Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder


Arianna Huffington - 2014
    Arianna Huffington's personal wake-up call came in the form of a broken cheekbone and a nasty gash over her eye -- the result of a fall brought on by exhaustion and lack of sleep. As the cofounder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group -- one of the fastest growing media companies in the world -- celebrated as one of the world's most influential women, and gracing the covers of magazines, she was, by any traditional measure, extraordinarily successful. Yet as she found herself going from brain MRI to CAT scan to echocardiogram, to find out if there was any underlying medical problem beyond exhaustion, she wondered is this really what success feels like? As more and more people are coming to realize, there is far more to living a truly successful life than just earning a bigger salary and capturing a corner office. Our relentless pursuit of the two traditional metrics of success -- money and power -- has led to an epidemic of burnout and stress-related illnesses, and an erosion in the quality of our relationships, family life, and, ironically, our careers. In being connected to the world 24/7, we're losing our connection to what truly matters. Our current definition of success is, as Thrive shows, literally killing us. We need a new way forward. In a commencement address Arianna gave at Smith College in the spring of 2013, she likened our drive for money and power to two legs of a three-legged stool. They may hold us up temporarily, but sooner or later we're going to topple over. We need a third leg -- a third metric for defining success -- to truly thrive. That third metric, she writes in Thrive, includes our well-being, our ability to draw on our intuition and inner wisdom, our sense of wonder, and our capacity for compassion and giving. As Arianna points out, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success. They don't commemorate our long hours in the office, our promotions, or our sterling PowerPoint presentations as we relentlessly raced to climb up the career ladder. They are not about our resumes -- they are about cherished memories, shared adventures, small kindnesses and acts of generosity, lifelong passions, and the things that made us laugh. In this deeply personal book, Arianna talks candidly about her own challenges with managing time and prioritizing the demands of a career and raising two daughters -- of juggling business deadlines and family crises, a harried dance that led to her collapse and to her "aha moment." Drawing on the latest groundbreaking research and scientific findings in the fields of psychology, sports, sleep, and physiology that show the profound and transformative effects of meditation, mindfulness, unplugging, and giving, Arianna shows us the way to a revolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplace, and our lives.

Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks


Gary Thorp - 2000
    However, when you attend to your home, you begin to feel less hurried and more in tune with the world around you. There is delight and calm to be found in the midst of washing dishes or changing the water in a vase of flowers; there is pleasure to be experienced in the repetitions of daily life.In Sweeping Changes, Gary Thorp shows how the principles of Zen can bring harmony and peace to your life at home. You don’t need special surroundings or to sit quietly in a formal posture to achieve the tranquillity of Zen; you can find it anywhere–in the action of dusting a shelf, organizing your closet, or feeding your cat. As Thorp conveys in sparkling prose, many everyday activities provide an opportunity for Zen practice, satisfaction, and spiritual growth. Whether you live in a small room, an apartment, or a palace, this delightful, insightful book will not only change your feelings toward housekeeping, it will help you see your home, and your place in it, in a new and nurturing light.

The Courage to Be Free: Discover Your Original Fearless Self


Guy Finley - 2010
    Those limitations are not part of our "original equipment." In the words of bestselling author and beloved teacher Guy Finley, "When you realize no else on this earth can be like you... that no other soul may know the beauty, sorrow, light and darkness you alone are given to see, then you will no longer want to be like anyone else on this earth. You will, at last, be the fearless individual you heart of hearts has called you to be."There is a world of wisdom in this small gem of a book. Guy Finley is a master at opening our eyes, ears, and hearts to the plain and simple truths of this life. We are not our sense of inadequacy, our compulsions, our defeated thoughts and feelings. We can choose the fearless path because we were, in fact, born fearless.

The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor


Amy Hollingsworth - 2005
    He didn't need to." Eight years before his death, Fred Rogers met author, educator, and speaker Amy Hollingsworth. What started as a television interview turned into a wonderful friendship spanning dozens of letters detailing the driving force behind this gentle man of extraordinary influence. Educator? Philosopher? Psychologist? Minister? Here is an intimate portrait of the real Mister Rogers. The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers focuses on Mr. Rogers' spiritual legacy, but it is much more than that. It shows us a man who, to paraphrase the words of St. Francis of Assisi, "preached the gospel at all times; when necessary he used words."

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Joy of Less: 101 Stories about Having More by Simplifying Our Lives


Amy Newmark - 2016
    You’ll learn how to say “no” without guilt and put some quality time back in your life. You’ll get tips on attacking the clutter in your home—how to identify it, remove it, and share it or give it away. Experience the freedom of having less in your closets, the power of saying “no,” and the fulfillment you get from focusing on what matters most in your life.

Buddhism: An Introduction to the Buddha's Life, Teachings, and Practices


Joan Duncan Oliver - 2019
    From central ideas like the Eight Fold Path and the Four Noble Truths to the role of meditation, Buddhism offers an indispensible introduction to the wisdom tradition that has shaped the lives of millions of people across centuries and continents. Writing in an engaging, approachable style, author Joan Duncan Oliver outlines the key tenants of Buddhism for every reader, unpacking complex philosophies and revealing the beauty of the timeless faith.A practitioner of Buddhist meditation for over thirty years, Oliver has written extensively on the subject and is uniquely well versed in Buddhist practice. Her expert knowledge and understanding make Buddhism an essential modern guidebook to an ancient tradition.

Life Visioning: A Four-Stage Evolutionary Journey to Live as Divine Love


Michael Bernard Beckwith - 2008
    You will never die. And the reason you've incarnated is to reveal the glory of the Divine as you and you alone can. This is the essence of the Life Visioning Process, Michael Bernard Beckwith's transformational inner technology for uniquely expressing the love, wisdom and beauty that you are. Life Visioning invites you to join the founder and director of the Agape International Spiritual Center for his first full-length audio-learning course, and begin the adventure of conscious participation in your soul's evolution by activating your highest potential.A Spiritual Journey Through Four Stages As we mature along the spiritual path, explains Michael Beckwith, we move through four stages of consciousness. Stage one, Victim Consciousness, finds one in constant reaction to things happening "to me" at the hands of a power outside of our control. In stage two, as the Manifester, you take responsibility for your life and put the laws of the universe to work for you. We become a third stage, Channel, when we surrender our will to a higher intelligence that functions "through us." Stage four Being Consciousness manifests as enlightened living.On Life Visioning, Michael Beckwith offers guided meditations, creative visualizations, affirmative prayer, and insights from diverse traditions to support you in navigating the four stages. He then leads you through a complete Life Visioning session that allows you to intuit "God's idea of itself as your life." Here is the same powerful practice that Michael Beckwith has taught to thousands during the past 30 years, shared for the first time on audio. It is a tool you can return to any time as a basis for discovering and unleashing the ultimate potential for your life.Tune Yourself in to the Eternal Broadcast"Through Life Visioning, we become the living condition through which divine ideas express themselves," explains Michael Beckwith. "These ideas can be anything from solutions to problems to a new business model to direction in your spiritual development." With Life Visioning, you place yourself in position to "catch and articulate" the eternal broadcast of that which is seeking to manifest through you, for the benefit of all."

A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted


Will Bowen - 2007
    Big words? Yes, but this is a plan that has already proven itself with millions of people around the world. Pastor Will Bowen developed the life-changing A Complaint Free World plan based on the simple idea that good things will happen for you in abundance if you can just leave your grumbling behind. In a Sunday-morning sermon, Will told his congregation he wanted to make the world a complaint-free zone and, to prove he was serious, he passed out purple bracelets to each church member and offered them a challenge. "If you catch yourself complaining, take the bracelet and move it to the other wrist." Now, less than a year later, more than six million people have taken up the challenge, trying to go twenty-one consecutive days without complaining, criticizing, or gossiping, and in so doing, forming a new, positive habit. By changing your words, you can change your thoughts and then begin to create your life by design. People have shared stories with Will of chronic pain relieved, relationships healed, careers improved, and becoming an overall happier person. Less pain, improved health, satisfying relationships, a better job, being more serene and joyous—sound good? It’s not only possible, it’s probable. Consciously striving to reformat your mental hard drive is not easy, but you can start now by using the steps Bowen presents here. In this book, you can learn what constitutes a complaint, why we complain, what benefits we think we receive from complaining, how complaining is destructive to our lives, and how we can get others around us to stop complaining. You will learn the steps to eradicating this poisonous form of expression from your life. If you stay with it, you will find that not only will you not complain, but others around you will cease to do so as well. In a short period of time, you can have the life you’ve always dreamed of having.

The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe


Lynne McTaggart - 2003
    Original, well researched, and well documented by distinguished sources, The Field is a book of hope and inspiration for today's world.