Koncocoo

Best Happiness

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives. This is a masterful, philosophical and practical book that will give readers the wisdom to be able to do just that.” ( Ryan Holiday, New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy ). “Mark’s ability to dig deep and offer amazing, yet counter-intuitive, insight into the challenges of life makes him one of my favorite writers, and this book is his best work yet.” ( Matt Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter ). “An in-your-face guide to living with integrity and finding happiness in sometimes-painful places… This book, full of counterintuitive suggestions that often make great sense, is a pleasure to read and worthy of rereading. As he writes, “not everybody can be extraordinary—there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault.” Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them—this, he says, is the real source of empowerment. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties—once we stop running from and avoiding, and start confronting, painful truths—we can begin to find the courage and confidence we desperately seek.
Reviews
"As someone who has given far too many f***s about far too many things their entire life, this book was exactly the wake up call I needed. We have a limited emotional capacity, and we often squander it on reactions to mean-spirited people or unfortunate events, completely forgetting that, although we can't control the world around us, we can control ourselves. If you're the type of person who's struggled to keep their temper in line or if you're like me and you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster because you take every event in the world and within your own life to heart, I strongly encourage you to read this book. If profanity is so much of a problem for you, that you can't tolerate reading the first half of this book (the last half is much less profane) you're probably too narrow-minded to have taken away any of the many philosophical benefits this book offers."
"If you don't have anything substantive to occupy your time, then it's trivial stuff that bothers you: "Your ex-boyfriend’s new Facebook picture, how quickly the batteries die in the TV remote, missing out on yet another two-for-one sale on hand sanitizer—chances are you don’t have much going on in your life..." Mark suggests just picking a few big things--values and people that reflect your values: "What I’m talking about here is essentially learning how to focus and prioritize your thoughts effectively—how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed personal values." On a serious note, the author relates a horrific experience from his youth, when a drunken friend took a dare, jumped into a lake and drowned. This tragedy led to a determination to change the direction of his life, and figure out what is most important: "Oddly, it was someone else’s death that gave me permission to finally live. The author refers often to a book, "The Denial of Death," (which became a Pulitzer Prize winner.). In serious, heartfelt chapters, the author reflects on human existence, and our search for meaning in life."
"Some of the main themes are these: (1) Choosing what to care about; focusing on the things/problems that are actually meaningful/important (= "giving a f*** about the right things"). (2) Learning to be fine with some negative things; always aiming for positivity isn't practical, and is stressful in itself. (3) Taking responsibility of your own life; it's good for your self-esteem not to keep blaming the circumstances for your problems. (4) Understanding the importance of honesty and boundaries, especially in relationships. (5) Identity; it might a good idea not to commit strongly to any special identity such as "an undiscovered genius", because then any challenges will make you fear the potential loss of that identity you've clinged to. (6) Motivation; how to improve it by accepting failure and taking action. (7) Death; how learning to be more comfortable with one's own mortality can make it easier to live. The first 20% of this book were a little bit boring to read, but after that, the experience was very absorbing."
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The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)
Don Miguel Ruiz is the international bestselling author of The Four Agreements (a New York Times bestseller for over a decade), The Four Agreements Companion Book, The Mastery of Love, The Voice of Knowledge, The Circle of Fire, and The Fifth Agreement. She is also the coauthor, with don Miguel Ruiz, of six books in The Toltec Wisdom Series, creator of “The Four Agreements for a Better Life” online course, and editor of Deepak Chopra’s bestselling title, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. In The Four Agreements shamanic teacher and healer Don Miguel Ruiz exposes self-limiting beliefs and presents a simple yet effective code of personal conduct learned from his Toltec ancestors. --P. Randall Cohan Ruiz's explanations of Toltec-based cosmography got a major boost recently when publishing pooh-bah Oprah Winfrey mentioned his work on her TV show. Ruiz, whose workshop teachings are distilled here, was born into a Mexican family of traditional healers, became a surgeon in adulthood, then underwent a near-death experience that made him reexamine his life, his beliefs.
Reviews
"I am an undergrad student of philosophy and linguistics, a branch of the humanities. I also deeply love this series of books because of its obviousness and simplicity. There is a huge tradition of skepticism in linguistics, especially about how language is used in various cultures to create belief systems. A belief system is basically a set of instructions inside your brain based on language. These instructions help you navigate the stressful world around you so you can survive. We are psychologically wired to think our belief systems are accurate and experience deep stress if we find them to be inaccurate. You may not be surprised to find out that philosophy majors have not come up with answers to these questions because there is always a case where we are going to be wrong or have a counter argument. Much of the study of philosophy is the collection of vocabulary words to describe beliefs. They even have a mathematical component called propositional logic, where one takes sentences and reduces them to symbols and creates "proofs" but even prop-logic is under fire from academics for its complete inability to predict anything. I believe Miguel Ruiz must have taken a linguistics course as well--as his first agreement attests to the power of language. Both Saussure and Derrida (and many, many others) did work on how we form ideas in our heads based on language. The gist is this: we have something called a "symbol" in our brain which is composed of two parts: the word and the visual representation of the object (look up semiotics for further detail). These symbols are in our mind and work together to form meaning, then belief. If you really want a deeper understanding on how linguistics has saturated our belief systems I recommend reading some of their academic essays or get Rivkin and Ryan's literary theory books. To simplify: scientists and academics in the millions have tried and tried and tried to find "the true belief" for thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years and we have not yet arrived at any truth. The need to be right is so ingrained within us that we create a huge drama when someone contradicts our beliefs. - I take all gurus, religions, indictments and gossip with quite a high level of benevolent skepticism, which allows me to be free from the fear that goes along with these stories."
"Both are based on the philosophy of the Toltec, ancient people of southern Mexico who were known as women and men of knowledge. The author at times anticipates such problems on the part of the reader, and is indeed accurate in that regard. The Toltecs were not a race or tribe, or nation, but scientists and artists formed to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the “ancient ones”. The Toltec recognize that some 3000 years ago a human studying to be a medicine man woke to the realization that everything is made of light and that all that exists is one living being, and that light is the messenger of life because it is alive and contains all information. As children we believe what adults say, especially our parents, and our world becomes a dream, a reality built on symbols from others, not the silent feelings and observations that we experienced as infants. We live in a dream ruled by fear and filled with emotions of anger, jealousy, envy and hate. To escape our dream of hell, we must break the old agreements that are fear based and reclaim our personal power. The author suggests four basic agreements that you must make with yourself to reclaim your own power and find a heaven on earth, a life of joy and fulfillment. He feels that a sin is anything that goes against yourself, and being impeccable is not gong against yourself, taking responsibility for your actions, but not judging or blaming. He feels that gossip is the worst form of black magic, for it is judgmental language about others, even those we do not know. He gives the simple example of a child being told by her mother to shut up her singing because her voice was “ugly”. These are the type of agreements that we make in life that are harmful and destructive, that lead us into our dream of hell. And as you use such words, first by expressing love for yourself, you break all the many agreements that make you suffer, and begin to build your own dream of heaven on earth. Couldn’t someone’s anger be about us if our word was less than impeccable, but instead filled with the black magic mentioned by the author? I raise these questions in my mind because at times, as I read through this, it sounds as if one can “get a pass” for less than sterling behavior because he need not take others reactions personally. (True sadness from the passing of a child or similar “objective” tragedy is hard to relate to assumptions or taking things personally) I have found that people often assume my meaning, and sometimes take offense at something that was never intended to harm. I don’t know exactly why we are afraid to ask for clarification, maybe it roots back to those days when we were reluctant to ask questions in school. I think these two agreements about taking things personally and making assumptions are really part of a self centeredness that “it is all about me”. In fact it is really important to realize that it isn’t always about you, especially when the assumptions made generally do assume so and lead to taking things personally. Not making assumptions would seem to be one of the easier agreements to live up to, as it only involves a little bit of inquiry. I see his book as being primarily focused on reaching an internal contentment and happiness, not on navigating one’s way through the world at large. I just find a bit of a contrast between the focus of this work and something like “Falling Upward” by Richard Rohr where he acknowledges the need to survive in the competitive world as a means of gaining some level of confidence before, in the second half of life, we are able to discard much of the baggage of the first half and seek out a more personal and spiritual contentment. All see Western culture as imposing and espousing a very competitive, win/loose guilt ridden mentality. Such mentality may or may not be necessary for the struggles that we face, but, all my readings seem to agree that at some point our thoughts need to focus on attaining a more peaceful and inclusive level of spiritual contentment. By merely listening you show respect for the other person’s dream, for the reality he or she has created. The first Four Agreements taught us that out symbols are not the truth, and that many of these symbols–our entire symbology as he calls it- are lies that lead us to blame and shame and guilt, to a living hell. It is a war against that part of our mind that makes all the choices that guide us into our personal hell. It is that point where we come back to our real state, our divine self, where we fell a communion of love with everything in existence. We experience what he refers to as a resurrection, and it allows us to be wild and free like a child, except that we have freedom with wisdom instead of innocence. These books express a philosophy couched in rather mystical terms–in dreams and symbols, attention and awareness. I think he feels that a concept like goodness is also a truth that is intrinsically recognized and internal, and not a product of a value system that is imposed on us by others. But, at least to me, he doesn’t recognize such conditioning as being a necessary part of that portion of our lives when we must learn to cope in our world. The striking thing, as I read numerous books and other writings, and watch speeches, is the basic consistency in the message of oneness and the need to abandon, at least temporarily, much of what we have “learned” in order to open our minds, or perhaps clear our minds, so that we can receive the gift of interconnectedness."
"The Four Agreements are: - Be Impeccable With Your Words. - Don't Take Anything Personally. - Don't Make Assumptions. - Always Do Your Best. -When he says be Impeccable With Your Word, he means you should always speak,with integrity. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering. - when he says Don't Make Assumptions, he means you must find the the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want."
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The Tapping Solution for Manifesting Your Greatest Self: 21 Days to Releasing Self-Doubt, Cultivating Inner Peace, and Creating a Life You Love
Have you ever had the feeling your life just isn’t working? In The Tapping Solution for Manifesting Your Greatest Self , Nick guides readers through a 21-day process of self-discovery and self-development. “Utilizing tapping exercises is a fascinating approach to working through personal life challenges.”. Through years of application and experience, Nick has taken an ancient system and made it modern, fast, and efficient. Nick Ortner takes us on a candid journey with grace and humor as he demonstrates how he uses tapping to help resolve some of his own daily challenges. “In this fun, heartful, and engaging book, Nick Ortner provides a road map for finding and living the most elevated version of self. Written in short, punchy paragraphs, spiced with vivid metaphors, illustrated by personal stories, and packed with exercises, it’s inspiring, accessible, and practical. Nick outlines the science behind why our brains are more attuned to negative than to positive experiences, and shows how we can overcome our evolutionary bias to repetitive self-sabotage. This book gives us the wisdom to embrace it, the tools to release the obstacles that stand in our way, and a blueprint for expressing it in a life well lived.”. Working with strong emotions, psychological barriers, and self-limiting behaviors, The Tapping Solution for Manifesting Your Greatest Self provides the method and the means. “Acupoint tapping protocols give you a remarkably precise tool for shifting the brain chemistry that underlies your feelings, thoughts, and behavior. With Manifesting Your Greatest Self , he has synthesized into a three-week program the essential steps for taking a quantum leap into a more fulfilling future. It’s loaded with rock-solid, proven strategies for overcoming fears, doubts, and limiting thinking, and it will quickly give you more confidence, love, joy, and abundance. — Christian Mickelsen, author of Abundance Unleashed: Open Yourself to More Money, Love, Health, and Happiness Now.
Reviews
"I began using the Tapping method and it does relieve my anxiety."
"I love this book."
"Nick has a amazing way to help bring awareness to your life and gets you moving in the right direction."
"The daily meditations guide you through the process of getting clear and creating the life you desire."
"This is a life changing book!"
"It is hard to read though, as page by page more and more people come to my mind, who I should gift this book."
"At a time with so many disasters being healed at the same time, nick’s teachings are spot on for relaxation, reflection and helping yourself work through this very challenging time."
"Great book; easy to follow.... set up in such a way that you only read one chapter a day."
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Best Motivational Self-Help

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives. This is a masterful, philosophical and practical book that will give readers the wisdom to be able to do just that.” ( Ryan Holiday, New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy ). “Mark’s ability to dig deep and offer amazing, yet counter-intuitive, insight into the challenges of life makes him one of my favorite writers, and this book is his best work yet.” ( Matt Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter ). “An in-your-face guide to living with integrity and finding happiness in sometimes-painful places… This book, full of counterintuitive suggestions that often make great sense, is a pleasure to read and worthy of rereading. As he writes, “not everybody can be extraordinary—there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault.” Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them—this, he says, is the real source of empowerment. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties—once we stop running from and avoiding, and start confronting, painful truths—we can begin to find the courage and confidence we desperately seek.
Reviews
"As someone who has given far too many f***s about far too many things their entire life, this book was exactly the wake up call I needed. We have a limited emotional capacity, and we often squander it on reactions to mean-spirited people or unfortunate events, completely forgetting that, although we can't control the world around us, we can control ourselves. If you're the type of person who's struggled to keep their temper in line or if you're like me and you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster because you take every event in the world and within your own life to heart, I strongly encourage you to read this book. If profanity is so much of a problem for you, that you can't tolerate reading the first half of this book (the last half is much less profane) you're probably too narrow-minded to have taken away any of the many philosophical benefits this book offers."
"If you don't have anything substantive to occupy your time, then it's trivial stuff that bothers you: "Your ex-boyfriend’s new Facebook picture, how quickly the batteries die in the TV remote, missing out on yet another two-for-one sale on hand sanitizer—chances are you don’t have much going on in your life..." Mark suggests just picking a few big things--values and people that reflect your values: "What I’m talking about here is essentially learning how to focus and prioritize your thoughts effectively—how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed personal values." On a serious note, the author relates a horrific experience from his youth, when a drunken friend took a dare, jumped into a lake and drowned. This tragedy led to a determination to change the direction of his life, and figure out what is most important: "Oddly, it was someone else’s death that gave me permission to finally live. The author refers often to a book, "The Denial of Death," (which became a Pulitzer Prize winner.). In serious, heartfelt chapters, the author reflects on human existence, and our search for meaning in life."
"Some of the main themes are these: (1) Choosing what to care about; focusing on the things/problems that are actually meaningful/important (= "giving a f*** about the right things"). (2) Learning to be fine with some negative things; always aiming for positivity isn't practical, and is stressful in itself. (3) Taking responsibility of your own life; it's good for your self-esteem not to keep blaming the circumstances for your problems. (4) Understanding the importance of honesty and boundaries, especially in relationships. (5) Identity; it might a good idea not to commit strongly to any special identity such as "an undiscovered genius", because then any challenges will make you fear the potential loss of that identity you've clinged to. (6) Motivation; how to improve it by accepting failure and taking action. (7) Death; how learning to be more comfortable with one's own mortality can make it easier to live. The first 20% of this book were a little bit boring to read, but after that, the experience was very absorbing."
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Best Inner Child

ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES
DISCLAIMER: This is the official ACA Fellowship Text that is Adult Children of Alcoholics World Service Organization (ACA WSO) Conference Approved Literature. The ACA Fellowship Text (commonly referred to as the Big Red Book or BRB) is a meeting book, Steps book, Traditions book, workbook, and group guide. While we are developing an audio book and considering the feasibility of large print books, we trust that the fellowship will be able to utilize e-readers to access the ACA Fellowship Text on e-readers that enlarge the print size and or read the book.
Reviews
"This book is amazing."
"I selected this book on a recommendation from a friend who is an Adult Child."
"I had struggled with some of these problems and patterns for my whole life, and had made some headway on my own in terms of figuring things out."
"The content of the book itself is extremely helpful if you come from a family where alcoholism, abuse or some other kind of dysfunction existed."
"Highly recommended."
"Although I have just started with an ACA group this is an excellent book to aid in breaking the additive patterns inadvertently inherited by our families of origin, whether alcohol and/or dysfunctional behaviors were present."
"The professional pieces by Charles Whitfield and Claudia Black are instructive and fit well into the overall project."
"I can relate to so much in this book, having grown up in a dysfunctional home, especially the part about "emotional neglect", which I had never heard about until I got into ACA."
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Best Stress Management

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
"The Bible of business and personal productivity" — Lifehack "A completely revised and updated edition of the blockbuster bestseller from 'the personal productivity guru'" — Fast Company. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.). That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Readers learn that there is no single means for perfecting organizational efficiency or productivity; rather, the author offers tools to focus energies strategically and tactically without letting anything fall through the cracks.
Reviews
"His system for logging these tasks into an airtight and functional system for tracking them does take a bit of effort in the beginning and is why I procrastinated doing it in the beginning but once implemented it saves you grief 100 fold."
"Outstanding."
"He has some helpful charts but the prose is long and sloggy for me."
"GTD is the classic to organize your inputs into projects and next actions."
"I don't feel stuck and overwhelmed without a clue where to start on my projects."
"There are so many books with complicated systems to try and organize your life."
"I loved the first edition, but the 2015 edition was tedious to read and I didn't have the patience to get through it."
"Since the original release there has been a profound shift in the use of technology - hardware, software, mobile and cloud. 2015 finds us in much more diversified and integrated data input/output environment than what the Palm and MSOffice suite offered in 2000, and so there is a very good reason to update the "how" part of the equation to manage this new information capture and task-list ecosystem. In the new edition, the author provides some digital guideline feature specifics (software outline program should allow for sub-headings, expand/collapse ability), even more generalities, but mostly just derails the digital conversation of any 'how' by sweeping particulars under the carpet with a few ambiguities of "what" needs to be done, not "how" to do it, "Make sure you create comfort with the [computer] applications ["used for developing and capturing project plans and collateral"]. Punting on digital specifics of today's workflow world because, in his words, “the rate of innovation in this area means that any specific software program can easily be outdated, upgraded, or undermined by the next new thing", and that he has admittedly "hopped out of the fray, opting instead to provide a general model for how to evaluate the usefulness of any tool" is, for me, not useful. But whereas I was confident that I had a pretty holistic system set-up as a result of the original book (and actually, as much a result of a smaller digital footprint, and I know I'm not the exception), I now feel, with this "completely updated" edition, that I have half a system with a digital divide, a "black hole" as the author even alludes. I agree that it has helped me refine my thinking about how to use GTD in the digital age,,, i.e., I now think that I cannot rely just on this one book as a holistic model of how to get it all done ;). For anyone new to GTD, go ahead and buy this 2015 version, or save some money and buy the paperback original for a $1.50 and you'll learn the essentials that have not changed."
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Best Journal Writing

4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication in Love, Life, Work--Anywhere!: A How-To Guide for Practicing the Empathic Listening, Speaking, and Dialogue Skills to Achieve Relationship Success
"This is an excellent guide on how to practice empathy in relationships, showing why it's so important and how to do it. "THESE SKILLS HELP ME WITH MY CLIENTS AND MY LOVED ONES" "The communication skills Bento Leal teaches have helped me listen and speak with greater empathy to both my loved ones and my clients, and as a result have continued to strengthen my relationships in my life and work. If there is one thing that undermines all of our relationships it is poor or lack of communication. I'd get intensely busy with it for a few days, and then back off for sometimes a few weeks, and then I'd get back at it again with renewed inspiration, fresh ideas and determination. This is how it was for a full 13 months. But my hope during the entire writing process was that the final result would be something succinct, readable, and most importantly doable that could help people grow themselves and their relationships. That was the main motivation and driving force that kept me going.
Reviews
"I read this book to be more intentional in being a better communicator, thinking my listening was a strength."
"While we've all learned about empathic listening from as far back as Stephen Covey, adding empathic awareness and empathic speaking in that same box is very helpful and concept-expanding."
"There is no a single moment when you will get bored of reading this book, because everything in it is a treasure that is actually helpful to everyone who wants to improve the way they communicate with people in their private and professional lives."
"Great book - author is explaining different communication tactics and examples how to practice it."
"Makes you understand deeper about effective communication."
"Great purchase, very helpful information."
"I enjoyed this book and plan to use it to better communicate with others."
"Content of this book is very really life context."
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Best Spiritual Self-Help

The Alchemist
A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." The charming tale of Santiago, a shepherd boy, who dreams of seeing the world, is compelling in its own right, but gains resonance through the many lessons Santiago learns during his adventures.
Reviews
"After deciding to travel to a Romani fortune-teller in a nearby town to discover its meaning, a gypsy woman tells him that there is a treasure in the Pyramids in Egypt. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.”. The Alchemist Physical CoverAlong the journey, Santiago meets an Englishman who is in search of an Alchemist and together they continue their search for treasure. The essential message is that treasure is more worthy than gold."
"I purchased and began reading this book 2 years ago and, for whatever reason, I couldn't get into it."
"I knew I would love this book."
"Sometimes - I ask myself whether the "magical" moments in the book were symbolic or literal --- I would venture out to say that Paulo intended for those moments to be perceived and interpreted by his readers as both symbolic and real."
"The boy makes connections with various people and nature and the ebb and flow of life learning to listen to omens or signs as well as his heart."
"Perhaps I am dense but I did not see such profound things there."
"Reading this a couple weeks after I moved to a new state for the first time really opened my eyes."
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Best Creativity Self-Help

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
When can I stop proving myself?In The Gifts of Imperfection, Bren頂rown, PhD, a leading expert on shame, authenticity and belonging, shares what she's learned from a decade of research on the power of Wholehearted Living--a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough, and to go to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. Each guidepost is the focus of a chapter that contains illustrative stories, primarily from her own life; definitions, including the difference between shame and guilt; quotes from such diverse sources as Diane Ackerman and E.E. She intersperses her own personal journey with research and clinical observations of others of the work of living a “wholehearted” life, or “engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness.” The point is to embrace life and oneself with all the imperfections, releasing the stress of overdoing and overworking.
Reviews
"Moreover, I had recently been dumped in my 'perfect' engagement by my fiancee who had been cheating on me with a male coworker. Changing my mind on reading this was undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am a much better person for it. This is important because thoughtful people need to confront these things in order to overcome them and develop not just a positive mindset; but, a *realistic* one that doesn't ignore the potentially negative cognitions that arise. But, allow me to be clear: if you have just been dumped, divorced, or experienced a break-up, then I think this is a great book for you. I think this is the right approach, since qualitative research is well-suited to derive meaning from the experiences of people. CONs. -for the uninitiated (read: myself), I thought that guidepost 8 wasn't as clear in defining the concept of stillness. First, I grew-up with a very domineering father and reading this book has made me truly comfortable with him for the first time in my life."
"I read "Daring Greatly" about 6 months ago after watching Dr. Brown's TED talks and that book honest to goodness changed my life. I found this was a little shallow and abstract, whereas Daring Greatly so eloquently and articulately put words to ideas we understand intuitively, and it really enhanced my emotional vocabulary. Some of it (shame vs guilt, for example) was redundant of Daring Greatly (and other texts for that matter) and her discussion of ideas like intuition, spirituality, and numbing were vague and unhelpful to me. She had a section after each chapter called DIG deep where she listed ways that she tries to employ these strategies, and she often said "Amen" at the end of some quotes. She was also a little judgmental in this book (towards others and towards herself) and I could ironically see her striving for perfectionism (like in order to be perfect she needs to become "wholehearted," so she is actively working to employ these strategies rather than actually embodying them). Additionally, unlike Daring Greatly, this reads a little bit like a checklist (see comment above) of things you should do: 1. don't be a perfectionist 2. The Gifts of Imperfection seemed to get sidetracked by specifics (dancing, jewelry making, her childhood house in New Orleans) and it never reached that universality that was so healing in Daring Greatly. In contrast, it felt like Brene Brown had found her own voice in Daring Greatly, and no longer needed to continually reference others' work and could just share her research and the conclusions she reached from it. All in all, while The Gifts of Imperfection was a nice book that offered a little refresher of Brown's understanding of "wholehearted living" with some ideas about intuition and faith, creativity, and song and dance, it was not as sophisticated or inspiring as her latest book Daring Greatly, which really felt like a true culmination of her research and experiences."
"I've been through 6 therapists, I've struggled with depression for nearly twenty years, never could finish anything I started, and everyone always assumed I had ADHD. Not until therapist number five did someone point out to me that ADHD is often mistaken for anxiety and he was sure that was my problem."
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Best Memory Improvement

A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)
The companion book to COURSERA®'s wildly popular massive open online course "Learning How to Learn" Whether you are a student struggling to fulfill a math or science requirement, or you are embarking on a career change that requires a new skill set, A Mind for Numbers offers the tools you need to get a better grasp of that intimidating material. When she saw how her lack of mathematical and technical savvy severely limited her options—both to rise in the military and to explore other careers—she returned to school with a newfound determination to re-tool her brain to master the very subjects that had given her so much trouble throughout her entire life. How do you come to love math and science, and how do you come to learn math and science? Barbara Oakley is the magician who will help you do both.” —Francisco J. Ayala, University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, and former President and Chairman of the Board, American Association for the Advancement of Science. But now that learners have a handy guide for ‘knowing better’ they will also be able to ‘do better.’” —Shirley Malcom, Head of Education and Human Resources Programs, American Association for the Advancement of Science “ A Mind for Numbers is an excellent book about how to approach mathematics, science, or any realm where problem solving plays a prominent role.” —J. Given the urgent need for America to improve its science and math education so it can stay competitive, A Mind for Numbers is a welcome find.” —Geoffrey Canada, President, Harlem Children's Zone "It's easy to say 'work smarter, not harder,' but Barbara Oakley actually shows you how to do just that, in a fast-paced and accessible book that collects tips based on experience and sound science. —Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law, The University of Tennessee “ A Mind for Numbers is a splendid resource for how to approach mathematics learning and in fact learning in any area. This is a must-read for anyone who has struggled with mathematics and anyone interested in enhancing their learning experience.” —David C. Geary, Curators’ Professor of Psychological Sciences and Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, University o f Missouri. “For students afraid of math and science and for those who love the subjects, this engaging book provides guidance in establishing study habits that take advantage of how the brain works.” —Deborah Schifter, Principal Research Scientist, Science and Mathematics Programs, Education Development Center, Inc.
Reviews
"Dr. Oakley does a masterful job in introducing the science of learning to readers in a way that is very engaging, practical, infectious and liberating."
"I eventually became a science teacher and bought this book to see if I could use it to reach my students better and it opened my eyes not only to good strategies but how the technical parts of our brain even work."
"The author explains in details why the strategies presented work and this makes a difference with merely reading about “how to study”. I need to read it all over again because it is so full of information... Good luck to you all."
"With practical and and easy to implement advice Dr Oakley and her book, open a door to a world that for many self-identified creatives such as myself, was locked and heavily barred before."
"Barbara Oakley is very inspirational."
"Some of the suggestions seem time constrained unless you study without the schedule constraint! So if you are not good in math but want to be employ the suggestion in this book and do them outside of a schedule constraint."
"Normally when a person of your background write literature, all meaning is lost because of the high tech words."
"It really helps to understand how our brain works and what we can do to achieve our objectives not only in math but in any subject or in general."
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Best Personal Transformation

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
Bestselling author, speaker and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, cuts through the din of the self-help genre with her own verbal meat cleaver in You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life . ---Publishers Weekly Jen Sincero is a Bestselling author and success coach who has helped countless people transform their personal and professional lives via her private sessions, public appearances, newsletters, products and books. She's spoken on stages all over the world and has coached full-on super heroes, helping her clients build their dream businesses, become NY Times Bestselling authors, navigate million dollar business deals, find their soul mates and forgive their bitchy mothers who they now realize were doing the best they could.
Reviews
"Sincero also uses a lot of highly critical, edgy language to describe people who are struggling or stuck - therefore not as awesome as she is - using words like "lame-o " "suck" "wuss" ...well, you get the idea. I have to confess that I question a writer who continually references her own life choices and personal career success as a model that the rest of us should follow."
"About halfway through the book, Sincero begins talking about excuses. She says, and I'm paraphrasing here, that depression is a comfort because it gives those who suffer from it an excuse not to do anything but stay in bed. There are days where laundry piles up and my bedroom becomes a disaster and I hide away from the world because I don't think I'm worthy of being seen. It means that I'm just dealing with negative thoughts and I need to work through it. The fact that Sincero completely misunderstands depression ruined this book for me instantly. I couldn't afford to replace the khakis that were part of my work uniform. And I certainly didn't spend beyond my means just because I thought 'the universe owes me and will figure it out.'. Going out and spending money on a trip around the world isn't exactly sound advice for everyone. I felt like Sincero was speaking to one small group of clients. I was highly offended and if I wasn't so far in the book, I would've stopped reading altogether."
"Imagine if someone tried to rewrite The Secret and other such nonsense with just enough swearing and pop culture references to make the author think they're being "witty" and "cool." Other readers have already pointed out the ludicrous example of how the author talks about her "magical" ability to always find great parking spaces just because she sends that need out into the universe, or some other claptrap. I'm imaging the people who ride the bus who are trying to get to work, home, medical services, etc, and I can't see them being happy about being wildly off schedule. In short, this book might appeal to you if: 1) You've never heard of any other self-help ideas. 2) Fortune cookies regularly wow you with their insights. 3) You don't have any financial issues, disabilities/chronic health concerns, and nothing ever goes wrong for you."
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Best Self-Esteem Self-Help

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
When can I stop proving myself?In The Gifts of Imperfection, Bren頂rown, PhD, a leading expert on shame, authenticity and belonging, shares what she's learned from a decade of research on the power of Wholehearted Living--a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough, and to go to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. Each guidepost is the focus of a chapter that contains illustrative stories, primarily from her own life; definitions, including the difference between shame and guilt; quotes from such diverse sources as Diane Ackerman and E.E. She intersperses her own personal journey with research and clinical observations of others of the work of living a “wholehearted” life, or “engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness.” The point is to embrace life and oneself with all the imperfections, releasing the stress of overdoing and overworking.
Reviews
"Moreover, I had recently been dumped in my 'perfect' engagement by my fiancee who had been cheating on me with a male coworker. Changing my mind on reading this was undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am a much better person for it. This is important because thoughtful people need to confront these things in order to overcome them and develop not just a positive mindset; but, a *realistic* one that doesn't ignore the potentially negative cognitions that arise. But, allow me to be clear: if you have just been dumped, divorced, or experienced a break-up, then I think this is a great book for you. I think this is the right approach, since qualitative research is well-suited to derive meaning from the experiences of people. CONs. -for the uninitiated (read: myself), I thought that guidepost 8 wasn't as clear in defining the concept of stillness. First, I grew-up with a very domineering father and reading this book has made me truly comfortable with him for the first time in my life."
"I read "Daring Greatly" about 6 months ago after watching Dr. Brown's TED talks and that book honest to goodness changed my life. I found this was a little shallow and abstract, whereas Daring Greatly so eloquently and articulately put words to ideas we understand intuitively, and it really enhanced my emotional vocabulary. Some of it (shame vs guilt, for example) was redundant of Daring Greatly (and other texts for that matter) and her discussion of ideas like intuition, spirituality, and numbing were vague and unhelpful to me. She had a section after each chapter called DIG deep where she listed ways that she tries to employ these strategies, and she often said "Amen" at the end of some quotes. She was also a little judgmental in this book (towards others and towards herself) and I could ironically see her striving for perfectionism (like in order to be perfect she needs to become "wholehearted," so she is actively working to employ these strategies rather than actually embodying them). Additionally, unlike Daring Greatly, this reads a little bit like a checklist (see comment above) of things you should do: 1. don't be a perfectionist 2. The Gifts of Imperfection seemed to get sidetracked by specifics (dancing, jewelry making, her childhood house in New Orleans) and it never reached that universality that was so healing in Daring Greatly. In contrast, it felt like Brene Brown had found her own voice in Daring Greatly, and no longer needed to continually reference others' work and could just share her research and the conclusions she reached from it. All in all, while The Gifts of Imperfection was a nice book that offered a little refresher of Brown's understanding of "wholehearted living" with some ideas about intuition and faith, creativity, and song and dance, it was not as sophisticated or inspiring as her latest book Daring Greatly, which really felt like a true culmination of her research and experiences."
"I've been through 6 therapists, I've struggled with depression for nearly twenty years, never could finish anything I started, and everyone always assumed I had ADHD. Not until therapist number five did someone point out to me that ADHD is often mistaken for anxiety and he was sure that was my problem."
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Best Eating Disorders & Body Image Self-Help

Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin & Free
It’s because the brain blocks weight loss. By working with four “Bright Lines” — clear, unambiguous, boundaries — Susan Peirce Thompson shows us how to heal our brain and shift it into a mode where it is ready to shed pounds, release cravings, and stop sabotaging our weight loss goals. This book is based not only on the personal experiences of thousands, but also backed up by solid brain science that has never been presented like this before. — Mark Hyman, M.D., director, Cleveland Center for Functional Medicine and #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Blood Sugar Solution. Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester and an expert in the psychology of eating. She is President of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss and the founder and CEO of Bright Line Eating Solutions, a company dedicated to helping people achieve the health and vibrancy that accompany permanent weight loss.
Reviews
"I am now 75 years old and two years ago I found Susan pierce Thompson program and finally the program that works for me."
"That was how I felt when I read the book “Bright Line Eating, the Science of Living Happy, Thin, and Free”!! After starting a Bright Line Eating boot camp a year ago TODAY, I have released 57 pounds and 35 inches overall! The way Dr. Thompson writes—it really is like she is sitting at the table with me like a good friend, telling me the science—the “why” I haven’t been able to keep the lost weight off. Has any other author told you what to do when you travel or when you are ill or how to get through a special occasion like birthdays, weddings, holidays?! “Bright Line Eating, the Science of Living Happy, Thin, and Free” isn’t just another “diet” book!"
"I started watching Susan's videos on you tube. I took the leap and joined the 14 day challenge. I had to be focused, organized and plan ahead. Did I crave sugary processed foods? Best thing about this plan. It works. I'm feel so much better. Energy level increased. Sleeping solid through the night. Losing weight. Decreased brain fog."
"Over the course of 35 years I tried Weight Watchers (MANY times), Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, South Beach Diet, Eat More Weigh Less, The Zone, Slim Fast, SparkPeople, Eat Right for Your Type, Dexatrim, Medifast, Atkins, Ornish, Mediterranean, Suzanne Somers, Susan Powter-Stop the Insanity, Jane Fonda Workouts, 6 Week Body Makeover, Protein Power, Shakeology, and the list goes on. Some diets lasted for days, others for weeks or months, but none of them clicked. My cheat day(s) or meals turned into cheat weeks over time, and slowly my books, food, pills, shakes or materials disappeared into the spare bedroom so I didn't see the reminder of yet another failed diet attempt. But after the first 2 weeks my energy returned, my brain fog disappeared, I was no longer distracted by thoughts of food, and I was losing weight. If you're anything like me and struggle with your weight, if you've tried everything and want to give up, if you want to get healthy and feel vibrant and amazing just about every day, this book is for you!"
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