When it comes to authenticity, is being fully yourself always worth the risk? From the author of Blue Like Jazz comes New York Times bestseller Scary Close, Donald Miller's journey of uncovering the keys to a healthy relationship and discovering that they're also at the heart of building a healthy family, a successful career, and a trusted community of friends. After decades of failed relationships and painful drama, Miller decided that he'd had enough. Trying to impress people wasn't helping him truly connect with anyone--and neither was pretending to be someone he wasn't. He'd built himself a life of public isolation, but he dreamed of having a life defined by meaningful relationships instead. At 40-years-old, he made a scary decision: he was going to be his true self no matter what it might cost. Scary Close tells the story of Miller's difficult choice to impress fewer people and connect with even more. It's about the importance of knocking down old walls to finally experience the freedom that comes when we stop playing a part and start being fully ourselves. In Scary Close, Miller shares everything he's learned firsthand about how to: Deconstruct the old habits that no longer serve us Overcome the desire to please the people around us Always tell the truth, even when it's hard Find satisfaction in a daily portion of real love Risk being fully known in order to deeply love and be loved Apply these lessons to your everyday life If you're ready to drop the act and find true, life-changing intimacy, it's time to get Scary Close.

Living Authentically: Embracing Your Unique Identity is a comprehensive guide to discovering and embracing your true self. In this book, readers will learn strategies for cultivating self-awareness, practicing self-acceptance and self-compassion, overcoming self-doubt and fear, and celebrating their unique individuality in a conformist world. With a focus on mindfulness, creativity, and personal growth, Living Authentically offers practical advice and exercises for exploring one's passions, purpose, and life transitions. Readers will learn how to navigate difficult emotions and experiences, release toxic relationships, and build authentic connections with others. The book also explores the importance of body positivity, self-care, and developing a growth mindset. Through the lens of gratitude and appreciation, readers will gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world, and learn to embrace diversity and spirituality as essential parts of their authentic identity. Living Authentically is a must-read for anyone seeking to live a life that is true to themselves and their unique identity. With its inspiring message of self-discovery and self-expression, this book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to cultivate greater self-awareness, resilience, and authenticity in their lives.

Living Authentically brings together classical scholars of Daoism, professors of psychology, practicing psychologists, medical doctors, and alternative practitioners to explore different Daoist concepts of the mind and its transformations in relation to various schools of modern psychology. The book explores how Daoism can help us live in the world sustaining relationships, and educating children, in a stress-free, truly authentic way. Book jacket.

In a society that pushes conformity, how can you be courageously authentic despite fear of judgment? Award-winning leadership and diversity expert Ritu Bhasin gives you the tools to make this happen. This is more than a call to "be yourself"-it's a rally to disrupt the status quo, bring your differences to the light, and help others do the same.

Over the centuries, many books have been written showing the connections between psychology and spirituality. However, never before has anyone succeeded in spelling out the psychological steps needed to attain spiritual consciousness. In this remarkable book, that is exactly what Dr. Thomas Legere has done. Coming from a truly remarkable background that includes degrees in philosophy, theology, spirituality, and psychology, Dr. Legere has the gift of being able to communicate profound truths in a clear and simple way. Finally, spiritual seekers will discover here what spirituality does and does not mean from a psychological perspective. Richly illustrated with helpful charts and diagrams, Living an Authentic Life will explain, in the everyday language of psychology, each step of the universal journey to wholeness. Living an Authentic Life is at once an intensely personal journey as well as a deeply compelling exploration of the human path toward authenticity and integrity. This is a book for everyone who yearns to break out of the mediocrity of the unexamined life and plunge into self discovery and transformation. Thomas Legere has written a wonderful book for our times. Jose Stevens, Ph.D. Psychologist and Author of Transforming Your Dragons and Secrets of Shamanism

Being You is about reaching your highest potential through authentic living. It helps you to exercise your own choices and feel and act with confidence and effectiveness in every situationto be free of fear and doubt, to have a life filled with meaning, success, and well-being. This is the freedom to live according to your unique needs, personality, purpose, and values; to be accepted unconditionally for who and what you are; to feel all lifes pain as well as its joys; to live from the hearttrusting your inner nature and your experience of the worldand to accept responsibility for all your actions. The philosophy of Adaptive Freedom, outlined in the book, shows that the ability to adapt and grow is the essence of personal freedom, which is the core of authenticity. You need to be adaptive to be free, and both make it easier to become truly authentic. The power to change and realize the life of your highest imaginings lies in the Freedom Codea set of seven practice pillarsoffering a liberation path to self-fulfillment, a code to unlock the greatness that lies within. The seven pillars create new ways to guide you through knowledge to self-awareness and purposeful action. They offer a systematic and holistic framework to help you lead a meaningful, successful, happy, and authentic life.

Are you concerned about unreached or unengaged peoples? You probably know that their countries do not welcome missionaries, and that followers of Jesus who serve there via traditional sending organizations do not publicize these organizational ties or their church-based funding sources. But have you thought through the consequences of keeping that information hidden? Authentic Lives will help you do that-and more. And if those consequences trouble you, Authentic Lives suggests ways to minimize them in traditional organizations and also suggests other options for service altogether. The challenges these other options present are also discussed-going without a sending agency is not easy but is sometimes best nonetheless. Book jacket.