What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings--and Life


Laura Vanderkam - 2012
    We wake up in a haze—often after hitting snooze a few times. Then we rush around to get ready and out the door so we can officially start the day. Before we know it, hours have slipped by without us accomplishing anything beyond downing a cup of coffee, dashing off a few emails, and dishing with our coworkers around the water cooler. By the time the workday wraps up, we’re so exhausted and defeated that any motivation to accomplish something in the evening has vanished.But according to time management expert Laura Vanderkam, mornings hold the key to taking control of our schedules. If we use them wisely, we can build habits that will allow us to lead happier, more productive lives.Drawing on real-life anecdotes and scientific research that shows why the early hours of the day are so important, Vanderkam reveals how successful people use mornings to help them accomplish things that are often impossible to take care of later in the day. While many of us are still in bed, these folks are scoring daily victories to improve their health, careers, and personal lives without sacrificing their sanity. For instance, former PepsiCo chairman and CEO Steve Reinemund would rise at 5:00 a.m., run four miles, pray, and eat breakfast with his family before heading to work to run a Fortune 500 company.What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast is a fun, practical guide that will inspire you to rethink your morning routine and jump-start your life before the day has even begun.

The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit


Mel Robbins - 2021
    

Be the Worst You Can Be: Life's Too Long for Patience and Virtue


Charles Saatchi - 2012
    Charles Saatchi answers questions from journalists and readers

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience


Brené Brown - 2021
    As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection. Over the past two decades, Brown’s extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown’s singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice. Brown shares, “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.”

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush. An anthology of Poems and Conversations (From Outside).


Tim Key - 2021
    This new book takes place in Lockdown Three. This time Key can make Government-sanctioned expeditions out onto the streets of London (remember?). And it is there that the inaction takes place. Phone calls to his mother, promenades with his loyal friend, bubble-negotiations, sitting his fat arse down on benches, drinking mocha. Another three months of mind-freezing inertia. This time on the move. Conversations interspersed with poetry.

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations


Toni Morrison - 2019
    It is divided into three parts: the first is introduced by a powerful prayer for the dead of 9/11; the second by a searching meditation on Martin Luther King Jr., and the last by a heart-wrenching eulogy for James Baldwin. In the writings and speeches included here, Morrison takes on contested social issues: the foreigner, female empowerment, the press, money, "black matter(s)," and human rights. She looks at enduring matters of culture: the role of the artist in society, the literary imagination, the Afro-American presence in American literature, and in her Nobel lecture, the power of language itself. And here too is piercing commentary on her own work (including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Tar Baby, Jazz, Beloved, and Paradise) and that of others, among them, painter and collagist Romare Bearden, author Toni Cade Bambara, and theater director Peter Sellars. In all, The Source of Self-Regard is a luminous and essential addition to Toni Morrison's oeuvre.

The Couple's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Lovers


William Martin - 1999
    With The Parent's Tao Te Ching, William Martin beautifully re-interpreted Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching -- one of the world's oldest and most widely read books of wisdom -- expressly for parents. Now, he distills and freshly re-interprets the essence of each of the Tao's 81 chapters to speak directly and clearly to couples. William Martin's indelible, spirited, and sage advice, rendered in free verse, captures the ancient spirit of Lao Tzu's original text, yet speaks directly to modern lovers--and to the full sweep of their experiences and emotions. A deeply felt alternative to advice books that urge readers to manipulate their partners rather than to love them, The Couple's Tao Te Ching is for everyone who has embarked upon a loving relationship, which, as William Martin says, "can be the most rewarding and enlightening adventure possible."

It's Not OK to Feel Blue [and other lies]


Scarlett CurtisTravon Free - 2019
    So we asked:What does yours mean to you? THE RESULT IS EXTRAORDINARY.Over 70 people have shared their stories. Powerful, funny, moving, this book is here to tell you:It's OK.With writing from: Adam Kay - Alastair Campbell - Alexis Caught - Ben Platt - Bryony Gordon - Candice Carty-Williams - Charlie Mackesy - Charly Cox - Chidera Eggerue - Claire Stancliffe - Davina McCall - Dawn O'Porter - Elizabeth Day - Elizabeth Uviebinené - Ella Purnell - Emilia Clarke - Emma Thompson - Eve Delaney - Fearne Cotton - Gabby Edlin - Gemma Styles - GIRLI (Milly Toomey) - Grace Beverley - Hannah Witton - Honey Ross - Hussain Manawer - Jack Rooke - James Blake - Jamie Flook - Jamie Windust - Jessie Cave - Jo Irwin - Jonah Freud - Jonny Benjamin - Jordan Stephens - Kai-Isaiah Jamal - Kate Weinberg - Kelechi Okafor - Khalil Aldabbas - KUCHENGA - Lauren Mahon - Lena Dunham - Maggie Matic - Martha Lane Fox - Mathew Kollamkulam - Matt Haig - Megan Crabbe - Michael Kitching - Michelle Elman - Miranda Hart - Mitch Price - Mona Chalabi - Montana Brown - Nadia Craddock - Naomi Campbell - Poorna Bell - Poppy Jamie - Reggie Yates - Ripley Parker - Robert Kazandjian - Rosa Mercuriadis - Saba Asif - Sam Smith - Scarlett Curtis - Scarlett Moffatt - Scottee - Sharon Chalkin Feldstein - Shonagh Marie - Simon Amstell - Steve Ali - Tanya Byron - Travon Free - Yomi Adegoke - Yusuf Al Majarhi

Shadows Before Dawn: Finding the Light of Self-Love Through Your Darkest Times


Teal Swan - 2015
    Horrors lurked behind the façade of the perfect houses and pious community of the surrounding towns, and Teal attracted undue attention because of her unusually powerful extrasensory abilities. At the hands of a local cult member, she barely survived 13 years of horrendous abuse—and even after her escape, she was left powerless, lost, hurting, and with no way to cope. Gradually, and incredibly, Teal forged her way from shadowy moments of despair to a sliver of light . . . and eventually emerged from the darkness into the full dawn of self-love. Here, she shows how you, too, can achieve the feelings of worthiness that may be long missing from your life.      Now a recognized spiritual luminary, Teal documents how she dug herself out of self-hate into self-love, and details the remarkable trail for others to get to the same place. Shadows Before Dawn encompasses both Teal’s compelling story, told with raw intensity, and her resolute, no-nonsense how-to guide to healing from even the deepest levels of suffering. Offering a comprehensive self-love tool kit, this book includes powerful exercises, insights, and perspective from a captivating new teacher in spirituality, and lets you pick and choose which techniques are right for you.      Teal’s resonating words will sit with your soul long after you put this book down and will serve as guideposts on the way to complete self-love, no matter who you are or where you are in life.

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World


William H. McRaven - 2017
    McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.Admiral McRaven's original speech went viral with over 10 million views. Building on the core tenets laid out in his speech, McRaven now recounts tales from his own life and from those of people he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honor, and courage. Told with great humility and optimism, this timeless book provides simple wisdom, practical advice, and words of encouragement that will inspire readers to achieve more, even in life's darkest moments.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown - A 30-Minute Instaread Summary: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are


Instaread Summaries - 2014
    The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown - A 30-minute SummaryInside this Instaread Summary: - Overview of the entire book- Introduction to the important people in the book- Summary and analysis of all the chapters in the book- Key Takeaways of the book- A Reader's PerspectivePreview of this summary: Chapter 1It is necessary to practice courage, compassion, and connection on a daily basis in order to develop worthiness. It is a mistake to try and win someone over, because it means trading in the sense of self in search of approval from another. By doing this, people stop believing in their own worth.The first step toward living wholeheartedly is for people to have the courage to reach out to others and to share their own stories of shame. When in need of compassion, people should reach out to the right person, someone who supports them whether they are feeling strong or whether they are struggling. When people are willing to reveal that they are imperfect and real, their relationships are strengthened. They make a connection. This is why courage, compassion, and connection are the gifts of imperfection.Courage is displayed when people are willing to speak honestly and openly about who they are, what they are feeling, and their experiences both good and bad. Courage is about being vulnerable. It takes courage for someone to ask for what he or she needs and to risk disappointment. When one person has courage, it can create a ripple effect, making others around that person a little braver.Compassion is a relationship between two equals. It occurs when people recognize they share humanity with others. The heart of compassion is acceptance by people of themselves and of others. In order for compassion to occur, people need to set boundaries and hold others accountable for their behavior. The key to compassion is being able to separate people from their behaviors. It is necessary to address what people do, not who they are.Connection exists as the energy between people who feel they have been seen, heard, and valued without judgment. People feel strengthened by this relationship and need connection to do well emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually. Connections happen when people both give and receive with an open heart.Chapter 2Love and belonging are necessary in people's lives. In order for people to experience love and belonging, they must believe they are worthy. People who accept themselves for who they are and who stop worrying about what others think are worthy of love and belonging. At the heart of wholeheartedness is that people have to believe they are worthy now, as they are, not if or when they become or do something in the future....

Thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People


Judith Orloff - 2019
    Judith Orloff offers 365 days of self-care meditations, reflections, and journaling suggestions as daily inoculations against stress and overwhelmEmpaths have so much to offer as healers, creatives, friends, lovers, and innovators at work. Yet highly sensitive and empathic people often give too much at the expense of their own well-being—and end up absorbing the stress of others. “To stay healthy and happy,” writes Judith Orloff, MD, “you must be ready with daily self-care practices that work.” With Thriving as an Empath, Dr. Orloff provides an invaluable resource to help you protect yourself from the stresses of an overwhelming world and embrace the “gift of being different."If you want daily tools to put into action, this book is for you. Building on the principles Dr. Orloff introduced in The Empath's Survival Guide, this book brings you daily self-care practices and support for becoming a compassionate, empowered empath, including:• Setting strong boundaries• Protecting your energy• Inoculating yourself against stress and overwhelm• Self-soothing techniques• Knowing that it is not your job to take on the world’s stress• Breaking the momentum of sensory overload• Tapping the vitality of all four seasons and the elements• Deepening your connection with the cycles of nature• Moving out of clock-based time into “sacred time”Thriving as an Empath was created to help you grow and flourish without internalizing the emotions and pain of others. “These self-care techniques have been life-saving for me and my patients,” writes Dr. Orloff. “I feel so strongly about regular self-care because I want you to enjoy the extraordinary gifts of sensitivity—including an open heart, intuition, and an intimate connection with the natural world.”

Shadows on the Path


Abdi Assadi - 2007
    It is a common misconception for spirituality to be viewed as movement toward the light instead of delving into, identifying, and integrating repressed aspects of our psyche. The consequences of this omission are visible everyday in our addictive culture, its spiritual practices, and the high price that we all pay by depriving ourselves of this untapped reservoir of energy.

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps


Kelly Williams Brown - 2013
    . . if you wear a business suit to job interviews but pajamas to the grocery store . . . if you have your own apartment but no idea how to cook or clean . . . it's OK. But it doesn't have to be this way.Just because you don't feel like an adult doesn't mean you can't act like one. And it all begins with this funny, wise, and useful book. Based on Kelly Williams Brown's popular blog, ADULTING makes the scary, confusing "real world" approachable, manageable-and even conquerable. This guide will help you to navigate the stormy Sea of Adulthood so that you may find safe harbor in Not Running Out of Toilet Paper Bay, and along the way you will learn:What to check for when renting a new apartment-Not just the nearby bars, but the faucets and stove, among other things.When a busy person can find time to learn more about the world- It involves the intersection of NPR and hair-straightening.How to avoid hooking up with anyone in your office -- Imagine your coworkers having plastic, featureless doll crotches. It helps.The secret to finding a mechanic you love-Or, more realistically, one that will not rob you blind.From breaking up with frenemies to fixing your toilet, this way fun comprehensive handbook is the answer for aspiring grown-ups of all ages.New York Times Bestseller.

Directions: Really Good Advice for Getting from Here to There


Hallie Bateman - 2021
    Or maybe we just need a little encouragement- an affirmation that will send us sailing into the day with confidence (Admit to yourself that your ass is exquisite). Filled with clarity, inspiration, and just the right dose of humor, Directions provides all that and more. And like, a Magic 8 Ball, it’s always ready for a consultation when you need it: What direction do I need today?