Recommendations based on "Vita Contemplativa"

The lessons monks learn are profound but often abstract. Shetty transforms them into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve focus, improve relationships, identify our hidden abilities, increase self-discipline and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world.

Selected for USA Today's Best Books of 2023Selected as Editor's Pick in Amazon's Best Books of 2023From psychotherapist Katherine Morgan Schafler, an invitation to every “recovering perfectionist” to challenge the way they look at perfectionism, and the way they look at themselves.We’ve been looking at perfectionism all wrong. As psychotherapist and former on-site therapist at Google Katherine Morgan Schafler argues in The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control, you don’t have to stop being a perfectionist to be healthy. For women who are sick of being given the generic advice to “find balance,” a new approach has arrived.Which of the five types of perfectionist are you? Classic, intense, Parisian, messy, or procrastinator? As you identify your unique perfectionist profile, you'll learn how to manage each form of perfectionism to work for you, not against you. Beyond managing it, you'll learn how to embrace and even enjoy your perfectionism. Yes, enjoy!Full of stories and brimming with humor, empathy, and depth, this book is a love letter to the ambitious, high achieving, full-of-life clients who filled the author’s private practice, and who changed her life. It’s a clarion call for all women to dare to want more without feeling greedy or ungrateful. Ultimately, this book will show you how to make the single greatest trade you’ll ever make in your life, which is to exchange superficial control for real power.

Instant New York Times Advice & Business Bestseller, USA TodayBestseller, and Wall Street Journal #1 Bestseller!A New York Times Noteworthy Pick and a "stellar work" by Publishers WeeklyFrom the bestselling authors of The Daily Stoic comes an inspiring guide to the lives of the Stoics, and what the ancients can teach us about happiness, success, resilience and virtue.Nearly 2,300 years after a ruined merchant named Zeno first established a school on the Stoa Poikile of Athens, Stoicism has found a new audience among those who seek greatness, from athletes to politicians and everyone in between. It's no wonder; the philosophy and its embrace of self-mastery, virtue, and indifference to that which we cannot control is as urgent today as it was in the chaos of the Roman Empire.In Lives of the Stoics, Holiday and Hanselman present the fascinating lives of the men and women who strove to live by the timeless Stoic virtues of Courage. Justice. Temperance. Wisdom. Organized in digestible, mini-biographies of all the well-known--and not so well-known--Stoics, this book vividly brings home what Stoicism was like for the people who loved it and lived it, dusting off powerful lessons to be learned from their struggles and successes.More than a mere history book, every example in these pages, from Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius--slaves to emperors--is designed to help the reader apply philosophy in their own lives. Holiday and Hanselman unveil the core values and ideas that unite figures from Seneca to Cato to Cicero across the centuries. Among them are the idea that self-rule is the greatest empire, that character is fate; how Stoics benefit from preparing not only for success, but failure; and learn to love, not merely accept, the hand they are dealt in life. A treasure of valuable insights and stories, this book can be visited again and again by any reader in search of inspiration from the past.

A simple but radical guidebook for anyone learning to care for themselves and others, with vibrant color illustrations.Healing is not just for people who have their s&*t together. Healing is, most important, for people who are falling apart. How to Take Care will help you learn to trust your instincts, listen to your body, and practice small, easy steps to soothe anxiety, burnout, and symptoms of PTSD.From A (adaptogenic herbs, ancestral healing) to Z (zoetic), How to Take Care is for anyone striving to live slowly, with self-compassion, one moment at a time. Learn tangible steps to dispel shame, tell the truth, and loosen the grip on whatever is holding you back. Sample guided meditations, cook nurturing recipes, and follow handy how-tos. Practice the grounding of a clean sink when you’d rather burn the house down, or connect with nature by growing flowers from seed. Keep this guide on your nightstand or in your backpack for easy-reference tools, techniques, and strategies to calm your nervous system and come back to your body. It is a gift for yourself or anyone else who is going through a big, messy, or trying season of life.

At A Time When People Are Living Into Their Tenth Decade, The Longest Longitudinal Study Of Human Development Ever Undertaken Offers Welcome News For Old Age: Our Lives Evolve In Our Later Years And Often Become More Fulfilling. Among The Surprising Findings: People Who Do Well In Old Age Did Not Necessarily Do So Well In Midlife, And Vice Versa.

In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk in the Vedic tradition to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Drawing on ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits, and access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us. The lessons monks learn are profound but often abstract. Shetty transforms them into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve focus, improve relationships, identify our hidden abilities, increase self-discipline and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world. Shetty proves that everyone can and should think like a monk.

***NATIONAL BESTSELLER***STOP FOR A MOMENT.Are you here right now?Is your focus on this page? Or is it roaming elsewhere, to the past or future, to a worry, to your to-do list, or to your phone?Whether you're simply browsing, talking to friends, or trying to stay focused in an important meeting, you can't seem to manage to hang on to your attention. No matter how hard you try, you're somewhere else. The consequence is that you miss out on 50 percent of your life—including the most important moments.The good news: There's nothing wrong with you—your brain isn't broken. The human brain was built to be distractible.The even better news: You can train your brain to pay attention more effectively.Stay with me a little longer and soon you will be able to: Focus without all the struggle. Take back your attention from the pull of distraction. And function at your peak, for all that truly matters in your life.

DO YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO BE PERFECT? We're all laboring under our own and society's expectations to be perfect in every way-to look younger, to make more money, to be happy all the time. But according to Tal Ben-Shahar, the New York Times bestselling author of Happier, the pursuit of perfect may actually be the number-one internal obstacle to finding happiness. OR DO YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY? Applying cutting-edge research in the field of positive psychology-the scientific principles taught in his wildly popular course at Harvard University-Ben-Shahar takes us off the impossible pursuit of perfection and directs us to the way to happiness, richness, and true fulfillment. He shows us the freedom derived from not trying to do it all right all the time and the real lessons that failure and painful emotions can teach us. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE PERFECTLY HAPPY! In The Pursuit of Perfect, Tal Ben-Shahar offers an optimal way of thinking about failure and success--and the very way we live. He provides exercises for self reflection, meditations, and “Time-Ins” to help you rediscover what you really want out of life. Praise for Tal Ben-Shahar's Happier: “This fine book shimmers with a rare brand of good sense that is embedded in scientific knowledge about how to increase happiness. It is easy to see how this is the backbone of the most popular course at Harvard today.” -Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness

Find your Inner Crunchy without becoming that person with this helpful guide from social media star Really Very Crunchy.Are you tired of being bombarded by toxins at every turn? Do you want a more natural, "crunchy" approach to the world (with or without the beige aesthetic)? Well, grab your kombucha and join Emily Morrow on a journey to a more wholesome existence with Really Very Crunchy: A Beginner's Guide to Removing Toxins from Your Life without Adding Them to Your Personality.Emily Morrow, creator of the viral "Really Very Crunchy" social media accounts, guides you through the ins and outs of starting and maintaining a crunchy lifestyle. With her signature humor and a delightfully sincere approach, she will show you how crunchy is a spectrum and how every little choice you make is one small step away from crunch-ifying your own life. From the basics of crunchy to the more advanced choices (beets instead of blush, anyone?), you will quickly say goodbye to toxic chemicals and hello to a healthier, happier way of living.Funny, accessible, and encouraging--never judgmental or fear-based--Emily will help you: Learn how to make simple, mindful steps toward natural living Implement healthy, life-giving activities into your family's routine Navigate the challenges of adopting the crunchy way of life with sensible, easy-to-implement ideas Develop a new mindset when it comes to shopping for clothes, food, and cleaning products Discover natural remedies for just about everythingSo what are you waiting for? Embrace your inner crunchy (or silky, if that's where you're starting) and dip your toes into a healthier, more sustainable life. Who knows? You may find out you're Really Very Crunchy after all.

What really makes us feel glad to be alive? This classic work of psychology from world-renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is your essential guide to unlocking a happier, more fulfilling state of being. ' He has done more than anyone else to study this state of effortless attending' ? Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow 'Mr Csikszentmihalyi illuminates the accuracy of what philosophers have been saying for centuries- that the way to happiness lies not in mindless hedonism but in mindful challenge' ? The New York Times 'Elegantly written ... it is more relevant than ever' The Times 'Enlightening, thought-provoking, relevant' -- ***** Reader review 'I actually struggled to put it down' -- ***** Reader review 'It will definitely help me structure and control my mind better' -- ***** Reader review 'If you are searching to add meaning to your life, or to gain more enjoyment from the life that you have, reading this book is a must' -- ***** Reader review ********************************************************************************************** Control of consciousness determines the quality of life Combining over 40 years of ground-breaking research with practical advice, world-renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi reveals the key to optimal experience- flow. Arguing that the human brain is most happy when engaged in the meaningful pursuit of a goal - anything from sport to learning a language, from enjoyable work to practising music - he demonstrates that the need to concentrate and lose yourself in the moment is the key to finding inner peace, happiness and order in the midst of our chaotic lives.