In a funk? I think I have something that'll help you get out!

Like my professional photography for this blog post?! HAHA! Hey I promised to be REAL on this blog, not professional.  Also, if I'm being honest, this is a pretty good depiction of how my week has gone..and I've had to fight daily to get out of the funk...

I'll be honest, most days when I'm tired and in a funk, the only thing on my mind is a bowl of Half Baked Ice Cream and some Netflix. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cave into those temptations a time or two, but I know where those habits lead and it ain't pretty!

Just yesterday I woke up in a slump. I was tired and grumpy, and just not feeling life. I figured I'd attempt to bypass that black hole of Netflix, and glide through by doing the bare minimum. So, I started to chisel away at my daily checklist.

Earlier this year, I set a goal for myself to attempt to plug into at least 1 podcast a day, and read at least 10 pages of a self-improvement book per day. Thanks to my goal, both of those things appear on my daily checklist because I'm a major "list checker" so I include only the things a know I HAVE to get done that day.

I grabbed my book because if nothing else, checking something off of my list would make me feel a sense of accomplishment.

So, I forced myself to begin.

I quickly got sucked into my book, and 25 minutes later, I realized I was WAY past my 10 page goal. Not only that, but my mood shifted completely.

I know I sound like I'm doing an advertisement, but I'm not joking. I my mindset had a theme song for the day, it would have quickly switched from "Today I don't feel like doing anything" by Bruno Mars to "It's a beautiful day" by U2. I felt invincible.

And that was just from my book. I hadn't even listened to my podcast yet!

It got me to thinking, "How many bad days had I succumbed to before rather than just plugging into a few minutes of positivity to turn my day around? Do other people realize the power of these free tools?"

In that moment, I felt like shouting from the rooftops so that everyone could understand the power of these little tools. I'm not saying it's a full-proof plan, but it's darn close.

Born from my little epiphany, is today's blog post!

We get a lot of questions about what our favorite books and podcasts are, so I figured I'd share! I'll include the links too for easy access, but the best part is if purchasing a book is not in your budget---the podcasts are free, and so is your local library!

I know I sound like a fanatic, but my life is better because of these things, and I want to share that with you guys. It's so easy to get sucked into everyday life and forgot how impactful the little things are, but the more I reflect, the more I realize that the bad days often come after I've spent some time away from tools that help my keep a positive mindset.

If you don't currently read or listen to podcasts, you should try it! I cannot tell you how positively these things have impacted my life from my parenting to my finances. If you're having a crummy day, give it a try. If you're feeling on top of the world and want a turbo boost, I can assure you these resources will do just that!

Maybe try listening to a podcast a day for the next month, or pick a book to get and read 10 pages a day.

If you do, I'd LOVE to hear your feedback. I promise you, you won't regret it!

Last thing I'd like to say is if you're looking to finish the year off strong, we are going to do a FREE private Facebook group. We are going to have people of all ages with goals of all types in the group, but the thing that we will all have in common is that we are all working toward some type of goal. Corey and I thought this would be super fun to do to hold each other accountable! If you're interested, email us at theadkins@theadkinshighlightREAL.com.

Now for the good stuff...


Here's the exact book that helped turn my day around yesterday: Girl Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

All of Ed's podcasts are amazing, but here is the one that had me fired up yesterday (Disclaimer: some language in this one): Win the War In Your Head And Find PEACE with David Goggins


Other Podcasts (all can be found on the podcast app):

1.) The Ed Mylett Show
2.) Rise Podcast with Rachel Hollis
3.) The Empire Podcast with Bedros Keuilian
4.) Rise Together Podcast with Rachel and Dave Hollis
5.) The Brendon Show with Brendon Burchard
6.) The Purpose Show with Allie Casazza
7.) The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast
8.) The Adkins HighlightREAL

A few of Bethany's Favorite Books: (All titles are links)

1. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

3. Grain Brain by David Perlmutter

4. Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph

5. Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
6. Love Does by Bob Goff
7. It's Not Supposed to be this Way by Lysa TerKeurst

A Few of Corey's Favorite Books:

1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

2. The School of Greatness Lewis Howes

3. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

4. Crushing It!  by Gary Vaynerchuk

5. Better Dads Stronger Sons by Rick Johnson

I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I do!