Shine

At the start of every year, I make it a point to look for a book that can help inspire me for the work that I know will have to be done for the rest of the year. Let's face it: even if you love the work that you do, sometimes it can feel like a struggle just to get out of bed, knowing the challenges, routines, and personalities that you have to deal with. So it always helps to have some source of inspiration, some added jolt of enthusiasm to help right the ship, as it were: something to assist us so we can soldier on and reaffirm for ourselves why we do what we do.

This year, for me, that book was Chris Baréz-Brown's Shine: How to Survive and Thrive at Work.

It's a short book (as these books usually are), one that channels the likes of Paul Arden, Seth Godin, and Hugh MacLeod. But there's something about Baréz-Brown's treatment that amuses, possibly even endears, as it hits the nail on the head and sets the reader on course for an attitude adjustment. Just a few pages into Shine I caught myself smiling; and I'm quite certain the smile was still on my face when I finally put the book down.

So those of you looking for a little work-related pick-me-up, check out Chris Baréz-Brown's new book. It might just inspire you and give you what you need to shine at work for the rest of the year.

[The US Edition of Shine will be published on 31 January 2012; but the UK Edition is available now(!). This review is based on a pre-publication proof obtained through NetGalley.]