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Archive for 'happiness'

new book – ‘Happiness for Humans’ by Daniel C. Russell

December 8, 2012

Happiness for Humans

Happiness for Humans by Daniel C. Russell (Oxford University Press, USA, 2012)

(amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

In Happiness for Humans, Daniel C. Russell takes a fresh look at happiness from a practical perspective: the perspective of someone trying to solve the wonderful problem of how to give himself a good life. From this perspective, “happiness” is the name of a solution to that problem for practical deliberation. Russell’s approach to happiness falls within a tradition that reaches back to ancient Greek and Roman philosophers–a tradition now called “eudaimonism.” Beginning with Aristotle’s seminal discussion of the role of happiness in practical reasoning, Russell asks what sort of good happiness would have to be in order to play the role in our practical economies that it actually does play. Looking at happiness from this perspective, Russell argues that happiness is a life of activity, with three main features: it is acting for the sake of ends we can live for, and living for them wisely; it is fulfilling for us, both as humans and as unique individuals; and it is inextricable from our connections with the particular persons, pursuits, and places that make us who we are. By returning to this ancient perspective on happiness, Russell finds new directions for contemporary thought about the good lives we want for ourselves.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website

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new book – ‘The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking’ by Oliver Burkeman

November 14, 2012

The Antidote

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman (Faber & Faber, 2012)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

The Antidote is a series of journeys among people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. What they have in common is a hunch about human psychology: that it’s our constant effort to eliminate the negative that causes us to feel so anxious, insecure, and unhappy. And that there is an alternative “negative path” to happiness and success that involves embracing the things we spend our lives trying to avoid. It is a subversive, galvanizing message, which turns out to have a long and distinguished philosophical lineage ranging from ancient Roman Stoic philosophers to Buddhists. Oliver Burkeman talks to life coaches paid to make their clients’ lives a living hell, and to maverick security experts such as Bruce Schneier, who contends that the changes we’ve made to airport and aircraft security since the 9/11 attacks have actually made us less safe. And then there are the “backwards” business gurus, who suggest not having any goals at all and not planning for a company’s future.

Burkeman’s new book is a witty, fascinating, and counterintuitive read that turns decades of self-help advice on its head and forces us to rethink completely our attitudes toward failure, uncertainty, and death.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website

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November’s “100 Kindle books for $3.99 or Less” at Amazon.com

November 3, 2012

The new month brings a fresh batch of 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or Less at Amazon.com. (“Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories. Amazon may modify the selection of books offered at any time.”)

November’s selections include:

Evoltuion: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald B. Prothero (Columbia University Press, 2007) for $3.99

Book description from the publisher:

Over the past twenty years, paleontologists have made tremendous fossil discoveries, including fossils that mark the growth of whales, manatees, and seals from land mammals and the origins of elephants, horses, and rhinos. Today there exists an amazing diversity of fossil humans, suggesting we walked upright long before we acquired large brains, and new evidence from molecules that enable scientists to decipher the tree of life as never before.

The fossil record is now one of the strongest lines of evidence for evolution. In this engaging and richly illustrated book, Donald R. Prothero weaves an entertaining though intellectually rigorous history out of the transitional forms and series that dot the fossil record. Beginning with a brief discussion of the nature of science and the “monkey business of creationism,” Prothero tackles subjects ranging from flood geology and rock dating to neo-Darwinism and macroevolution. He covers the ingredients of the primordial soup, the effects of communal living, invertebrate transitions, the development of the backbone, the reign of the dinosaurs, the mammalian explosion, and the leap from chimpanzee to human. Prothero pays particular attention to the recent discovery of “missing links” that complete the fossil timeline and details the debate between biologists over the mechanisms driving the evolutionary process.

Evolution is an absorbing combination of firsthand observation, scientific discovery, and trenchant analysis. With the teaching of evolution still an issue, there couldn’t be a better moment for a book clarifying the nature and value of fossil evidence. Widely recognized as a leading expert in his field, Prothero demonstrates that the transformation of life on this planet is far more awe inspiring than the narrow view of extremists.

How Will You Measure Your Life?

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon (HarperCollins, 2012) for $3.99

 

Book description from the publisher:

In 2010 world-renowned innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen gave a powerful speech to the Harvard Business School’s graduating class. Drawing upon his business research, he offered a series of guidelines for finding meaning and happiness in life. He used examples from his own experiences to explain how high achievers can all too often fall into traps that lead to unhappiness.

The speech was memorable not only because it was deeply revealing but also because it came at a time of intense personal reflection: Christensen had just overcome the same type of cancer that had taken his father’s life. As Christensen struggled with the disease, the question “How do you measure your life?” became more urgent and poignant, and he began to share his insights more widely with family, friends, and students.

In this groundbreaking book, Christensen puts forth a series of questions: How can I be sure that I’ll find satisfaction in my career? How can I be sure that my personal relationships become enduring sources of happiness? How can I avoid compromising my integrity—and stay out of jail? Using lessons from some of the world’s greatest businesses, he provides incredible insights into these challenging questions.

How Will You Measure Your Life? is full of inspiration and wisdom, and will help students, midcareer professionals, and parents alike forge their own paths to fulfillment.

How to Get Ideas

How to Get Ideas by Jack Foster (Berrett-Koehler, 2007) for $1.99

Book description from the publisher:

How to Get Ideas shows you – no matter your age or skill, your job or training – how to come up with more ideas, faster and easier. First, Jack Foster tells you how to condition your mind and become “idea-prone; ” how to make the child within you and your sense of humor work for you; how to develop your curiosity, visualize your goals, rethink your thinking, combine different ideas, and overcome your fear of rejection. Then, Foster gives you a five-step procedure for solving problems and getting ideas, a proven procedure that takes the mystery and anxiety out of the idea-generating process, a procedure that works. Learn how easy it is to become more creative. Read the book you’re holding.

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offer ends tonight (Oct 15) for free kindle ebook – ‘Happiness Rehab: 8 Creative Steps to a More Joyful Life’

October 15, 2012

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new book – ‘Inviting a Monkey to Tea: Befriending Your Mind and Discovering Lasting Contentment’ by Nancy Colier

October 4, 2012

Inviting a Monkey to Tea

Inviting a Monkey to Tea: Befriending Your Mind and Discovering Lasting Contentment by Nancy Colier (Hohm Press, 2012)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

To “invite a monkey to tea” is to befriend your own mind—which is often compared to a drunken monkey for all its mad twists and turns. A wild monkey is full of irrepressible desires, and thus chases its own tail in its search for happiness! This book is about learning to welcome the mind as an ally without fear or resistance, thus relaxing that frantic search, discovering genuine contentment and resting in the joy of who you are.

As a psychotherapist, author Nancy Colier has accompanied hundreds of people in their “search for happiness” for nearly two decades. She has watched her clients try everything under the sun to be—and stay—happy. Witnessing and participating in this process, she has become an expert in happiness, or more specifically, in the monkeymind’s search and demand for it, and the unhappiness that all the striving ultimately creates. Along the way, the author has come to understand the workings of the mind—both from her clients and by her own diligent practice of meditation and self-observation. This book distills the wisdom and experience of her dedicated work, and offers readers a roadmap of the territory of mind, plus a toolbox of practical means for identifying and working gently with the unrealistic expectations that keep us from the enjoyment of who we are.

See also: Author’s website

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