Overcoming Perfectionism


Roz Shafran - 2010
    But sometimes whatever we do just isn't good enough; we want to be too perfect & start setting unrealistic goals. Such high levels of perfectionism, often driven by low self-esteem, can turn against success & develop into unhealthy obsession.

Women Who Worry Too Much: How to Stop Worry and Anxiety from Ruining Relationships, Work, and Fun


Holly Hazlett-Stevens - 2005
    This predispostion inclines women to worry more than men about things like social problems, work, finances-even about worry itself, a phenomenon psychologists call meta-worry. The goal of this book is to help readers control excessive worry by learning to perceive threats more accurately and to stop focusing on things that are unlikely to happen.Following an introduction by noted psychologist Michelle Craske that explores the reasons women worry more than men, the book addresses the fundamentals of worry: what it is, how it differs from anxiety, and how it can develop into a chronic state of mind. The book offers strategies for overcoming worry that include monitoring personal worry triggers, breaking worry-provoking habits, and avoiding avoidance-a major aggravating factor for all anxiety disorders. From it, you'll learn to use mindfulness techniques to avoid ruminating on the past or the future and how to use progressive relaxation to cope with worrisome situations.

Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts


Jennie Allen - 2020
    The visionary behind the million-strong IF:Gathering challenges you to exercise your God-given power to shift negative thinking patterns and take back control of your thoughts and emotions.Are your thoughts holding you captive? I’ll never be good enough. Other people have better lives than I do. God couldn’t really love me. Jennie Allen knows what it’s like to swirl in a spiral of destructive thoughts, but she also knows we don’t have to stay stuck in toxic thinking patterns. As she discovered in her own life, God built a way for us to escape that downward spiral. Freedom comes when we refuse to be victims to our thoughts and realize we have already been equipped with power from God to fight and win the war for our minds. In Get Out of Your Head, Jennie inspires and equips us to transform our emotions, our outlook, and even our circumstances by taking control of our thoughts. Our enemy is determined to get in our heads to make us feel helpless, overwhelmed, and incapable of making a difference for the kingdom of God. But when we submit our minds to Christ, the promises and goodness of God flood our lives in remarkable ways. It starts in your head. And from there, the possibilities are endless.

The Monkey Theory: Conquer Your Mental Chatter


Sfurti Sahare - 2019
    But not every mind finds itself equal to the task of fulfilling its potential. It flutters from one thing to another, one task to another, one goal to another … like a monkey. To achieve focus, determination and discipline, an individual needs to control the many monkeys who dominate, attack and hijack logical thinking.Sfurti Sahare, one of India’s leading motivational speakers, spells it out: understand your mind to control it. Make it work for you. In these pages is a guide to imbibing good habits, breaking down one’s ego, living a stable life, letting go of the unessential and uniting your energies. A book of hard-won wisdom, astute tips and practical techniques, The Monkey Theory is a first and concrete step towards becoming a top performer and an achiever.

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World


Cal Newport - 2019
    Digital minimalism applies this idea to our personal technology. It's the key to living a focused life in an increasingly noisy world.In this timely and enlightening book, the bestselling author of Deep Work introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives.Digital minimalists are all around us. They're the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones. They can get lost in a good book, a woodworking project, or a leisurely morning run. They can have fun with friends and family without the obsessive urge to document the experience. They stay informed about the news of the day, but don't feel overwhelmed by it. They don't experience "fear of missing out" because they already know which activities provide them meaning and satisfaction.Now, Newport gives us a name for this quiet movement, and makes a persuasive case for its urgency in our tech-saturated world. Common sense tips, like turning off notifications, or occasional rituals like observing a digital sabbath, don't go far enough in helping us take back control of our technological lives, and attempts to unplug completely are complicated by the demands of family, friends and work. What we need instead is a thoughtful method to decide what tools to use, for what purposes, and under what conditions.Drawing on a diverse array of real-life examples, from Amish farmers to harried parents to Silicon Valley programmers, Newport identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them. He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship to social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world, and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude. He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a thirty-day "digital declutter" process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control.Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you. This book shows the way.

I'm So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life


Amy Shah - 2021
    Women of all ages are suffering from an epidemic of fatigue and burnout. But exhaustion doesn’t have to be your new normal.  Inspired by her personal wellness journey, integrative medical doctor Amy Shah has created this program so that you can regain your energy and reclaim your life. The key is tapping into the powerful energy trifecta: the complex relationship between your gut, your immune system, and your hormones.  Drawing on the latest science and her work helping thousands of clients, Dr. Shah explains how to transform your life by changing:  What You Eat: Increase your vegetable intake and sip Dr. Shah’s hormone-balance tea to tamp down inflammation and heal your gut, without giving up your wine and chocolate!When You Eat: Changing when you eat and practicing intermittent fasting – the right way – will help you feel energized all day long.How you manage stress:  Simple, stress-busting exercises and herbs like Ashwagandha and Amla berry help calm the Adrenal system and ease anxiety.In just two weeks, you’ll feel your energy surge. In three months, you’ll feel like a whole new person. It’s time to regain the energy you’ve lost, so you can get back to the life you want to live.

The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win


Jocko Willink - 2018
    With their first book, Extreme Ownership (published in October 2015), Jocko Willink and Leif Babin set a new standard for leadership, challenging readers to become better leaders, better followers, and better people, in both their professional and personal lives. Now, in THE DICHOTOMY OF LEADERSHIP, Jocko and Leif dive even deeper into the unchartered and complex waters of a concept first introduced in Extreme Ownership: finding balance between the opposing forces that pull every leader in different directions. Here, Willink and Babin get granular into the nuances that every successful leader must navigate. Mastering the Dichotomy of Leadership requires understanding when to lead and when to follow; when to aggressively maneuver and when to pause and let things develop; when to detach and let the team run and when to dive into the details and micromanage. In addition, every leader must:· Take Extreme Ownership of everything that impacts their mission, yet utilize Decentralize Command by giving ownership to their team. · Care deeply about their people and their individual success and livelihoods, yet look out for the good of the overall team and above all accomplish the strategic mission. · Exhibit the most important quality in a leader—humility, but also be willing to speak up and push back against questionable decisions that could hurt the team and the mission.With examples from the authors’ combat and training experiences in the SEAL teams, and then a demonstration of how each lesson applies to the business world, Willink and Babin clearly explain THE DICHOTOMY OF LEADERSHIP—skills that are mission-critical for any leader and any team to achieve their ultimate goal: VICTORY.

Two Bipolar Chicks Guide To Survival: Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder


Wendy K. Williamson - 2014
    Williamson and Honora Rose, comes this survival guide disguised as a low-key, how to manual. From their wellness vaults, they compiled three decades worth of tips for you. Filled with insightful anecdotes and personal viewpoints – which can differ – Wendy and Honora steer you through the swamps of bipolar disorder and teach you how to dodge the alligators. From advice on medication, to their own, personal journeys with acceptance, you’ll pick up tips on managing depression and mania. There is plenty of factual advice and information on treatments and tidbits for the novice, the pros and everyone in between. It could be an asset to anyone navigating the bipolar waters. Two Bipolar Chicks Guide to Survival: Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder is the consummate bipolar mix of everything you’ll want - and need - inside. The most delicious part is it isn’t bogged down with scientific jargon, though they do explain what you need to know. You’ll hear more from the author you’ve grown to love and the co-author you soon will. It’s their personal insight that will make this a unique book. Divulging tidbits from manic sex and internet sites to how to not blow your life savings when in a manic episode, they blow the lid off telling it like it is. You wanted to know more and here it is! Wendy has also brought in her editor and partner Honora to double the fun. Wendy K. Williamson is the author of the best-selling, inspirational memoir I’m Not Crazy Just Bipolar. This is the book you wanted her to write next: more tips, more about wellness, more information. Voila! The Two Bipolar Chicks Guide To Wellness: Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder was born. You’ll receive an education about treatments, including their own experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). You’ll learn the importance of medication management and that not all generics or doctors were created equal. They’ll tell you how crucial little details can be from pill trays to choosing your pharmacy to locking up the credit cards when manic. Wendy and Honora will tell you what has worked - and not worked - for them. This book is designed to fill in the gaps of the scientific ones and keep you entertained so you won’t fall asleep. Wendy K. Williamson has been positively reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly and National Alliance on Mental Illness’ The Advocate. She also currently blogs for BPHope.com. Together, Wendy and Honora run The Red Bank Writers Group. www.twobipolarchicks.com www.wendykwilliamson.com

Old School Grit: Times May Change, But the Rules for Success Never Do (Sports for the Soul Book 2)


Darrin Donnelly - 2016
    Defined as the willpower to persevere with passion and a sense of purpose, research shows that grit is what matters most in whether a person succeeds or fails. That same research shows that previous generations had a lot more grit than today’s younger generations. This isn’t surprising. After all, most of us would agree that those older, wiser, and tougher members of the Greatest Generation are prime examples of what it means to persevere, to never back down, and to make sacrifices for a greater purpose. We could all use more of the OLD SCHOOL GRIT they embraced. In this inspirational fable, Bob Flanagan represents the voice of old school grit. A legendary college basketball coach who thinks like John Wooden and talks like Mike Ditka, Flanagan is entering the final days of his coaching career. While his team tries to advance through the NCAA postseason tournament, Flanagan uses his last days as a coach to write his grandchildren letters revealing the rules for a successful and happy life. The rules of grit. Though Coach Flanagan’s letters are intended for his grandchildren, they might as well be for America in general. This is a man who lives by the old school code of faith, family, courage, and character; and he believes too many people have gone soft these days. They give up on their dreams too easily. They whine, complain, and pass the blame. They spend all their time and energy trying to avoid challenges instead of bucking up and powering through them. Flanagan’s letters are a rallying cry for toughening up and building grit. His fifteen rules provide a clear path to success in any endeavor. Consider this book an instruction manual for getting back to the values that truly lead to success and developing the type of old school grit that will get you through anything.

10 Keys to Happier Living


Vanessa King - 2016
    It comes from your own actions' The Dalai Lama, patron of Action for Happiness. Vanessa King, positive psychology expert for Action for Happiness has created 10 key evidence-based actions that have been shown to increase happiness and wellbeing - at home, at work and in the world around you. If you have read The Art of Happiness, The Happiness Project or Sane New World, this book will be the perfect complement.We all want to be happy but what does that actually mean and what can we do in our everyday lives to be happier? Fortunately, psychologists, neuroscientists and other experts now have evidence of what really makes a difference and helps us to be happier and more resilient to life's ups and downs.In this book, Vanessa King of Action for Happiness has drawn on the latest scientific studies to create a set of evidence-based practical actions. They will help you connect with people, nurture your relationships and find purpose. You'll get ideas for taking care of your body, making the most of what's good and finding new ways to stimulate your mind. So here are the 10 Keys to Happier Living - ideas, insights and practical actions that you can take to create more happiness for yourself and those around you.

The Sociopath Next Door


Martha Stout - 2005
    He’s a sociopath. And your boss, teacher, and colleague? They may be sociopaths too.We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people—one in twenty-five—has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in twenty-five everyday Americans, therefore, is secretly a sociopath. They could be your colleague, your neighbor, even family. And they can do literally anything at all and feel absolutely no guilt. How do we recognize the remorseless? One of their chief characteristics is a kind of glow or charisma that makes sociopaths more charming or interesting than the other people around them. They’re more spontaneous, more intense, more complex, or even sexier than everyone else, making them tricky to identify and leaving us easily seduced. Fundamentally, sociopaths are different because they cannot love. Sociopaths learn early on to show sham emotion, but underneath they are indifferent to others’ suffering. They live to dominate and thrill to win. The fact is, we all almost certainly know at least one or more sociopaths already. Part of the urgency in reading The Sociopath Next Door is the moment when we suddenly recognize that someone we know—someone we worked for, or were involved with, or voted for—is a sociopath. But what do we do with that knowledge? To arm us against the sociopath, Dr. Stout teaches us to question authority, suspect flattery, and beware the pity play. Above all, she writes, when a sociopath is beckoning, do not join the game. It is the ruthless versus the rest of us, and The Sociopath Next Door will show you how to recognize and defeat the devil you know.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life


Mark Manson - 2016
    "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.

The Seven Deadly Friendships: How to Heal When Painful Relationships Eat Away at Your Joy


Mary E. DeMuth - 2018
    Is everything in your head? Unfortunately, toxic friendships happen to everyone, but we seldom identify the underlying issues while we battle confusion or the friendship breaks up.Maybe you're left bewildered in the friendship's wake, paralyzed to move forward.After wading through several difficult friendships, Mary DeMuth reveals the seven different types of toxic relationships and empowers you to identify the messiest relationships causing you the greatest anguish.Face the reality of your broken relationship, and unearth exactly what went wrong.Discover why you may attract toxic people.Heal from broken relational patterns so you can choose safer friends.Evaluate when it's time to press into a friendship or let it go.You'll gain a new relationship with Jesus as you trust him to be your confidant, healer, and life-giving friend.

Laziness Does Not Exist


Devon Price - 2021
    Devon Price, a conversational, stirring call to “a better, more human way to live” (Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author) that examines the “laziness lie”—which falsely tells us we are not working or learning hard enough.Extra-curricular activities. Honors classes. 60-hour work weeks. Side hustles. Like many Americans, Dr. Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Price was an overachiever from the start, graduating from both college and graduate school early, but that success came at a cost. After Price was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia and heart complications from overexertion, they were forced to examine the darker side of all this productivity. Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie,” including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life. Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough. Filled with practical and accessible advice for overcoming society’s pressure to do more, and featuring interviews with researchers, consultants, and experiences from real people drowning in too much work, Laziness Does Not Exist “is the book we all need right now” (Caroline Dooner, author of The F*ck It Diet).

F*ck Your Feelings: Master Your Mind, Accomplish Any Goal, and Become A More Significant Human


Ryan Munsey - 2018
    Not logic. Not rational thought. Feelings. Can you feel the pull of emotions, hunger, guilt, pain, jealously, depression, and everything else weighing on every decision that you make? Business owners, entrepreneurs, regular people looking to get in shape, anyone with a goal that isn't terrified of tough love - you need to read F*ck Your Feelings - as soon as possible! In this book you'll learn how to use personal mind control techniques to control the way your brain is wired, constantly accomplish your goals, and feel MORE pleasure during the day. You cannot control your instincts until you understand how they work - PERIOD. Learn how to apply the fundamentals of emotional control so that you can uplift yourself ON COMMAND, fight through periods of stress and torment, and give yourself long-term satisfaction and peace. Packed with advice you can put to use right away, you'll learn how to SPOT and What pragmatic and actionable tactics will you learn? The one four letter word that practically guarantees you'll fail at whatever you do. The real nature of emotions, and the twenty minute exercise we can take to give ourselves lasting joy throughout the day. Why eating one marshmallow at the wrong time can ruin your relationships and cost you thousands of dollars. Why play, safety, and something called the VAGUS NERVE is critical for your performance in life. The "everything is everything" moment that will separate you from 92% of people - in the entire world. Also the following insights: How to survive and recover when your brain is HOOKED on dopamine, fear, amusement, and other toxic drugs. The actual, CONTROLLABLE physical property that decides whether you're a dreamer, or a doer! How feeling threatened or insecure can actually make you sluggish, lazy, and TRAPPED in failure. How to interact with your phone, tablet and computer without wrecking your back, eyes, and heart. And so much more! Here's what this book ISN'T: this isn't a get rich quick scheme, a business plan, or some touchy-feely nonsense about touching your inner self. This is about building the most consistent element in any business - YOURSELF. How will your business improve? Be more focused throughout the day. Gain the ability to say NO to temptation when it comes. HACK your brain so that you're always energized and pumped up NEVER be outside your comfort zone or afraid of a challenge. Implement these techniques and watch your profits skyrocket.