Personal Improvement Development

When you think of a NASA astronaut, the image that probably comes to mind is one of the All-American hero. But former NASA astronaut turned business speaker and bestselling author Mike Massimino was pretty much the opposite. He was the underdog, one of the weakest swimmers during NASA training and a “gangly, scrawny, working-class kid from Long Island with bad eyesight and a fear of heights." Still, after working hard and working smart, Massimino had a successful career as an astronaut. Moonshot shares Massimino’s hard-earned lessons and how to apply them in work and life.

With irresistibly persuasive vigor, David Shenk debunks the long-standing notion of genetic giftedness, and presents dazzling new scientific research showing how greatness is in the reach of every individual. DNA does not make us who we are. Forget everything you think you know about genes, talent, and intelligence, he writes. In recent years, a mountain of scientific evidence has emerged suggesting a completely new paradigm: not talent scarcity, but latent talent abundance.

The research is definitive and sobering: rich people who win the lottery stay rich. That's their normal state. Middle-class people who win the lottery soon end up back in the middle class, because that's their normal state. And those who are broke and win the lottery quickly return to being broke. The amount of money you have (or don't have) reflects who you are. If you think broke, you'll always come back to being broke. And if you think wealthy, you'll always return to wealth.

As sober personal development coach Amanda Kuda can attest, you don’t need to have a drinking problem for alcohol to be holding you back. Like a lot of successful young professionals, her life was a carousel of opportunities to drink that ultimately left her feeling unfulfilled in her spirit, relationships, and career. She didn’t hit “rock bottom” or need a recovery program, but she did need a change. It was only when Kuda tried Dry January that she realized sobriety was the linchpin for a better life.

Conscious Living is a practical guide for the individual that brings new insights into a fundamental truth of daily life. Five simple lessons of "conscious living", rooted in the ancient traditions of Stoicism and Taoism, help us overcome obstacles and fears and awaken our own creativity.

In Middle-Class Mindset Escape Plan: Six Proven Steps to Break Free of Faulty Beliefs, Conquer Your Fears, and Reach Financial Success, J.D. shares what he learned through his own personal journey from middle class to millionaire so that you, too, can recover from loss, make a mindset shift, and break through to financial freedom.

As a longtime financial writer and nationally acclaimed investment advisor, Alexander Green understands the importance of money. But in this insightful and inspiring new audiobook, he looks beyond traditional measures of wealth to explore how a rich life is one of significance, not just financial success. As Green observes, money creates wealth, but so do character, conscience, attitude, and wisdom.

Ari Schultz was an extraordinary baby, beginning life in a pitched battle against heart disease. For the next five years, Erica and Mike Schultz learned how to balance the demands of their jobs, commuting to the hospital, and spending time with their growing family - along the way, noting the tricks and techniques that allowed them to get work done, even while living in the cardiac ICU and later through heartbreaking loss. After reflection and recovery, Mike and Erica codified their method of coping and working, and set out to study the work habits of extremely productive people.

Jim VandeHei’s high school guidance counselor laid it out clearly: VandeHei wasn’t cut out for college. In 1990, you could find him proving the counselor’s case emphatically, preferring beer to books and delivering pizzas to mapping out career plans. He attended a two-year school before smuggling himself into the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where after a year he had racked up a 1.4 GPA and was on the verge of getting the boot.

As a top-level sport psychologist and performance consultant, Dr. Stan Beeham knows what it takes to succeed - on the playing field, in the board room, and in all aspects of life. This award-winning book takes you inside the minds of major-league athletes, Olympic medal winners, and world-class business leaders to reveal the key motivators and mental processes that drive people to victory.

What do Apple CEO Steve Jobs, comedian Chris Rock, prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, the story developers at Pixar films, and the Army Chief of Strategic Plans all have in common? Best-selling author Peter Sims found that all of them have achieved breakthrough results by methodically taking small, experimental steps in order to discover and develop new ideas.

When it comes to finances, many of us feel strapped and stressed, buried under bills, worried about an uncertain future. Even if money is plentiful, we long for greater wisdom to manage it well. In Money-Making Mom, finance and family blogger Crystal Paine shares real-life stories, practical tips, and hard-won wisdom from the failures and successes that have carved her family's path to financial freedom.

A healthy brain is the key to staying vibrant and alive for a long time, and in Use Your Brain to Change Your Age, bestselling author and brain expert Dr. Daniel G. Amen shares ten simple steps to boost your brain to help you live longer, look younger, and dramatically decrease your risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Some sav success is based on luck. But high achievers don't leave their success to chance. They guarantee their future by applying the proven laws of success. When you apply these laws, you will unlock the most potent forces in the universe. You control your luck. What's the key? If you want to succeed, do what successful people do. It's that simple. In this book, Brian Tracy shows how to put the laws of luck to work for you.

Finally break free from insecurity and fear, and gain the confidence to be who you really are in any relationship. Do you overanalyze every text or missed call from your partner, wondering if it means they're losing interest? Do you find yourself wanting to please your family at all costs, even if it means neglecting your own needs and boundaries? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Millions struggle with an anxious attachment style that leaves them feeling needy, insecure, and exhausted in their relationships.

As an enthusiastic participant in the Maker Movement, Mick Ebeling has found countless ways to create simple new do-it-yourself technologies. But Ebeling has always dreamed big and soon realized that by ignoring that little voice of doubt in his head, his hobby could have the potential to actually help people surmount seemingly impossible odds. From crafting prosthetics for a young Sudanese boy who lost his hands in a bombing to a machine that allowed a paralyzed artist to draw again, Ebeling soon saw that nothing is actually impossible.

From an early age, it is drilled into our heads: Restlessness, distraction, and ignorance are the enemies of success. We’re told that learning is all self-discipline, that we must confine ourselves to designated study areas, turn off the music, and maintain a strict ritual if we want to ace that test, memorize that presentation, or nail that piano recital. But what if almost everything we were told about learning is wrong?

As a technology pioneer at MIT and as the leader of three successful start-ups, Kevin Ashton experienced firsthand the all-consuming challenge of creating something new. Now, in a tour-de-force narrative 20 years in the making, Ashton leads us on a journey through humanity's greatest creations to uncover the surprising truth behind who creates and how they do it.

What could be better than getting anyone to do anything in seven minutes…or less? Finally, a revolutionary new approach scientifically proven to create instant, effective, and lasting change in anyone—coworkers, friends, family, strangers, even yourself.

The Fieldbook is an intensely pragmatic guide. It shows how to create an organization of learners where memories are brought to life, where collaboration is the lifeblood of every endeavor, and where the tough questions are fearlessly asked. The stories here show that companies, businesses, schools, agencies, and even communities can undo their “learning issues” and achieve superior performance. If ever a work gave meaning to the phrase hands-on, this is it.