Here are the 5 books that changed my life forever

The Kickass Single Mom

This book is one of the first books I read while going through a divorce with my daughter's father. This book provided practical advice and guidance for women who found themselves in the whirlwind of single motherhood. Not only are we single but now we are single moms navigating the world of being the ultimate and only provider of our household, the protector of our family, the educator of our kids, all while having a need for self-care and a desire to one day begin dating again and maybe even fall in love. And even though we may start over feeling hurt to send our kiddos on their way to the non-custodial parent and not knowing what to do with ourselves after those first drop-off weekends and later frustrated when excuses are made to not pick up the kid, we have to somehow navigate all these feelings with grace when it isn't always graceful. We must choose to give ourselves grace even when we feel like we have no clue what we are doing and at times feel like we aren't doing enough. If we take care of ourselves (spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, financially), we can be better at taking care of our little ones. This was definitely a good read, and I gained some new helpful perspectives embarking on this new journey of single motherhood.

Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It

Now that we are single moms, it is our responsibility to provide for our families. While child support can be helpful, we must change our mindset and choose not to rely on something that isn't certain. Now, while this book does not discuss single motherhood, it does help females navigate how to brag on our achievements to obtain successful careers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statics, women earn 82 cents for every 1 dollar a man earns as of 2020, which is a 25-cent increase from 1973. And as a result of the pandemic, women's labor force participation was pushed back more than 30 years. The pandemic stalled gains made toward closing the pay gap, and layoffs and a lack of childcare forced many women out of the workforce entirely. Additionally, there was a 34 percent increase in the divorce rates in the US and Worldwide and a 122 percent increase in the number of divorce inquiries. This data tells me that it is not even more important for women to equip themselves to be successful in their careers and even business. And to do this, you must be able to professionally convince your boss, colleagues, and clients/customers of your value. This book is a great start to showing you how to do this.

Becoming

This book blessed me by providing me with a new perspective on what it looks like being a wife, mother, and successful career woman all while balancing personal desires and challenges as a woman, specifically a minority woman, and in mine and Michelle Obama's case, a black woman. I had a chance to see the world from a First Lady's perspective who grew up like me in a working-class family but worked hard in school to be successful. Michelle unpacked so many dynamics in this book from helping her husband as he climbed the political ranks to become the First Black President of the United States to be an involved First Lady while understanding the importance of her village in raising, she and her husband's to daughters by moving her mom into the White House. This was definitely a page-turner and given how long the book is, I would recommend audible for those of us busy moms. And it's definitely a book I would read or listen to again.

The Millionaire Next Door

This book was so interesting and provided a sneak peak of how the average millionaire, someone making $1 million or more, live. Most people who are millionaires, not actors or athletes or people in Hollywood, but regular everyday people like you and me, look very different than what we see on TV or social media. The author displays all the status symbols of what we believe is wealth such as: big houses, expensive vehicles, designer clothes, and a private education for our kids and yet describes people with these status symbols as "big spenders" and not accumulators of wealth. Most of the millionaires the author researched and described in this book did not inherit their money from families but over 80 percent of them accumulated their wealth overtime. The author found that the millionaires researched share the following characteristics:

• They live below their means (They spend less than 7% of their wealth per year)

• They use their time and money efficiently to build wealth

• They prioritize obtaining financial independence over displaying social status

• They're skilled at identifying investment opportunities (They invest 20% of their income each year in assets that will grow and minimize their taxable income, i.e. 401K, ROTH IRA, Head of Household Real Estate)

• They choose the right line of work (Many our business owners)

The book even breaks down how much your net worth should be. Bottom line is that many of us can become millionaires if we are willing to consume less, control our spending, and focus on investing and steadily building our wealth. If you are looking for practical and easily applicable ways of budgeting and investing to generate wealth and become a millionaire, this book was definitely worth the read!

Rich Dad Poor Dad

This book COMPLETELY shocked me... I was the "poor dad" or poor mom! There were so many key points in this book that showed me I was living a life in fear of being poor versus taking calculated risks to become rich and financially independent. While I know I won't completely do everything discussed in this book right away, I will think twice when making a decision on how to better utilize my money when making investment decisions.

If you want to check out any of these books, the pictures and the titles will lead you to my Amazon shop at fitwithtif100.com where you can review them and purchase should you desire.