Social Motivation

Tim Stevens traveled an alternative road—leaving high school and immediately joining a national non-profit organization. He rose quickly through the ranks of leadership, but nine years later left it all behind to help an upstart church get its footing. During the 20 years Stevens served as Executive Pastor at Granger Community Church near South Bend, Indiana, the ministry grew from a congregation of 300 to more than 5,000; from a staff of five to more than 130; with a preschool, restaurant, three campuses and more than 1,800 new churches planted in southern India.

We've decided by consensus that consensus is good. In In Defense of Troublemakers, psychologist Charlan Nemeth argues that this principle is completely wrong: left unchallenged, the majority opinion is often biased, unoriginal, or false. It leads planes and markets to crash, causes juries to convict innocent people, and can quite literally make people think blue is green. In the name of comity, we embrace stupidity. We can make better decisions by embracing dissent. Dissent forces us to question the status quo, consider more information, and engage in creative decision-making.

Why do we lose money? It's easy to blame the economy or the financial markets - but the real trouble lies in the decisions we make. As a financial planner, Carl Richards grew frustrated watching people he cared about make the same mistakes over and over. They were letting emotion get in the way of smart financial decisions. He named this phenomenon - the distance between what we should do and what we actually do - "the behavior gap". He found that once people understood it, they started doing much better.

Every parent knows the struggle of wanting to equip their child with the tools to navigate a world filled with challenges. Is your son battling insecurities that hold him back from pursuing his passions? Do you worry that societal pressures are impacting his self-esteem? Tierra Williams, a passionate advocate for empowering young Black boys, understands these challenges and has crafted Positive Affirmations for Black Boys as a beacon of hope and guidance.

Could you lose weight if you put $20,000 at risk? Would you finally set up your billing software if it meant that your favorite charity would earn a new contribution? If you’ve ever tried to meet a goal and came up short, the problem may not have been that the goal was too difficult or that you lacked the discipline to succeed. From giving up cigarettes to increasing your productivity at work, you may simply have neglected to give yourself the proper incentives.

What do rocks have to do with body image? With personal stories and actionable steps, body-image activist and educator Teri Hofford helps women reconstruct the relationship they have with their body using geodes as a metaphor. Portraying the harmful belief systems, thought processes, trauma, and past experiences connected with how we view and treat our bodies every day as the gritty, grey, and hardened outer shell of a geode, Teri explains how these things keep us from following our hearts and revealing our true, glittery inner selves.

The art of self-improvement and creating a life worth living.

What if you could, with a little effort, live an extraordinary life? A life in which you feel deep passion for everything you do and always have time for what matters most? A life in which you have the power, the daring, and the will to make your boldest dreams come true, all while you happily leave feelings of inadequacy or guilt behind? Yes, it is possible to take your life from ordinary to extraordinary. The secret? Cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit inside you.

Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher. This short "handbook", which was actually written down by one of his pupils, is a guide to daily living. It has been read by countless people over the centuries because of its sensibility and its easy application to daily living. Unlike some of his forefathers in philosophy, like Plato and Aristotle, he focuses on how to practically apply oneself on a philosophical level.

Conversations have consequences. Discussions lead to decisions that shape the future for individuals, families, companies, and nations. Too often these decisions are derailed by faulty logic and false constraints. These pitfalls are not simply hidden, but deviously veiled in the guise of wisdom, truth, and common sense.

Feel you overwhelmed by your anxiety? Can’t you take your life again? Is your mind invaded only by negative thoughts? If you always feel overwhelmed, then you need examine how these thoughts are negatively impacting your lifestyle. If you want to take your like again, it’s important to practice techniques that will help you to find in your mind serenity and happiness. With these habits your positive thoughts will grow and improve your inner peace. And that’s what you’ll learn in Depression and Anxiety Therapy.

In November 2022, the first annual Alchemy Lecture took place at York University in Toronto, bringing four deep and agile writers from different geographies and disciplines into vibrant conversation on a topic of urgent relevance: humans and borders. Now, in this book, that conversation is captured and expanded in insightful, passionate ways.

Every parent dreams of raising confident, resilient children who thrive in any environment. Are your kids facing challenges in developing their self-worth and social skills? Is the pressure of external expectations holding them back from expressing their true potential? Tierra Williams, an advocate for the empowerment of young Black children, has combined her passion for personal development with her expertise in positive psychology to create Positive Affirmations For Black Kids (2 in 1).

This book is created especially for young Black boys, who are often let down by the way the world sees them. This book is designed to lift up the beauty and worth of all things in your life and make sure a positive mindset helps your young man understand his own excellence and that he can be whatever he wants, whenever he tries. Black boys are going to have to do some serious affirming if they are going to increase their confidence and lift their standards. Affirmations for Black Boys is your tool for helping Black boys affirm their best life.

Most of us want to succeed. And most of us want to do the right thing. But we often forget that the way tosucceed is by doing the right thing, as Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe remind us in Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing. When the institutions that shape our society need to change, the people in them typically either make more rules or offer smarter incentives.

American psychologist Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970) first proposed his "hierarchy of needs" theory in 1943. This theory outlines a classification system of universal human needs that individuals feel driven to fulfill in a prioritized manner, culminating in self-actualization.

Follow the journey of Mark Tullius, former cage fighter and boxer turned author and stay-at-home dad as he puts his love of fighting and his sociology degree to use. What began as a personal exploration to unlock his reasons for continuing to train and pursue a fight career evolved into an in-depth sociological study of why competing in mixed martial arts (MMA) appeals to fighters. Why do these men and women subject themselves to the endless hours of grueling training required for the full-contact sport?

Every parent wishes to see their daughter grow up strong and self-assured in her identity. Is your girl grappling with insecurities that hinder her from fully expressing herself? Does she face challenges in mastering her social interactions and making meaningful connections? Tierra Williams, an advocate for young Black girls’ empowerment, has poured her passion and expertise into Positive Affirmations for Black Girls, a vital resource for nurturing confidence, self-love, and motivation.

Cosy is “the slacker’s guide to staying at home, an antidote to peak frazzle.” With trademark Anglo cheekiness, Laura Weir perfectly captures the British essence of cosy. She celebrates socks, warms to the joys of toasty open fires, and extols the virtues of a quiet walk, ultimately enticing us all to create the British magic of cosy in our everyday lives.

In today’s work environment, the lines between our professional and personal lives are blurred more than ever before. Whatever is happening to us outside of our workplace - whether stressful, painful, or joyful - follows us into work as well. We may think we have to keep these realities under wraps and act as if we “have it all together”. But as Mike Robbins explains, we can work better, lead better, and be more engaged and fulfilled if - instead of trying to hide who we are- we show up fully and authentically.