Book picks similar to
Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper
non-fiction
self-defense
nonfiction
military
Every Shot Must Have a Purpose: How Golf54 Can Make You a Better Player
Pia Nilsson - 2005
and to life.As coaches to some of golf's top players, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott have designed and refined a revolutionary way of teaching the game, with phenomenal results. They don't believe in prescribing the same stance, grip, and swing to everyone, followed by hours of purposeless drilling. They don't even believe in beginning with physical technique. Their success has proven to them that a great game begins with a great vision.Unlike any other golf book, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose offers cutting-edge techniques for integrating the physical, technical, mental, emotional, and social parts of a player's game. The book's revolutionary pre-shot routine will improve your focus, leading to a golf swing that is not only successful but can be repeated under extreme pressure. Emphasizing the individual golfer rather than a rigid set of mechanics, their VISION54 method takes the frustration out of the game. Why 54? Because they believe it's possible to shoot a 54 (making a birdie on every hole of a par-72 course) if you have the right mind-set and well-honed intuitive power.An engaging read for the beginner or the seasoned golfer, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose is inspiration for life, not just the links.
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova - 2020
But she knew her man: a famously thoughtful and broad-minded player, he was intrigued by her pitch that she wasn't interested in making money so much as learning about life. She had faced a stretch of personal bad luck, and her reflections on the role of chance had led her to a giant of game theory, who pointed her to poker as the ultimate master class in learning to distinguish between what can be controlled and what can't. And she certainly brought something to the table, including a Ph.D. in psychology and an acclaimed and growing body of work on human behavior and how to hack it. So Seidel was in, and soon she was down the rabbit hole with him, into the wild, fiercely competitive, overwhelmingly masculine world of high-stakes Texas Hold'em, their initial end point the following year's World Series of Poker.But then something extraordinary happened. Under Seidel's guidance, Konnikova did have many epiphanies about life that derived from her new pursuit, including how to better read, not just her opponents but far more importantly herself; how to identify what tilted her into an emotional state that got in the way of good decisions; and how to get to a place where she could accept luck for what it was, and what it wasn't. But she also began to win. And win. In a little over a year, she began making earnest money from tournaments, ultimately totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. She won a major title, got a sponsor, and got used to being on television, and to headlines like How one writer's book deal turned her into a professional poker player. She even learned to like Las Vegas.But in the end, Maria Konnikova is a writer and student of human behavior, and ultimately the point was to render her incredible journey into a container for its invaluable lessons. The biggest bluff of all, she learned, is that skill is enough. Bad cards will come our way, but keeping our focus on how we play them and not on the outcome will keep us moving through many a dark patch, until the luck once again breaks our way.
The Choice: Embrace the Possible
Edith Eger - 2017
Separated from her parents on arrival, she endures unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele. When the camp is finally liberated, she is pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive.The horrors of the Holocaust didn’t break Edith. In fact, they helped her learn to live again with a life-affirming strength and a truly remarkable resilience. The Choice is her unforgettable story.
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
Mary Roach - 2016
Mary Roach dodges hostile fire with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team as part of a study on hearing loss and survivability in combat. She visits the fashion design studio of U.S. Army Natick Labs and learns why a zipper is a problem for a sniper. She visits a repurposed movie studio where amputee actors help prepare Marine Corps medics for the shock and gore of combat wounds. At Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti, in east Africa, we learn how diarrhea can be a threat to national security. Roach samples caffeinated meat, sniffs an archival sample of a World War II stink bomb, and stays up all night with the crew tending the missiles on the nuclear submarine USS Tennessee. She answers questions not found in any other book on the military: Why is DARPA interested in ducks? How is a wedding gown like a bomb suit? Why are shrimp more dangerous to sailors than sharks? Take a tour of duty with Roach, and you’ll never see our nation’s defenders in the same way again.
Overcome: Crush Adversity with the Leadership Techniques of America's Toughest Warriors
Jason Redman - 2019
What if you could confront any adversity, from the biggest challenges -- the loss of your job, divorce, health issues, bankruptcy -- to normal daily challenges -- a late flight, a disappointing phone call, a missed promotion, a bad day -- and not just survive it, but thrive afterwards?Redman was horrifically wounded in Iraq in 2007 when he was shot at close range through the face and arm. After 40 surgeries, including extensive facial reconstruction and skin grafts, he came back from this experience stronger than ever -- despite carrying scars and injuries he will have for the rest of his life. Redman went on to launch two successful companies and speaks all over the country on how to build better leaders through his Overcome mindset.Overcome is based on extensive research and interviews with America's toughest warriors, including retired 4-star Admiral William McRaven, retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, retired 4-star General Stanley McChrystal, and others. In this book, Redman teaches:How to survive any life ambushHow to move from defense to offense using the proactive techniques of SEAL teamsHow to strengthen your endurance during long-term trialsHow to rediscover and thrive in your life purposeHow to lead your team (whether in business or family) to successHow to compete with the top 1% in your fieldHow to stay the course even when you want to quitAnd moreSome people move through adversity and others fall underneath it. Learn how you can be counted among those who will Overcome.
Creative Mind
Ernest Shurtleff Holmes - 1919
Ernest S. Holmes founded the United Church of Religious Science, an international ministry that flourishes today. His message is simple: The universe has intelligence, purpose, and order. By understanding its principles and applying them to ourselves, we can see who we are and what we truly want in life. Creative Mind, produced in 1919, is a simple guide for the many thousands who came to hear his words and wished to know more. Creative Mind is a little book designed to explain what people must discover for themselves about the nature of the universe and the creative power of their own minds. Its message is as fresh today as it was a century ago.
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
Henry Cloud - 1992
A boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not. Boundaries impact all areas of our lives: Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us and under what circumstances -- Mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions -- Emotional boundaries help us to deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others -- Spiritual boundaries help us to distinguish God's will from our own and give us renewed awe for our Creator -- Often, Christians focus so much on being loving and unselfish that they forget their own limits and limitations. When confronted with their lack of boundaries, they ask: - Can I set limits and still be a loving person? - What are legitimate boundaries? - What if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries? - How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money? - Aren't boundaries selfish? - Why do I feel guilty or afraid when I consider setting boundaries? Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend offer biblically-based answers to these and other tough questions, showing us how to set healthy boundaries with our parents, spouses, children, friends, co-workers, and even ourselves.
Do Fly: Find Your Way. Make a Living. Be Your Best Self
Gavin Strange - 2016
Sounds simple, doesn't it? But the reality can be quite different. Whether you're just starting out or simply ready to head in a new direction, you're going to need some help turning your natural skills into success-seeking missiles of radness.On hand is Gavin Strange, a creative working by night under the name of JamFactory and, by day, at Aardman Animations – the Academy Award-winning studio behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.With advice, encouragement and a reminder that life's too short to not pursue your passion, whatever your age or position – from school leaver or graduate just starting out to CEO ready to head in a new direction, Do Fly will inspire you to:Change your perspective and revamp your mindsetDevelop creative side projectsStay optimistic and resilientDiscover skills and passions you never knew you had!Do Fly is your all-in-one guide, ticket and passport to a new destination. Are you ready for take off?
Heal Your Mind
Mona Lisa Schulz - 2016
How do we keep our wits about us, our mood stable, and our memory intact when our brains and bodies are bombarded with information and influences from every side? This one-of-a-kind resource combines cutting-edge science with compassion and wisdom to offer answers we can really use.Heal Your Mind continues the three-pronged healing approach that Dr. Mona Lisa Schulz and Louise Hay pioneered together in All Is Well: Heal Your Body with Medicine, Affirmations, and Intuition. Here, it’s applied to aspects of the mind ranging from depression, anxiety, and addiction to memory, learning, and even mystical states. You’ll learn what’s going on in your brain and body when:
You feel sad, angry, or panicked
An addictive substance or behavior has hold of you
You have trouble focusing, reading, or remembering
A past trauma is clouding your mind in the present
An emotional state is a clue to a physical ailment
And more
And in each chapter, you’ll get a “virtual healing experience” through case studies in the All Is Well Clinic, where Dr. Mona Lisa uses medical intuition to pinpoint issues in a wide range of prototypical client histories and she and Louise offer solutions and affirmations to help restore well-being.Today, the “pill-for-every-ill” approach is so prevalent that we may think our minds and bodies need an endless array of expensive, ever-changing pharmaceutical interventions. In truth, medicines are just one approach to healing the mind; nutritional supplements give us another important way to support mind-body health; and affirmations, as well as various forms of therapy, can restore us to balance by changing the way we think. Heal Your Mind puts all these tools at your disposal to help you choose your own path toward wholeness.
The Tao of Teaching: The Ageles Wisdom of Taoism and the Art of Teaching
Greta K. Nagel - 1998
The Tao of Teaching is written in the same style as the Tao Te Ching, and gives examples from the classrooms of three present-day teachers whom the author feels embody Taoist wisdom and "student-centered" educational methods. The Tao of Teaching is a labor of love, containing many important insights by a talented and respected professional whose emphasis is on the students' contribution in a learning environment, whatever the context.
Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning
Tom Vanderbilt - 2021
He tackles five main skills (and picks up a few more along the way), choosing them for their difficulty to master and their distinct lack of career marketability--chess, singing, surfing, drawing, and juggling. What he doesn't expect is that the circuitous paths he takes while learning these skills will prove even more satisfying than any knowledge he gains.He soon finds himself having rapturous experiences singing Spice Girls songs in an amateur choir, losing games of chess to eight-year-olds, and dodging scorpions at a surf camp in Costa Rica. Along the way, he interviews dozens of experts to explore the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner. Weaving comprehensive research and surprising insight gained from his year of learning dangerously, Vanderbilt shows how anyone can get better at beginning again--and, more important, why they should take those first awkward steps. Ultimately, he shares how his refreshed sense of curiosity opened him up to a profound happiness and a deeper connection to the people around him. It's about how small acts of reinvention, at any age, can make life seem magical.
The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy
Michael Foley - 2010
The bad news is that these turn out to be the very things most discouraged by contemporary culture. This knotty dilemma is the subject of The Age of Absurdity - a wry and accessible investigation into how the desirable states of wellbeing and satisfaction are constantly undermined by modern life. Michael Foley examines the elusive condition of happiness common to philosophy, spiritual teachings and contemporary psychology, then shows how these are becoming increasingly difficult to apply in a world of high expectations. The common challenges of earning a living, maintaining a relationship and ageing are becoming battlegrounds of existential angst and self-loathing in a culture that demands conspicuous consumption, high-octane partnerships and perpetual youth. In conclusion, rather than denouncing and rejecting the age, Foley presents an entertaining strategy of not just accepting but embracing today's world - finding happiness in its absurdity.
Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live
Martha N. Beck - 1997
The same relationship exists between you and your right life, the ultimate realization of your potential for happiness. I believe that a knowledge of that perfect life sits inside you just as the North Star sits in its unaltering spot.”Martha Beck has helped hundreds of clients find their own North Star, fulfill their potential, and live more joyfully. Now, she shares her step-by-step program that will help you take the exhilarating and frightening journey to your own ideal life. Finding Your Own North Star will teach you how to read your internal compasses, articulate your core desires, identify and repair the unconscious beliefs that may be blocking your progress, nurture your intuition, and cultivate your dreams from the first magical flicker of an idea through the planning and implementation of a more satisfying life. Martha Beck offers thoroughly tested case studies, questionnaires, exercises, and her own trademark wit and wisdom to guide you every step of the way.
The Captain Class: The Hidden Force that Creates the World's Greatest Teams
Sam Walker - 2016
It's not the star.It's not money. It's not a strategy.It's something else entirely.Several years ago, Sam Walker set out to answer one of the most hotly debated questions in sports: What are the greatest teams of all time? He devised a formula, then applied it to thousands of teams from leagues all over the world, from the NBA to the English Premier League to Olympic field hockey. When he was done, he had a list of the sixteen most dominant teams in history. At that point, he became obsessed with another, more complicated question: What did these freak teams have in common?As Walker dug into their stories, a pattern emerged: Each team had the same type of captain--a singular leader with an unconventional skill set who drove it to achieve sustained, historic greatness.Fueled by a lifetime of sports spectating, twenty years of reporting, and a decade of painstaking research, The Captain Class tells the surprising story of what makes teams exceptional. Drawing on original interviews with athletes from two dozen countries, as well as general managers, coaches, executives, and others skilled at building teams, Walker identifies the seven core qualities of this Captain Class--from extreme doggedness and emotional control to a knack for nonverbal communication to tactical aggression and the courage to stand apart.Told through riveting accounts of some of the most pressure-soaked moments in sports history--from Bill Russell's legendary "Coleman Play" in the 1957 NBA Finals to Barcelona's "Figo Game" against Real Madrid in 2000--The Captain Class doesn't just bring these events to life; it presents a fresh, counterintuitive take on leadership that can be applied to a wide spectrum of competitive disciplines.The men and women who make up the Captain Class were never the most skilled athletes, nor were they gifted orators or paragons of sportsmanship. They were often role players who were allergic to the spotlight. In short, the seven attributes they shared challenge your assumptions of what inspired leadership looks like.
How To Be Your Own Bodyguard
Nick Hughes - 2011
Includes avoidance and awareness skills of the professional protection agent as well as dynamic, pressure tested techniques.Unlike most self defense books which begin with someone choking you or coming at you with a knife, "How To Be Your Own Bodyguard" takes a page from the bodyguard's playbook by avoiding trouble in the first place.Written by a former French Foreign Legionnaire and former bodyguard to the rich and famous the book is full of hundreds of techniques to recognize trouble as it's brewing and leave before it does, adhering to the bodyguard's role of "cover and evacuate."The section on hard skills i.e. what to do when all attempts to avoid trouble have failed, covers techniques that have been pressure tested by the author during his career as a bouncer, bodyguard and military police officer.