At the core of this classic treatise is the message that sledgehammer approaches can backfire, and size alone does not guarantee wins. Strategy, positioning, planning, leadership--all play equally significant roles, making Sun Tzu's teachings perfect for small business owners and entrepreneurs entrenched in fierce competition for customers, market share, talent . . . for their very survival. The Art of War for Small Business is the first book to apply Sun Tzu's wisdom to the small business arena. Featuring inspiring examples of entrepreneurial success, the book's 12 timeless lessons reveal how to: ● Choose the right ground for your battles ● Prepare without falling prey to paralysis ● Leverage strengths while overcoming limitations ● Strike competitors' weakest points and seize every opportunity● Focus priorities and resources on conquering key challenges ● Go where the enemy is not ● Build and leverage strategic alliances Big companies may deploy overwhelming forces, but small companies can outsmart, outmaneuver, and outstrategize larger adversaries to capture crucial sectors, serve unmet needs, and emerge victorious.

    More than half of all workers hate their jobs. In fact, job satisfaction and employee engagement have been declining for twenty-two straight years.One hundred years ago, a job and a paycheck kept workers satisfied. Now, pay barely makes the list. Employees' needs have evolved dramatically. But our leadership practices have failed to keep up.In Lead From The Heart, Mark C. Crowley presents compelling new evidence that the solution leaders need lies in the last place traditional business would seek it: the human heart. Twenty-first-century employees need to feel... valued, respected, developed, and cared for. Their work has to matter. Recent scientific discoveries tell us that it's the heart, and not the mind, that drives human performance and achievement.Drawing on decades of experience as a senior leader for regional and national financial institutions, Mark C. Crowley offers proof that leaders who intentionally engage the hearts of their employees will be rewarded with uncommon (and highly sustainable) performance and achievement. We've seen centuries of evidence of what the heart can do in sports, art, and music. Business is next.Lead From The Heart, and your employees will follow

    But there is a better way—a middle way—where we might discover common ground for peace, both personally and universally. Lou Marinoff, professor of philosophy and author of Plato, not Prozac, reveals the ABCs of finding that spiritually rich path: Aristotle, Buddha, and Confucius. Each of these wise men knew that extremism destroys happiness, health and harmony, and shared the supremely important notion that the main purpose of our existence is to lead a good life, here and now. In three sections, Marinoff examines the contemporary world and shows how the “Middle Way” provides solutions to our most pressing problems. Part One looks at civilizational dynamics that drive both cooperation and conflict across borders, and introduces each of the ABCs. The second segment focuses on some notorious extremes—including political polarization, and simmering religious, tribal, gender, cultural, and economic divides—and how the ABCs can reconcile them. And the third, final section enlightens us on how we all can apply the ABCs to the betterment of our own lives and humanity as a whole. A short list of recommended readings accompanies each chapter, along with illustrations, maps, and eye-opening charts.

    To those who learn to unpack its sometimes cryptic sayings, the Gospel of Thomas offers a naked and dazzlingly subversive representation of Jesus’ defining and most radical discovery: that the living Kingdom of God burns in us and surrounds us at all moments."―from the Foreword by Andrew HarveyThis ancient text can become a companion for your own spiritual journey. In 1945, twelve ancient books were found inside a sealed jar at the base of an Egyptian cliff. One of those texts was the Gospel of Thomas, one of the most important religious archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. While illuminating the origins of Christianity, it raises the question whether the New Testament’s version of Jesus’ teachings is entirely accurate and complete.Written at the same time as the canonical Gospels, the Gospel of Thomas portrays Jesus as a wisdom-loving sage. The aphoristic sayings emphasize the value of the present, teaching that the Kingdom of God is here and now, rather than a future promise or future threat. It presents a new way of looking at the challenging and intriguing figure of Jesus, and reminds us that the Divine can be found right here on earth.Now you can experience the Gospel of Thomas with understanding even if you have no previous knowledge of early Christian history or thought. This SkyLight Illuminations edition offers insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that explains references and philosophical terms, shares the inspiring interpretations of famous spiritual teachers, and gives you deeper understanding of Thomas’s innovative message: that self-knowledge and contemplation of the nature of this world are the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

    Gottlieb, who suffered a traumatic injury that left him a quadriplegic over 30 years ago, is uniquely qualified to offer wise counsel on the relationship between what we want and what we have. He offers his thoughts on breaking patterns and habits, calming the unquiet mind, reconnecting with our emotions and our bodies, living in the moment, discovering that ineffable “something” that defines who we are—and above all, the importance of love.

    B. Yeats • Antonio Machado • Rainer Maria Rilke • Wallace Stevens • D.H. Lawrence • Robinson Jeffers •

    Through the prisms of archaeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy. He explains why spirituality has a role today, and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism, but future harmony. Nearly a decade in the making, The Evolution of God is a breathtaking re-examination of the past, and a visionary look forward.

    In these inspiring passages originally introduced in Codependent No More, Beyond Codependency, and The Language of Letting Go, author Melody Beattie explores how gratitude can work miracles in our lives, transforming negative, self-defeating thoughts into recognition of the gifts life has to offer.In sections devoted to affirming gratitude, nurturing yourself, learning acceptance, and setting your goals, Beattie teaches you to say thanks for the way things are and to recognize the lessons in every experience.

    The author relates his search for spiritual enlightenment in the wilderness under the guidance of an Apache shaman and explores humanity's mystical relationship with nature.

    A language that can only be heard when one truly listens. It’s the language of The Spirit Whisperer.         In John Holland’s past books, he explained how he came to terms with, and learned to accept and embrace, his spiritual gifts as a psychic medium; and how “readers” could develop their own intuitive psychic abilities.     In this book, John picks up the fascinating story of his personal journey of growth and development as one of the most respected practicing mediums today. This work chronicles his career to date and includes some enlightening and heartfelt real-life case studies. He candidly discusses readings with clients, including those who’ve had their own After Death Communications (ADCs)—from the outrageous to the profound. John also explains the signs and symbols that our loved ones continually try to send us. One of his most popular sayings is: “Those on the Other Side want to talk to you—as much as you want to talk to them!”John divulges for the first time some of the extraordinary paranormal occurrences he’s witnessed throughout his career, and provides a rare glimpse behind the scenes of what it’s like to be a “Psychic Time Machine” for several television shows. He’ll also help parents who have a psychic child themselves. The Spirit Whisperer is a book you’ll want to read over and over, as many of the stories will touch your heart as well as your soul!

    That’s the premise of The Selfish Path to Romance. Love is not about sacrifice. Real, lasting romance comes when you are certain about yourself, your needs, and your worth. In the words of top-selling novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, “It is one’s one personal, selfish happiness that one seeks, earns and derives from love.” Authors Dr. Edwin Locke and Dr. Ellen Kenner are inspired by the work of philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand. Their book explores Ayn Rand’s belief that the assertion of your own needs and values is the foundation of love. The Selfish Path to Romance offers a no-nonsense, rational alternative for those who are serious about finding and sustaining a lifetime romance. Be prepared to have your preconceptions shattered, your intuition challenged, and be ready for candid introspection.

    Perhaps it’s a broken promise. Or someone betrayed your confidence.It’s only natural that you would be angry. These wounds cry out for justice! But what if justice isn’t possible this side of heaven? What if the damage can’t be undone? What then?You have a decision to make.You can hold on to your anger until your anguish builds a prison of bitterness, where you will live a diminished and pain-filled life. Or you can choose to forgive.Erwin Lutzer discusses dealing with difficult people such as “spear throwers” and “destroyers,” as well as handling conflict among family members and Christians in the courtroom. In this concise, quickly readable volume, you’ll learn how to move from bitterness to blessing by choosing forgiveness.By choosing forgiveness you are choosing abundant life. It’s a decision you can make today!

    Six months before that, I used a Voor’s Head Device for the first time." This line opens the 150-page book that accompanies Giles Corey, an intensely personal, intimate portrait of depression that took me almost 4 years to make. We've called this "acoustic music from the industrial revolution," and that's as good as anything. Dominated by the acoustic guitar, the music is a gloomy mixture of Americana influences, snippets of EVP recordings, ghostly choirs and deep, heavy organ. It ranges from very dark to triumphant, hushed quiet to crashingly loud. The album follows a story arc of emotions that are detailed in the accompanying book, as much a part of this record as the music. The text switches between personal tales of struggles with depression, suicide, and a feeling of being lost, and the story of cult-leader and afterlife theorist Robert Voor. Voor's writings on death and the afterlife feature prominently across HAVE A NICE LIFE's "Deathconsciousness," Nahvalr's self-titled debut, and Giles Corey, making him the unifying factor behind most of the music I've written in the last 10 years. This record is as personal and raw as anything I've ever done. Thank you for your interest.

    

    Romance. Family. These are the three areas Ethan Nichtern delves into, taking as departure points the indelible characters from Rob Reiner's perennially popular film--Westley, Fezzik, Vizzini, Count Rugen, Princess Buttercup, and others--as he also draws lessons from his own life and his work as a meditation teacher. Nichtern devotes the first section of the book to exploring the dynamics of friendship. Why do people become friends? What can we learn from the sufferings of Inigo Montoya and Fezzik? Next, he leads us through all the phases of illusion and disillusion we encounter in our romantic pursuits, providing a healthy dose of lightheartedness along the way by sharing his own Princess Buttercup List and the vicissitudes of his dating life as he ponders how we idealize and objectify romantic love. Finally, Nichtern draws upon the demands of his own family history and the film's character the Grandson to explore the dynamics of "the last frontier of awakening," a reference to his teacher Chogyam Trungpa's claim that it's possible to be enlightened everywhere except around your family.With The Dharma of "The Princess Bride" in hand, we can set out on the path to contemporary Buddhist enlightenment with the most important relationships in our lives.