LibGuides: Booklists for Adults & Teens: Booklists for Adults & Teens

balance

January is Get a Balanced Life Month

While many of these listings link by default to a print copy, many are available in other formats (eBook and eAudiobook). Don't forget to check the catalog by title or author if you prefer digital!

The Art of Screen Time by Anya Kamenetz Finally: an evidence-based, reassuring guide to what to do about kids and screens, from video games to social media. Today's babies often make their debut on social media with the very first sonogram. They begin interacting with screens at around four months old. But is this good news or bad news? A wonderful opportunity to connect around the world? Or the first step in creating a generation of addled screen zombies? Many have been quick to declare this the dawn of a neurological and emotional crisis, but solid science on the subject is surprisingly hard to come by. In The Art of Screen Time, Anya Kamenetz -- an expert on education and technology, as well as a mother of two young children -- takes a refreshingly practical look at the subject. Surveying hundreds of fellow parents on their practices and ideas, and cutting through a thicket of inconclusive studies and overblown claims, she hones a simple message, a riff on Michael Pollan's well-known "food rules": Enjoy Screens. Not too much. Mostly with others. This brief but powerful dictum forms the backbone of a philosophy that will help parents moderate technology in their children's lives, curb their own anxiety, and create room for a happy, healthy family life with and without screens.
Lagom by Niki Brantmark In a fast-paced world, wouldn't it be wonderful if you could slow down and enjoy a life with less pressure, less stress, and more time for the things you love?  Sweden is ranked in the top three of the world's happiest places to live, and lagom, which means "not too much and not too little--just right," is the Swedish philosophy for enjoying balance in every aspect of life--from work and leisure to family and food, and everything in between. Experienced bakers know by touch when the dough they are kneading is lagom--not too moist and not too dry. At the office, professionals who work hard--but not to the detriment of other parts of their lives--are following the lagom ideal. Lagom is moderation, balance, and equality. By using the Swedish lifestyle as an example, Niki Brantmark offers insightful suggestions and bite-sized actions to help you make subtle changes to your life, so you too can make time for the things that matter most and find greater happiness.
Find Your Balance Point by Brian Tracy; Christina Stein Accomplish what matters most Because we all have too much to do, it feels like our lives are out of balance. But Brian Tracy and Christina Stein argue that imbalance results not so much from doing too much but from doing too much of the wrong things. They provide a process that enables you to sort out what is most important to you from among the many activities you could focus on. When you can efficiently identify and accomplish what really matters to you, you've found your balance point.
Call Number: eBook
Decide by Steve McClatchy How to make better decisions and achieve your goals What shapes a person's career and life, and defines them as a leader? Their decisions. We all want to be more productive and deliver our best results. But doing this effectively--and consistently over time--is a significant challenge. Managing it all is hard, and leading in today's hyper-paced world is even harder. The good news is that leadership expert Steve McClatchy makes it easier. In Decide, McClatchy--who works with Fortune 1000 people every day to help them achieve outstanding levels of performance--shows you how to cut through the complexities and excuses to start realizing real gains simply by changing one thing: the way you make decisions. With McClatchy's help, you can quickly begin to: Use the time you have each day to move your business and your life forward Make decisions that yield better results Waste less time, reduce stress and regain balance Again and again, McClatchy has helped people learn for themselves how great decision-making habits yield a lifetime of accomplishments. Follow McClatchy's no-nonsense and practical approach, and you'll soon manage--and even lead--at your highest level of personal performance.
Call Number: eBook
Mama Doc Medicine by Wendy Sue Swanson "Parents want to do what's right," explains Mama Doc blogger and physician Wendy Sue Swanson. Yet many parents find that defining what's right can sometimes be elusive, so Dr. Swanson has created this innovative guide to help. Pediatrician, mother and blogger Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson helps decipher today's conflicting medical opinions, offers helpful online resources, and shares what she's learned over many years from her patients, friends and family in this enlightening guide to parenting. Based on the popular SeattleMamaDoc blog, Mama Doc Medicine is a timely collection of almost 100 entries grouped under the following headings: 1. Prevention for Infants and Toddlers 2. Social-Emotional Support 3. Immunizations 4. Work-Life Balance/Mothering Using Dr. Swanson's experience as a mother and physician, this book provides simple answers to the "how," "what," "why," and "who" questions of parenting.
Your Body in Balance by Neal D. Barnard; Lindsay Nixon (Contribution by) This nationally bestselling book explains the shocking new science of how hormones are wreaking havoc on the body, and the delicious solution that improves health, reduces pain, and even helps to shed weight. Hidden in everyday foods are the causes of a surprising range of health problems: infertility, menstrual cramps, weight gain, hair loss, breast and prostate cancer, hot flashes, and much more. All of these conditions have one thing in common: they are fueled by hormones that are hiding in foods or are influenced by the foods we eat. Your Body in Balance provides step-by-step guidance for understanding what's at the root of your suffering-and what you can do to feel better fast. Few people realize that a simple food prescription can help you tackle all these and more by gently restoring your hormone balance, with benefits rivaling medications. Neal Barnard, MD, a leading authority on nutrition and health, offers insight into how dietary changes can alleviate years of stress, pain, and illness. What's more, he also provides delicious and easy-to-make hormone-balancing recipes, including: Cauliflower Buffalo Chowder Kung Pao Lettuce Wraps Butternut Breakfast Tacos Mediterranean Croquettes Apple Pie Nachos Brownie Batter Hummus Your Body in Balance gives new hope for people struggling with health issues. Thousands of people have already reclaimed their lives and their health through the strategic dietary changes described in this book. Whether you're looking to treat a specific ailment or are in search of better overall health, Dr. Neal Barnard provides an easy pathway toward pain relief, weight control, and a lifetime of good health.
The Gift of a Happy Mother by Rebecca Eanes So she asked her school-age son, who didn't miss a beat in responding- "A happy one." Thus began a journey of reflection and repair work, as Rebecca asked herself an even harder question- How can I rediscover everyday joy amid the chaos of schedules, homework, and housework-not to mention the guilt, comparisons, loneliness, fear, and overwhelm? In other words, how can I become a happy mom again? In this relatable guide, Rebecca walks readers through the process of getting back to happy, for your own sake as well as your family's. Going beyond the usual advice about finding balance, embracing gratitude, and not sweating the small stuff, her hard-won advice is written by a busy mom in the trenches. Topics include- * Letting go of perfection (or anything close to it) * Making peace with the past-including the pain of disappointment, loss, and the roads not taken * Tuning in to your own wants and needs-and tuning out the comparisons, "shoulds," and noise of social media * Finding magic in the mess * Choosing joy over fear and worry * Creating healthy boundaries so that everyone in your life can thrive (including you!) Filled with fresh insights, simple strategies, and aha moments, this is that rare book you'll want to read, share, and return to for a booster shot of confidence, connection, and joy.
Call Number: eAudiobook
Happier Hour by Cassie Holmes Learn how to reframe your time around life's happiest moments to build days that aren't just full but fulfilling with this "joyful guide" (Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author) that is the antidote to overscheduling. Our most precious resource isn't money. It's time. We are allotted just twenty-four hours a day, and we live in a culture that keeps us feeling "time poor." Since we can't add more hours to the day, how can we experience our lives as richer? Based on her wildly popular MBA class at UCLA, Professor Cassie Holmes demonstrates how to immediately improve our lives by changing how we perceive and invest our time. Happier Hour provides empirically based insights and easy-to-implement tools that will allow you to: -Optimally spend your hours and feel confident in those choices -Sidestep distractions -Create and savor moments of joy -Design your schedule with purpose -Look back on your years without regrets Enlivened by Holmes's upbeat narrative and groundbreaking research, Happier Hour "is filled with loads and loads of practical, evidence-based advice for how to live better by investing in what really matters. It's the kind of book that can change your life for the better" (Laurie Santos, Yale professor and host of The Happiness Lab podcast).
Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop Joining the ranks of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, You Are a Badas*, and F*ck Feelings comes this refreshing, BS-free, self-empowerment guide that offers an honest, no-nonsense, tough-love approach to help you move past self-imposed limitations. Are you tired of feeling fu*ked up? If you are, Gary John Bishop has the answer. In this straightforward handbook, he gives you the tools and advice you need to demolish the slag weighing you down and become the truly unfu*ked version of yourself. ''Wake up to the miracle you are,'' he directs. ''Here's what you've forgotten: You're a fu*king miracle of being.'' It isn't other people that are standing in your way, it isn't even your circumstances that are blocking your ability to thrive, it's yourself and the negative self-talk you keep telling yourself. In Unfu*k Yourself, Bishop leads you through a series of seven assertions: I am willing. I am wired to win. I got this. I embrace the uncertainty. I am not my thoughts; I am what I do. I am relentless. I expect nothing and accept everything. Lead the life you were meant to have--Unfu*k Yourself.
Call Number: eBook
The Little Book of Being by Diana Winston A practical guide to experiencingnatural awareness--an effortless and spacious state of resting in the depth or our being. Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste ofnatural awareness. Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. Some describe it as a profound "awareness of awareness"--an effortless, boundless state of resting in the depth of our being. For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike, these 72 "mini-chapters" guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness, illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises.The Little Book of Being invites you to explore: The spectrum of awareness practices, from focused mindfulness to flexible mindfulness to natural awareness * How classical mindfulness and effortless natural awareness enrich and shape each other, and how to practice both * Three ways to move into natural awareness--relaxing effort, broadening awareness, anddropping objects * A treasury of "glimpse practices" to spark natural awareness anytime, in just a few moments * How to bring this way of "simply being" into your daily life, into your connection with others, and into the world "At first natural awareness may seem far away, just a whisper, but then it will begin to grow and expand and permeate aspects of living. Over time we may feel more peace, more connection to ourselves. We may find ourselves taking life a bit more lightly. We may feel a sense of relaxed 'beingness' throughout the day, and when we do get caught in our dramas, we may find ourselves moving out of them quicker than we imagined we could." --Diana Winston
Awakening Your Ikigai by Ken Mogi; Matt Addis (Narrated by) Ikigai is a Japanese phenomenon commonly understood as "your reason to get up in the morning." Ikigai can be small moments: the morning air, a cup of coffee, a compliment. It can also be deep convictions: a fulfilling job, lasting friendships, balanced health. Whether big or small, your ikigai is the path to success and happiness in your own life.Author Ken Mogi introduces five pillars of ikigai to help you make the most of each day and become your most authentic self:1. starting small-focus on the details2. releasing yourself-accept who you are3. harmony and sustainability-rely on others4. the joy of little things-appreciate sensory pleasure5. being in the here and now-find your flow.Weaving together insights from Japanese history, philosophy, and modern culture, plus stories from renowned sushi chef Jiro Ono, anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and others, Mogi skillfully shows the way to awaken your ikigai.
Call Number: eAudiobook
Make Time by Jake Knapp; John Zeratsky From the New York Times bestselling authors of Sprint comes a simple 4-step system for improving focus, finding greater joy in your work, and getting more out of every day. "A charming manifesto--as well as an intrepid do-it-yourself guide to building smart habits that stick. If you want to achieve more (without going nuts), read this book."--Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better  Nobody ever looked at an empty calendar and said, "The best way to spend this time is by cramming it full of meetings!" or got to work in the morning and thought, Today I'll spend hours on Facebook! Yet that's exactly what we do. Why? In a world where information refreshes endlessly and the workday feels like a race to react to other people's priorities faster, frazzled and distracted has become our default position. But what if the exhaustion of constant busyness wasn't mandatory? What if you could step off the hamster wheel and start taking control of your time and attention? That's what this book is about. As creators of Google Ventures' renowned "design sprint," Jake and John have helped hundreds of teams solve important problems by changing how they work. Building on the success of these sprints and their experience designing ubiquitous tech products from Gmail to YouTube, they spent years experimenting with their own habits and routines, looking for ways to help people optimize their energy, focus, and time. Now they've packaged the most effective tactics into a four-step daily framework that anyone can use to systematically design their days. Make Time is not a one-size-fits-all formula. Instead, it offers a customizable menu of bite-size tips and strategies that can be tailored to individual habits and lifestyles. Make Time isn't about productivity, or checking off more to-dos. Nor does it propose unrealistic solutions like throwing out your smartphone or swearing off social media. Making time isn't about radically overhauling your lifestyle; it's about making small shifts in your environment to liberate yourself from constant busyness and distraction. A must-read for anyone who has ever thought, If only there were more hours in the day..., Make Time will help you stop passively reacting to the demands of the modern world and start intentionally making time for the things that matter.
Juliet's School of Possibilities by Laura Vanderkam Despite putting in tons of extra work, ambitious consultant Riley Jenkins keeps losing clients who say they're looking for fresher ideas. When her firm send her on a women's leadership retreat, Riley is forced to put her phone and learn from the mysterious, kindly group leader who seems to be able to achieve so much with so little stress. Through this charming and inspiring story, bestselling author Laura Vanderkam applies everything she's learned about time-management and work-life balance.
Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam "I well recall a conversation with an executive I hoped to interview about her astonishing productivity. I began our call with an assurance that I would not take much of her time. She laughed. 'Oh, I have all the time in the world,' she said." Most of us feel constantly behind, unsure how to escape feeling oppressed by busyness. Laura Vanderkam, unlike other time-management gurus, believes that in order to get more done, we must first feel like we have all the time in the world. Think about it: why haven't you trained for that 5K or read War and Peace? Probably because you feel beaten down by all the time you don't seem to have. In this book, Vanderkam reveals the seven counterintuitive principles the most time-free people have adopted. She teaches mindset shifts to help you feel calm on the busiest days and tools to help you get more done without feeling overwhelmed. You'll meet people such as... &diams; An elementary school principal who figured out how to spend more time mentoring teachers, and less time supervising the cafeteria &diams; An executive who builds lots of meeting-free space into his calendar, despite managing teams across multiple continents &diams; A CEO who does focused work in a Waffle House early in the morning, so he can keep an open door and a relaxed mindset all day &diams; An artist who overcame a creative block, and reached new heights of productivity, by being more gentle with herself, rather than more demanding The strategies in this book can help if your life feels out of control, but they can also help if you want to take your career, your relationships, and your personal happiness to the next level. Vanderkam has packed this book with insights from busy yet relaxed professionals, including "time makeovers" of people who are learning how to use these tools. Off the Clock can inspire the rest of us to create lives that are not only productive, but enjoyable in the moment.
Dot Journaling--A Practical Guide by Rachel Wilkerson Miller Organize your life, record what matters, and get stuff done! What the heck is a dot journal? It's a planner, to-do list, and diary for every aspect of your life: work, home, relationships, hobbies, everything. Early adopter Rachel Wilkerson Miller explains how to make a dot journal work for you--whether you find the picture-perfect examples on Pinterest inspiring or, well, intimidating. You decide how simple or elaborate your journal will be, and what goes in there:   Lists of your to-dos, to-don'ts, and more Symbols that will make those lists efficient and effective Spreads to plan your day, week, month, or year Trackers for your habits and goals (think health, money, travel) Accouterments such as washi tape, book darts, and more!
How to Get Sh*t Done by Erin Falconer Erin Falconer, editor in chief and co-owner of the highly respected self-improvement site Pick the Brain (with over 1.8 million monthly page views), shows overscheduled, overwhelmed women how to do less so that they can achieve more. Women live in a state of constant guilt: that we're not doing enough, that we're not good enough, that we can't keep up. If we're not climbing the corporate ladder, building our side hustle, preparing home-cooked meals, tucking the kids in at night, meditating daily, and scheduling playdates, date nights, and girls' nights every week, we feel like we're not living our best lives. Yet traditional productivity books--written by men--barely touch the tangle of cultural pressures that women feel when facing down a to-do list. Finally, in the first productivity book by a woman in a decade, Erin Falconer will show you how to do less--a lot less. In fact, How to Get Sh*t Done will teach you how to zero in on the three areas of your life where you want to excel, and then it will show you how to off-load, outsource, or just stop giving a damn about the rest. As the founder of two technology start-ups and one of Refinery29's Top 10 Women Changing the Digital Landscape for Good, Erin has seen what happens when women chase an outdated, patriarchal model of productivity, and in How to Get Sh*t Done she shows how even the most perfectionistic among us can tap into our inner free spirit and learn to feel like badasses, rather than drudges. Packed with real-life advice, honest stories from Erin's successful career, and dozens of actionable resources, How to Get Sh*t Done will forever reframe productivity so that you can stop doing everything for everyone and start doing what matters to you.
Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel Life, just like a design problem, is full of constraints-time, money, age, location, and circumstances. You cannot have everything, and if you want more out of it, you have to be creative about how to make what you need and what you want co-exist. This requires design thinking. Design the Life You Love uses a simple but proven creative thinking and design process to give ordinary people new tools to think about life differently, and also includes fascinating examples from the world of art and design that relate to each step of the process, plus guided creative exercises. Turn constraints into opportunities with optimism and holistic thinking using four simple steps- taking the whole apart, forming a new point of view, putting it back together, and giving it form. The striking design and Ayse Birsel's hand-drawn art and type set off her brilliant, life-changing design process, empowering and inspiring readers to create a better life.
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Provocative and appealing . . . well worth your extremely limited time." --Barbara Spindel, The Wall Street Journal The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty, you have just over four thousand weeks. Nobody needs telling there isn't enough time. We're obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and the ceaseless battle against distraction; and we're deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient, and "life hacks" to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks. Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management. Rejecting the futile modern fixation on "getting everything done," Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude, showing how many of the unhelpful ways we've come to think about time aren't inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we've made as individuals and as a society--and that we could do things differently.
The Book of Patience by Courtney E. Ackerman Discover why patience really is a virtue with these 250 quotes and exercises designed to help you lead a happier, more successful life. Patience is both a virtue and a skill that you can learn and apply in your daily life to be calmer and more stress-free. Wouldn't it be nice to calmly zen out when stuck in traffic delays instead of losing your cool? In The Book of Patience, you will discover practical exercises, habits, thoughts, and moments of pause to allow you to cultivate and improve your patience. These 250 quotes and activities will help you deescalate feelings of irritability and become less reactive in moments of stress and duress. Being patient means facing challenges and adversity with calm and ease and The Book of Patience is here to make this skill easier than ever!
Burnout by Emily Nagoski; Amelia Nagoski NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "This book is a gift! I've been practicing their strategies, and it's a total game-changer."--Brené Brown, PhD, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Dare to Lead This groundbreaking book explains why women experience burnout differently than men--and provides a simple, science-based plan to help women minimize stress, manage emotions, and live a more joyful life. Burnout. Many women in America have experienced it. What's expected of women and what it's really like to be a woman in today's world are two very different things--and women exhaust themselves trying to close the gap between them. How can you "love your body" when every magazine cover has ten diet tips for becoming "your best self"? How do you "lean in" at work when you're already operating at 110 percent and aren't recognized for it? How can you live happily and healthily in a sexist world that is constantly telling you you're too fat, too needy, too noisy, and too selfish? Sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are here to help end the cycle of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead of asking us to ignore the very real obstacles and societal pressures that stand between women and well-being, they explain with compassion and optimism what we're up against--and show us how to fight back. In these pages you'll learn * what you can do to complete the biological stress cycle--and return your body to a state of relaxation * how to manage the "monitor" in your brain that regulates the emotion of frustration * how the Bikini Industrial Complex makes it difficult for women to love their bodies--and how to defend yourself against it * why rest, human connection, and befriending your inner critic are keys to recovering and preventing burnout With the help of eye-opening science, prescriptive advice, and helpful worksheets and exercises, all women will find something transformative in these pages--and will be empowered to create positive change. Emily and Amelia aren't here to preach the broad platitudes of expensive self-care or insist that we strive for the impossible goal of "having it all." Instead, they tell us that we are enough, just as we are--and that wellness, true wellness, is within our reach. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BOOKRIOT "Burnout is the gold standard of self-help books, delivering cutting-edge science with energy, empathy, and wit. The authors know exactly what's going on inside your frazzled brain and body, and exactly what you can do to fix it. . . . Truly life-changing."--Sarah Knight, New York Times bestselling author of Calm the F*ck Down
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell After the American presidental election of 2016, Jenny Odell felt so overstimunated and disoriented by information, misinformation, and the expressions of others, that reality itself seemed to slip away. How To Do Nothing is her action plan for resistance. Drawing on the ethos of tech culture, a background in the arts, and personal storytelling, Jenny Odell makes a powerful argument for refusal: refusal to believe that our lives are instruments to be optimised. She argues that nothing can be quite so radical as doing... nothing.

creativity

January is International Creativity Month

While most of these listings link by default to a print copy, many are available in other formats (eBook and eAudiobook). Don't forget to check the catalog by title or author if you prefer digital!

Art Before Breakfast by Danny Gregory Packed with the signature can-do attitude that makes beloved artist Danny Gregory a creativity guru to thousands across the globe, this unique guide serves up a hearty helping of inspiration. For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can't seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5- to 10-minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule--whether on a plane, in a meeting, or at the breakfast table--along with practical instruction on techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that's exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with Gregory's encouraging words and motivating illustrations, Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art.
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us. "A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment." --Anne Lamott "I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be." --Rick Rubin Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn't, he has learned that being an artist isn't about your specific output, it's about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone's life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities. The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments--and lifetimes--of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.
Courageous Creativity by Sara Zarr Being creative takes courage. It can be scary to create something. Before you can even work on your craft, you have to face down the fear of messing up or looking silly, the perfectionism that keeps you from even starting, and the negative voices inside your head that say you don't have anything valuable to offer. Well, you do have something to offer! Being creative is a right, and in this book, National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr will help you get started. Her advice and encouragement are paired with exercises to help you face down your fears, let go of expectations, stop comparing yourself to others, and make your art with courage. A perfect gift for anyone who wants to be creative but doesn't know where to start, or for people who've been doing creativity for a while but want more inspiration, Courageous Creativity will empower readers to express themselves with self-confidence, bravery, and joy.
Call Number: eBook
Creativity by John Cleese The legendary comedian, actor, and writer of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and A Fish Called Wanda fame shares his key ideas about creativity: that it's a learnable, improvable skill. "Many people have written about creativity, but although they were very, very clever, they weren't actually creative. I like to think I'm writing about it from the inside."--John Cleese   You might think that creativity is some mysterious, rare gift--one that only a few possess. But you'd be wrong. As John Cleese shows in this short, practical, and often amusing guide, creativity is a skill that anyone can acquire.    Drawing on his lifelong experience as a writer, Cleese shares his insights into the nature of creativity and offers advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing. What do you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind? When do you know that you've come up with an idea that might be worth pursuing? What should you do if you think you've hit a brick wall?   We can all be more creative.   John Cleese shows us how.
Someday Is Today by Matthew Dicks; Elysha Dicks (Foreword by); Matthew Shepard (Afterword by) REALIZE YOUR CREATIVE DREAMS -- STARTING TODAY Are you good at dreaming about what you're going to accomplish "someday" but not good at finding the time and getting started? How will you actually make that decision and do it? The answer is this book, which offers proven, practical, and simple ways to turn random minutes throughout your days into pockets of productivity, and dreams into accomplishments. In addition to presenting his own winning strategies for getting from dreaming to doing, Matthew Dicks offers insights from a wide range of creative people -- writers, editors, performers, artists, and even magicians -- on how to augment inspiration with motivation. His actionable steps will help you: silence negative messages from family, friends, and teachers eliminate time-sucking activities (and people) be willing to make terrible things find supporters here, there, and everywhere cultivate optimism in the face of negativity and obstacles Each strategy is accompanied by amusing and inspiring personal and professional anecdotes and a clear plan of action. Someday Is Today will give you every tool to get started and finish that _________ [fill in the blank].
Call Number: Check it out now - only available from hoopla digital!
Deep Creativity by Deborah Anne Quibell; Jennifer Leigh Selig; Dennis Patrick Slattery; Thomas Moore (Foreword by) Creative expression has increasingly become a prized component in many of our life's endeavors; in fact, there are many paths to instilling and nourishing creativity. The three authors of Deep Creativity distill these paths down to the "7 Ways to creativity"- The Way of Love, The Way of Nature, The Way of the Muse, The Way of Suffering, The Way of Practice, The Way of the Sacred, and The Way of Art; and invite the reader to explore each for themselves. The authors show how the 7 Ways have informed their own creative process and provide reflective and practical exercises on each. Grounded in Jungian psychology, Deep Creativity offers practical guidance for getting in touch with your own unconscious reservoir as well as engaging your everyday world to deepen the source of creative expression. Wherever one is on the creative path--a beginner or established creative--this book offers not only practical workbook-like exercises but is also a contemplation on the creative process itself. The result is a highly resourceful book, which will not only inspire the creative process, but also uniquely contribute to our understanding of creativity as a deeply human and embodied endeavor.
Conscious Creativity by Philippa Stanton "Full of tips and tricks on how to look at the world with a curious eye, it's a brilliant way to breathe creativity (back) into our lives." - Flow magazine "Crammed with practical ideas, inspirational images & creative exercises, Conscious Creativity leads the reader through the process of establishing what kind of creative you are..."  Mslexia "The purpose of this book is to enable you to look at things in an alternative and more substantial way, so that you arrive at composition through genuine interest."  Juno magazine "Philippa Stanton is passionate about people connecting to their innate creativity and has distilled these incredible techniques and ideas on how we can tap into that. Philippa is a massively successful Instagramer at @5ftinf and yet she is only too aware how these little two dimensional squares can limit our experiences and restrict our creativity, so it's not without a little irony that she's written a book to encourage people to step away from their screens and connect more with the 3D world. It's a fascinating subject and I wholeheartedly recommend the book for anyone who's working in the creative industry or is curious about the world around them." -  Sophie Robinson (DIY SOS, The Great British Interior Design Challenge, This Morning) Unlock your creative potential with Conscious Creativity: a practical, playful guide bursting with inspiration to help bring more colour into to your life. There is creativity in all of us, but it can easily be buried beneath our everyday concerns or need a spark to bring it back to life. Whether you've lost your mojo or just need some fresh ideas, artist and photographer Philippa Stanton's lively guide will stimulate your imagination and reinvigorate your creative life.   Engage your curiosity and connect your observations to your creative practice with activities such as: Noticing all the hues of one colour you can see around you Creating an abstract textured image using herbs, spices and other dry ingredients from your kitchen cupboards Collecting shadows: photograph hidden shapes and dark spaces that you haven't noticed before Conscious Creativity will help you open your senses to the beauty you may not notice every day, and show you how to capture it. Simple, engaging exercises that encourage observation and experimentation will give you an insight into your own aesthetics as you take a conscious step to note the colours, shapes, shadows, sounds and textures that fill your world, and how they make you feel.  Bursting with practical ideas and inspirational images, embrace the joy of creating, and learn to use your natural curiosity to take a leap into the most creative time of your life.   If you like this, you might also like Creative Flow and Nature Tonic . .
The Creativity Challenge by Tanner Christensen As seen on Inc.com Discover your "Aha" moment--right now! What's the best way to become more creative? Just change how you think! This book challenges you to go against your default ways of thinking in order to write, design, and build something extraordinary. Featuring more than 100 challenges, exercises, and prompts, each page guides you as you push past the way you normally see the world and uncover all-new possibilities and ideas. The Creativity Challenge teaches you that you already have immense creative potential in you--you just need to tap into it. Whether you're feeling stumped or uninspired, these creativity prompts will help you ditch typical thinking patterns and finally unleash the possibilities hidden within your mind.
How to Be an Artist by Jerry Saltz Instant New York Times Bestseller "Inspiration leaps off the pages from Jerry Saltz's new book on creativity. . . . This book is for the artist or non-artist, for the person who gets plain English, for the person who understands that practical talk can coax out the mystical messages that lie underneath." --Steve Martin Art has the power to change our lives. For many, becoming an artist is a lifelong dream. But how to make it happen? In How to Be an Artist, Jerry Saltz, one of the art world's most celebrated and passionate voices, offers an indispensable handbook for creative people of all kinds. From the first sparks of inspiration--and how to pursue them without giving in to self-doubt--Saltz offers invaluable insight into what really matters to emerging artists: originality, persistence, a balance between knowledge and intuition, and that most precious of qualities, self-belief. Brimming with rules, prompts, and practical tips, How to Be an Artist gives artists new ways to break through creative blocks, get the most from materials, navigate career challenges, and above all find joy in the work. Teeming with full-color artwork from visionaries ancient and modern, this beautiful and useful book will help artists of all kinds--painters, photographers, writers, performers--realize their dreams.
The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker An imaginative, thought-provoking gift book to awaken your senses and attune them to the things that matter in your life. Welcome to the era of white noise. Our lives are in constant tether to phones, to email, and to social media. In this age of distraction, the ability to experience and be present is often lost: to think and to see and to listen. Enter Rob Walker's The Art of Noticing. This gorgeously illustrated volume will spark your creativity--and most importantly, help you see the world anew. Through a series of simple and playful exercises--131 of them--Walker maps ways for you to become a clearer thinker, a better listener, a more creative workplace colleague and finally, to rediscover your sense of passion and to notice what really matters to you.
It's Never Too Late to Begin Again by Julia Cameron; Emma Lively "The book you hold in your hands is the distillate of a quarter century's teaching. It is my attempt to answer, 'What next?' for students who are embarking on their 'second act.'" --Julia Cameron   Julia Cameron has inspired millions with her bestseller on creativity, The Artist's Way. In It's Never Too Late To Begin Again, she turns her eye to a segment of the population that, ironically, while they have more time to be creative, are often reluctant or intimidated by the creative process. Cameron shows readers that retirement can, in fact, be the most rich, fulfilling, and creative time of their lives. When someone retires, the newfound freedom can be quite exciting, but also daunting. The life that someone had has changed, and the life to come is yet to be defined. In this book, Cameron shows readers how cultivating their creative selves can help them navigate this new terrain. She tells the inspiring stories of retirees who discovered new artistic pursuits and passions that more than filled their days--they nurtured their souls.   This twelve-week course aimed at defining--and creating--the life you want to have as you redefine and re-create yourself, this book includes simple tools that will guide and inspire you to make the most of this time in your life: -  Memoir writing offers an opportunity to reflect on and honor past experience. This book guides you through the daunting task of writing an entire memoir, breaking it down into manageable pieces.  -  Morning Pages--private, stream-of-consciousness writing done daily--allow you to express wishes, fears, delights, resentments, and joys, which in turn, provide focus and clarity for the day at hand. -  Artist Dates encourage fun and spontaneity. -  Solo Walks quell anxiety and clear the mind. This fun, gentle, step-by-step process will help you explore your creative dreams, wishes, and desires...and help you quickly find that it's never too late to begin again.
Broken Places and Outer Spaces by Nnedi Okorafor A powerful journey from star athlete to sudden paralysis to creative awakening, award-winning science fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor shows that what we think are our limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths. Nnedi Okorafor was never supposed to be paralyzed. A college track star and budding entomologist, Nnedi's lifelong battle with scoliosis was just a bump in her plan--something a simple operation would easily correct. But when Nnedi wakes from the surgery to find she can't move her legs, her entire sense of self begins to waver. Confined to a hospital bed for months, unusual things begin to happen. Psychedelic bugs crawl her hospital walls; strange dreams visit her nightly. Nnedi begins to put these experiences into writing, conjuring up strange, fantastical stories. What Nnedi discovers during her confinement would prove to be the key to her life as a successful science fiction author: In science fiction, when something breaks, something greater often emerges from the cracks. In Broken Places & Outer Spaces, Nnedi takes the reader on a journey from her hospital bed deep into her memories, from her painful first experiences with racism as a child in Chicago to her powerful visits to her parents' hometown in Nigeria. From Frida Kahlo to Mary Shelly, she examines great artists and writers who have pushed through their limitations, using hardship to fuel their work. Through these compelling stories and her own, Nnedi reveals a universal truth: What we perceive as limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths--far greater than when we were unbroken. A guidebook for anyone eager to understand how their limitations might actually be used as a creative springboard, Broken Places & Outer Spaces is an inspiring look at how to open up new windows in your mind.
Craft a Life You Love by Amy Tangerine (Illustrator) In Craft a Life You Love, readers will learn how to focus their creative energy and make things (and make things happen) by implementing small--yet powerful-- changes in their everyday lives. In this memoir and hardworking handbook, creativity and craft maven Amy Tangerine, shows readers how to find their flow, maintain a positive mindset, and cultivate a rich and fulfilling life by focusing on what truly matters. Chapters explore how to craft the soul, craft the right mindset, craft the right environment, craft good habits, rediscover your creative mojo, and maintain momentum, with each section offering exercises for taking your creative practice to the next level. For anyone who has felt disconnected from their creativity or has had trouble saving a space for their passions, Craft a Life You Lovewill teach you how to make time for creativity each and every day.
Call Number: eBook
An Audience of One by Srinivas Rao The creator of the Unmistakable Creative podcast makes a counterintuitive argument: By focusing your creative work on pleasing yourself, you can increase your productivity, happiness, and (eventually, paradoxically) the size of your audience. Creating for your own pleasure--whether you're writing a novel, composing songs, or painting a landscape--can seem pointless. It's tempting to focus on pursuing money and fame, rather than the process itself. But as Srini Rao warns, creating then turns into a chore that can harm your self-esteem and suck the pleasure out of life, rather than being a source of joy. Rao, host of the podcast The Unmistakable Creative, argues that we should counter this thinking by intentionally creating art for ourselves alone--an audience of one. In this book he shares the fascinating true stories of creatives who took this path, along with actionable tips and the research of creativity experts. You'll learn, for example: * How Oprah's intentional focus on her own
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert The instant #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller "A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life... I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious." --PopSugar From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and City of Girls: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you've dreamed of.   Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert's books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the "strange jewels" that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.
Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi "Bored and Brilliant shows the fascinating side of boredom. Manoush Zomorodi investigates cutting-edge research as well as compelling (and often funny) real-life examples to demonstrate that boredom is actually a crucial tool for making our lives happier, more productive, and more creative. What's more, the book is crammed with practical exercises for anyone who wants to reclaim the power of spacing out - deleting the Two Dots app, for instance, or having a photo-free day, or taking a 'fakecation'." --Gretchen Rubin, author of #1 New York Times BestsellerThe Happiness Project "Bored and Brilliant is full of easy steps to make each day more effective and every life more intentional. Manoush's mix of personal stories, neuroscience, and data will convince you that boredom is actually a gift." --Charles Duhigg, author ofThe Power of Habitand Smarter, Faster, Better It's time to move "doing nothing" to the top of your to-do list. In 2015 Manoush Zomorodi, creator of WNYC's popular podcast and radio showNote to Self, led tens of thousands of listeners through an experiment to help them unplug from their devices, get bored, jump-start their creativity, and change their lives. Bored and Brilliant builds on that experiment to show us how to rethink our gadget use to live better and smarter in this new digital ecosystem. Manoush explains the connection between boredom and original thinking, exploring how we can harness boredom's hidden benefits to become our most productive and creative selves without totally abandoning our gadgets in the process. Grounding the book in the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of "mind wandering" what our brains do when we're doing nothing at all--Manoush includes practical steps you can take to ease the nonstop busyness and enhance your ability to dream, wonder, and gain clarity in your work and life. The outcome is mind-blowing. Unplug and read on.
12 Notes by Quincy Jones; The Weeknd (Foreword by) Wisdom and musings on creativity and life from one of the world's most beloved musicians, producers, and mentors, Quincy Jones 12 Notes is a self-development guide that will affirm that creativity is a calling that can and should be answered, no matter your age or experience. Drawing from his own life, and those of his many creative collaborators past and present, Quincy Jones presents readers with lessons that are hardworking and accessible, yet speak to the passion of self-expression. He includes sections as deep as how to transform grief into power, and as practical as how to set goals and articulate intentions through daily affirmations. Weaving his story throughout, Jones lets readers in on his own creative process, as well as the importance of letting honesty, hard work, and good relationships drive your career.
How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy As Jeff Tweedy himself puts it, there are few creative acts more mysterious and magical than writing a song. But what if the goal wasn t so mysterious, and was actually achievable, and possible, for anyone who wants to add more magic and creativity in their life? That's something that anyone will be inspired to do after reading this book. How to Write One Song is literally a step-by-step guide through Jeff's songwriting process, beginning with his inspiration (or lack of it, at times) and ending with a complete composition.
Keep Going by Austin Kleon Keep Working. Keep Playing. Keep Creating. In his previous books Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work!, both New York Times bestsellers, Austin Kleon gave readers the keys to unlock their creativity and showed them how to become known. Now he offers his most inspiring work yet, with ten simple rules for how to stay creative, focused, and true to yourself--for life. The creative life is not a linear journey to a finish line, it's a loop--so find a daily routine, because today is the only day that matters. Disconnect from the world to connect with yourself--sometimes you just have to switch into airplane mode. Keep Going celebrates getting outdoors and taking a walk (as director Ingmar Bergman told his daughter, "The demons hate fresh air"). Pay attention, and especially pay attention to what you pay attention to. Worry less about getting things done, and more about the worth of what you're doing. Instead of focusing on making your mark, work to leave things better than you found them. Keep Going and its timeless, practical, and ethical principles are for anyone trying to sustain a meaningful and productive life.  
Living Artfully by Sandra Magsamen 'Living Artfully' will instruct readers to liberate their creativity and transform their daily existence into the life of their dreams. It tells inspiring stories of caring gestures, simple gifts and unexpected efforts that make a difference.
Make Trouble by John Waters From an icon of popular culture, here is inspiring advice for artists, graduates, and all who seek happiness and success on their own terms. So what if you have talent? Then what? When John Waters delivered his gleefully subversive advice to the graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design, the speech went viral, in part because it was so brilliantly on point about making a living as a creative person. Now we can all enjoy his sly wisdom in a manifesto that reminds us, no matter what field we choose, to embrace chaos, be nosy, and outrage our critics. Anyone embarking on a creative path, he tells us, would do well to realize that pragmatism and discipline are as important as talent and that rejection is nothing to fear. Waters advises young people to eavesdrop, listen to their enemies, and horrify us with new ideas. In other words, MAKE TROUBLE! Illustrated with slightly demented line drawings by Eric Hanson, Make Trouble is a one-of-a-kind gift, the perfect playbook for gaming the system by making the system work for you.
Messy by Tim Harford "Utterly fascinating. Tim Harford shows that if you want to be creative and resilient, you need a little more disorder in your world." --Adam Grant, New York Times-bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take "Engrossing." --New York Times From the award-winning columnist and author of the national bestseller The Undercover Economist comes a provocative big idea book about the genuine benefits of being messy: at home, at work, in the classroom, and beyond. Look out for Tim's next book, Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy. Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives celebrates the benefits that messiness has in our lives: why it's important, why we resist it, and why we should embrace it instead. Using research from neuroscience, psychology, social science, as well as captivating examples of real people doing extraordinary things, Tim Harford explains that the human qualities we value - creativity, responsiveness, resilience - are integral to the disorder, confusion, and disarray that produce them. From the music studio of Brian Eno to the Lincoln Memorial with Martin Luther King, Jr., from the board room to the classroom, messiness lies at the core of how we innovate, how we achieve, how we reach each other - in short, how we succeed. In Messy, you'll learn about the unexpected connections between creativity and mess; understand why unexpected changes of plans, unfamiliar people, and unforeseen events can help generate new ideas and opportunities as they make you anxious and angry; and come to appreciate that the human inclination for tidiness - in our personal and professional lives, online, even in children's play - can mask deep and debilitating fragility that keep us from innovation. Stimulating and readable as it points exciting ways forward, Messy is an insightful exploration of the real advantages of mess in our lives.
Creative Acts for Curious People by Sarah Stein Greenberg; Stanford d.school; David M. Kelley (Foreword by) "A delightful, compelling book that offers a dazzling array of practical, thoughtful exercises designed to spark creativity, help solve problems, foster connection, and make our lives better."--Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author and host of the Happier podcast In an era of ambiguous, messy problems--as well as extraordinary opportunities for positive change--it's vital to have both an inquisitive mind and the ability to act with intention. Creative Acts for Curious People is filled with ways to build those skills with resilience, care, and confidence. At Stanford University's world-renowned Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, aka "the d.school," students and faculty, experts and seekers bring together diverse perspectives to tackle ambitious projects; this book contains the experiences designed to help them do it. A provocative and highly visual companion, it's a definitive resource for people who aim to draw on their curiosity and creativity in the face of uncertainty. Teeming with ideas about discovery, learning, and leading the way through unknown creative territory, Creative Acts for Curious People includes memorable stories and more than eighty innovative exercises. Curated by executive director Sarah Stein Greenberg, after being honed in the classrooms of the d.school, these exercises originated in some of the world's most inventive and unconventional minds, including those of d.school and IDEO founder David M. Kelley, ReadyMade magazine founder Grace Hawthorne, innovative choreographer Aleta Hayes, Google chief innovation evangelist Frederik G. Pferdt, and many more. To bring fresh approaches to any challenge-world changing or close to home-you can draw on exercises such as Expert Eyes to hone observation skills, How to Talk to Strangers to foster understanding, and Designing Tools for Teams to build creative leadership. The activities are at once lighthearted, surprising, tough, and impactful-and reveal how the hidden dynamics of design can drive more vibrant ways of making, feeling, exploring, experimenting, and collaborating at work and in life. This book will help you develop the behaviors and deepen the mindsets that can turn your curiosity into ideas, and your ideas into action.
Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky From the New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and "the Marie Kondo of relationships" comes an inspirational guide for setting new personal goals, rediscovering your interests, cultivating creativity, and reclaiming your Unicorn Space. With her acclaimed New York Times bestseller (and Reese's Book Club pick) Fair Play, Eve Rodsky began a national conversation about greater equality on the home front. But she soon realized that even when the domestic workload becomes more balanced, people still report something missing in their lives--that is, unless they create and prioritize time for activities that not only fill their calendars but also unleash their creativity.     Rodsky calls this vital time Unicorn Space--the active and open pursuit of creative self-expression in any form that makes you uniquely YOU. To help readers embrace all the unlikely, surprising, and delightful places where their own Unicorn Space may be found, she speaks with trail blazers, thought leaders, academics, and countless real people who have discovered theirs everywhere--from activism to artistic endeavors to second careers.   Rodsky reveals what researchers already know: Creativity is not optional. It's essential. Though most of us do need to remind ourselves how (and where) to find it. With her trademark mix of research based, how-to advice and big-picture inspirational thinking, Rodsky shows you a clear path to reclaim your permission to have fun, manifest your own Unicorn Space in an already too-busy life, and unleash your special gifts and undiscovered talents into the world.
How to Write a Song That Matters by Dar Williams An effective and inspiring guide to songwriting by prolific, iconic singer-songwriter Dar Williams. How to Write a Song That Matters is an invaluable guide to writing music by a woman who knows how to do it and do it well: iconic singer-songwriter, Dar Williams. For years now, Williams has led songwriting retreats for musicians, from beginners to professionals, in which she elevates the process of songwriting over the assessment of the product. This book makes those intimate experiences accessible for songwriters across the globe, gifting them with the insight Williams has gleaned from her decades of experience. First, it encourages songwriters to find something that inspires them and then to follow that inspiration, letting the clues of those first few notes or lines lead their narrative. Soon, the initial rhythms, the unique sounds of the melody, and/or specific vocabulary emerge, giving birth to a "voice" or a "world" that the song can exist in. As the writer proceeds, Williams encourages them to ask themselves: "Where did I go? Where did I REALLY go? What happened? What REALLY happened? What am I bringing back?" There are many other songwriting guides that hint to the reader that writing a "hit song" may be on the horizon if only the reader correctly follows the guide or program. In this book, however, Williams shows readers how to tap into their OWN creative process, using their psyches, their unique life experiences, and their muses to write the songs that they are meant to write. By focusing on the process of creating a song that matters, as opposed to producing a well-constructed "widget from a song factory," songwriters will be able to establish their own voice and use it to make meaningful music. Perfect for music lovers of all sorts who want to write songs, How to Write a Song That Matters is a one-of-a-kind-book that readers will turn to for guidance time and time again.
Core Creativity by Ronald Alexander Offers ways to upgrade creativity while practicing mindfulness so that anyone can achieve breakthroughs in any area of their life. Looking to upgrade your creative abilities? Core Creativity offers ways to go beyond the limitations of ordinary creativity to access the core creativity that comes from the very center of your being: the depths of your unconscious. Dr. Ronald Alexander has decades of experience working with core creatives--artists who regularly draw on deep creativity and have learned what to do when the well seems to have run dry. Using mindfulness practice, meditation and visualizations, and habits and mindsets of highly creative people, anyone can experience the flow of ideas as if from an infinitely abundant source. Core Creativity employs stories of ordinary but highly creative people alongside the latest research that helps people get unstuck. Too often, the mind's Wi-Fi signal is too weak for the really big ideas to load, but Core Creativity offers readers help with establishing a mindfulness practice; exercises for enhancing creativity and fostering better decision-making; key insights from personal interview with highly creative artists including music producer Val Garay, director Amy Ziering, and actor Denis Quaid; and guidance for reclaiming your creative self so you can achieve profound transformation. Core creativity allows you to come up with ideas that are both fresh and original and experience such a deep state of creative flow that it might feel as if you only played a minor role in the process of creativity. For anyone seeking to enhance their creative abilities and achieve their goals, Core Creativity presents the possibility of genuine breakthroughs.
Why Design Matters by Debbie Millman Foreword by Roxane Gay "Debbie Millman brings her Design Matters podcast, 'about how the most creative people in the world create their lives,' to the page with this excellent interview anthology. Sharpened by Millman's penetrating commentary, the candid musings teem with insight and empathy. This sparkling collection is one to be savored slowly."--Publisher's Weekly The author, educator, brand consultant, and host of the widely successful and award-winning podcast Design Matters showcases dozens of her most exciting interviews, bringing together insights and reflections from today's leading creative minds from across diverse fields. "Debbie Millman has become a singular voice in the world of intimate, enlightening conversations. She has demonstrated time, and again, why design matters."--Roxane Gay, from the foreword Over the course of her popular podcast's fifteen-year reign, Debbie Millman has interviewed more than 400 creative minds. In those conversations, she has not only explored what it means to design a creative life, but has, as Millman's wife, Roxane Gay, assesses in her foreword, "created a gloriously interesting and ongoing conversation about what it means to live well, overcome trauma, face rejection, learn to love and be loved, and thrive both personally and professional." In this illustrated, curated anthology, Millman includes approximately 80 of her best interviews with visionaries from across diverse fields. Grouped by category--Legends, Truth Tellers, Culture Makers, Trendsetters, and Visionaries--these eye-opening, entertaining, and enlightening conversations--offer insights into new ways of being and living.  Accompanying each entry is a brief biography, a portrait photographed by Millman, and a pull quote written in Millman's artistic hand. Why Design Matters features 100 images and includes interviews with: Marina Abramovic, Cey Adams, Elizabeth Alexander, Laurie Anderson, Lynda Barry, Allison Bechdel, Michael Bierut, Brené Brown, Alain de Botton, Eve Ensler, Shepard Fairey, Tim Ferriss, Louise Fili, Kenny Fries, Anand Girhidardas, Cindy Gallop, Malcolm Gladwell, Milton Glaser, Ira Glass, Seth Godin, Thelma Golden, Gabrielle Hamilton, Steven Heller, Jessica Hische, Michael R. Jackson, Oliver Jeffers, Saeed Jones, Thomas Kail, Maira Kalman, Chip Kidd, Anne Lamott, Elle Luna, Carmen Maria Machado, Thomas Page McBee, Erin McKeown, Chanel Miller, Mike Mills, Marilyn Minter, Isaac Mizrahi, Nico Muhly, Eileen Myles, Emily Oberman, Amanda Palmer, Priya Parker, Esther Perel, Maria Popova, Edel Rodriguez, Paula Scher, Amy Sherald, Simon Sinek, Pete Souza, Aminatou Sow, Brandon Stanton, Cheryl Strayed, Amber Tamblyn, Christina Tosi, Tea Uglow, Chris Ware, and Albert Watson.
Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This book will change lives." --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love From the host of the award-winning MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast, an indispensable handbook for becoming the creative force of your own life. While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks. In the words of Cheryl Strayed, it's "a must-read for anyone who wants to face their fears, fulfill their dreams, and find a better way forward." If you're having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn't you. It's that you haven't yet installed the one belief that changes everything. Marie's mom once told her, "Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you roll up your sleeves. Everything is figureoutable." Whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to dance, heal a relationship, or grow a business, Everything is Figureoutable will show you how. You'll learn: The habit that makes it 42% more likely you'll achieve your goals. How to overcome a lack of time and money. How to deal with criticism and imposter syndrome. It's more than just a fun phrase to say. It's a philosophy of relentless optimism. A mindset. A mantra. A conviction. Most important, it's about to make you unstoppable.
How to Make Art by Mel Elliott Hugely popular illustrator Mel Elliott helps you unleash your inner creativity on today's pop icons, with techniques including drawing, colouring, collage and text manipulation. 'Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up' âe" Pablo Picasso This isn't your usual art manual. It's for big kids everywhere everyone who loved getting covered in paint and glue at school and would secretly love to do it more often. It's also for people who love pop culture: comedy, trashy TV, great TV, pop videos, pop stars and pop music. And not only does it help you harness your inner creativity, it's also a lot of fun! Mel Elliott, doyenne of the cool colouring book and the crazy paper doll, imparts the secrets of her expertise, giving you in-depth tutorials on how to create funky collages, make cool wonky lettering, paint the skin tones of the stars and much, much more. With more pop culture references than you can throw a Justin Bieber CD at, this book will have you drawing, painting, cutting and colouring before you can say 'Welcome to Pawnee', using your newly learned skills and indulging your own personal tastes to create works of art to be proud of. After all, how better to learn to paint than by painting Kate Moss? Word count: 15,000

inspiring

Inspiring Books to Kickstart Your New Year

While most of these listings link by default to a print copy, many are available in other formats (eBook and eAudiobook). Don't forget to check the catalog by title or author if you prefer digital!

Atomic Habits by James Clear The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 10 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy); overcome a lack of motivation and willpower; design your environment to make success easier; get back on track when you fall off course; ...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.
Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This book will change lives." --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love From the host of the award-winning MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast, an indispensable handbook for becoming the creative force of your own life. While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks. In the words of Cheryl Strayed, it's "a must-read for anyone who wants to face their fears, fulfill their dreams, and find a better way forward." If you're having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn't you. It's that you haven't yet installed the one belief that changes everything. Marie's mom once told her, "Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you roll up your sleeves. Everything is figureoutable." Whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to dance, heal a relationship, or grow a business, Everything is Figureoutable will show you how. You'll learn: The habit that makes it 42% more likely you'll achieve your goals. How to overcome a lack of time and money. How to deal with criticism and imposter syndrome. It's more than just a fun phrase to say. It's a philosophy of relentless optimism. A mindset. A mantra. A conviction. Most important, it's about to make you unstoppable.
Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe by Yumi Sakugawa Named one of the Best Books of 2014 by NPR As seen on The Today Show A hand-drawn path to inner peace! Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe will set you free on a visual journey of self-discovery. Set against a surreal backdrop of intricate ink illustrations, you will find nine metaphysical lessons with dreamlike instructions that require you to open your heart to unexplored inner landscapes. From setting fire to your anxieties to sharing a cup of tea with your inner demons, you will learn how to let go and truly connect with the world around you. Whether you need a little inspiration or a completely new life direction, Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe provides you with the necessary push to find your true path--and a whimsical adventure to enjoy on the way there.
What Doesn't Kill You by Tessa Miller "Should be read by anyone with a body. . . . Relentlessly researched and undeniably smart." --The New York Times Named one of BuzzFeed's "Best Books of 2021" What Doesn't Kill You is the riveting account of a young journalist's awakening to chronic illness, weaving together personal story and reporting to shed light on living with an ailment forever. Tessa Miller was an ambitious twentysomething writer in New York City when, on a random fall day, her stomach began to seize up. At first, she toughed it out through searing pain, taking sick days from work, unable to leave the bathroom or her bed. But when it became undeniable that something was seriously wrong, Miller gave in to family pressure and went to the hospital--beginning a years-long nightmare of procedures, misdiagnoses, and life-threatening infections. Once she was finally correctly diagnosed with Crohn's disease, Miller faced another battle: accepting that she will never get better. Today, an astonishing three in five adults in the United States suffer from a chronic disease--a percentage expected to rise post-Covid. Whether the illness is arthritis, asthma, Crohn's, diabetes, endometriosis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, or any other incurable illness, and whether the sufferer is a colleague, a loved one, or you, these diseases have an impact on just about every one of us. Yet there remains an air of shame and isolation about the topic of chronic sickness. Millions must endure these disorders not only physically but also emotionally, balancing the stress of relationships and work amid the ever-present threat of health complications. Miller segues seamlessly from her dramatic personal experiences into a frank look at the cultural realities (medical, occupational, social) inherent in receiving a lifetime diagnosis. She offers hard-earned wisdom, solidarity, and an ultimately surprising promise of joy for those trying to make sense of it all.
How to Just Eat It by Laura Thomas Registered Nutritionist Laura Thomas, PhD helps break the diet cycle and create a better relationship with food and your body through guided exercises and activities.This practical and interactive guide contains more than eighty activities - from journalling to self-care techniques - to help you reframe your approach to eating and free yourself from restrictive dieting, punishing exercise, and food anxiety, one step at a time. Beginning with simple exercises for changing your mindset, Thomas shows how to use easy everyday tools to break free from diet mentality, understand fullness cues, and nurture a neutral, judgement-free approach to food.Thanks to expert step-by-step guidance and support through the principles of Intuitive Eating as well as other therapeutic practices, How to Just Eat It will prepare you with a range of personalised tools and skills that give structure to a new and better relationship with food and your body.
Love 2.0 by Barbara L. Fredrickson Positive emotions expert Barbara Fredrickson investigates the importance of love in improving mental and physical health. Using research from her lab, Fredrickson redefines love as micro moments of connection possible between all people, demonstrating that capacity for love can be measured and strengthened to improve health and longevity. She also presents practices that allow love to be unlocked, to generate compassion and self soothe.
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist When everything we've been clinging to falls apart, how do we know what to keep and what to let go of I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet, now a New York Times bestseller, is a clear-eyed look at where we go from here--and how we can transform our lives along the way. Just after her fortieth birthday, author Shauna Niequist found herself in a season of chaos, change, and loss unlike anything she'd ever faced. She discovered that many of the beliefs and practices that she usually turned to were no longer serving her. After trying--and failing--to pull herself back up using the same old strategies and systems, she realized she required new ones: courage, curiosity, and compassion. She discovered the way through was more about questions than answers, more about forgiveness than force, more about tenderness than trying hard. In I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet, Niequist chronicles her journey--from her life-changing move from the Midwest to Manhattan to the power of unlearning what is no longer helpful and accepting the unknowns that come with midlife, heartbreak, and chronic pain. With her characteristic candor and grace, Niequist writes about her experience learning how to: Discover new ways of living when the old ways stop working Embrace the challenges and delights of releasing our expectations for how we thought our lives would look Trust God's goodness in a deeper, more profound way Follow Niequist as she endeavors to understand grief, to reshape her faith, and to practice courage when it feels impossible. Praise for I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: "Gentle. Loving. This tender book asks us to listen to our pain, lean into our discomfort, and trust that we can be lifted back on our feet by God and each other." --Kate C. Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of No Cure for Being Human "This book is a masterpiece. It is a journey and an invitation and a joy and a heartbreak and all the things you need to read to be reminded that hope can still be found." --Annie F. Downs, New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds Fun
The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein #1 New York Times Bestseller! In her latest book, The Universe Has Your Back, New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein teaches readers how to transform their fear into faith in order to live a divinely guided life. Each story and lesson in the book guides readers to release the blocks to what they most long for: happiness, security, and clear direction. The lessons help readers relinquish the need to control so they can relax into a sense of certainty and freedom. Readers will learn to stop chasing life and truly live. Making the shift from fear to faith will give readers a sense of power in a world that all too often makes them feel utterly powerless. When the tragedies of the world seem overwhelming, this book will help guide them back to their true power. Gabrielle says, "My commitment with this book is to wake up as many people as possible to their connection to faith and joy. In that connection, we can be guided to our true purpose: to be love and spread love. These words can no longer be cute buzz phrases that we merely post on social media. Rather, these words must be our mission. The happiness, safety, and security we long for lies in our commitment to love." When readers follow this path, they'll begin to feel a swell of energy move through them. They will find strength when they are down, synchronicity and support when they're lost, safety in the face of uncertainty, and joy when they are otherwise in pain. Follow the secrets revealed in this book to unleash the presence of your power and know always that The Universe Has Your Back.
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The author of The Happiness Project and "a force for real change" (Brené Brown) examines how changing our habits can change our lives.   "If anyone can help us stop procrastinating, start exercising, or get organized, it's Gretchen Rubin. The happiness guru takes a sledgehammer to old-fashioned notions about change."--Parade   Most of us have a habit we'd like to change, and there's no shortage of expert advice. But as we all know from tough experience, no magic, one-size-fits-all solution exists. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.   In Better Than Before, acclaimed writer Gretchen Rubin identifies every approach that actually works. She presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits--and to change them for good.    Infused with Rubin's compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better Than Before explains the (sometimes counterintuitive) core principles of habit formation and answers the most perplexing questions about habits:    * Why do we find it tough to create a habit for something we love to do?  * How can we keep our healthy habits when we're surrounded by temptations?  * How can we help someone else change a habit?    Rubin reveals the true secret to habit change: first, we must know ourselves. When we shape our habits to suit ourselves, we can find success--even if we've failed before.    Whether you want to eat more healthfully, stop checking devices, or finish a project, the invaluable ideas in Better Than Before will start you working on your own habits--even before you've finished the book.
The Power of Fun by Catherine Price If you're not having fun, you're not fully living. The author of How to Break Up with Your Phone makes the case that, far from being frivolous, fun is actually critical to our well-being--and shows us how to have more of it. "This delightful book might just be what we need to start flourishing."--#1 New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant   Journalist and screen/life balance expert Catherine Price argues persuasively that our always-on, tech-addicted lifestyles have led us to obsess over intangible concepts such as happiness while obscuring the fact that real happiness lies in the everyday experience of fun. We often think of fun as indulgent, even immature and selfish. We claim to not have time for it, even as we find hours a day for what Price calls Fake Fun--bingeing on television, doomscrolling the news, or posting photos to social media, all in hopes of filling some of the emptiness we feel inside. In this follow-up to her hit book, How to Break Up with Your Phone, Price makes the case that True Fun--which she defines as the magical confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow--will give us the fulfillment we so desperately seek. If you use True Fun as your compass, you will be happier and healthier. You will be more productive, less resentful, and less stressed. You will have more energy. You will find community and a sense of purpose. You will stop languishing and start flourishing. And best of all? You'll enjoy the process. Weaving together scientific research with personal experience, Price reveals the surprising mental, physical, and cognitive benefits of fun, and offers a practical, personalized plan for how we can achieve better screen/life balance and attract more True Fun into our daily lives--without feeling overwhelmed. Groundbreaking, eye-opening, and packed with useful advice, The Power of Fun won't just change the way you think about fun. It will bring you back to life.
Deep Work by Cal Newport AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2O16 PICK IN BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP WALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS BESTSELLER A BUSINESS BOOK OF THE WEEK AT 800-CEO-READ Master one of our economy's most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this "exciting" book (Daniel H. Pink) from an "exceptional" author (New York Times Book Review). Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep Work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there's a better way. In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four "rules," for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill. 1. Work Deeply 2. Embrace Boredom 3. Quit Social Media 4. Drain the Shallows A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories-from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air-and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi; Emily P. Freeman (Foreword by) Being a Lazy Genius isn't about doing more or doing less.It's about doing what matters toyou. "I could not be more excited about this book."-Jenna Fischer, actor and cohost ofOffice Ladiespodcast The chorus of "shoulds" is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best.Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor. It's so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well. Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn't. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra's thirteen Lazy Genius principles, including- . Decide once . Start small . Ask the Magic Question . Go in the right order . Schedule rest Discover a better way to approach your relationships, work, and piles of mail. Be who you are without the complication of everyone else's "shoulds." Do what matters, skip the rest, and be a person again.
This Is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick In the spirit of Gretchen Rubin's megaseller The Happiness Project and Eric Weiner's The Geography of Bliss, a journalist embarks on a project to discover what it takes to love where you live The average restless American will move 11.7 times in a lifetime. For Melody Warnick, it was move #6, from Austin, Texas, to Blacksburg, Virginia, that threatened to unhinge her. In the lonely aftermath of unpacking, she wondered: Aren't we supposed to put down roots at some point? How does the place we live become the place we want to stay? This time, she had an epiphany. Rather than hold her breath and hope this new town would be her family's perfect fit, she would figure out how to fall in love with it--no matter what.      How we come to feel at home in our towns and cities is what Warnick sets out to discover in This Is Where You Belong. She dives into the body of research around place attachment--the deep sense of connection that binds some of us to our cities and increases our physical and emotional well-being--then travels to towns across America to see it in action. Inspired by a growing movement of placemaking, she examines what its practitioners are doing to create likeable locales. She also speaks with frequent movers and loyal stayers around the country to learn what draws highly mobile Americans to a new city, and what makes us stay. The best ideas she imports to her adopted hometown of Blacksburg for a series of Love Where You Live experiments designed to make her feel more locally connected. Dining with her neighbors. Shopping Small Business Saturday. Marching in the town Christmas parade.      Can these efforts make a halfhearted resident happier? Will Blacksburg be the place she finally stays? What Warnick learns will inspire you to embrace your own community--and perhaps discover that the place where you live right now . . . is home.
Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel We've all been there: stuck in a cycle of what-ifs, plagued by indecision, paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong. Nobody wants to live a life of constant overthinking, but it doesn't feel like something we can choose to stop doing. It feels like something we're wired to do, something we just can't escape. But is it? Anne Bogel's answer is no. Not only can you overcome negative thought patterns that are repetitive, unhealthy, and unhelpful, you can replace them with positive thought patterns that will bring more peace, joy, and love into your life. In Don't Overthink It, you'll find actionable strategies that can make an immediate and lasting difference in how you deal with questions both small--Should I buy these flowers?--and large--What am I doing with my life? More than a book about making good decisions, Don't Overthink It offers you a framework for making choices you'll be comfortable with, using an appropriate amount of energy, freeing you to focus on all the other stuff that matters in life.
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You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy When was the last time you listened to someone, or someone really listened to you? "If you're like most people, you don't listen as often or as well as you'd like. There's no one better qualified than a talented journalist to introduce you to the right mindset and skillset--and this book does it with science and humor." -Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take **Hand picked by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink for Next Big Ideas Club** "An essential book for our times." -Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone At work, we're taught to lead the conversation. On social media, we shape our personal narratives. At parties, we talk over one another. So do our politicians. We're not listening. And no one is listening to us. Despite living in a world where technology allows constant digital communication and opportunities to connect, it seems no one is really listening or even knows how. And it's making us lonelier, more isolated, and less tolerant than ever before. A listener by trade, New York Times contributor Kate Murphy wanted to know how we got here. In this always illuminating and often humorous deep dive, Murphy explains why we're not listening, what it's doing to us, and how we can reverse the trend. She makes accessible the psychology, neuroscience, and sociology of listening while also introducing us to some of the best listeners out there (including a CIA agent, focus group moderator, bartender, radio producer, and top furniture salesman). Equal parts cultural observation, scientific exploration, and rousing call to action that's full of practical advice, You're Not Listening is to listening what Susan Cain's Quiet was to introversion. It's time to stop talking and start listening.
Emotional Agility by Susan David #1 Wall Street Journal Best Seller USA Today Best Seller Amazon Best Book of the Year TED Talk sensation - over 3 million views! The counterintuitive approach to achieving your true potential, heralded by the Harvard Business Review as a groundbreaking idea of the year.   The path to personal and professional fulfillment is rarely straight. Ask anyone who has achieved his or her biggest goals or whose relationships thrive and you'll hear stories of many unexpected detours along the way. What separates those who master these challenges and those who get derailed? The answer is agility--emotional agility. Emotional agility is a revolutionary, science-based approach that allows us to navigate life's twists and turns with self-acceptance, clear-sightedness, and an open mind. Renowned psychologist Susan David developed this concept after studying emotions, happiness, and achievement for more than twenty years. She found that no matter how intelligent or creative people are, or what type of personality they have, it is how they navigate their inner world--their thoughts, feelings, and self-talk--that ultimately determines how successful they will become. The way we respond to these internal experiences drives our actions, careers, relationships, happiness, health--everything that matters in our lives. As humans, we are all prone to common hooks--things like self-doubt, shame, sadness, fear, or anger--that can too easily steer us in the wrong direction. Emotionally agile people are not immune to stresses and setbacks. The key difference is that they know how to adapt, aligning their actions with their values and making small but powerful changes that lead to a lifetime of growth. Emotional agility is not about ignoring difficult emotions and thoughts; it's about holding them loosely, facing them courageously and compassionately, and then moving past them to bring the best of yourself forward. Drawing on her deep research, decades of international consulting, and her own experience overcoming adversity after losing her father at a young age, David shows how anyone can thrive in an uncertain world by becoming more emotionally agile. To guide us, she shares four key concepts that allow us to acknowledge uncomfortable experiences while simultaneously detaching from them, thereby allowing us to embrace our core values and adjust our actions so they can move us where we truly want to go. Written with authority, wit, and empathy, Emotional Agility serves as a road map for real behavioral change--a new way of acting that will help you reach your full potential, whoever you are and whatever you face.
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig An instant New York Times Bestseller! The new uplifting book from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library, for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of a little encouragement. Named by The Washington Post as one of the best feel-good books of the year "It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learnt while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard." THE COMFORT BOOK is Haig's life raft: it's a collection of notes, lists, and stories written over a span of several years that originally served as gentle reminders to Haig's future self that things are not always as dark as they may seem. Incorporating a diverse array of sources from across the world, history, science, and his own experiences, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence.
How to Change by Katy Milkman; Angela Duckworth (Foreword by) Award-winning Wharton Professor and Choiceology podcast host Katy Milkman has devoted her career to the study of behavior change. In this ground-breaking book, Milkman reveals a proven path that can take you from where you are to where you want to be, with a foreword from psychologist Angela Duckworth, the best-selling author of Grit.
Beginners by Tom Vanderbilt An insightful, joyful tour of the transformative powers of starting something new, no matter your age--from the bestselling author of Traffic and You May Also Like "Vanderbilt elegantly and persuasively tackles one of the most pernicious of the lies we tells ourselves--that the pleasures of learning are reserved for the young." --Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Outliers Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to be bad at something? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of beginning from the ground up? Inspired by his young daughter's insatiable curiosity, Tom Vanderbilt embarks on a yearlong quest of learning--purely for the sake of learning. Rapturously 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, Vanderbilt tackles five main skills but learns so much more. Along the way, he interviews dozens of experts about the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner and shows how anyone can get better at beginning again--and, more important, why they should take those first awkward steps. Funny, uplifting, and delightfully informative, Beginners is about how small acts of reinvention, at any age, can make life seem magical.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Now being developed as a television series with Eva Longoria and ABC! "Rarely have I read a book that challenged me to see myself in an entirely new light, and was at the same time laugh-out-loud funny and utterly absorbing."--Katie Couric   "This is a daring, delightful, and transformative book."--Arianna Huffington, Founder, Huffington Post and Founder & CEO, Thrive Global   "Wise, warm, smart, and funny. You must read this book."--Susan Cain, New York Times best-selling author of Quiet From a New York Times best-selling author, psychotherapist, and national advice columnist, a hilarious, thought-provoking, and surprising new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world--where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she). One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.   As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients' lives -- a self-absorbed Hollywood producer, a young newlywed diagnosed with a terminal illness, a senior citizen threatening to end her life on her birthday if nothing gets better, and a twenty-something who can't stop hooking up with the wrong guys -- she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell.   With startling wisdom and humor, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both clinician and patient, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between love and desire, meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, terror and courage, hope and change.   Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is revolutionary in its candor, offering a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human, and a disarmingly funny and illuminating account of our own mysterious lives and our power to transform them.
You Are a Badass Every Day by Jen Sincero From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, reach your goals with this pocket-size inspiration and guidance to keep your transformation on track For anyone who has ever had trouble staying motivated while trailblazing towards badassery, You Are a Badass Every Day is the companion to keep you fresh, grateful, mighty, and driven. In one hundred exercises, reflections, and cues that you can use to immediately realign your mind and keep your focus unwavering, this guide will show you how to keep the breakthroughs catalyzed by Sincero's iconic books You Are a Badass and You Are a Badass at Making Money going. Owning your power to ascend to badassery is just the first step in creating the life you deserve--You Are A Badass Every Day is the accountability buddy you can keep in your back pocket to power through obstacles, overcome the doubts that hold you back from greatness, and keep the fires of determination roaring while you reach your goals.
Wintering by Katherine May THE RUNAWAY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - AS HEARD ON NPR MORNING EDITION AND ON BEING WITH KRISTA TIPPETT "Katherine May opens up exactly what I and so many need to hear but haven't known how to name." --Krista Tippett, On Being "Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself. . . . This is truly a beautiful book." --Elizabeth Gilbert   "Proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark...May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate--capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes." --Wall Street Journal From the bestselling author of the New York Times bestseller Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, this is an intimate, revelatory exploration of the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.
Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf; Matthew Croasmun; Ryan McAnnally-Linz INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Financial Times' "Best books of 2023 -- Health & Wellness"  "Life Worth Living is transcendent. A collection of wisdom punctuated by questions of great consequence, this is the only book you need to find your way from where you are to where you are called to be." --Kelly Corrigan, NYT bestselling author, host of Kelly Corrigan Wonders and PBS's Tell Me More Based on the Yale class, a guide to defining and then creating a flourishing life, and answering one of life's most pressing questions: how are we to live? AN OPEN FIELD PUBLICATION FROM MARIA SHRIVER What makes a good life? The question is inherent to the human condition, asked by people across generations, professions, and social classes, and addressed by all schools of philosophy and religions. This search for meaning, as Yale faculty Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz argue, is at the crux of a crisis that is facing Western culture, a crisis that, they propose, can be ameliorated by searching, in one's own life, for the underlying truth.  In A Life Worth Living, named after its authors' highly sought-after undergraduate course, Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz chart out this question, providing readers with jumping-off points, road maps, and habits of reflection for figuring out where their lives hold meaning and where things need to change. Drawing from the major world religions and from impressively truthful and courageous secular figures, A Life Worth Living is a guide to life's most pressing question, the one asked of all of us: How are we to live?
Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * In her latest book, Brené Brown writes, "If we want to find the way back to ourselves and one another, we need language and the grounded confidence to both tell our stories and be stewards of the stories that we hear. This is the framework for meaningful connection." Don't miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances--a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.   Over the past two decades, Brown's extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown's singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn't give the experience more power--it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.   Brown shares, "I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves."
How to Calm Your Mind by Chris Bailey From the author of Hyperfocus, a treasure trove of practical, science-backed strategies that reveal how the key to a less anxious life, and even greater productivity, is a calm state of mind "After rebounding from his own burnout, Bailey devised a clear-eyed, concise method that marries science and self-help; he's equally proficient in probing the roles of serotonin and endorphins while charting concrete steps in chapters titled 'The Mindset of More' and 'Heights of Stimulation.' Slow down, breathe, and submerge into these pages." --Oprah Daily A PENGUIN LIFE BOOK It took an on-stage panic attack for productivity expert Chris Bailey to recognize how critical it is to invest in calm at the same time that we invest in becoming more productive. Productivity advice works--and we need it now more than ever--but it's just as vital that we develop our capacity for calm. By finding calm and overcoming anxiety, we don't just feel more comfortable in our own mind--we build a deeper, more expansive reservoir of energy to draw from throughout the day. The pursuit of calm ultimately leads us to become more engaged, focused, and deliberate--while making us more satisfied with our lives. And because calm saves us time by making us more productive, we don't even need to feel guilty about the time we spend investing in it. How to Calm Your Mind is our crucial guide to achieving calm, navigating anxiety, and staving off burnout. It explains how our digital world drains us, and what we can do to abate the hidden sources of stress that burden our days. Bailey has learned to embrace the analog world and "stimulation fasts," to use the science of "savoring" to become more focused and present, and to relax without guilt--and he shows us how we can reclaim calm, too. In an anxious world, investing in calm might be the best productivity strategy around.
Touch Matters by Michael Banissy A fascinating scientific and sociological exploration of our most underappreciated sense. Every day, we use our sense of touch to navigate the world. A handshake, a pat on the shoulder, a hug--all are essential touches that make up our daily lives. In Touch Matters, social neuroscientist Michael Banissy brings together diverse scientific insights from the Touch Test--the world's largest contemporary survey on touch, with 40,000 participants from 112 countries. Professor Banissy unfolds the research behind why touch is essential to our well-being, combining expert findings with notable touch points in pop culture to explore the role it plays in our physical and digital social life, in the workplace, in the bedroom, and more. Learn why a hugged person is a happier person, why teams who high-five each other win more games, and how a handshake makes you more likely to tell the truth. Banissy offers a groundbreaking and surprising new perspective on touch, with guidance on how to enhance your level of touch for a happier, healthier life, exploring topics including: Your "touch personality" How touch defines our relationships and our self-esteem The impact of touch on our physical and mental health Cultural distinctions around touch and how to navigate them Solutions to the "touch hunger" that has become a modern epidemic   Touch Matters is a fascinating window into one of our most important and basic senses--and how to harness its power. FEATURES ORIGINAL RESEARCH FROM "THE TOUCH TEST": Touch Matters is based on one of Banissy's most recent projects--the Touch Test--a science and broadcast collaboration with the BBC and Wellcome Collection. This project explored attitudes and experiences of touch via the world's largest contemporary survey on the topic, public exhibitions, and a series of broadcast programs focused on the topic of touch that received worldwide attention. The project had approximately 40,000 participants from 112 countries. OFFERS GUIDANCE ON COMMUNICATING AND CONNECTING IN OUR DAILY AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES: As we return to office work and live in a world where touch has become loaded with meaning, this book will help people understand how important touch is and the role it plays in every aspect of our lives, from relationships and friendships to the workplace and team activities and much more. Perfect for: Readers interested in science, psychology, and self-help Fans of James Nestor's Breath, Marc Brackett's Permission to Feel, Bill Bryson's The Body, Mark Miodownik's Stuff Matters Adults and parents of children resuming in-person activities including going back to the office, returning to school, traveling, and socializing Those interested in learning more about the science of touch, touch starvation, and how important touch is to child/human development People struggling with depression or anxiety around physical contact
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Be That Unicorn by Jenny Block Be the Best Version of Yourself Being a unicorn means being the magnetic person that everyone in the room is drawn to. It means being honest and true to yourself every day, no matter what. When you are really, really good at being yourself, you'll make other people feel really, really good about themselves, too. In Be That Unicorn, Jenny Block, author of several best sellers for women, shows you how to stop putting yourself down and start finding your magic. 100% That Unicorn. The horn may be mythical, but the unicorn is real. This book offers you the confidence to be authentic and original in every aspect of your life--at home, at work, and in relationships. Sometimes it's about how to make your bed in the morning, and sometimes it's baking treats to make yourself and others feel good. You are a badass! It's time to share that shine. Just Keep Prancing. The art of not giving a f... is knowing that sometimes you do feel like s... That's ok! Being a unicorn is about feeling your feelings. Be angry or sad when you need to be. Then get out of your own way and move on with your day. In Be That Unicorn, Jenny Block shows you how to be a badass unicorn in so many ways, including: Parenting and taking care of the people you love Volunteering your time and inspiring your community Learning and growing into your best self Playing and loving with a full heart Be That Unicorn is a get your s... together book that's more about celebrating than punishing yourself. If you liked the Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life workbook, Be More Unicorn: How to Find Your Inner Sparkle, Un.... Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life, and How to Stop Feeling Like S..., you'll love this fun new approach to taking control of the life you want.
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Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chöön From the bestselling author of When Things Fall Apart, an open-hearted call for human connection, compassion, and learning to love the world just as it is during these most challenging times. In her first new book of spiritual teachings in over seven years, Pema Ch dr n offers a combination of wisdom, heartfelt reflections, and the signature mix of humor and insight that have made her a beloved figure to turn to during times of change. In an increasingly polarized world, Pema shows us how to strengthen our abilities to find common ground, even when we disagree, and influence our environment in positive ways. Sharing never-before told personal stories from her remarkable life, simple and powerful everyday practices, and directly relatable advice, Pema encourages us all to become triumphant bodhisattvas--compassionate beings--in times of hardship. Welcoming the Unwelcomeincludes teachings on the true meaning of karma, recognizing the basic goodness in ourselves and the people we share our lives with--even the most challenging ones, transforming adversity into opportunities for growth, and freeing ourselves from the empty and illusory labels that separate us. Pema also provides step-by-step guides to a basic sitting meditation and a compassion meditation that anyone can use to bring light to the darkness we face, wherever and whatever it may be.
Signs by Laura Lynne Jackson NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A renowned psychic medium teaches us how to recognize and interpret the life-changing messages from loved ones and spirit guides on the Other Side. "A collection of incredible stories . . . that speak to the universe's endless capacity for magical moments."--Goop  Laura Lynne Jackson is a psychic medium and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Light Between Us. She possesses an incredible gift: the ability to communicate with loved ones who have passed, convey messages of love and healing, and impart a greater understanding of our interconnectedness. Though her abilities are exceptional, they are not unique, and that is the message at the core of this book. Understanding "the secret language of the universe" is a gift available to all. As we learn to ask for and recognize signs from the other side, we will start to find meaning where before there was only confusion, and see light in the darkness. We may decide to change paths, push toward love, pursue joy, and engage with life in a whole new way. In Signs, Jackson is able to bring the mystical into the everyday. She relates stories of people who have experienced uncanny revelations and instances of unexplained synchronicity, as well as others drawn from her own experience. There's the lost child who appears to his mother as a deer that approaches her unhesitatingly at a highway rest stop; the name written on a dollar bill that lets a terrified wife know that her husband will be okay; the Elvis Presley song that arrives at the exact moment of Jackson's own father's passing; and many others. This is a book that is inspiring and practical, deeply comforting and wonderfully motivational, in asking us to see beyond ourselves to a more magnificent universal design. Praise for Signs "This stirring guide . . . asserts that anyone can learn to understand messages that are sent from the 'Other Side.' . . . For readers struggling with loss who believe it's possible to communicate with the deceased, this book will console and empower them to look beyond their suffering."--Publishers Weekly "This brilliant book by the renowned psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson is a guidebook to and translator of the mysterious spiritual language of the universe. Through a series of touching personal stories, Signs teaches us how to discern and understand the myriad spiritual signs in our lives. Laura Lynne's beautiful and compassionate heart shines through every page. This book is both excellent and important, and I highly recommend it to all."--Brian L. Weiss, M.D., author of Many Lives, Many Masters
Out of Office by Charlie Warzel; Anne Helen Petersen "This book will challenge you to rethink what it takes to make remote work work--not just for companies, but for people." --Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife The future isn't about where we will work, but how. For years we have struggled to balance work and life, with most of us feeling overwhelmed and burned out because our relationship to work is broken. This "isn't just a book about remote work. It's a book that helps us imagine a future where our lives--at the office and home--are happier, more productive, and genuinely meaningful" (Charles Duhigg, best-selling author of The Power of Habit). Out of Office is a book for every office worker - from employees to managers - currently facing the decision about whether, and how, to return to the office. The past two years have shown us that there may be a new path forward, one that doesn't involve hellish daily commutes and the demands of jam-packed work schedules that no longer make sense. But how can we realize that future in a way that benefits workers and companies alike? Based on groundbreaking reporting and interviews with workers and managers around the world, Out of Office illuminates the key values and questions that should be driving this conversation: trust, fairness, flexibility, inclusive workplaces, equity, and work-life balance. Above all, they argue that companies need to listen to their employees - and that this will promote, rather than impede, productivity and profitability. As a society, we have talked for decades about flexible work arrangements; this book makes clear that we are at an inflection point where this is actually possible for many employees and their companies. Out of Office is about so much more than zoom meetings and hybrid schedules: it aims to reshape our entire relationship to the office.
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson New York Times Bestseller "Probably the best book on living with anxiety that I've ever read." - Mark Manson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck The Chinese believe that before you can conquer a beast, you must first make it beautiful. Sarah Wilson first came across this Chinese proverb in psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison's memoir An Unquiet Mind, and it became the key to understanding her own lifelong struggle with anxiety. Wilson, bestselling author, journalist, and entrepreneur has helped over 1.5 million people worldwide to live better, healthier lives through her I Quit Sugar books and program. And all along, she has been managing chronic anxiety. In First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Wilson directs her intense focus and fierce investigating skills onto her lifetime companion, looking at the triggers and treatments, the fashions and fads. She reads widely and interviews fellow sufferers, mental health experts, philosophers, and even the Dalai Lama, processing all she learns through the prism of her own experiences. Wilson offers readers comfort, humor, companionship, and practical tips for living with the Beast: Cultivate a "gratitude ritual." You can't be grateful and anxious at the same time. Eat to curb anxiety. Real food is your best friend. Just breathe. Embrace the healing power of meditation. Make your bed. Every day. Simple outer order creates inner calm. Study fellow fretters to know thyself. Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all struggled with anxiety. Actively practice missing out. Forget FOMO, curl up on the couch, and order takeout. Practical and poetic, wise and funny, First, We Make the Beast Beautiful is a small book with a big heart. It will encourage the myriad souls who dance with this condition to embrace it as a part of who they are, and to explore the possibilities it offers for a richer, fuller life.
Drama Free by Nedra Glover Tawwab Instant New York Times Bestseller From the bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace, a road map for understanding and moving past family struggles--and living your life, your way.     Every family has a story. For some of us, our family of origin is a solid foundation that feeds our confidence and helps us navigate life's challenges. For others, it's a source of pain, hurt, and conflict that can feel like a lifelong burden. In this empowering guide, licensed therapist and bestselling relationship expert Nedra Glover Tawwab offers clear advice for identifying dysfunctional family patterns and choosing the best path to breaking the cycle and moving forward.     Covering topics ranging from the trauma of emotional neglect, to the legacy of addicted or absent parents, to mental health struggles in siblings and other relatives, and more, this clear and compassionate guide will help you take control of your own life--and honor the person you truly are.
Quarterlife by Satya Doyle Byock An innovative psychotherapist tackles the overlooked stage of Quarterlife--the years between adolescence and midlife--and provides a "fascinating" guide "on how to navigate and thrive--rather than just survive--these odd years" (PureWow). "Quarterlife is an insightful, revealing look at the messy and uncharted paths to wholeness, and a powerful tool for anyone navigating early adulthood."--Tembi Locke, New York Times bestselling author of From Scratch I'm stuck. What's wrong with me? Is this all there is? Satya Doyle Byock hears these refrains regularly in her psychotherapy practice where she works with "Quarterlifers," individuals between the ages of (roughly) sixteen to thirty-six. She understands their frustration. Some clients have done everything "right": graduate, get a job, meet a partner. Yet they are unfulfilled and unclear on what to do next. Byock calls these Quarterlifers "Stability Types." Others are uninterested in this prescribed path, but feel unmoored. She refers to them as "Meaning Types." While society is quick to label the emotions and behavior of this age group as generational traits, Byock sees things differently. She believes these struggles are part of the developmental journey of Quarterlife, a distinct stage that every person goes through and which has been virtually ignored by popular culture and psychology.  In Quarterlife, Byock utilizes personal storytelling, mythology, Jungian psychology, pop culture, literature, and client case studies to provide guideposts for this period of life. Readers will be able to find themselves on the spectrum between Stability and Meaning Types, and engage with Byock's four pillars of Quarterlife development:  * Separate: Gain independence from the relationships and expectations that no longer serve you  * Listen: Pay close attention to your own wants and needs  * Build: Create, cultivate, and construct tools and practices for the life you want  * Integrate: Take what you've learned and manifest something new  Quarterlife is a defining work that offers a compassionate roadmap toward finding understanding, happiness, and wholeness in adulthood.
The Tools by Phil Stutz; Barry Michels NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Change can begin right now. Learn to bring about dynamic personal growth using five uniquely effective tools--from psychotherapist Barry Michels and psychiatrist Phil Stutz, subject of the Netflix documentary Stutz. "These tools are emotional game changers. They do nothing less than deliver you to your best and most powerful self."--Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness   The Tools offers a solution to the biggest complaint patients have about therapy: the interminable wait for change to begin. The traditional therapeutic model sets its sights on the past, but psychiatrist Phil Stutz and psychotherapist Barry Michels employ an arsenal of techniques--"the tools"--that allow patients to use their problems as levers that access the power of the unconscious and propel them into action. Suddenly, through this transformative approach, obstacles become new chances--to find courage, embrace discipline, develop self-expression, deepen creativity.   A dynamic, results-oriented practice, The Tools aims to deliver relief from persistent problems and restore control and hope right away. Every day presents challenges--big and small--that the tools transform into opportunities to bring about bold and dramatic change in your life. Stutz and Michels teach you how to:   * Get Unstuck: Master the things you are avoiding and live in forward motion. * Control Anger: Free yourself from out-of-control rage and never-ending grudges. * Express Yourself: Learn the secret of true confidence and find your authentic voice. * Combat Anxiety: Stop obsessive worrying and negative thinking. * Find Discipline: Activate willpower and make the most of every minute.   With The Tools, Stutz and Michels allow you to realize the full range of your potential. Their goal is nothing less than for your life to become exceptional--exceptional in its resiliency, in its experience of real happiness, and in its understanding of the human spirit.

happiness

January 21-27 is Hunt for Happiness Week

While most of these listings link by default to a print copy, many are available in other formats (eBook and eAudiobook). Don't forget to check the catalog by title or author if you prefer digital!

Happiness Becomes You by Tina Turner Tina Turner--living legend, icon to millions, and author of the "brave and wry" (Vulture) memoir My Love Story--returns with a deeply personal book of wisdom that explores her longstanding faith in Buddhism and provides a guide to these timeless principles so you can find happiness in your own life. I dedicate this book to you... in honor of your unseen efforts to triumph over each problem life sends your way. Tina is a global icon of inspiration. And now, with Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, Tina shows how anyone can overcome life's obstacles--even transform the "impossible" to possible--and fulfill our dreams. She shows how we, too, can improve our lives, empowering us with spiritual tools and sage advice to enrich our unique paths. Buddhism has been a central part of Tina Turner's life for decades and, in music, film, and live performances, she has shined as an example of generating hope from nothing, breaking through all limitations, and succeeding in life. Drawing from the lessons of her own life, from adversity to stratospheric heights, Tina effortlessly shows how the spiritual lessons of Buddhism help her transform from sorrow, adversity, and poverty into joy, stability, and prosperity. Now, Tina offers the wisdom of an extraordinary lifetime in Happiness Becomes You making this the perfect gift of inspiration for you or a loved one.
The Atlas of Happiness by Helen Russell A fun, illustrated guide that takes us around the world, discovering the secrets to happiness. Author Helen Russell (The Year of Living Danishly) uncovers the fascinating ways that different nations search for happiness in their lives, and what they can teach us about our own quest for meaning. This charming and diverse assortment of advice, history, and philosophies includes: Sobremesa from Spain Turangawaewae from New Zealand Azart from Russia Tarab from Syria joie de vivre from Canada and many more.
Happiness Hacks by Alex Palmer Highly Effective Hacks From Totally True Facts! Could you be happier at work . . . in love . . . in life? You may not need a total overhaul--just a few good Happiness Hacks! Here are hundreds of shortcuts to brighten your day and boost your mood--and the science behind how they work. Discover why . . . 57°F (13.9°C) is the happiest temperature Selfies give you a jolt of joy Renters have a surprising edge over homeowners 17-minute breaks are the most productive Intimacy is better than sex It's more satisfying to work a full 40-hour week Date night is the key to a happy marriage Just 10 minutes of exercise can cheer you up! Whether you're seeking better health, stronger friendships, or that elusive "happy place," these stunningly simple tips are proven to help. You can hack your way to happiness!
Call Number: eAudiobook
The Happiness Curve by Jonathan Rauch "In this warm, wise, and witty overview, Jonathan Rauch combines evidence and experience to show his fellow adults that the best is yet to come."--Steven Pinker, bestselling author ofEnlightenment Now This book will change your life by showing you how life changes. Why does happiness get harder in your 40s? Why do you feel in a slump when you're successful? Where does this malaise come from? And, most importantly, will it ever end? Drawing on cutting-edge research, award-winning journalist Jonathan Rauch answers all these questions. He shows that from our 20s into our 40s, happiness follows a U-shaped trajectory, a "happiness curve," declining from the optimism of youth into what's often a long, low slump in middle age, before starting to rise again in our 50s. This isn't a midlifecrisis, though. Rauch reveals that this slump is instead a natural stage of life--and an essential one. By shifting priorities away from competition and toward compassion, it equips you with new tools for wisdom and gratitude to win the third period of life. And Rauch can testify to this personally because it was his own slump, despite acclaim as a journalist and commentator that compelled him to investigate the happiness curve. His own story and the stories of many others from all walks of life--from a steelworker and a limo driver to a telecoms executive and a philanthropist--show how the ordeal of midlife malaise reboots our values and even our brains for a rebirth of gratitude. Full of insights and data and featuring many ways to endure the slump and avoid its perils and traps,The Happiness Curvedoesn't just show you the dark forest of midlife, it helps you find a path through the trees. It also demonstrates how we can--and why we must--do more to help each other through the woods. Midlife is a journey we mustn't walk alone.
Happiness Is a Choice You Make by John Leland ANew York TimesBestseller! An extraordinary look at what it means to grow old and a heartening guide to well-being,Happiness Isa Choice You Makeweaves together the stories and wisdom of six New Yorkers who number among the "oldest old"-- those eighty-five and up. In 2015, when the award-winning journalist John Leland set out on behalf ofThe New York Times to meet members of America's fastest-growing age group, he anticipated learning of challenges, of loneliness, and of the deterioration of body, mind, and quality of life. But the elders he met took him in an entirely different direction. Despite disparate backgrounds and circumstances, they each lived with a surprising lightness and contentment. The reality Leland encountered upended contemporary notions of aging, revealing the late stages of life as unexpectedly rich and the elderly as incomparably wise. Happiness Is a Choice You Make is an enduring collection of lessons that emphasizes, above all, the extraordinary influence we wield over the quality of our lives. With humility, heart, and wit, Leland has crafted a sophisticated and necessary reflection on how to "live better"--informed by those who have mastered the art.
The Future of Happiness by Amy Blankson; Shawn Achor (Foreword by) Technology--at least in theory--is improving our productivity, efficiency, and communication. The one thing it’s not doing is making us happier. We are experiencing historically high levels of depression and dissatisfaction. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Technology can drive--not diminish--human happiness. Our brains receive 11 million bits of information every second but can only process 40 bits at any given time. Thanks to the latest technology, you have a say in what information you consume. We now have the tools to train our brains to scan the world for the positive, trumping our genes and our environment to reach our full potential. Knowing that technology is here to stay and will continue to evolve in form and function, we need to know how to navigate the future to achieve a better balance between technology, productivity, and wellbeing. In The Future of Happiness, author Amy Blankson, co-founder of the global positive psychology consulting firm GoodThink, unveils five strategies that successful individuals can use to not just survive--but to actually thrive--in the Digital Age: Stay grounded to focus and channel your energy with intention Know thyself through app-driven data to strive toward your potential Train your brain to develop and sustain an optimistic mindset Create a habitat for happiness to maximize the spaces and places in which you live, work, and learn Be a conscious innovator to actively shape your future By rethinking when, where, why and how you use technology, you will not only able to influence your own wellbeing but also help shape the future of your community. Discover how futuristic technologies can transform the idea of "I’ll be happy when . . .” to your way of being now.
The Blue Zones of Happiness by Dan Buettner In this inspiring book, Buettner offers game-changing tools for setting up your life to be the happiest it can be. In these illuminating pages, you'll:#9679Meet the world's Happiness All-Stars-inspiring individuals whose ways of boosting well-being can influence your home and community as well.#9679Discover the three strands of happiness-pleasure, purpose, and pride-that weave together in different ways in the world's happiest places.#9679Use the Blue Zones Happiness Test to pinpoint areas in your life where change could bring more happiness-and then find practical steps to make those changes.#9679Learn what researchers on happiness consider the top ways to create personal and nationwide happiness, as revealed by a blue-ribbon panel of world experts convened for this book.#9679Boost your own happiness with the Happiness Power 9-Buettner's final assessment of the most important lessons to be learned from the world's happiest people and places.
Food, Health, and Happiness by Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey will be the first to tell you, she has had a complicated relationship with food. It's been both a source of delight and comfort for her, but also the cause of an ongoing struggle with her weight. InFood, Health, and Happiness, Oprah shares the recipes that have allowed eating to finally be joyful for her. With dishes created and prepared alongside her favorite chefs, paired with personal essays and memories from Oprah herself, this cookbook offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look into the life (and kitchen!) of one of the most influential and respected celebrities in the world. Delicious, healthy, and easy to prepare, these are the recipes Oprah most loves to make at home and share with friends and family. Fromsimple pleasures like Unfried Chicken and Turkey Chili, to such celebrations of freshness as Tuscan Kale and Apple Salad and Pasta Primavera, this is food as it should be: a taste of happiness, a ritual to be shared, a toast to life.
Happiness in This Life by Oonagh Stransky (Translator); Pope Pope Francis A collection of homilies, speeches, and "messages of the day" that brings together Pope Francis's wisdom on finding happiness in the here and now   For Pope Francis, the appreciation of our everyday lives is a spiritual undertaking. Joy is a divine attribute, and creating joy around us an essential part of faith. Every homily and speech in this book delivers, in warm, engaging language accessible to believers and nonbelievers alike, a key lesson, instructing readers on finding love and happiness in a chaotic world. Along the way, Pope Francis discusses the sanctity of women's rights, talks about how the love of sports can bring out our best qualities, and explains why fighting discrimination is the essence of loving thy neighbor. He shares personal stories and anecdotes from his life, provides comforting messages of hope, and discusses the ways flawed families can make you a better person. The core ideas of Francis's papacy--mercy, support for marginalized people, and diplomacy--shine through. Praise for Happines in This Life "Though the title of the book mentions happiness, this collection of thoughts addresses something much deeper--joy. Bringing together excerpts from Pope Francis's sermons, speeches, prayers, and addresses, these pieces address a range of themes, from mercy and humility to simplicity and family. . . . Readers will be encouraged to clear away the cacophony of modern society and embrace the simplicity of joy. A book as loving and encouraging as the man himself seems to be."--Booklist "With this wide-ranging collection of writings, homilies, and addresses, the current pontiff dispels any notion that religious practice is dour and antiquated. . . . It brings together the pope's most affecting passages to inspire Catholics (and those of other faiths) to lift up those around them."--Publishers Weekly "Reminiscent of the gentle encouragement of the Dalai Lama . . . Family-centered and practical--especially on difficult matters of familial contention--these homilies are, on the whole, gentle encouragements to do the right thing. . . . [This] collection offers clear insight into the pope's doctrinal concerns."--Kirkus Reviews
Sewing Happiness by Sanae Ishida When Sanae Ishida was diagnosed with a chronic illness and lost her corporate job, she thought her life was over. But these challenges ended up being the best thing that ever happened to her because they forced her to take stock of her life and focus on the important things and enabled her to rediscover sewing, her true passion. This is a seasonal book of simple sewing projects and inspirational personal stories from a beloved Seattle blogger. It consists of 20 projects plus variations (including Japanese-inspired home goods, children's and women's clothing) organized by season and stitched together with charming and relatable personal stories about how sewing brought her profound happiness. Part 1 includes the incredibly moving essays as well as a look-book of photos of the projects, and Part 2 includes all the instructions with detailed illustrations. The book is 30% memoir and 70% practical sewing projects.
Happiness by Design by Paul Dolan; Daniel Kahneman (Foreword by) "Bold and original." --Daniel Kahneman, PhD, bestselling author of Thinking Fast and Slow  There are a slew of books on the market dictating programs for achieving happiness, but Happiness by Design is the first to explain that happiness ultimately depends upon our experience of pleasure and purpose over time--and everyone has their own optimal balance. Combining the latest insights from economics and psychology, renowned behavior expert Paul Dolan, PhD, shows readers how to integrate his ground-breaking paradigm into a practical plan for deciding, designing, and doing the things that bring them true happiness.
The Giving Way to Happiness by Jenny Santi; Deepak Chopra (Foreword by) We often focus on how our gifts can help those in need. But the act of giving actually improves our own lives as well. In The Giving Way to Happiness, Jenny Santi overturns conventional thinking about what it takes to be happy by revealing how giving to others - whether in the form of money, expertise, time, or love - has helped people from all walks of life find purpose and joy. Drawing on the wisdom of great thinkers past and present, as well as cutting-edge scientific research, Santi makes an eloquent and passionate case that oftentimes the answers to the problems that haunt us, and the key to the happiness that eludes us, lie in helping those around us. This book is filled with inspiring stories told firsthand by Academy Award winner Goldie Hawn, Noble Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, supermodel Christy Turlington Burns, Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, philanthropist Richard Rockefeller, environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, activist Ric O'Barry, bestselling author Isabel Allende, ALS survivor Augie Nieto, and many others from all over the world. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they have all found unexpected happiness and fulfillment through giving. This book tells us not just how they changed the world but also how their acts changed their very own lives. In addition, Santi reveals- How altruism involves far more than suppressing basic selfish urges. Rather, we are wired to give, as it activates the same pleasure centers of the brain stimulated by food, sex, and drugs How helping others - whether by walking a friend through a struggle that you've also experienced or by supporting a cause to honor a loved one's memory - can be a healthy way to deal with adversity and process grief The unexpected reasons why those who 'gave it all up' to make a difference, and who face the direst situations, are nevertheless some of the happiest, most fulfilled, and least angst-ridden people you'll ever meet. Practical, universally applicable lessons on what kind of giving makes people happy and what doesn't. How do you discover giving that is unique to you and makes you feel good? In this inspiring book, Santi turns conventional wisdom upside down about what it takes to be happy and reveals the surprising reasons that have led so many people to live lives full of meaning, purpose and happiness. 'The Giving Way to Happiness is full of interesting insights from big-ticket philanthropists and prominent personalities, but it is also about something bigger- how we can all find happiness through helping others. If done right, giving may well be the greatest gift you can give yourself.' Adam Grant, professor, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and New York Times-bestselling author of Give and Take'This thoughtful look at philanthropy honestly examines the self-interest often involved in it and suggests that a self-focused approach to giving may in fact be entirely appropriate.' Publishers Weekly'Well done! A wonderful and timely contribution.' Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts'The Giving Way to Happinesswill change the way you approach giving, shifting the focus from charity to empathy, from a one-way transfer to a mutually beneficial act, from guilt and obligation to pleasure and happiness. Jenny Santi, through her well-researched, eloquent, and insightful book, teaches us how we can help ourselves by helping others.' Carl Liederman, former CEO of One Young World, and founder & CEO of Liedership
Uncovering Happiness by Elisha Goldstein In seven simple steps, Uncovering Happiness uses cutting-edge mindfulness and self-compassion techniques along with innovations in neuroscience to release natural antidepressants in the brain. Dr. Goldstein shows you how to take back control of your mind, your mood, and your life. Most of us believe when we're depressed that our situation is hopeless. That's a mistake, Dr. Elisha Goldstein reassures us in Uncovering Happiness. The secret to overcoming depression and uncovering happiness is in harnessing our brain's own natural antidepressant power and ultimately creating a more resilient antidepressant brain. Uncovering Happiness is grounded in two key foundations: mindfulness and self-compassion, and backed by recent scientific discoveries. New research shows that mindfulness reduces the risk of relapse in people who have experienced depression and can be a significant alternative, or supplement, to medication. The second foundation is self-compassion--a state of mind in which you understand your own suffering with an inclination to support yourself. Goldstein explores our natural antidepressants--along with mindfulness and self-compassion, also purpose, play, and confidence--and offers specific techniques for putting them into action. Together, these elements can transform something that typically forces us to spiral downward and turn it into an upward spiral of self-worth and resiliency. At its core, Uncovering Happiness contains a persuasive argument for hope: Having had depression in the past doesn't mean you must also suffer from it in the future. You can build up the sections of the brain that protect you from depression, and slow down the sections that foster it. Doing this allows the brain's own natural antidepressants to emerge, grow stronger, and contribute powerfully to the resiliency that we need to enjoy the good times, survive difficult times, and open ourselves up to lives that truly feel worth living.
The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau Chris Guillebeau specializes in helping people break out of the "box" of their everyday lives. His most recent book, The $100 Startup, explained how to create income on one's own terms and not necessarily abide by a 9-to-5, "work for the man" model. But while liberation from "the grind" is one step in pursuing a life of purpose, it's far from the only way. Indeed, genuine fulfillment typically requires a quest or challenge that is big and ambitious, that involves surpassing the limits most people accept as part of their boring, routine-filled lives and making an actual difference. Chris has undertaken a successful quest of his own, having visited every country in the world by age 35. But the quests or projects discussed in this book need not involve travel at all. What they do involve is commitment and progressive accomplishment, losing oneself in an accretive task-whether it be a physical journey, an artistic enterprise, a philanthropic feat, even an act of political protest. Chris has surveyed thousands who've undertaken such quests and really drilled down to discover how they went about it, the common mistakes, what happened when they hit the wall, and how they coped when the quest was over. His specialty is well-researched, easy-to-follow advice that helps readers bridge the gap between "impossible dream" and "everyday reality."
The Art and Science of Connection by Kasley Killam A groundbreaking redefinition of what it means to be healthy that introduces the need for social health--the part of wellbeing that comes from feeling connected--to truly flourish. Exercise. Eat a balanced diet. Go to therapy. Most wellness advice is focused on achieving and maintaining good physical and mental health. But Harvard-trained social scientist and pioneering social health expert Kasley Killam reveals that this approach is missing a vital component: human connection. Relationships not only make us happier, but also are critical to our overall health and longevity. Research shows that people with a strong sense of belonging are 2.6 times more likely to report good or excellent health. Perhaps even more astonishingly, people who lack social support are up to 53% more likely to die from any cause. Yet social health has been overlooked and underappreciated--until now. Just as we exercise our physical muscles, we can strengthen our social muscles. Weaving together cutting-edge science, mindset shifts, and practical wisdom, Killam offers the first methodology for how to be socially healthy. An antidote to the loneliness epidemic and an inspiring manifesto for seeing wellbeing as not only physical and mental, but also social, The Art and Science of Connection is a handbook for thriving. In this essential book, you will: Learn a simple yet powerful framework to understand, evaluate, and bolster your social health. Discover the exact strategy or habit you need, as well as research-backed tips, to cultivate and sustain meaningful connection now and throughout your life. Glean actionable insights to develop a sense of community in your neighborhood, at work, and online from a spirited group of neighbors in Paris, the CEO of a major healthcare company, and an artificially intelligent chatbot. Get an insider look at the innovative ways that doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, architects, government leaders, and everyday people are catalyzing a movement toward a more socially healthy society. The Art and Science of Connection will transform the way you think about each interaction with a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor, and give you the tools you need to live a more connected and healthy life--whether you are an introvert or extrovert, if you feel stretched thin, and no matter your age or background. Along the way, Killam will reveal how a university student, a newlywed, a working professional, and a retired widow overcame challenges to thrive through connection--and how you can, too.
Sustainable Happiness by Sarah Van Gelder (Editor); The staff of YES! Magazine (Editor) We're bombarded by messages telling us that bigger and better things are the keys to happiness-but after we pile up the stuff and pile on the work hours, we end up exhausted and broke on a planet full of trash. Sarah van Gelder and her colleagues at YES! Magazine have been exploring the meaning of real happiness for eighteen years. Here they offer fascinating research, in-depth essays, and compelling personal stories by visionaries such as Annie Leonard, Matthieu Ricard, and Vandana Shiva, showing us that real well-being is found in supportive relationships and thriving communities, opportunities to make a contribution, and the renewal we receive from a thriving natural world. In the pages of this book, you'll find creative and practical ways to cultivate a happiness that is nurturing, enduring, and life affirming.
The Myths of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky The bestselling author of The How of Happiness reveals how to find opportunity in life's thorniest moments   Focusing on life's biggest, messiest moments, Sonja Lyubomirsky provides readers with the clear-eyed vision they need to build the healthiest, most satisfying life. Lyubomirsky argues that we have been given false promises--myths that assure us that lifelong happiness will be attained once we hit the culturally confirmed markers of adult success. This black-and-white vision of happiness works to discourage us from recognizing the upside of any negative and limits our potential for personal growth. A corrective course on happiness and a call to regard life's twists and turns with a more open mind, The Myths of Happiness shares practical lessons that prove we are more adaptable than we think we are. It empowers readers to look beyond their first response, sharing scientific evidence that often it is our mindset--not our circumstances--that matters most.
A Private History of Happiness by George Myerson Instead of advocating the latest guide or formula to achieve happiness, A Private History of Happiness offers a fresh look at everyday moments of joy as they were experienced by real people--across many centuries and from around the world--and invites us to discover the happiness in our own lives.
Spontaneous Happiness by Andrew Weil Everyone wants to be happy. But what does that really mean? Increasingly, scientific evidence shows us that true satisfaction and well-being come only from within. Dr. Andrew Weil has proven that the best way to maintain optimum physical health is to draw on both conventional and alternative medicine. Now, in Spontaneous Happiness, he gives us the foundation for attaining and sustaining optimum emotional health. Rooted in Dr. Weil's pioneering work in integrative medicine, the book suggests a reinterpretation of the notion of happiness, discusses the limitations of the biomedical model in treating depression, and elaborates on the inseparability of body and mind. Dr. Weil offers an array of scientifically proven strategies from Eastern and Western psychology to counteract low mood and enhance contentment, comfort, resilience, serenity, and emotional balance. Drawn from psychotherapy, mindfulness training, Buddhist psychology, nutritional science, and more, these strategies include body-oriented therapies to support emotional wellness, techniques for managing stress and anxiety and changing mental habits that keep us stuck in negative patterns, and advice on developing a spiritual dimension in our lives. Lastly, Dr. Weil presents an eight-week program that can be customized according to specific needs, with short- and long-term advice on nutrition, exercise, supplements, environment, lifestyle, and much more. Whether you are struggling with depression or simply want to feel happier, Dr. Weil's revolutionary approach will shift the paradigm of emotional health and help you achieve greater contentment in your life.
Already Enough by Lisa Olivera Identify, understand, and reframe your life story with this "must-read" (Christie Tate, New York Times bestselling author of Group), essential guide for self-acceptance from Lisa Olivera, a therapist, writer, and creator of a wildly popular Instagram account @_LisaOlivera. When Lisa Olivera was just a few hours old, her birth mother abandoned her behind a rock near Muir Woods in Northern California. She was found and later adopted. Growing up, Lisa knew she was adopted. She later learned she was abandoned. Like with many adopted children, this led Lisa to wonder: Why did her mother leave her behind? Without answers, Lisa came to believe she was not enough. This story wasn't true, but it made sense of a confusing experience. It allowed her to move forward. It felt like the only way. Until, with the help of a therapist, Lisa began to tell herself a better story. If you have ever felt like you didn't belong, or like you weren't worthy, or like you weren't enough, just as you are...it might be time for you to rewrite your story, too. Now a therapist herself, Lisa shows you how. In Already Enough, Lisa explores how our stories affect us--often much more than we realize. She guides us through reframing our stories so we can remember that we are already enough, just as we are. And she invites us to join her on a transformative journey to healing. "Beautiful, meditative, touching, and hopeful" (Arianna Huffington), Already Enough is a powerful reminder that we are the authors of our own stories. The sooner we decide to write a better story, the sooner we can live a more whole, more meaningful, more nourishing life.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin "This book made me happy in the first five pages." --AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible Award-winning author Gretchen Rubin is back with a bang, with The Happiness Project. The author of the bestselling 40 Ways to Look at Winston Churchill has produced a work that is "a cross between the Dalai Lama's The Art of Happiness and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love." (Sonya Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want) In the vein of Julie and Julia, The Happiness Project describes one person's year-long attempt to discover what leads to true contentment. Drawing at once on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world applicability, Rubin has written an engaging, eminently relatable chronicle of transformation.
Happy by Design by Victoria Harrison; Debbie Powell (Illustrator) Invite health and happiness into the heart of your home with practical ideas for decor, organization, and mindfulness that will transform your living space--and create an uplifting atmosphere that looks after you from morning to night! Happy by Design teaches us how we can actively improve our health and wellbeing through the way we design and regard every room in the house. From the paint color that's been named the happiest to the science of getting a good night's sleep, Happy by Design offers bite-sized and affordable design ideas that are accessible to all--from a young renter in an urban apartment to a busy family in their own home. Drawing on advice from experts far and wide, Victoria Harrison's Happy Home Program helps everyone transform their living spaces and put personal wellbeing first in their homes and neighborhoods. With delightful illustrations and photos on every page, the program is easy to follow and packed with motivating tips and inspiration to help everyone live the happiest life possible. Happy by Design will help you breathe better with the top ten oxygenating houseplants, surround yourself with scents scientifically proven to brighten your mood, and--taking a page from the Danish concept of hygge--keep your home a clean yet cozy sanctuary, free of outside distractions. Discover these simple--but ultimately life-changing--steps.   Table of Contents Introduction: The Happy Home Program How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air How to Decorate with the Happiest Color Tidy Your Way to Happiness Unlock the Secret to a Good Night's Sleep Discover the Happiest Scents Harness the Mood-Boosting Power of Flowers Shine a Light on Wellbeing How to Create a Cozy Retreat Wish Happiness for Others Unearth Happiness in the Garden How to Be Smarter Than Your Smartphone
The Next Happy by Tracey Cleantis The coronavirus pandemic is upsetting projects and plans in each of our lives. This book offers grace for grieving the end of hoped-for deams, and guidance for moving towards future possibilities. When the best option is to let go of the life you planned for yourself and find a new path, a world of possibilities can surprisingly open up. Learn whether it is time to let go, and if so, how to move through your grief and find your way forward in The Next Happy. If you believe, you can do anything. Although well-meaning, these intended words of inspiration can make us feel like failures. The reality is that no matter how positive our outlook or how tenacious our approach, our dreams simply do not always come true--and there is nothing we can do about it. After multiple fertility treatments and years of hardship in her pursuit to have a child, Tracey Cleantis was forced to face this reality head-on. Yet, through this process and her work counseling hundreds of clients through the loss of their goals and aspirations, she discovered one simple truth: Sometimes there comes a time when the smartest, healthiest, and sanest thing to do is to let go of the original plan in order to find a new way forward toward happiness. And with this critical shift, a world of possibilities opens up to us. New, tangible dreams take shape. In The Next Happy, Cleantis offers a roadmap for that journey, teaching you how to: face the possibility of letting go of a dream that isn't working; accept and face sadness, anger, and shame; understand the true reasons why you wanted what you wanted and the real-life causes for why you didn't get it; and ask the questions that will let you move on and set realistic goals for finding a new way forward. With down-to-earth wisdom and humor, this enlightening counterpoint to the popular self-help notion to "follow your dream, no matter what it takes" provides the guidance and support to help you make the decision of whether it is time to give up an impossible dream, and if so, move through your grief, and discover the next happy.
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig An instant New York Times Bestseller! The new uplifting book from Matt Haig, the New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library, for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of a little encouragement. Named by The Washington Post as one of the best feel-good books of 2021. "It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learnt while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard." THE COMFORT BOOK is Haig's life raft: it's a collection of notes, lists, and stories written over a span of several years that originally served as gentle reminders to Haig's future self that things are not always as dark as they may seem. Incorporating a diverse array of sources from across the world, history, science, and his own experiences, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence.
The Good Life by Robert Waldinger; Marc Schulz What makes for a happy life, a fulfilling life? A good life? According to the directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted, the answer to these questions may be closer than you realize. What makes a life fulfilling and meaningful? The simple but surprising answer is: relationships. The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying, and overall healthier lives. In fact, the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals that the strength of our connections with others can predict the health of both our bodies and our brains as we go through life. The invaluable insights in this book emerge from the revealing personal stories of hundreds of participants in the Harvard Study as they were followed year after year for their entire adult lives, and this wisdom is bolstered by research findings from this and many other studies. Relationships in all their forms--friendships, romantic partnerships, families, coworkers, tennis partners, book club members, Bible study groups--all contribute to a happier, healthier life. And as The Good Life shows us, it's never too late to strengthen the relationships you have, and never too late to build new ones. Dr. Waldinger's TED Talk about the Harvard Study, "What Makes a Good Life," has been viewed more than 42 million times and is one of the ten most-watched TED talks ever. The Good Life has been praised by bestselling authors Jay Shetty ("Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz lead us on an empowering quest towards our greatest need: meaningful human connection"), Angela Duckworth ("In a crowded field of life advice and even life advice based on scientific research, Schulz and Waldinger stand apart"), and happiness expert Laurie Santos ("Waldinger and Schulz are world experts on the counterintuitive things that make life meaningful"). With warmth, wisdom, and compelling life stories, The Good Life shows us how we can make our lives happier and more meaningful through our connections to others.
Happy Not Perfect by Poppy Jamie A clear path to overcoming uncertainty, perfectionism, and fears of rejection so you can finally find peace with the past and create a happier, healthier future "Poppy's powerful approach will help you take control of your thoughts so they don't control you."--Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone Even before the pandemic brought on a crushing wave of stress, anxiety, isolation, life change, and financial struggle, there was already a growing mental health crisis. Due to a culture that encourages perfection, hustle, and fictional life/work balance, many are burning out. Behind her Instagram-projected image of "happy wellness founder," Poppy Jamie was also struggling mightily with perfectionism and life purpose. She began working with mental health experts and researchers to find practical tools to overcome her inner critic and rewire her mind. She discovered that it is possible to create new neural pathways in your brain to break patterns of avoidance, challenge fears of not being good enough, and turn failure around by stretching the mind with new, healthier thought habits. The old wiring (and habits) that you've been stuck with can be written-over. You can actually upgrade your headspace to make curiosity, vulnerability, compassion, and emotional flexibility your default settings. In the emphatic and trusted voice of Bridget Jones meets neuroscience, Poppy shares her Flexy Thoughts approach for changing how you react to emotional triggers and think of yourself while improving your mental and physical health, relationships, and vision of the future. Our emotional resilience may continue to be tested, but the new perspectives and strategies in Happy Not Perfect will help us bring confidence, adaptability, and acceptance to whatever comes next.
Goodbye, Again by Jonny Sun Instant New York Times Bestseller  "Truly, there's no shame in taking a break from books during the pandemic. But if you're feeling ready to reach out, try starting with Goodbye, Again. Take my word for it -- let Jonny Sun into your life."---Janet W. Lee, NPR The wonderfully original author of Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too gives us a collection of touching and hilarious personal essays, stories, poems--accompanied by his trademark illustrations--covering topics such as mental health, happiness, and what it means to belong. Jonny Sun is back with a collection of essays and other writings in his unique, funny, and heartfelt style. The pieces range from long meditations on topics like loneliness and being an outsider, to short humor pieces, conversations, and memorable one-liners. Jonny's honest writings about his struggles with feeling productive, as well as his difficulties with anxiety and depression will connect deeply with his fans as well as anyone attempting to create in our chaotic world.     It also features a recipe for scrambled eggs that might make you cry.  
Why We Are Restless by Benjamin Storey; Jenna Silber Storey A compelling exploration of how our pursuit of happiness makes us unhappy We live in an age of unprecedented prosperity, yet everywhere we see signs that our pursuit of happiness has proven fruitless. Dissatisfied, we seek change for the sake of change--even if it means undermining the foundations of our common life. In Why We Are Restless, Benjamin and Jenna Storey offer a profound and beautiful reflection on the roots of this malaise and examine how we might begin to cure ourselves. Drawing on the insights of Montaigne, Pascal, Rousseau, and Tocqueville, Why We Are Restless explores the modern vision of happiness that leads us on, and the disquiet that follows it like a lengthening shadow. In the sixteenth century, Montaigne articulated an original vision of human life that inspired people to see themselves as individuals dedicated to seeking contentment in the here and now, but Pascal argued that we cannot find happiness through pleasant self-seeking, only anguished God-seeking. Rousseau later tried and failed to rescue Montaigne's worldliness from Pascal's attack. Steeped in these debates, Tocqueville visited the United States in 1831 and, observing a people "restless in the midst of their well-being," discovered what happens when an entire nation seeks worldly contentment--and finds mostly discontent. Arguing that the philosophy we have inherited, despite pretending to let us live as we please, produces remarkably homogenous and unhappy lives, Why We Are Restless makes the case that finding true contentment requires rethinking our most basic assumptions about happiness.
The Awesome Human Project by Nataly Kogan Stop struggling and start living your best life--with the inspiring, proven program that's transformed over a million people. We are all experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and burnout. Exhaustion is at an all-time high. Leaders are depleted, employees are burning out at an alarming rate, and parents met their breaking point long ago. We are struggling and in desperate need of a new path forward. In The Awesome Human Project, Nataly Kogan, emotional fitness and leadership expert and author of Happier Now, shows us the way. She makes the compelling case that while challenge in life is constant, struggle is optional. Here, she shares an accessible, super-practical, and unboring guide for reducing daily struggle and burnout--so you can live, work, and lead with more energy, joy, and meaning, even during difficult times. Nataly wrote The Awesome Human Project in response to her own journey. A refugee who achieved tremendous success, she had come to see struggle as a way of life. But her burnout taught her a powerful lesson: you can't give what you don't have. She writes, "Strengthening your emotional fitness is an essential investment in your success and leadership, and an act of love to everyone you care about." Filled with simple, science-backed practices and Nataly's contagious energy, The Awesome Human Project will teach you how to strengthen your emotional fitness skills, create a more supportive relationship with yourself as well as your thoughts and emotions, reduce self-doubt, and cultivate more honest and meaningful connections with others. The Awesome Human Project is a book that you do--not just a book that you read. It includes: * Nataly's proven, science-backed, five-week program to boost your emotional fitness * Bite-sized neuroscience lessons so that you can learn to be the boss of your brain * What awesome leaders do differently and why it matters * Ways to get rid of guilt around self-care for good * An "SOS" section to get you unstuck right now * Nataly's wildly popular "Notes to Self," with inspiration to support your progress * Awesome Human Awards! There is an Awesome Human within every single one of us. The Awesome Human Project is the essential guidebook to help you embrace your Awesome Human and become the best version of yourself--with courage and compassion.