A brilliant distillation of the key ideas behind successful self-improvement practices throughout history, showing us how they remain relevant today "Schaffner finds more in contemporary self-improvement literature to admire than criticize. . . . [A] revelatory book."--Kathryn Hughes, Times Literary Supplement Self-help today is a multi-billion-dollar global industry, one often seen as a by-product of neoliberalism and capitalism. Far from being a recent phenomenon, however, the practice of self-improvement has a long and rich history, extending all the way back to ancient China. For millennia, philosophers, sages, and theologians have reflected on the good life and devised strategies on how to achieve it. Focusing on ten core ideas of self-improvement that run through the world's advice literature, Anna Katharina Schaffner reveals the ways they have evolved across cultures and historical eras, and why they continue to resonate with us today. Reminding us that there is much to learn from looking at time-honed models, Schaffner also examines the ways that self-improvement practices provide powerful barometers of the values, anxieties, and aspirations that preoccupy us at particular moments in time and expose basic assumptions about our purpose and nature.

The pace of modern life is accelerating. To keep up, we must keep on moving and adapting – constantly striving for greater happiness and success. Or so we are told. But the demands of life in the fast lane come at a price: stress, fatigue and depression are at an all-time high, while our social interactions have become increasingly self-serving and opportunistic. How can we resist today's obsession with introspection and self-improvement? In this witty and bestselling book, Danish philosopher and psychologist Svend Brinkmann argues that we must not be afraid to reject the self-help mantra and 'stand firm'. The secret to a happier life lies not in finding your inner self but in coming to terms with yourself in order to coexist peacefully with others. By encouraging us to stand firm and get a foothold in life, this vibrant anti-self-help guide offers a compelling alternative to life coaching, positive thinking and the need always to say 'yes!'

This book celebrates the great stripping process of aging, dying and spiritual awakening. Beautiful, poignant, at times humorous, transcendent, messy, down to earth, refreshingly honest--the book explores death, and more importantly, being alive, through a rich mix of personal stories and spiritual reflections. Joan writes about her mother's final years and about being with friends and teachers at the end of their lives. She shares her own journey with aging, anal cancer, and other life challenges. She explores what it means to be alive in what may be the collapse of civilization and the possible extinction of life on earth due to climate change. Pointing beyond deficiency stories, future fantasies, and oppressive self-improvement projects, Joan invites an awakening to the immediacy of this moment and the wonder of ordinary life. She demonstrates a pathless path of genuine transformation, seeing all of life as sacred and worthy of devotion, and finding joy in the full range of our human experience.

It is now well known that only around 8 percent of people are actually able to achieve their goals.What do they do differently that other 92% are missing out on? “Successful people aren’t born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don’t like to do.” ―William Makepeace Thackeray As you know by now reaching goals or trying to implement new habits and sticking to them long term can be quite challenging. Our body and mind are designed to desire the easy way out. The path of least resistance. This is why sticking to new habits for the long term is no easy task. One of the key factors that separate high achievers and performers, those that are able to reach their goals and make a long-lasting positive change in their lives, is their impressive ability to stick with new habits, no matter what. Most people believe that you are either born disciplined or you aren't. There is little hope if you are a lazy, unmotivated slob. But how true is this? Fortunately, even if you currently consider yourself to be the LEAST disciplined person you know of, there is a LOT that you can do to completely turn your life around. In this book, you’ll discover: -The profound effects that habits have in our lives and how we can harness their power. -Proven methods to develop willpower from scratch, even if you currently consider yourself to be the most unmotivated, lazy person ever. -A risk-free strategy to deal with the discomfort that separates us from achieving great, long-lasting change. -Discover why bad habits tend to stay in our systems and painless methods to get rid of them for good. -The time that it usually takes for habit transformation to occur and the secret to cut the time drastically. -Key strategies that create a supportive environment that will dramatically increase your chances of success. -How to effectively deal with distractions that tend to sabotage our goals. -The catastrophic effects that not being mentally disciplined can bring to your life and how to avoid ending up in this unwanted situation. Scientific research has shown that good habits inevitably leads to better academic and life outcomes. It is also directly linked to lower levels of stress, depression, and other mood disorders that plague our society. Years of studying how our thought patterns work has now made this type of training so easy-to-follow that even the most unmotivated person you know of can turn their life around by using the right roadmap. So if you want to make sure that you increase your success in all areas of your life and want to have the mental discipline of the elite few, then scroll up and click the “Add to Cart” button now!

Is there any moral obligation to improve oneself? Robert N. Johnson argues that there is, and develops a broadly Kantian point of view to defend his position and challenge a range of opposing arguments. Not only are each of us morally required to make something of our lives, but we owe this to ourselves, rather than to our family or community.

Are you hungry for success? Do you have the buzz to succeed in life, and be seen as a rol model by every person?