understand the issue at hand, without bringing any negative mental baggage that may come along. We can also use the Four Agreements framework to analyze conflicts, so there is understanding as to why someone may be reacting in a negative or emotional way and to help remain calm if involved in the conflict.

Your Life Without Limits
Living Above Your Circumstances
By Nick Vujicic

A jaw-dropping testimony from a young Christ-follower who hasn't let severe disabilities keep him from a rich, independent, and joy-filled life! Born without arms or legs, motivational speaker Vujicic offers thought-provoking ideas on faith, relationships, career challenges, life balance, anger, health, contentment, self-esteem, dealing with intolerance, and the power of God-given dreams.

Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer has helped millions with her books and ministry. In her most popular bestseller ever, the beloved author and minister show readers how to change their lives by changing their minds. She teaches how to deal with thousands of thoughts that people think every day and how to focus the mind the way God thinks. And she shares the trials, tragedies, and ultimate victories from her own marriage, family, and ministry.

Running with the Giants: What the Old Testament Heroes Want You to Know About Life and Leadership (Giants of the Bible

Motivational guru John C. Maxwell finds inspiration and encouragement in the lives of Old Testament personalities. By drawing upon the lives of these great leaders, we can find encouragement to run our race with excellence.

This blog post was written by my first guest blogger for the year formidable boss babe Melanie Hardy. Melanie is a published author, a lawyer, certified nutritionist, and above all else a mother and grandmother. She received a Bachelor in Psychology from Springhill. Her J.D. was obtained through Concord Law. She became a certified Health Specialist through Trinity University and is a plant-based nutritionist through Cornell. She loves cooking for her husband and her family. Her main goal in life is to help as many people get healthy and treat their bodies as the temples God designed them to be. You can check out her awesome work at https://www.greaterhealthgodsway.com/ you won't be disappointed.