This world we live in can sometimes be a little cruel. We have to work hard, push ourselves to give our best all the time, both personally and professionally, and still there are times when we can't seem to please anyone, not even ourselves. It is during these times when you need to step back, take a deep breath, and just let go. But that's easier said than done. So what can you do? Find your answers in some books that are filled with affirmations, motivations, and inspire you to savor life.
The Week brings you a list of books that is guaranteed to leave you in a better mood than when you first picked it up.
The Happiness Project
by Gretchen Rubin
There are some books that start on a happy note. The cover of The Happiness Project reads ‘Why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun.’ The book is the outcome of the author’s experiment after she had an epiphany where she realized she wasn’t focusing on things that actually mattered in life and time was just passing by. She decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project. In the book, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Rubin shows you how you don’t have to make sudden, and big changes in order to be happy. Read the book and start you own happiness project.
Good Advice from Bad People by Zac Bissonnette
International Day of Happiness being celebrated today
Good Advice from Bad People is crammed with examples of self-help gurus and other self-styled experts proving “comically – and sometimes darkly – horrible at following their own leads”. Many of Bissonnette’s subjects are criminals, or mentally ill. But he touches briefly on a fascinating possibility: What if it’s because some people have big problems, in a given domain, that they end up so forcibly telling others what to do about it? The author has gathered more than seventy-five jaw-dropping gems, including risk-management advice from the man who triggered the world’s largest hedge fund collapse and tips from a pastor on how to build a marriage that lasts a lifetime. It has all the wisdom you need to build the life you want but if only you can follow it better than the people who gave it.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
by Haruki Murakami
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional,” writes Murakami in What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. And there are quite a few other thought provoking lines and passages in this book. Though it is more of a memoir, it is also deeply philosophical and can teach you valuable life lessons. There are also interesting observations about life and running, and the connection between the two. This travelogue-self help-memoir of a book takes you on a journey that might just be what you were looking for to recharge and refuel your soul. Murakami also makes you think about the power of exercise and staying active: “When I’m running I don’t have to talk to anybody and don’t have to listen to anybody. This is a part of my day I can’t do without.”
The Secret
by Rhonda Byrne
This book is about the universal law of attraction and how we can access it to bring ourselves health, wealth and happiness. Fragments of ‘the secret’ have been found in oral traditions, literature, religions, and philosophies throughout the centuries. A number of the exceptional people who discovered its power went on to become regarded as the greatest human beings who ever lived. Among them: Plato, Leonardo, Galileo, and Einstein. The author reveals the hidden potential of ‘the secret’ and how we can use it to our benefit. By combining scientific thought with ancient wisdom and spirituality, the riveting, practical knowledge will help us have a greater grasp over our own lives. This book will also teach you the power of gratitude and how saying a simple thank you has the ability to change things around you.
The Last Lecture
by Randy Pausch
Professors at colleges and universities give talks titled ‘The Last Lecture’ when they are asked to ponder on their demise and think about what matters most to them. When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give one such lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last for he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But his speech had nothing to do with death and everything to do about life. In his speech ‘Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams’ he talks about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment. This is a book that will leave you inspired. You don’t even have to read the whole book start to finish. Just dip in and out when and as you want.
Everything is Going to Be OK
Everything is going to be ok eventually but sometimes we need a little reminding. And sometimes a little inspiration goes a long way and in this wonderfully put together book from Chronicle Books artists, designers, and illustrators have contributed their skills to create a book that feels like little pep-talk. This pocket-sized volume is filled with artworks that have encouragements and affirmations and it makes for a delightful and uplifting visual treat for a time when you are feeling down and need some cheering up. Everything is Going to Be OK is a feel good book that will make you believe that everything is going to be ok no matter what your current circumstances are. When you are feeling down or need a little cheering up, this is the perfect book to turn to.
