The Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In the early seventies just after the publication of The Psychology of Self-Esteem, I went to the library looking for other books on the subject. I found only one other book with self-esteem in its title. Over the years, I've watched closely as the word self-esteem has exploded into American culture, and has become as American as the proverbial apple pie, often with undercurrents of confusion and ignorance. Yet, with Nathaniel Branden, the innovator of the whole movement, the definition has always been the same; what has changed is his ever-increasing knowledge and awareness of the subject, much of which he shares In The Art Of Living Consciously. For those interested in the role of consciousness in improving one's life and one's self esteem -- that one is competent to know one's world, and worthy of happiness -- this will be the book for you. Once again, Nathaniel offers up a treasure chest of personal examples, as well as the examples of his clients. Also, offered is a facinating look into the world of ¨spirituality¨ as seen through the eyes of Mr. Rationality. Here, again, is another powerful and entertaining book from the man who launched the term into public discussion.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life

The Art of Living Consciously Is an Operating Manual for Our Basic Tool of Survival In The Art of Living Consciously, Dr. Nathaniel Branden, our foremost authority on self-esteem, takes us into new territory, exploring the actions of our minds when they are operating as our life and well-being require -- and also when they are not. No other book illuminates so clearly what true mindfulness means: * In the workplace * In the arena of romantic love * In child-rearing * In the pursuit of personal development Today we are exposed to an unprecedented amount of information and an unprecedented number of opinions about every conceivable aspect of life. We are thrown on our own resources as never before -- and we have nothing to protect us but the clarity of our thinking. In The Art of Living Consciously, Branden gives us the tools with which to draw out the best within us.

Click here for more information about The Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life

Read More...

A Philosopher's Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, Vol. 1 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was already a fan of Brian's Philosopher's Notes and now this book! He has taken the best of the best of timeless wisdom and put it in this compact, fun book. Then he delivers it in such a concise and energetic manner. You truly feel his passion for knowledge and most importantly his passion for sharing that knowledge with others!

Click Here to see more reviews about: A Philosopher's Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, Vol. 1

The Class We Never Had
Isn't it a bit odd that we went from Science to Math to History but somehow missed the class on how to live? For some wacky reason "Optimal Living 101" didn't make the schedule... But imagine if that class did exist and the teachers included everyone from the old school philosophers like Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Emerson, Nietzsche and Buddha to modern sages like Joseph Campbell, Paulo Coelho, Dan Millman, Deepak Chopra, Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle and Wayne Dyer plus the world's leading positive psychologists like Sonja Lyubomirsky, Tal Ben-Shahar and Martin Seligman who are *scientifically* establishing how we can live with more happiness, meaning and mojo.

Think of this book as a Philosopher's notes on that awesome class. From "Spiritual Farts" and "110-Year Old You"s to "The Tolle Trap" and "Blissipline," you'll have fun getting your wisdom on in this inspiring, playful, wise and practical little book as Brian Johnson shares one hundred of his favorite Big Ideas on how to create a life brimming with a radiant enthusiasm only discovered when we align with the fundamentals of Optimal Living.

Click here for more information about A Philosopher's Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, Vol. 1

Read More...

Coach Yourself to Success : 101 Tips from a Personal Coach for Reaching Your Goals at Work and in Life Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have read many, many self help books over the past decade. Some of these books are classics, others are not. This book (for me at least) falls in the "not classic" category: just too much fluff for me.
Normally I would have just donated this book to a local charity and moved on to another book. However, I feel that I must add my comments about this book, to add more balance to the other reviews found here.
Many of Talane's tips are common sense, and would be helpful to someone just starting out on the road to self improvement. Some of the tips are just plain wacky. For example, in tip 20: Feng Shui Your Home and Office, we are invited to make sure the front entrance door of our house never opens to face a bathroom. If it does, we are advised to keep the door closed. Great tip, for modesty reasons as well as for Feng Shui. We also learn that we should "never design or buy a house with a bathroom in the center of the house; it will drain out all the energy." She doesn't know why she does these things, she does just does these things because they "work".
One of the other tips that struck me as strange was the advice to identify our needs. As an example, she mentiones that some people are compulsive shoppers because they want to feel needed. If this is our need, we are invited to ask people to let us know how cherished we are for 4 to 6 weeks... that should be enough to stop the compulsive shopping. Much of the book seemed a bit too simplistic for me.
One other personal issue: each tip is prefaced with a quote from some great thinkers... however, some are dialog clips from TV episodes like Rossanne and Mamma's Family. Those types of quotes are not untelling of the level of content you will find in this book.
Like I said, if this is the first self improvement book you purchase, you will find a fairly shallow treatment of many wide ranging topics... most of which should help you begin your self improvement path. Personally, I could not force myself to finish the book: I only made it to page 174.
If you do purchase this book, don't stop with this one, keep going on to deeper, more comprehensive works.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Coach Yourself to Success : 101 Tips from a Personal Coach for Reaching Your Goals at Work and in Life


"In just six months I have gained tremendous clarity about how to care for my needs, live my values, and create my ideal life."--Pat Thomas, vice president, product delivery, AT&T

"This book is your blueprint for the life you've always dreamed about having."--Sandy Vilas, president, Coach University

Olympic athletes have a coach. CEOs use the services of an executive coach. Can you imagine how much more productive and successful you would be if you had your own life coach? You don't have to anymore! In Coach Yourself to Success, Talane Miedaner, one of the most widely recognized personal coaches in the world, provides you with the latest technology for achieving success and attracting everything you have always wanted.

Using her experience as a professional coach for hundreds of Fortune 500 clients and her own corporate background, Talane shares 101 of the most powerful and effective coaching tips and presents them in an easy-to-follow, 10-part program. Coach Yourself to Success will help you gain insight into what is truly important in your life and give you the edge to take yourself from ordinary to extraordinary.

Click here for more information about Coach Yourself to Success : 101 Tips from a Personal Coach for Reaching Your Goals at Work and in Life

Read More...

Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)*****
I really enjoyed this author's book on personal development which he organized around the meaning of eleven words: Genshai (not treating anyone, including yourself, small), Pathfinder (leader), Namaste (respecting each person's authenticity and uniqueness), Passion (suffering for what you value), Sapere Vedere (visioning), Humility (being teachable), Inspire (breathing life into), Empathy (walking the path of another), Coach (mentoring another), and Integrity (being congruent). He emphasizes that there is much value to be found in drilling down and exploring words, and his book demonstrates this.
Aspire is a quick read chock full of valuable inspirational and motivational information that is not unique, perhaps, but organized in such a way to have more impact than other self-help books. It is also fun to read, filled with stories and excerpts from the author's journal that summarize the chapters for later reviewing. This is a book that is valuable to be purchased in hardback because it is one that you'll read again and again.
Highly recommended.
*****

Click Here to see more reviews about: Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words

An expert recognized for his uncovering the hidden, and often secret meaning of words, Kevin Hall now shares his wisdom with us all. In Aspire! he teaches readers to understand what words mean in their purest sense and unlock their importance as they develop a thoughtful new vocabulary. As Stephen R. Covey so beautifully elucidates in his foreword, "this masterfully written book will help you understand that words have an inherent power, a force capable of lighting one′s paths and horizons. Used correctly and positively, words are the first building blocks for success and inner peace. Used incorrectly and negatively, they are capable of undermining even the best of intentions. This is true in business, in personal relationships, and every other walk of life." By focusing on eleven words-one per chapter--Aspire! shows how to use these words as building blocks for success and inner peace. The words, from the very familiar to the very unusual, will become touchstones in personal development and in business.

Click here for more information about Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words

Read More...

Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you one of those people who allows your goal or goals to dominate your life? And once your goals are achieved, do you think of your achievements as, "no big deal?"
While the author describes 5 keys to long-term success and fulfillment,as:
1. Instruction;
2. Practice;
3. Surrender;
4. Intentionality; and,
5. The Edge - Push the envelop.
Mastery is:
1. The process where what was difficult becomes both easier and
more pleasurable;
2. Long-term dedication to the journey - not the bottom line;
3. Gaining mental discipline to travel further on your journey;
4. Being goalless;
5. Realizing that the pleasure of practice is intensified;
6. Creating deep roots;
7. Knowing that you will never reach a final destination;
8. Being diligent with the process of mastery;
9. Your commitment to hone your skills;
10. After you have reached the top of the mountain, climb
another one;
11. Being willing to practice, even when you seem to be getting
no where;
12. Making this a life process;
13. Being patient, while you apply long-term efforts;
14. Appreciating and even enjoying the plateau, as much as you do
the progress;
15. Practicing for the sake of practice;
16. Winning graciously, and losing with equal grace;
17. Placing practice, discipline, conditioning and character
development before winning;
18. Being courageous;
19. Being fully in the present moment;
20. Realizing that the ultimate goal is not the medal, or the
ribbon, but the path to mastery its self (The "I am"
stage);
21. Being willing to look foolish;
22. Maintaining flexibility in your strategy, and in your
actions;
23. A journey; and,
24. Determination
Apply this to everything in your life, to claim your authentic self.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

Drawing on Zen philosophy and his expertise in the martial art of aikido, bestselling author George Leonard shows how the process of mastery can help us attain a higher level of excellence and a deeper sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in our daily lives.Whether you're seeking to improve your career or your intimate relationships, increase self-esteem or create harmony within yourself, this inspiring prescriptive guide will help you master anything you choose and achieve success in all areas of your life.In Mastery, you'll discover:The 5 Essential Keys to Mastery Tools for Mastery Mastery and Energy How to Master Your Athletic Potential The 3 Personality Types that Are Obstacles to Mastery How to Avoid Pitfalls Along the Path and more . . .

Click here for more information about Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

Read More...

Strengths-Based Leadership Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Rath and Conchie have provided us with a helpful tool for fine-tuning our own leadership capacity. Using statistical factor analysis of data in Gallup's database, the authors detail how balanced leadership teams have strengths within four Leadership Domains: Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Executing. The authors relate that while individuals are rarely balanced, teams always should be. Leadership Teams operating in these four domains work both to serve the four primary needs of their constituencies and to execute their primary organizational responsibilities.
Using a recent Gallup review of data from 10,000 followers, the authors also report that followers report surprising agreement on four of their primary needs: trust, compassion, stability, and hope.
Leaders who use the code that comes with the book to take the online Strengthsfinder assessment (www.strengthsfinder.com) to determine their Top 5 Strengths are provided with a customized Strengths-Based Leadership report that help them understand their Top 5 Strengths and a Strengths-Based Leadership Guide that provides detailed advice on how to use each of their Top 5 Strengths to meet the four primary needs.
Leaders who read this book will have a deepened appreciation of both their own leadership abilities and of the degree to which they lead best when they work in team. The four Leadership Domains and the four primary needs of followers provide leaders with a rich paradigm for considering new approaches in attacking organizational priorities.
Highly recommended.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Strengths-Based Leadership

For decades, Gallup scientists have researched the topic of leadership. They've surveyed a million work teams, conducted more than 50,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and even interviewed 20,000 followers to ask what they admired in the most important leader in their life. The results of that research are unveiled in Strengths-Based Leadership. Using Gallup's discoveries, authors Tom Rath and Barry Conchie identify three keys to being an effective leader and use firsthand accounts from highly successful leaders - including the founder of Teach for America and the president of The Ritz-Carlton - to show how each person's unique talents can drive their success. A new version of Gallup's popular StrengthsFinder assessment helps readers discover their own special gifts, and specific strategies show them how to lead with their top five talents. Loaded with novel research, inspiring stories, and actionable ideas, Strengths-Based Leadership offers a new roadmap for leading people toward a better future.

Click here for more information about Strengths-Based Leadership

Read More...