Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength

In Willpower, the pioneering researcher Roy F. Baumeister collaborates with renowned New York Times science writer John Tierney to revolutionize our understanding of the most coveted human virtue: self-control.

In what became one of the most cited papers in social science literature, Baumeister discovered that willpower actually operates like a muscle: it can be strengthened with practice and fatigued by overuse. Willpower is fueled by glucose, and it can be bolstered simply by replenishing the brain's store of fuel. That's why eating and sleeping- and especially failing to do either of those-have such dramatic effects on self-control (and why dieters have such a hard time resisting temptation).

Baumeister's latest research shows that we typically spend four hours every day resisting temptation. No wonder people around the world rank a lack of self-control as their biggest weakness. Willpower looks to the lives of entrepreneurs, parents, entertainers, and artists-including David Blaine, Eric Clapton, and others-who have flourished by improving their self-control.

The lessons from their stories and psychologists' experiments can help anyone. You learn not only how to build willpower but also how to conserve it for crucial moments by setting the right goals and using the best new techniques for monitoring your progress. Once you master these techniques and establish the right habits, willpower gets easier: you'll need less conscious mental energy to avoid temptation. That's neither magic nor empty self-help sloganeering, but rather a solid path to a better life.

Combining the best of modern social science with practical wisdom, Baumeister and Tierney here share the definitive compendium of modern lessons in willpower. As our society has moved away from the virtues of thrift and self-denial, it often feels helpless because we face more temptations than ever. But we also have more knowledge and better tools for taking control of our lives. However we define happiness-a close- knit family, a satisfying career, financial security-we won't reach it without mastering self-control.

more details on Amazon.com

The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals

This book is different. It avoids all the cliches used in so many other books. I have already started implementing many of the ideas from this book in my daily life. Alot of self-help books get me excited as I read them, but when I finish them I put them back on the shelf and forget about them. Not this one. It will never be too far out of reach. It's funny, but all self-help authors seem very egotistical, thinking that their book is the answer to the worlds problems. This author shows no pretense, but portrays a consise, easy to understand method of setting goals. Changing ourselves is not easy. No matter what methods we us, or who tells us of an easier way to do it. This book is better than most at putting the message across.

more details on Amazon.com

The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success

What enables some people to succeed in life, while others simply survive? Is our maximum potential predetermined, or do we have the capacity to push beyond what we perceive to be our limitations? The authors of this book say that the workings of the brain make the difference, and that it is possible to train the brain to perform at a higher level. How? By identifying and employing the same strategies as high-achieving individuals use to overcome obstacles and reach their goals.

Perhaps the key message is that `the brain is active and subject to change no matter what you do'. This provides an opportunity: `what sets the owner of a Winner's Brain apart is the desire and the know-how to take charge of the process.' The authors have identified five `BrainPower Tools' commonly used by successful people: seeing opportunities where others don't (`Opportunity Radar'); accurately gauging and being willing to take risks (`Optimal Risk Gauge'); being able to stay focussed on a goal (`Goal Laser'); possessing the energy to take action (`Effort Accelerator'); and being able to accurately assess one's strengths and weaknesses (` Talent Meter').

more details on Amazon.com

Living in Your Top 1%: Nine Essential Rituals to Achieve Your Ultimate Life Goals

Alissa Finerman's Living in Your Top 1%: Nine Essential Rituals to Achieve Your Ultimate Life Goals is an inspired exploration of how we could live a happy and fulfilled life. Most people feel pushed and pulled in different directions, and balance is the last thing that they experience. In this wonderful book, Finerman gives the reader nine rituals that, when followed, can help all of us achieve our ultimate life goals.

more details on Amazon.com

Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self

Review from Amazon: "I decided to read this book because a friend told me that it had turned his life around. Before I read it, my best self was in charge about 20% of the time. I used optimal thinking questions like "What's the best use of my time right now?" but most of my thinking was suboptimal and I was settling for second best. I was overly self-critical and always felt I wasn't doing enough.

An important consequence of immersing myself in Optimal Thinking and being a part of the optimalthinking.com community is that I have made peace with myself. I have received other benefits in my business and personal life. Optimal Thinking showed me how to consistently choose the best in any situation and let go of what is not in my best interest. I know how to bring my best self to any situation and bring out the best in others. I am using Optimal Thinking more each day, and especially when the going gets tough. This book should be in every home and in every business."

more details on Amazon.com

The Definitive Book of Body Language

Available for the first time in the United States, this international bestseller reveals the secrets of nonverbal communication to give you confidence and control in any face-to-face encounterÐfrom making a great first impression and acing a job interview to finding the right partner.

It is a scientific fact that peopleÕs gestures give away their true intentions. Yet most of us donÕt know how to read body languageÐand donÕt realize how our own physical movements speak to others. Now the worldÕs foremost experts on the subject share their techniques for reading body language signals to achieve success in every area of life.

Drawing upon more than thirty years in the field, as well as cutting-edge research from evolutionary biology, psychology, and medical technologies that demonstrate what happens in the brain, the authors examine each component of body language and give you the basic vocabulary to read attitudes and emotions through behavior.

more details on Amazon.com