Category: Having it All

Okay! I went in with the intention of reading seven books this month, so I would have eight to discuss today!

I got through three and a half. SO. I’ll be adding a few more “monthly” reads throughout the rest of the year in hopes of catching up with my 52 books in a year goal.

Of the four books I read, three were GREAT. One was just okay. I think those “just okay” books are what slogs me down in my goal. If I’m not enthusiastic about what I’m reading, then I won’t want to read it. The whole point of this goal is to get more pleasure out of reading and if I’m just not interested in this particular story, why would I take the time to read it?

It goes back to my resolve last month to only read books that grab me in the first two days. I’ll be putting this into practice this month! Until then, let’s dive in to my summer reads:

1. A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like by Ashley Graham and Rebecca Paley. This is Ashley Graham’s memoir (rather, her life thus far). This book was published in 2017, so it hadn’t covered the past three years of work (including a podcast and a Vogue cover with her husband while pregnant with their first child), but it included her childhood in the mid-west, her journey in the fashion industry, and her philosophy/work ethic. She is one of the first prominent plus-size models in the fashion industry (though I think she’s fed up with the phrase “plus-size”), and is an advocate for more women outside the high fashion standard joining the runway. She talks in the book about struggling early with her sense of self, and becoming a party girl in the early years of her career after moving to New York. She quickly grounded herself (she talks of having a strong relationship with her mother) and established herself as a must-have in the community. She is now represented by IMG Models, one of the biggest agencies in the world!

Here are a few lines/reflections from the book that I loved:

“My mother, assistant, glam squad, and anyone else I spend a lot of time with have to talk positively about themselves, because if they don’t, I check them quickly. (My manager, my agent, my assistant, my publicist, and my book publisher are all curvy women: does that make me biased? Or does that just mean we are really the majority?)”

“You are good enough to make whatever you want to achieve possible. You just need to find your talent and passion—then put a heck of a lot of work into it.”

“Beauty doesn’t last, but how you [make] people feel will.”

2. Born Round: A Story of Family, Food and a Ferocious Appetite by Frank Bruni. This was ANOTHER memoir, one of a writer from a large but loving Italian family. Frank Bruni struggled with his weight as a kid, and fluctuated back and forth between strong and slender from swimming to large and in charge from too much takeout. I certainly felt a kinship with him to a degree. Sometimes your body image takes over how you live your life. I’ve made choices based on how I feel about how I look, how I’ll feel when presented with an opportunity involving food, and denying myself stupid things out of fear of my love of food taking over for me. It’s not a great feeling! That said, I think that he struggled a bit more romantically based on his body image (he would put off dates because he didn’t like his body and didn’t want to risk looking fat on a date!). I’ll also add that dating probably wasn’t SUPER easy when you’re gay and it’s the nineties/early oughts. His reporting got him on Air Force One in the Bush administration, and later took him to Italy as a correspondent! Having just gone to Italy last year, reading this part of his book made me nostalgic. To boot, he wound up as the food critic for the New York Times! A food addict’s dream… and nightmare. That said, apparently it was during this time that he kept the most consistency in his body image journey. It gives me hope!

I found myself saying “Wow, relatable” during quite a few parts of this book, but here’s a few highlights:

“She’d spot another set of stickers on another car and read them aloud, too: “Harvard, Oberlin . . . Fairfield Community College.” She’d pause before the last school, which she’d mention in a lower, sad voice. “Ouch,” she’d add. “Somebody didn’t come through.” I continued to swim so that I’d come through.”

“There are some things you enjoy doing, and there are other things you enjoy having done. And that second kind of enjoyment lasts longer.”

“Vanity’s an erratic ruler, governing some things so ruthlessly that others escape its scrutiny altogether.”

3. Queen’s Peril by E.K. Johnston. That’s right guys, it’s another Star Wars book! In May, I read Queen’s Shadow, which described Padme’s transition from Queen to Senator. Queen’s Peril is the story of Padme’s first few months as Queen of Naboo. Not only do you find out about her own decisions and ideas to be a good queen, you hear about her handmaidens and how they all become friends, and learn to impersonate Padme when the time calls for it. The book serves as both a prequel and is in media res (I hope I used that right… where’s my ninth grade English teacher when I need her?) with The Phantom Menace. As a result, there were a few moments when I thought to myself “Oop! They said the thing!” or “Oop! That’s the thing from the movie!” and “Oop! That’s Anakin!” The final moments of the book are the last scene of A New Hope from Leia’s perspective, and it was so satisfying. Between the strong female friendships and the solid writing, I sort of want this book to be adapted into a movie. Everyone says (rightly) that Millie Bobbie Brown looks like a young Natalie Portman, and I think she’d be an amazing Padme. We shall see. I don’t have any quotes from this one, because it was an audio book. I have just discovered the “clip” tool on Audible, and I think that’s sort of like the “highlight” feature on my Kindle. Time will tell. I like “reading” while I get my steps. It’s a great way to start my morning!

4. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert “Bob” Iger. Bob Iger is the current CEO of the Walt Disney Company. He intended to step down earlier this year, but is currently running to keep things afloat in the COVID-19 world we live in now. He has served as President, COO, and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, and ran ABC Television and ABC prior to these roles. In his time leading the company, Disney bought Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox. Bob was also instrumental in the building of Disney Shanghai, which exceeded expectations in its first year. One of the things that stood out to me was that during his presidency, over the course of roughly 24 hours, Bob had to respond to the Pulse Nightclub shooting (after discovering that Pulse was the second target, since the shooter initially went to Disney Springs but was frightened by security), open the new park in Shanghai, and be hands-on in the death of a toddler at the Grand Floridian Resort. That’s a tough day at the office. Nonetheless, Bob carried out Disney business with empathy, an open mind, and an eye on the horizon. His time wasn’t without flaws, but he has been known for his kindness among employees and colleagues. I definitely got that from the book. The end of his book included a full appendix of takeaways for the average person looking to be successful (the eponymous “lessons”). That’s a real sport right there. If you weren’t paying attention while you read (it happens, even to me… but not with this book), he made a Cliff’s Notes! I’m eager, as a Disney fan, to see how he stays involved post-pandemic (if he wants to participate still, that is. He could be excited to retire completely!), and how his successor, Bob Chapek, handles the Disney legacy.

I took a LOT of notes in this one! I won’t list them all, but here are the big ones that stuck out the most:

“Sometimes, even though you’re “in charge,” you need to be aware that in the moment you might have nothing to add, and so you don’t wade in. You trust your people to do their jobs and focus your energies on some other pressing issue.”

“Simply put, people are not motivated or energized by pessimists.”

“Fear of failure destroys creativity.”

“Empathy is a prerequisite to the sound management of creativity, and respect is critical.”

“Managing your own time and respecting others’ time is one of the most vital things to do as a manager.”

“Nothing is a sure thing, but you need at the very least to be willing to take big risks. You can’t have big wins without them.”

“No matter who we become or what we accomplish, we still feel that we’re essentially the kid we were at some simpler time long ago… wherever you are along the path, you’re the same person you’ve always been.”

 

Okay, there were a lot more for this book, but I wanted to save some to reflect on in a separate way. As someone who loves her company, and someone who loves Disney, I admire some of the ways that Bob approaches his leadership. He touched on how ambition can be counterproductive, how you can get so caught up in wanting more at your job that you start to do your actual job less. He had this to say:

“It’s important to know how to find the balance—do the job you have well; be patient; look for opportunities to pitch in and expand and grow; and make yourself one of the people, through attitude and energy and focus, that your bosses feel they have to turn to when an opportunity arises. Conversely, if you’re a boss, these are the people to nurture—not the ones who are clamoring for promotions and complaining about not being utilized enough but the ones who are proving themselves to be indispensable day in and day out.”

I think that I’m indispensable at my job. I work hard, I go the extra mile, and my tenacity makes for quick problem solving. I have a one-on-one meeting with my supervisor this week. I might use that as an opportunity to go over how I feel about work, and how he sees me as an employee. I don’t think he’d have anything negative to say about me, but if there’s more that I can and should be doing, I better do it!

Lastly, I briefly mentioned this in my last post, but Bob had this to say about goal-setting:

“Priorities are the few things that you’re going to spend a lot of time and a lot of capital on. Not only do you undermine their significance by having too many, but nobody is going to remember them all.”

That stuck with me, too! I want to be better about not overwhelming myself with things to do, and then either doing them at a 2% level or not at all. I bet that setting myself up for success means focusing most on the things that matter.

It’s just a nicer way of Ron Swanson’s iconic line: “Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”

Ron Swanson and Bob Iger. Capitalist icons.

Now, I’m off to ride my bike, and then maybe listen to the half of the book I need to finish. Spoiler alert: it’s another Star Wars book.