A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy ...

Stoicism is a cure for a disease. The disease in question is the anxiety, grief, fear, and various other negative emotions that plague humans and prevent them from experiencing a joyful existence. Engage in negative visualization each night at bedtime.

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The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand ...

Stoicism, which was born in Greece and matured in Rome, should not be confused with 'stoicism' as the word is commonly used today - a weary, uncomplaining resignation. Real Stoicism involves developing a kind of muscular calm in the face of trying circumstances.

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How to Live - by Sarah Bakewell | Derek Sivers

Stoicism and Epicureanism teach you to prepare for life's difficulties, to pay attention, to develop good habits of thought, and to practice therapeutic tricks on yourself. Skepticism always wants to see proof. Skepticism doubts things that other people take at face value. Skepticism says nothing in life need be taken seriously.

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The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work - by Alain De Botton ...

Thoughtful rambling observations on different lines of work.

 

Watching the English - by Kate Fox | Derek Sivers

'Typical!' is a generic, all-purpose term of disapproval. It is a complaint, but a complaint that also expresses a very English kind of grudging forbearance and restraint - a sort of grumpy, cynical stoicism.

The 48 Laws of Power - by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers ...

By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price - there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.

 

Brain Rules for Aging Well - by John Medina | Derek Sivers

Seligman has codified the science of what makes people authentically happy: gratitude behaviors. Read Seligman's book "Flourish". Summary: Generate a list of the things that bring you true pleasure, then allow the items on the list to become a regular part of your life. Lose yourself in a hobby: good movies, books, sports - even a dance ...

 

Story of Philosophy - by Will Durant | Derek Sivers

Gratitude is nourished with expectation. Knowledge unapplied in action is a pale academic vanity. Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for the end of scholasticism culminates in pragmatism.

 

What Got You Here Won't Get You There - by Marshall Goldsmith

Gratitude is a skill that we can never display too often. Punishing the messenger: manifests itself in big and little ways. It's the momentary snort of disgust you exhale when your assistant reports that the boss is too busy to see you.

 

The Happiness Hypothesis - by Jonathan Haidt | Derek Sivers

Psychology professor's digestible but deep insight into how our minds work, around the topic of happiness.

 

The Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd ...

Profound idea that everyone has a primary time focus: either Future-focused, Present-focused, or Past-focused.

 

Small is the New Big - by Seth Godin | Derek Sivers

I'm a massive fan and disciple.

 

Cognitive Surplus - by Clay Shirky | Derek Sivers

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Amateurs are sometimes separated from professionals by skill, but always by motivation; the term itself derives from the Latin amare - "to love." The essence of amateurism is intrinsic motivation: to be an amateur is to do something for the love of it.

Execution - by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan | Derek Sivers

In-depth look at the dirty discipline of getting things done in a large organization.

 

The Personal MBA - by Josh Kaufman | Derek Sivers

Forebrain: This small sheet of neural matter is responsible for the cognitive capabilities that make us distinctly human: self-awareness, logic, deliberation, Inhibition, and Decision. Developmentally speaking, the forebrain is very new, and likely evolved to help us handle ambiguity.

 

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck - by Mark Manson ...

Self-awareness is like an onion. There are multiple layers to it: The first layer is a simple understanding of one's emotions. We all have blind spots. The second layer is an ability to ask why we feel certain emotions. Why do you feel angry? Is it because you failed to achieve some goal? Why do you feel lethargic and uninspired?

 

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - by Haruki ...

As an action that deviates from the ordinary yet doesn't violate basic values, you'd expect it to afford you a special sort of self-awareness. It should add a few new elements to your inventory in understanding who you are. And as a result, your view of your life, its colors and shape, should be transformed.

 

Practicing Mind - by Thomas Sterner | Derek Sivers

Self-discipline, focus, patience, and self-awareness are interwoven threads in the fabric of both true inner peace and contentment in life. 

 

The Willpower Instinct - by Kelly McGonigal | Derek Sivers

Meditating makes you better at a wide range of self-control skills, including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self-awareness. 

 

How We Decide - by Jonah Lehrer | Derek Sivers

Self-analysis resulted in less self-awareness.