Becoming someone is a learning process; and what we learn is the new values around which, if we succeed, our lives will come to turn. Agents transform themselves in the process of, for example, becoming parents, embarking on careers, or acquiring a passion for music or politics. How can such activity be rational, if the reason for engaging in the relevant pursuit is only available to the person one will become? How is it psychologically possible to feel the attraction of a form of concern that is not yet one's own? How can the work done to arrive at the finish line be ascribed to one who doesn't (really) know what one is doing, or why one is doing it? In Aspiration, Agnes Callard asserts that these questions belong to the theory of aspiration. Aspirants are motivated by proleptic reasons, acknowledged defective versions of the reasons they expect to eventually grasp. The psychology of such a transformation is marked by intrinsic conflict between their old point of view on value and the one they are trying to acquire. They cannot adjudicate this conflict by deliberating or choosing or deciding-rather, they resolve it by working to see the world in a new way. This work has a teleological structure: by modeling oneself on the person he or she is trying to be, the aspirant brings that person into being. Because it is open to us to engage in an activity of self-creation, we are responsible for having become the kinds of people we are.

A practical roadmap to cultivating the heart’s capacity to face and transform our greatest challenges—like the climate crisis, oppression, anxiety, and burnout—from the bestselling author of Say What You Mean. Meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer shares a pragmatic guide to living a life of meaning and purpose in a time of great social, environmental, and spiritual upheaval. Through touching stories, insightful reflections, and concrete instructions, Sofer offers powerful tools to strengthen our hearts and nourish the qualities that can transform our world. Each chapter guides you to cultivate a quality essential to personal and social transformation like mindfulness, resolve, wonder, and empathy. You’ll learn ways to: · Find more choice and freedom in life · Strengthen focus, sustain energy, and accomplish goals · Identify burnout and take steps to renew yourself · Imbue your daily activities with clarity and vitality · Respond more effectively to collective challenges

The Author of This Splendid World of Yours has come up with another revealing book Be Still and Know…… is an interactive, meditation and self-empowerment guide that goes into detailed understanding and practicing ways and means of stillness and knowing. The book’s theme is threefold: 1) To be silent in your mind and know what you truly aspire from your heart and soul, 2) To go after your aspirations and manifest them and 3) To let go after doing your level best and enjoy wholesomely. It shows how a person can ask questions in stillness and let the answers flow effortlessly. There are simple meditation techniques included and typical questions asked and answered. The book encourages the reader to ask questions in their own silence and receive answers. This book: · Helps to gradually establish in inner stillness beyond the physical clutter. · Helps to know the Highest Power without any religious connotation whatsoever. · Helps to know whatever you need to know for total fulfillment in your life. · Helps you to directly ask questions from God and get your answers on one to one bases. · Helps to develop clarity about confusing issues and how to address them. · Helps to excel your performance by doing things from your ecstatic connection. · Helps to maintain equilibrium in peaks and valleys of Life by understanding and using the ARL Key (of Acceptance, Responding and Letting Go).

We are operating in a world defined by constant connection, rapid change, and abundant choices. News that once took months, even years, to spread now reaches across the globe in seconds. Advances in medicine and science are pushing boundaries with gene therapy and stem cell transplants. And decisions about where and how to work and live are nearly endless. As new knowledge--and the possibilities that arise from that knowledge--propels us forward, leadership readiness expert and renowned author Erika Andersen suggests that success in today's world requires the ability to acquire new knowledge and skills quickly and continuously--in spite of our mixed feelings about being a novice. In her newest book, Be Bad First, Erika explores how we can become masters of mastery; proficient in the kind of high-payoff learning that's needed today. With assessments and exercises at the close of every chapter, she encourages readers to embrace being bad on the way to being great--to be novices over and over again as we seek to learn and acquire the new skills that will allow us to thrive in this fast-changing world.

Without proper support, navigating the icy waters of grief may feel impossible. The grieving person may feel spiritually bankrupt and often the loss is so painful that the bereaved may lose faith in what they once held dear. Mindfulness meditation can restore hope by offering a compassionate safe haven for healing and self-reflection. While nobody can predict the path of someone else's grief, this book will guide the reader forward through the grieving process with simple mindfulness-based exercises to restore mind, body and spirit. These easy-to-follow meditations will help the reader to cope with the pain of loss, and embark on a healing journey. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of grief, and the guided meditations will calm the mind and increase clarity and focus. Mindfulness and Grief will help readers to begin the process of reconstructing the shattered self that is left in the wake of any major loss.

Gold Medal Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award in Business & Economics In an era of economic uncertainty, layoffs, and hiring freezes, creating and promoting a top-flight personal brand that stands out in the crowd is more important than ever. In Fresh Passion: Get a Brand Or Die A Generic, Michael D. Brown shows you how to employ the Fresh Passion methodology to build a personal brand that will maximize your potential and help you to achieve success beyond your dreams in whatever field you choose. Whether you are an executive, an entrepreneur, a tradesperson, an educator, a student, or a member of any other vocation, Fresh Passion is the pathway to outperform and outshine your peers and competitors and obtain the professional and personal rewards you deserve. Brown outlines the Fresh Passion method in easy-to-follow detail, with plenty of interactive worksheets and quizzes to keep you engaged in the process and on the right track. You will discover how to create an entire experience you can present to employers, bosses, clients, and co-workers that will leave them begging for your services and expertise. With Fresh Passion, you can avoid the pitfalls of a generic career and instead obtain the benefits that come from being a branded entity. Inject some Fresh Passion into your life and your career today! It's never too soon to prevent a generic death and never too late to create a winning brand that will guarantee you long-term personal and professional success that does not waver?even when the economy starts to shake.

Part inspiration, part information narrative for our story is based on walking meditation, also known as mindful walking; an active practice that requires you to be consciously aware and moving in the environment rather than sitting with your eyes closed. Just as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo's mega-selling book (over 4 million copies sold worldwide) provides readers with a life/spiritual philosophy embedded in the how-to of minimalism (with practical tips for de-cluttering of one's home), A Walk in the Wood provides a narrative grounded in the simple act of slowing down, observing what is around us, and being present. Appealing to adults who are actively searching ways to join the JOMO movement (Joy of Missing Out and being content just "being"), A Walk in the Wood also makes for a perfect gift for stressed-out family members and friends.