20 in 2020: I Am

20 books worth talking about (in Rich Gassen’s opinion)

“With no intention to…write a book, …I got a flash of insight that had the book I Am, a series of passages that start with, ‘I am.’ They’d be positive, they’d be uplifting and that I had to write it with Amy.”  Bruce Kasanoff

We continue my series of 20 books in 2020 to check out. My next book to mention is I Am by Amy Blaschka and Bruce Kasanoff. If there was ever an easy read, this is it. Instead of me writing a whole bunch about the actual book, I am going to steal from the talented Curt Mercadente’s interview notes with both of them back in March of 2018:

Bruce and Amy are two storytellers at heart, and the co-authors of a wonderful book entitled, I Am: Escape Distractions, Unlock Your Imagination & Unleash Your Potential. Bruce and Amy are LinkedIn royalty. Bruce is the author of many books including, How to Self-promote Without Being a Jerk and Never Tell People What To Do. He is one of the most famous, popular and original LinkedIn influencers. Amy Blaschka is a writer and brand strategist as well as one of the initial innovators of LinkedIn videos.

At its heart, I Am is a book about self-awareness – embracing who you are. 

“This started out as a creative exercise,” Amy said, “so it was very much a back and forth. But what’s interesting is, even now, even today we’ll take the book and someone will reference on page whatever. And, ‘Wait, which one of us wrote that?” What began as a creative exercise between them soon blossomed into a book.

Listen to Craig Thomason’s review

Craig Thomason reviewed this book on YouTube last year.

One page sample: I Am… magnetic

Photograph by Bruce Kasanoff

Others are pulled into my orbit, lured by my inner light, which glows bright and strong and true. 

My ability to attract goodness is powerful, and its intensity grows as my focus does.

I am a force field of hope, an aura of encouragement, a beacon of positivity. I am a generator of pure love whose spirit can influence anyone in its presence.

I captivate and engage.

I am irresistible. 

“I love this book! It follows the format of the personal enrichment exercise “I am.” I am… tenacious, intuitive, inspirational, playful, etc. But it goes on to describe each attribute chosen in the kind of appealing way that only Bruce Kasanoff and Amy Blaschka could achieve.” – Cheryl D. Snapp Conner, Founder and CEO, SnappConner PR

My Take on I Am

What I have liked about this venture between Amy and Bruce was I could see their online personalities coming through in the short muses they put down on each individual page. I have been following both of them on Linkedin for years, and in this book I sometimes try to determine which one of them wrote a certain page; to pull their feelings from their individual perspectives.

“This book is like hot chocolate for your brain. Read it slowly, savor it, and you will be rewarded each time you repeat.” – Carmen Simon, cognitive neuroscientist and author of Impossible to Ignore

Personally, I used this book to reflect on my life while home-bound for a stint. It was in my bathroom magazine rack for the longest time, and I would randomly choose a page and ponder its contents for a while. Then that thought would resonate with me later in the day, the following week, etc. as I experienced moments in my life. It was interesting to pre-stage thoughts in my mind and then see them come to fruition in real life. It sort of reminds me of the idea of priming that Melissa Hughes talks about. This book is an exercise manual for your mind; yes, even mindfulness takes practice.

“Amy and Bruce nail the art of reflection. Prepare to be both inspired and refreshed.” – Allen Gannett, author of The Creative Curve and CEO of TrackMaven

You can use the book however you please, but please, use it. Your future self will thank you.

Visit https://i-am-books.com/ for more information on this beautiful little work of art, and to see much of its content, or visit Amy’s own page at https://www.amyblaschka.com/i-am.