Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works


Joshua Fields Millburn - 2021
    Now, imagine a life with more: more time, more meaningful relationships, more growth and contribution and contentment—a life of passion, unencumbered by the trappings of the chaotic world around you. What you’re imagining is an intentional life. And to get there, you’ll have to let go of some clutter that’s in the way. In Love People Use Things, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus move past simple decluttering to show how minimalism makes room to reevaluate and heal the seven essential relationships in our lives: stuff, truth, self, money, values, creativity, and people. They use their own experiences—and those of the people they have met along the minimalist journey—to provide a template for how to live a fuller, more meaningful life.Because once you have less, you can make room for the right kind of more.

Stress Less, Accomplish More


Emily Fletcher - 2019
    The focus of the practice is stress relief, mental clarity and improved productivity, so it's perfect for the fast pace of modern life. This style of meditation was developed specifically for people with a lot of demands on their time – those with busy jobs, lives and families – and so it has been designed to work anywhere, anytime. All you need is somewhere to sit, a little training and a few minutes to yourself.Throughout the book, Emily explains what meditation is, how you do it and the many exciting ways that it can change your life. Stress Less, Accomplish More destigmatises meditation for the average person, making it attractive, understandable and easy to implement for all. This book has a very simple message: do less – without the stress – and accomplish more.Emily Fletcher is a leading expert in meditation for high performance and has taught meditation to executives at global corporations like Google, Barclays and Viacom as well as busy parents, NBA players, Oscar winners, entrepreneurs and everyone in between.

How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs


Guy Raz - 2020
    Great ideas often come from a simple spark: A soccer player on the New Zealand national team notices all the unused wool his country produces and figures out a way to turn them into shoes (Allbirds). A former Buddhist monk decides the very best way to spread his mindfulness teachings is by launching an app (Headspace). A sandwich cart vendor finds a way to reuse leftover pita bread and turns it into a multimillion-dollar business (Stacy’s Pita Chips).   Award-winning journalist and NPR host Guy Raz has interviewed more than 200 highly successful entrepreneurs to uncover amazing true stories like these. In How I Built This, he shares tips for every entrepreneur’s journey: from the early days of formulating your idea, to raising money and recruiting employees, to fending off competitors, to finally paying yourself a real salary. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of starting their own business or wondered how trailblazing entrepreneurs made their own dreams a reality.

Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection


Sharon Salzberg - 2017
    You don’t have to do anything to deserve all the love in the world.Real Love is a creative tool kit of mindfulness exercises and meditation techniques that help you to truly engage with your present experience and create deeper love relationships with yourself, your partner, friends and family, and with life itself.Sharon Salzberg, a leading expert in Lovingkindness[GR1] meditation, encourages us to strip away layers of negative habits and obstacles, helping us to experience authentic love based on direct experience, rather than preconceptions. Across three sections, Sharon explains how to dispel cultural and emotional habits, and direct focused care and attention to recapture the essence of what it is to love and be loved.With positive reflections and practices, Sharon teaches us how to shift the responsibilities of the love that we give and receive to rekindle the powerful healing force of true connection. By challenging myths perpetuated by popular culture, we can undo the limited definitions that reduce love to simply romance or passion, and give the heart a much needed tune-up to connect ourselves to the truest experience of love in our daily lives.

The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance


Steven Kotler - 2014
    Drawing on over a decade of research and first-hand interviews with dozens of top action and adventure sports athletes such as big–wave legend Laird Hamilton, big–mountain snowboarder Jeremy Jones, and skateboarding pioneer Danny Way, Kotler explores the frontier science of “flow,” an optimal state of consciousness where we perform and feel our best.Building a bridge between the extreme and the mainstream, The Rise of Superman explains how these athletes are using flow to do the impossible and how we can use this information to radically accelerate our performance in our own lives.At its core, this is a book about profound possibility, what is actually possible for our species, and where—if anywhere—our limits lie.

The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too)


Gretchen Rubin - 2017
     During her multibook investigation into understanding human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively. More than 600,000 people have taken her online quiz, and managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people make significant, lasting change. The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you've ever thought...· People can rely on me, but I can't rely on myself.· How can I help someone to follow good advice?· People say I ask too many questions.· How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I ask or who keeps telling me what to do?With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. It's far easier to succeed when you know what works for you.

How to Get Back Up: A Memoir of Failure & Resilience


Neil Pasricha - 2018
    We all fall. We all need to know how to get back up. Few know this better than New York Times best-selling author Neil Pasricha. For the first time, he tells his story and shows you how.Before selling over a million copies of his Book of Awesome series and touring the world to teach Fortune 500 CEOs, Ivy league deans, and members of the royal family how to unlock a positive mind-set, Pasricha's life hit rock bottom.He flamed out of his dream job and then racked up $300,000 of debt as a failed entrepreneur. He lost his best friend to suicide and his wife to divorce - in the same week. And then there were his own demons - the hang-ups, anxieties, and bouts of self-doubts that plagued him from adolescence.And yet, inch by inch, Neil learned how to get back up. And you can, too.

Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change


April Rinne - 2021
    How do you find calm in the midst of all this chaos?You need a new mindset, one that treats constant change and uncertainty as a feature, not a bug. Flux helps you develop eight flux superpowers that take conventional ideas and turn them on their heads. They'll enable you to see change in new ways, develop new responses, and ultimately reshape your relationship to change. The eight flux superpowers are:1. Run slower2. See what's invisible3. Get lost4. Start with trust5. Know your enough6. Create your portfolio career7. Be all the more human (and serve other humans)8. Let go of the futureThe world is in constant flux, but we can learn to navigate change gracefully and confidently. Whether you're sizing up your career or reassessing your values, designing a product or building an organization, trying to inspire your colleagues or simply show up more fully in the world, activating your flux superpowers will keep you grounded even when the ground is constantly shifting beneath you.This book will include a discussion guide.

Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything


B.J. Fogg - 2019
    Start with two pushups a day, not a two-hour workout; or five deep breaths each morning rather than an hour of meditation. In Tiny Habits, B.J. Fogg brings his experience coaching more than 40,000 people to help you lose weight, de-stress, sleep better, or achieve any goal of your choice.  You just need Fogg’s behavior formula: make it easy, make it fit your life, and make it rewarding. Whenever you get in your car, take one yoga breath. Smile.  Whenever you get in bed, turn off your phone. Give yourself a high five. Change can be easy—once it starts, it grows.  Let B.J. Fogg show you exactly how.

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It


Ethan Kross - 2021
    Tell a stranger that you talk to yourself, and you're likely to get written off as eccentric. But the truth is that we all have a voice in our head. When we talk to ourselves, we often hope to tap into our inner coach but find our inner critic instead. When we're facing a tough task, our inner coach can buoy us up: Focus--you can do this. But, just as often, our inner critic sinks us entirely: I'm going to fail. They'll all laugh at me. What's the use?In Chatter, acclaimed psychologist Ethan Kross explores the silent conversations we have with ourselves. Interweaving groundbreaking behavioral and brain research from his own lab with real-world case studies--from a pitcher who forgets how to pitch, to a Harvard undergrad negotiating her double life as a spy--Kross explains how these conversations shape our lives, work, and relationships. He warns that giving in to negative and disorienting self-talk--what he calls "chatter"--can tank our health, sink our moods, strain our social connections, and cause us to fold under pressure.But the good news is that we're already equipped with the tools we need to make our inner voice work in our favor. These tools are often hidden in plain sight--in the words we use to think about ourselves, the technologies we embrace, the diaries we keep in our drawers, the conversations we have with our loved ones, and the cultures we create in our schools and workplaces.Brilliantly argued, expertly researched, and filled with compelling stories, Chatter gives us the power to change the most important conversation we have each day: the one we have with ourselves.

Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More


Morten T. Hansen - 2018
    Now, after a unique, five-year study of more than 5,000 managers and employees, Morten Hansen reveals the answers in his “Seven Work Smarter Practices” that can be applied by anyone looking to maximize their time and performance.Each of Hansen’s seven practices is highlighted by inspiring stories from individuals in his comprehensive study. You’ll meet a high school principal who engineered a dramatic turnaround of his failing high school; a rural Indian farmer determined to establish a better way of life for women in his village; and a sushi chef, whose simple preparation has led to his restaurant (tucked away under a Tokyo subway station underpass) being awarded the maximum of three Michelin stars. Hansen also explains how the way Alfred Hitchcock filmed Psycho and the 1911 race to become the first explorer to reach the South Pole both illustrate the use of his seven practices (even before they were identified).Each chapter contains questions and key insights to allow you to assess your own performance and figure out your work strengths, as well as your weaknesses. Once you understand your individual style, there are mini-quizzes, questionnaires, and clear tips to assist you focus on a strategy to become a more productive worker. Extensive, accessible, and friendly, Great at Work will help you achieve more by working less, backed by unprecedented statistical analysis.

The Miracle Equation: The Two Decisions That Move Your Biggest Goals from Possible, to Probable, to Inevitable


Hal Elrod - 2017
    Yet "possible" isn't enough to get you out of bed in the morning fueled with the internal clarity and drive to tackle your biggest dreams. After the success of his book, The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod realized that more was needed. That there was a timeless, proven formula which the world's most successful people have used for centuries, but it has been overlooked. He used it to become one of the top salespeople in the history of his former company and thrive against seemingly insurmountable odds, from overcoming life-threatening health challenges to near financial collapse. The Miracle Equation is that formula, and it consists of only two decisions that guarantee astonishing levels of success and fulfillment: Unwavering Faith and Extraordinary Effort.By establishing and maintaining unwavering faith that you can achieve anything you desire, and then putting forth extraordinary effort until you do, your success is inevitable. Using the same strategy as the world's top achievers, you'll create results beyond what you believe to be possible. You'll learn how to replace fear with faith and let go of your negative emotions, accessing your full potential and channeling your energy into attaining positive outcomes. With the Miracle Equation 30-Day Challenge to guide your way, you'll create a step-by-step plan to actualize your miracles and become the person you need to be in order to succeed.

How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide


Peter Boghossian - 2019
    Whether you're online, in a classroom, an office, a town hall—or just hoping to get through a family dinner with a stubborn relative—dialogue shuts down when perspectives clash. Heated debates often lead to insults and shaming, blocking any possibility of productive discourse. Everyone seems to be on a hair trigger.In How to Have Impossible Conversations, Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay guide you through the straightforward, practical, conversational techniques necessary for every successful conversation—whether the issue is climate change, religious faith, gender identity, race, poverty, immigration, or gun control. Boghossian and Lindsay teach the subtle art of instilling doubts and opening minds. They cover everything from learning the fundamentals for good conversations to achieving expert-level techniques to deal with hardliners and extremists. This book is the manual everyone needs to foster a climate of civility, connection, and empathy."This is a self-help book on how to argue effectively, conciliate, and gently persuade. The authors admit to getting it wrong in their own past conversations. One by one, I recognize the same mistakes in me. The world would be a better place if everyone read this book."  —Richard Dawkins, author of Science in the Soul and Outgrowing God

The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters


Emily Esfahani Smith - 2017
    The truth is, there are untapped sources of meaning all around us right here, right now. Drawing on the latest research in positive psychology; on insights from George Eliot, Viktor Frankl, Aristotle, the Buddha, and other great minds; and on interviews with seekers of meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith lays out the four pillars upon which meaning rests. Belonging We all need to find our tribe and forge relationships in which we feel understood, recognized, and valued to know we matter to others.Purpose We all need a far-reaching goal that motivates us, serves as the organizing principle of our lives, and drives us to make a contribution to the world.Storytelling We are all storytellers, taking our disparate experiences and assembling them into a coherent narrative that allows us to make sense of ourselves and the world. Transcendence During a transcendent or mystical experience, we feel we have risen above the everyday world and are connected to something vast and meaningful. To bring those concepts to life, Smith visits a tight-knit fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay, stargazes in West Texas, attends a dinner where young people gather to share their experiences of untimely loss, and more. And she explores how we might begin to build a culture of meaning in our schools, our workplaces, and our communities. Inspiring and story-driven, The Power of Meaning will strike a profound chord in anyone seeking a richer, more satisfying life."

Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Spreading Positivity and Creating a Spiral of Success


Michelle Gielan - 2015
    We are constantly broadcasting information to others, even if we don’t say a word. Managers broadcast to their teams during meetings. Team members broadcast to clients. Clients broadcast to potential clients. And the messages we choose to broadcast shape others’ views of the world.Our words can move other people from a fear-based mindset in which they see obstacles as insurmountable, to a positive mindset where they see that change is possible, get unstuck, and take action. What makes the difference is what we choose to broadcast. Using scientifically proven communication strategies to ripple out positive change to others, we increase their happiness and success at work, as well as our own, instantly making us more effective leaders.New research from the fields of positive psychology and neuroscience shows that small shifts to the way we communicate can create big ripple effects on business outcomes, including 19% greater accuracy, 31% higher productivity, 25% greater performance ratings, 37% higher sales, and 23% lower levels of stress.Drawing from her experience as a national CBS News anchor, a positive psychology researcher, and her work with many of the top Fortune 500 companies, Michelle Gielan shares the strategies that have created results in Broadcasting Happiness.In this book, you’ll learn how to choose the right message, get through to others, especially during moments of high stress, build resilience in the midst of challenges, and use non-verbal communication to your advantage. And, most important, you’ll understand why positivity is the most underutilized resource available.Learn how to:Lead a conversation or communication with positivityRewrite negative, debilitating thought patterns and turn them into fuel for resilience and growth for you and your teamShare bad news more effectively to increase future successCreate and sustain a positive culture at work by getting a positive behavior to live beyond you both online and offIn the midst of challenges such as restructuring, low retention, and some of the lowest levels of engagement in history, creating a positive mindset is only the first step. The real key is to find ways to sustain positive change, get others to adopt that positivity, and to replicate successful patterns of behavior. If you want to help your team sell more each quarter, changing your story in specific ways is the key. Peppered with case studies, Broadcasting Happiness shows how real companies are using these techniques to improve their cultures—and bottom lines.Learn how to transform how you communicate with others to be more effective at the office and feel more energized each day. Change is possible, and by incorporating simple communication habits, which often take just a couple of minutes a day, you can ripple out that positive change to others and create an upward spiral of success.