Self Help & Motivation

Brief Summary How important is luck in economic success? No question more reliably divides conservatives from liberals. As conservatives correctly observe, people who amass great fortunes are almost always talented and hardworking. But liberals are also correct to note that countless others have those same qualities yet never earn much. In recent years, social scientists have discovered that chance plays a much larger role in important life outcomes than most people imagine. In Success and Luck, bestselling author and New York Times economics columnist Robert Frank explores the surprising implications of those findings to show why the rich underestimate the importance of luck in success--and why that hurts everyone, even the wealthy. Frank describes how, in a world increasingly dominated by winner-take-all markets, chance opportunities and trivial initial advantages often translate into much larger ones--and enormous income differences--over time; how false beliefs about luck persist, despite compelling evidence against them; and how myths about personal success and luck shape individual and political choices in harmful ways. But, Frank argues, we could decrease the inequality driven by sheer luck by adopting simple, unintrusive policies that would free up trillions of dollars each year--more than enough to fix our crumbling infrastructure, expand healthcare coverage, fight global warming, and reduce poverty, all without requiring painful sacrifices from anyone. If this sounds implausible, you'll be surprised to discover that the solution requires only a few, noncontroversial steps. Compellingly readable, Success and Luck shows how a more accurate understanding of the role of chance in life could lead to better, richer, and fairer economies and societies. ISBN:9780691167404 Author:Robert H Frank

Brief Summary The capacity to be alone--properly alone--is one of life's subtlest skills. Real solitude is a contented and productive state that garners tangible rewards: it allows us to reflect and recharge, improving our relationships with ourselves and, paradoxically, with others. Today, the zeitgeist embraces sharing like never before. Fueled by our dependence on online and social media, we have created an ecosystem of obsessive distraction that dangerously undervalues solitude. Many of us now lead lives of strangely crowded loneliness--we are ever-connected, but only shallowly so. Award-winning author Michael Harris examines why our experience of solitude has become so impoverished, and how we may grow to love it again in the frenzy of our digital landscape. Solitude is an optimistic and encouraging story about discovering true quiet inside the city, inside the crowd, inside our busy and urbane lives. Harris guides readers away from a life of ceaseless pings toward a state of measured connectivity, one that balances solitude and companionship. Rich with true stories about the life-changing power of solitude, and interwoven with reporting from the world's foremost brain researchers, psychologists and tech entrepreneurs, Solitude is a beautiful and convincing statement on the benefits of being alone. ISBN:9780385686051 Author:Michael Harris

Brief Summary Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up. Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has revolutionized homes—and lives—across the world. Now, Kondo presents an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method, with step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. She also provides advice on frequently asked questions, such as whether to keep "necessary” items that may not bring you joy. With guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, and digital photos, this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life. ISBN:9781607749721 Author:Marie Kondo

Brief Summary Dare to Be Great! 7 Steps to Spiritual and Material Riches The author of the number-one New York Times bestseller How to Have More in a Have-Not World gives us her most passionate—and personal—book yet. In her trademark witty, straight-talking style, Terry Cole-Whittaker reveals a seven-step program that teaches readers to become the successful, happy people God has designed them to be. ISBN:9781585422715 Author:Terry Cole Whittaker

Brief Summary According to Doug Andrew, the bestselling author of Missed Fortune 101, too many Americans are being led down the wrong financial path. Even worse, many Baby Boomers find themselves panicking --fearful that they've already fallen too far behind to ever catch up. In this indispensable and eye-opening guide, Andrew provides fresh new pathways to reaching financial security -- pathways that all Americans need to consider now. Centering on his Three Miracles of Wealth Accumulation: the Miracle of Compound Interest, the Miracle of Tax-Favored Accumulation, and the Miracle of Positive, Safe Leverage, Andrew explodes many of the commonly-held myths about 401ks, pensions, paying down one's mortgage, and other forms of retirement planning. Along the way, Andrew offers unique strategies that will not only increase your wealth, but also help readers enjoy their best years while securing their future. ISBN:9780446580533 Author:Douglas R Andrew

Brief Summary What if you could tell, just by looking at others, how they tend to think, feel, and behave? What if your partner’s face revealed the best way to resolve any conflicts between you? And what if you could discover in your own face the wisdom that you need in order to be the best you you can be? Based on the same ancient foundation as acupuncture and Chinese medicine, face reading has been in the "research and development” phase for over 3,000 years. When translated to make it meaningful for our Western lives, it’s a powerful source of wisdom that we can all access. Chinese face reading shows you how to live your life in alignment with your own natural flow, find the life path that gives you joy, attract relationships that nurture you, and most of all, enable you to feel compassion for yourself and others. This book will forever change how you see yourself . . . and all the people in your life! ISBN:9781401917555 Author:Jean Haner

Brief Summary Prime Minister of the UK from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955, Winston Churchill will always be remembered for his leadership of his country during the Second World War. His commitment to 'never surrender', as well as his stirring speeches and radio broadcasts, helped inspire British resistance to the Nazi threat when Britain stood alone against an occupied Europe. As well as a hugely successful politician, Churchill was an officer in the British Army, a journalist, historian and a writer, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. However, his political career did not always show a continual upwards trajectory. After the First World War, he left government and spent the 1930s in the political 'wilderness'. But, as one of the few voices warning about Nazi Germany he returned to government to play his part in defeating Nazism and becoming one of the defining figures of the twentieth century. In How to Think Like Churchill, author Daniel Smith looks at defining moments in Churchill's life and reveals the key principles, philosophies and decisions that made him the man we remember him as: leader, visionary and national hero. Studying how and why he accomplished what he did, how he overcame adversity and stood strong in the face of overwhelming odds, with quotes and passages by and about the great man, you too can learn to think like Churchill. ISBN:9781782433316 Author:Dan Smith

Brief Summary After collaborating on two major books featured as PBS specials, Super Brain and Super Genes, Chopra and Tanzi now tackle the issue of lifelong health and heightened immunity. In the face of environmental toxins, potential epidemics, super bugs, and the aging process The Healing Self offers a unique "whole system" approach that integrates mind and body into one entity. Only by getting past the artificial division between mind and body can personal, holistic healing become real. In our fast-paced and ever-changing world, the burden of healing rests on the individual making the right lifestyle choices every day. Chopra and Tanzi want to guide us to make the best decisions possible and they offer a cutting-edge, Seven-Day Action Plan which allows the reader free choice to develop a personalized path to self-healing. Besides this unique feature, The Healing Self prioritizes two factors--stress and inflammation--that are emerging as crucial to lifelong health and well-being. A host of chronic disorders like hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and much more, are known to takes years and sometimes decades to develop before the first symptoms appear. The medical system isn't set up to attend to chronic low-grade inflammation or the everyday stresses that take their toll over a lifetime. Therefore, learning the secrets of self-healing is mandatory; otherwise, each of us is gambling with our very future. Chopra's inspiring prose and Tanzi's experience as the world's leading researcher in brain health and Alzheimer's disease make for a unique combination of knowledge and wisdom. The Healing Self is a high point in a partnership that has benefitted millions of people to date. It is destined to be a landmark book in the growing movement of self-care and lifelong wellness. ISBN:9780451495525 Author:Deepak Chopra and Rudolph E Tanzi