Full of courage and strength, this remarkable memoir follows the life of Randy Hartman from his upbringing in an abusive, dysfunctional family to a successful military and mental health career. Born in the rural town of Guernsey, Wyoming, during the 1950s, Randy grew up with three brothers and a hardworking mother and father. He enjoyed running around the small community and getting into innocent trouble with his brothers and friends, but things were difficult at home. His mother died in 1961 and suddenly, Randy's abusive, alcoholic father was trying to raise the family with little success, moving the boys around constantly and consorting with different women. Once he was old enough, Randy escaped his miserable home life and joined the military, got married, and started a family. But numerous problems continued to plague him, including his own bout with alcoholism, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and infidelity. When he and his wife were divorced, Randy hit bottom. Yet he refused to give in to despair, and went on to overcome his addictions, eventually going to college and earning a master's degree and a PhD. A true story of anger, shame, happiness, and hope, Raising Randy delivers a compelling picture of one man's struggle to overcome the past and create a meaningful future.

Meet Randy. He was diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in 1979 at just nine months old. Written from the perspective of Randy's mother, Cynthia, it's nice to meet me too provides snapshots of what life is like raising a severely handicapped child. Randy's brought his fair share of heartbreaks but more importantly, endless laughter and joy. By putting down on paper a lifetime's worth of "Randy stories" that have been shared over with friends and family, she shows the comedic side of life with a child with special needs. - p. 4 of cover

“An antidote to emotional overwhelm—a powerful way to discover how useful your emotions can be in guiding you towards your best life.” —Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Happy for No Reason Award-winning author, producer, and founder of Project Happiness, Randy Taran knows that every emotion, feeling, and mental state has the power to bring us back to our true essence. Emotional Advantage is your guide to getting there. We’ve learned a lot about the science of happiness and positive psychology, but what about the full range of human emotions, all of which factor into the human experience? What do we do when happiness eludes us—when life does not go as planned? It turns out that even negative emotions have something to offer, if we know how to learn from them. Have you ever woken up in a fog of feelings and felt directionless? Or maybe it was hard to pinpoint exactly what you were feeling, but it wasn’t where you wanted to be? What if we could actually use our feelings as a pathway to guide us back to our inner compass? What if, like alchemists, we had the tools to transform our emotions to take charge of creating our very best life? What if we could comprehend how even the most troublesome emotions are sending messages to alert, protect, and fuel us forward? Neuroscience reveals that to understand and utilize any emotion, we need to “name it to tame it.” Emotional Advantage shows us how a new perspective on fear can move us to courage, how guilt can clarify our values, and how anger can help us create healthy boundaries. “A guidebook to embracing the real version of yourself. If you’ve ever had to hide your feelings, or if you ever experience guilt or regret, you’ll feel like it’s written directly for you.” —Chris Guillebeau, author of The Happiness of Pursuit

What is true prosperity? Is it simply having enough money? Certainly financial security is necessary for peace of mind. But for many people the pursuit of money stresses and exhausts them so much, it makes peace of mind impossible. And they're always chasing after more - they never feel like they have enough. True prosperity is when there is no conflict between money and happiness - when you don't have to drag yourself out of bed every morning because the way you make a living is true to who you are. And when your way of life is sustainable, you don't fall victim to the boom/crash syndrome that afflicts so many people because you know exactly what you need to be happy and have a plan to achieve it. For the past twelve years Ethan Willis and Randy Garn have helped tens of thousands of people find their own personal path to prosperity. After nearly 11 million hours of personal coaching observation in eighty countries, they've developed six Prosperity Practices that will enable you to create a life that is rich, rewarding, and renewing. You begin by focusing on what you have, not on what you do not - you'll be surprised what you find once you shift your way of thinking. A key part of this process is determining what Willis and Garn call your ''Polaris Point'': a precise description of the life you want and what you need to sustain it. This becomes your own private North Star, guiding all your actions and keeping you from chasing after things you don't really want or need. Then you'll discover how to leverage your passions, experience, and expertise to generate the income you require to reach your Polaris Point. Although you'll find much to reflect on here, Prosper is an action guide - at the end of each chapter, Willis and Garn provide concrete steps you can take to make each of the Prosperity Practices a reality. Soon your life will be aligned with the core of your being, you will have a deep understanding of what you need to be happy, and you'll know how to hold to that vision - and you will truly prosper.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

The second edition of Joe Newman's acclaimed book Raising Lions is an essential guide for parents and teachers raising strong-willed, precocious children. It offers clear insights into what motivates the most challenging behaviors, and what kinds of responses turn these behaviors around. "One of the best books on child-rearing I've ever read. Joe Newman describes a cultural shift that has reinforced anxiety and behavior disorders in children by negating parental authority. Even more important, he provides specific, non-punitive ways for parents to help their kids by taking back their authority. Filled with examples and experiences from the author's own life as a child with A.D.H.D., the book is a treasure-trove of useful information." Barry Michels, psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author of The Tools. "This book is packed with useful information. It is an insightful and practical guide for managing children. I would recommend it to any parent." L. Alan Sroufe, Professor Emeritus Ph.D. University of Minnesota Current childrearing techniques seek to develop children who are confident, self-assured, and unafraid to speak their minds-lions instead of lambs. Although largely positive, this shift has brought with it some very serious problems in our children's behavior. Without going back to an authoritarian model, Joe Newman has developed new ways of helping children develop the ability to self-regulate without undermining their confidence and individuality. Raising Lions challenges us to re-examine our interactions and relationships with children, re-think the root causes of behavior problems and find new ways to support healthy, happy development. For over 20 years Joe Newman has worked with children, parents, teachers, and administrators to help them understand and improve child behavior.

Read Larry Winget's posts on the Penguin Blog. Straight-talking, bestselling Pitbull of Parenting Larry Winget says "This is not a fix your kid book. It's a fix the way you parent book. You owe it to your kids to parent with a plan!" Being a parent is the toughest job in the world, especially with the increasing number of negative influences and pitfalls facing our kids today, from childhood obesity and out-of-control celebrity culture to the dangers of the internet and credit card debt. Larry Winget has never been one to shy away from tough truths, and what he says here may well be difficult for some parents to swallow: we are in the midst of a crisis with our kids. Kids today are over-indulged, over-entertained, under-achieving, and under-disciplined, with a sense of entitlement that is crippling society. And the real problem is that parents aren't paying attention to what's going on. If they were they would realize that most kids today barely read and write, except with their thumbs on their cell phones! Well-behaved, respectful kids are the exception, not the rule, and for the most part, parents are to blame. Responsible parenting is about beginning with the end in mind and parenting with a plan. But most parents have never stopped to consider what kind of adult they want to raise. They have all this fun creating a baby, but they don't have a plan for the end product. Larry's message to parents: Teach your kids to become the best adults they can be. But don't expect your kids to improve until you improve. Your Kids Are Your Own Fault covers familiar lessons and principles that have led Larry's readers to greater success with money, career, and goal setting, this time at a level where they can be taught to children. This book shows parents how to design the adult they want their kid to become and work backwards to make sure it happens. Kids don't come with an instruction manual, but finally being a parent does! Watch a Video