Most of us live our lives by accident - we live as it happens. Fulfilment comes when we live our lives on purpose. 'What are you going to do with your life? What are you doing with your life now?' 'Do you have goals? A vision? A clear sense of why you do what you do?' Almost everyone knows someone who has grappled with at least one of these questions. The answers can often seem elusive or uncertain. Though there are many paths to follow into the unknown future, there is one way that dramatically increases the chances we will enjoy the journey. To travel with someone we trust. We can try to build a successful career or a happy life alone, but why would we? Together is better. This unique and delightful little book makes the point that together is better in a quite unexpected way. Simon Sinek, bestselling author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last, blends the wisdom he has gathered from around the world with a heartwarming, richly illustrated original fable. Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.
The #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Power of Intention “What I’m offering in this book is the awareness that we can return to a full-time position of inspiration, which is the true meaning of our life.”— Dr. Wayne W. Dyer In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer explains how we’ve chosen to enter this world of particles and form. From our place of origin, in ways that we don’t readily comprehend now, we knew what we were coming here to accomplish, and we participated in setting this life process in motion. So why not think along these same lines? Why put the responsibility or blame on any one or any thing that’s not a part of us? On Earth we have the capacity of volition—we can choose—so let’s assume that we had the same capacity when we resided in the spiritual realm. We chose our physical body, and we chose the parents we needed for the trip. It doesn’t seem too great a stretch to move into the idea that we chose this life in concert with our Source. Inspiration can be cultivated and be a driving force throughout life, rather than showing up every now and then and just as mysteriously disappearing, seemingly independent of our desires. Inspiration is for everyone! It isn’t reserved for high-profile creative geniuses in the arts and sciences—it’s inherent in our Divine birthright. The problem is that as children we’re gradually taught to believe exclusively in the world of phenomena where ego is dominant and inspiration diminished. As you read each chapter in this book, you’ll find specific suggestions for living “in-Spirit.” From a very personal viewpoint, Wayne offers a blueprint through the world of inspiration—your ultimate calling.
**THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER** 'Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful,' Atul Gawande, bestselling author of Being Mortal What makes life worth living in the face of death? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity - the brain - and finally into a patient and a new father. Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both. 'A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living' Nigella Lawson
The co-founder and longtime president of Pixar updates and expands his 2014 New York Times bestseller on creative leadership, reflecting on the management principles that built Pixar’s singularly successful culture, and on all he learned during the past nine years that allowed Pixar to retain its creative culture while continuing to evolve. “Might be the most thoughtful management book ever.”—Fast Company For nearly thirty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the Toy Story trilogy, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, and WALL-E, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner eighteen Academy Awards. The joyous storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity: In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Here, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired—and so profitable. As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream as a Ph.D. student, and then forged a partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his founding Pixar with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter in 1986. Nine years later, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever. The essential ingredient in that movie’s success—and in the twenty-five movies that followed—was the unique environment that Catmull and his colleagues built at Pixar, based on philosophies that protect the creative process and defy convention, such as: • Give a good idea to a mediocre team and they will screw it up. But give a mediocre idea to a great team and they will either fix it or come up with something better. • It’s not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It’s the manager’s job to make it safe for others to take them. • The cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them. • A company’s communication structure should not mirror its organizational structure. Everybody should be able to talk to anybody. Creativity, Inc. has been significantly expanded to illuminate the continuing development of the unique culture at Pixar. It features a new introduction, two entirely new chapters, four new chapter postscripts, and changes and updates throughout. Pursuing excellence isn’t a one-off assignment but an ongoing, day-in, day-out, full-time job. And Creativity, Inc. explores how it is done.
Daily Inspiration for the Purpose Driven Life interweaves many of the Bible verses handpicked by author Rick Warren with reflections from his New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. Designed to be used as a convenient standalone book for daily reflection, or as an easy reference tool when reading The Purpose Driven Life, every section corresponds to each one of the 40 Days of Purpose. Daily Inspiration for the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is a wonderful resource of encouragement. Winner of the Retailers Choice Award, this expanded edition contains new material from the bestselling tenth-anniversary edition.
One small act of kindness ripples out to connect four kids in this stirring novel by the author of the beloved The Benefits of Being an Octopus. Libby comes from a long line of bullies. She wants to be different, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. To bolster herself, she makes a card with the message You are amazing. That card sets off a chain reaction that ends up making a difference in the lives of some kids who could also use a boost—be it from dealing with bullies, unaccepting families, or the hole that grief leaves. Receiving an encouraging message helps each kid summon up the thing they need most, whether it’s bravery, empathy, or understanding. Because it helps them realize they matter—and that they're not flying solo anymore.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The #1 bestselling author of On Fire shows us how to recapture and harness our childlike sense of wonder in order to become more engaged, successful, and fulfilled. “Engaging . . . O’Leary encourages us to see the world through a child’s eyes.”—Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie There once was a time when we joyfully raised our hands to answer questions, connected easily with others, believed that anything was possible, and fearlessly jumped into new experiences. A time when we viewed each day not as something to endure, but as a marvelous gift to explore and savor—when we danced through our lives in awe of the ordinary moments and eager for the promise of tomorrow. Unfortunately, that’s far from our experience today. Instead, we feel disconnected and jaded. Social media reminds us that we don’t measure up, and the mainstream media barrages us with constant negativity. Many of us find ourselves caught in a life of dogged responsibility and mind-numbing repetition. The daily struggle to earn a living has caused us to lose the sense of wonder with which we once greeted every day. In his new book, bestselling author John O’Leary invites us to consider that it is possible to once again navigate the world as a child does. Identifying five senses children innately possess and that we’ve lost touch with as we age, O’Leary shares emotional, humorous, and inspirational stories intertwined with fascinating new research showing how each of us can reclaim our childlike joy, and why doing so will change how we interact with the world. In Awe reveals how we can regain that ability to see fresh insights, reach for new solutions, and live our best lives.
A kaleidoscopic tale inspired by a legend from the medieval Persian epic "Book of Kings" follows the coming-of-age of a feral Middle Eastern youth in New York City on the eve of the September 11 attacks. By the award-winning author of Sons and Other Flammable Objects. 25,000 first printing.
"Dare to Inspire shows how to spark and sustain exponential growth." --Shawn Achor, New York Times bestselling author of Big Potential and The Happiness Advantage Inspiration is a most critical resource to be managed in modern work. The problem is that the power of inspiration often feels fleeting. But what if you could design your own way to be inspired at work on a regular basis? What if you could make your own inspiration last? Rooted in 18 engines of inspiration that emerged from interviews with leaders across different industries, Dare to Inspire shows how to supercharge inspiration for yourself, your team, and your organization. Each chapter offers tools, strategies, and examples of how to make inspiration happen and last. Through stories of pioneers in business, health, education, and other industries, readers learn how to effectively use the engines to spark inspiration, along with specific practices to sustain it. Dare to Inspire features Chef Wes Avila, the founder of L.A. sensation Guerrilla Tacos, who was inspired to revolutionize his industry; crowdfunding pioneer Charles Best, who founded DonorsChoose to meet the challenge of connecting teachers in need with donors interested in supporting educational programs; and many others. This will be a vital book for anyone interested in creativity, success, achievement, and happiness.
When is the last time you've read an honest, funny book about living with disabilities? To the Left of Inspiration: Adventures in Living with Disabilities is just such a book. Fifty-four million Americans have chronic illnesses or disabilities requiring them to make accommodations in the ways they live their lives. You may have students, customers, and clients with disabilities and want to interact with them knowledgeably and sensitively. Or perhaps you are adjusting to a new illness or disability and have accepted that it's a whole new world you are entering. You'll learn from a woman blind from birth about activities of daily life, like talking to children about disabilities, traveling, going to church, and working. Kathie's life experiences highlight the warmth and humor in everyone's struggles to be humane with each other, whether we are temporarily able-bodied or disabled. Disabilities can be more than adjusted to; they can be mined for pearls and Kathie shares some of hers with you. Kathie is a guide, familiar with the territory, who will walk beside you as you negotiate your new world. You won't learn how to overcome your disability, but you will laugh in recognition and hope as you read To the Left of Inspiration. Come along with Kathie and her Seeing EyeT dog on their adventures; your life will be enriched. Katherine Schneider has been blind since her premature birth in 1949 and has had fibromyalgia for over ten years. She was the first blind student to graduate from the Kalamazoo, Michigan public school system in 1967 and was a valedictorian as well as a National Merit scholar. Three years later she graduated with honors from Michigan State University with a BS in psychology. After receiving her PhD in clinical psychology from Purdue University, she has worked at four universities: three of them public and one private. She has taught psychology courses from freshman psychology to the graduate level and has counseled, supervised, and administered university counseling services. Kathie has presented papers at national professional meetings and authored articles and book chapters on such topics as counseling people with disabilities and religion and visual impairment. She has won awards for her professional work from the Courage Center, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and the University of Wisconsin System Regents, among others. Katherine has recently retired and is enjoying serving on seven state and local boards (at least she's never bored), reading novels, and trying to live the Red Hat(R) philosophy. She is proud to have been a Seeing EyeT dog user for the past thirty years.
