The assassin's bullet misses, the Archduke's carriage moves forward, and a catastrophic war is avoided. So too with the history of life. Re-run the tape of life, as Stephen J. Gould claimed, and the outcome must be entirely different: an alien world, without humans and maybe not even intelligence. The history of life is littered with accidents: any twist or turn may lead to a completely different world. Now this view is being challenged. Simon Conway Morris explores the evidence demonstrating life's almost eerie ability to navigate to a single solution, repeatedly. Eyes, brains, tools, even culture: all are very much on the cards. So if these are all evolutionary inevitabilities, where are our counterparts across the galaxy? The tape of life can only run on a suitable planet, and it seems that such Earth-like planets may be much rarer than hoped. Inevitable humans, yes, but in a lonely Universe.

A 75th anniversary e-book version of the most important and practical self-help book ever written, Alcoholics Anonymous. Here is a special deluxe edition of a book that has changed millions of lives and launched the modern recovery movement: Alcoholics Anonymous. This edition not only reproduces the original 1939 text of Alcoholics Anonymous, but as a special bonus features the complete 1941 Saturday Evening Post article “Alcoholics Anonymous” by journalist Jack Alexander, which, at the time, did as much as the book itself to introduce millions of seekers to AA’s program. Alcoholics Anonymous has touched and transformed myriad lives, and finally appears in a volume that honors its posterity and impact.

This is more than just daily meditation book—this is a book of Twelve Step quotes and daily reflections that come right from the meeting rooms of recovery. These are the ‘Aha' moments shared by people in the program, like: "Humility is not thinking less about yourself, but rather thinking about yourself less." Each timeless piece of practical recovery wisdom like this is followed by a three-paragraph reflection of "What it was like, what happened, and what it's like now." The most loved recovery quotes, across our Twelve Step programs are here: "There are no victims, only volunteers—you always have a choice," and they instantly offer the perspective we need to keep growing along spiritual lines. Fill your spiritual toolkit with your favorite quotes, "Once you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change," and see why these unique quotes resonate deeply with members—because they come directly from the meeting rooms of recovery. These quotes—by newcomers as well as old timers—offer people in recovery the experience, strength, and hope, they need, just when they need it: one day at a time. This book will remind you that "It is what it is, but it will become what you make it." The 365 Twelve Step Quotes collected here are the ones we hear in meetings, the quotes and sayings that offer us instant relief and revelation—the ones we wish we had written down and saved. Now you have them all at your fingertips. Quotes like, "We go to meetings for relief; but we work the Steps for recovery," and "Half measures do avail us something—it's just the half we don't want," and "When I say NO to you I'm saying YES to me," and hundreds of others help us all in the Fellowship both develop our practice of daily meditation and deepen our experience in the program. The Wisdom of the Rooms aids in our individual practice of recovery as well as provides inspiration for group discussions, reminding us all that "I'll never be all right, until it's all right, right now." Other Wisdom examples include quotes such as: "Instead of telling God how big your fears are, start telling your fears how big your God is." "The most spiritual thing you can do today is to help someone else." "Wisdom is the knowledge you learn after you know it all." "Let go of your old ideas, even the good ones." "When you own your part, you own your power." "Anger is one letter away from danger." And hundreds more…

Do you feel that if you could get rid of some of the chaos in your work life you could take your performance to a greater level? Do you stay late at the office many nights, trying to empty an inbox that never seems to diminish? Do you have difficulty dealing with cantankerous bosses or passive-aggressive coworkers? Do you find yourself checking your BlackBerry—almost against your will—during dates, family dinners, or your children's soccer games? Do you feel fragmented, frustrated, or pulled in too many directions at once? If you've answered yes to any of the above, chances are that your work life has taken over your personal life. In The One-Life Solution, clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Henry Cloud provides invaluable strategies for moving toward a more unified, coherent sense of self and a life that fully encompasses work, family, and spirituality. Dr. Cloud can help you: contain self-destructive behavior define yourself and know who you are set limits when needed communicate effectively improve your performance at the office and outside it

Bestselling author Dan Buettner reveals how to transform your health using smart nutrition, lifestyle, and fitness habits gleaned from longevity research on the diets, eating habits, and lifestyle practices of the communities he's identified as "Blue Zones"—those places with the world's longest-lived, and thus healthiest, people, including locations such as Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. With the audacious belief that the lifestyles of the world's Blue Zones could be adapted and replicated in towns across North America, Buettner launched the largest preventive health care project in the United States, The Blue Zones City Makeovers, which has impacted the health of millions of Americans since 2009. In The Blue Zones Solution, readers can be inspired by the specific stories of the people, foods, and routines of our healthy elders; understand the role community, family, and naturally healthy habits can play in improving our diet and health; and learn the exact foods—including the 50 superfoods of longevity and dozens of recipes adapted for Western tastes and markets—that offer delicious ways to eat your way to optimum health. Throughout the book are lifestyle recommendations, checklists, and stories to help you create your own personal Blue Zones solution. Readers will learn and apply the 80/20 rule, the plant slant diet, social aspects of eating that lead to weight loss and great health naturally, cultivating your "tribe" of friends and family, and your greater purpose as part of your daily routine. Filled with moving personal stories, delicious recipes, checklists, and useful tips that will transform any home into a miniature blue zone, The Blue Zones Solution is the ultimate blueprint for a healthy, happy life.

Have you ever wondered how you might carve more meaning and purpose out of your crowded days? The answer is simple: cut out the "soft addictions." As Judith Wright reveals in this revised and expanded edition of her classic self-help book There Must Be More Than This, many of us are addicted to seemingly harmless and socially sanctioned habits such as shopping, watching TV, and gossiping-robbing us of our time, clouding our clarity of mind, and masking our deeper longing for lasting joy. According to Wright, soft addictions are seductive because they satisfy powerful desires-and we easily become hooked because they are perceived as "normal" behavior, behavior that doesn't seem to demand the extraordinary measures of a drug or alcohol addiction. Yet soft addictions do call out for action and in this groundbreaking book, Judith Wright explains why they are so damaging and outlines an effective plan for overcoming these negative habits to discover more passion, love, commitment, and meaning in our lives.

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung said that a life without meaning is unlived. Today our secular worship of the material, the superficial, and the instantly gratifying is as powerful as any ancient idol worship. While our problems appear to be the enemy, they are really our secret allies, and by wrestling with them we become whole. Weiner and Simmons show us how to rely on the natural, spontaneous images that emerge from our dreams, daily life, relationship problems, and symptoms as the seeds of our own healing. We must recognize that our problems have not been randomly inflicted on us; they have a purpose, to act as guideposts pointing the way toward healing and wholeness. Book jacket.