As Couplepreneurs, we love building businesses… together. We love building a family and community… together. We love building, sharing, learning, and growing… together. And that’s exactly what we talk about each week.
4 Books that Changed our Perspective on Life
Published 6 months ago • 5 min read
Finding Simple Abundance
with Adam & Maggie
Hey Reader,
This week, we’re diving into books that have had a profound impact on Maggie’s life and mine.
Each of us chose two books that changed the course of our lives and helped lead us on this journey of intentional living.
The Art of Wayfinding is a guide to tuning into and understanding our four inner voices—mind, heart, body, and soul.
Devor encourages readers to listen to the wisdom each voice offers in every moment, using these insights as guidance.
She emphasizes that combining physical and spiritual practices allows for the most significant strides in self-development, growth, resilience, and personal expansion.
As she explores each inner voice, Devor integrates yoga practices and physical elements, grounding her teachings into a framework for applying the listening techniques both on and off your yoga mat.
What it means to me:
I found this book incredibly helpful in my own journey of cultivating self-awareness, trust, confidence, compassion, and self-love.
Building a relationship with oneself—learning to trust and respond to our inner knowing instead of disregarding it—can help us live in alignment with who we truly are.
Yoga has always resonated with me because it reminds me that the wisdom we seek is already within. That that we are our own teacher.
By stilling the body and mind, we begin to hear the quiet whisper of the soul.
Often, even when we hear this whisper, we lack the trust or confidence to follow it.
This book has given me the confidence to not only listen to these inner nudges but also to act on them.
Quote:
“By staying in conversation with all Four Voices, you’ll discover the art of wayfinding—your innate ability to chart your course and find your way home.”
Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
By: Brene Brown
What it’s about:
Atlas of the Heart explores and defines around 87 human emotions and experiences.
This creates a “map” of the heart to help readers better understand their feelings and build meaningful connections with others by providing the language to accurately express complex emotions.
The book explores how putting words to our feelings enhances our understanding of both self and others. This skill enables us to share our stories, listen with compassion, and ultimately build stronger, more authentic connections.
What it means to me:
This book not only helped me find language for my emotions but also reassured me that all emotions are valid.
It reminded me that we’re not alone in our feelings and that no emotion is inherently “bad.”
By having the language to name what I feel, I’ve been able to identify my needs with greater clarity.
Often, we struggle to identify our feelings, leading to negative spirals.
But when we regularly check-in and can name our emotions, we cultivate compassion for ourselves and respond to our true needs rather than ignoring or masking them.
Emotions, after all, serve as guides, helping us return to our sense of self and inner clarity.
I also love the book’s structure as an “atlas,” organized into 13 sections titled “Places We Go When…,” such as “Places We Go When Things Are Uncertain or Too Much.”
Each section covers emotions tied to that experience (like Stress, Overwhelm, Anxiety, Worry, and Vulnerability), with each emotion discussed through the lens of Brown’s research.
Quotes:
“I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves.”
An Uncommon Gide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
By: Rolph Potts
What it’s about:
Vagabonding, the art and guide to long-term world travel by Rolf Potts, is both a philosophical treatise and a practical guide to embracing a life of exploration.
Rolph weaves his own travel experiences with the voices of fellow travelers and quotes from renowned authors, creating a compelling vision of travel as more than just visiting new places—it’s a mindset, a way to see life through a lens of curiosity and simplicity.
What it means to me:
I read Vagabonding at a pivotal time in my life, alone in a sparse apartment after dropping out of college.
My world consisted of a single chair, a thin mattress, and one set of utensils.
The book opened my eyes to the power of choice—the choice to live simply, explore freely, and engage deeply.
Inspired, I bought a plane ticket to Vietnam with my only real plan to eat a bowl of pho.
Adam in Cà Mau, Vietman - 2012
That month, I traveled the country with just a backpack, meeting locals and fellow travelers, and experiencing the freedom to decide each day where to go and what to discover.
Returning home, I loaded up my Dodge Stratus and set off on a cross-country road trip, living out of my car and finding meaning on the open road.
After months on the move, I saved enough to travel to Colombia, where I lived on a coffee plantation, learned Spanish, learned to cook authentic Colombian food, and immersed myself in a new culture.
Each adventure brought a new understanding of what it meant to live fully and intentionally.
Vagabonding planted the seeds for a way of life I continue to carry.
It taught me that we can live like travelers anywhere—seeking adventure, connecting with others, and seeing the world through fresh eyes.
Quotes:
Vagabonding is about using the prosperity and possibility of the information age to increase your personal options instead of your personal possessions.
My family and friends often say to me, “I’m living vicariously through you.” Don’t ever live vicariously. This is your life. Live.
Kevin Kelly, founder and former editor of Wired magazine, offers a collection of quotes and insights filled with wisdom for navigating life.
It’s a book you can pick up, flip to any page, and find a thought-provoking idea that shifts your perspective for the day.
What it means to me:
Whenever we have guests over, this book inevitably makes its way off the shelf.
I love taking turns with friends, reading a quote, and letting it spark lively, deep, and often hilarious conversations.
It’s a perfect coffee table book that never fails to entertain and inspire.
Quotes:
“To build strong children, reinforce their sense of belonging to a family by articulating exactly what is distinctive about your family. They should be able to say with pride, “Our family does X.””
“If you have any doubt at all about being able to carry a load in one trip, do yourself a huge favor and make two trips.”
We hope these insights inspire you to explore and share the concept of Finding Simple Abundance. If something resonated, don't keep it to yourself—spread the word to friends or family!
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As Couplepreneurs, we love building businesses… together. We love building a family and community… together. We love building, sharing, learning, and growing… together. And that’s exactly what we talk about each week.
