How to get on well with people, how to deal with violence, how to adjust to losing someone you love? How to live? This question obsessed Renaissance nobleman Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-92), who wrote free-roaming explorations of his thought and experience, unlike anything written before. Into these essays he put whatever was in his head: his tastes in wine and food, his childhood memories, the way his dog's ears twitched when it was dreaming, events in the appalling civil wars raging around him. The Essays was an instant bestseller, and over four hundred years later, readers still come to him in search of companionship, wisdom and entertainment - and in search of themselves. This first full biography of Montaigne in English for nearly fifty years relates the story of his life by way of the questions he posed and the answers he explored.

In How to Be Miserable, psychologist Randy Paterson outlines 40 specific behaviors and habits, which—if followed—are sure to lead to a lifetime of unhappiness. On the other hand, if you do the opposite, you may yet join the ranks of happy people everywhere! There are stacks upon stacks of self-help books that will promise you love, happiness, and a fabulous life. But how can you pinpoint the exact behaviors that cause you to be miserable in the first place? Sometimes when we’re depressed, or just sad or unhappy, our instincts tell us to do the opposite of what we should—such as focusing on the negative, dwelling on what we can’t change, isolating ourselves from friends and loved ones, eating junk food, or overindulging in alcohol. Sound familiar? This tongue-in-cheek guide will help you identify the behaviors that make you unhappy and discover how you—and only you—are holding yourself back from a life of contentment. You’ll learn to spot the tried-and-true traps that increase feelings of dissatisfaction, foster a lack of motivation, and detract from our quality of life—as well as ways to avoid them. So, get ready to live the life you want (or not?) This fun, irreverent guide will light the way.

What can Alice in Wonderland teach us about childhood? Could reading Conversations with Friends guide us through first love? Does Esther Greenwood’s glittering success and subsequent collapse in The Bell Jar help us understand ambition? And, finally, what can we learn about death from Virginia Woolf? Literature matters. Not only does it provide escapism and entertainment, but it also holds a mirror up to our lives to show us aspects of ourselves we may not have seen or understood. From jealousy to grief, fierce love to deep hatred, our inner lives become both stranger and more familiar when we explore them through fiction. Josh Cohen, a psychoanalyst and Professor of Modern Literary Theory, delves deep into the inner lives of the most memorable and vivid characters in literature. His analysis of figures such as Jay Gatsby and Mrs Dalloway offers insights into the greatest questions about the human experience, ones that we can all learn from. He walks us through the different stages of existence, from childhood to old age, showing that literature is much more than a refuge from the banality and rigour of everyday life – through the experiences of its characters, it can show us ways to be wiser, more open and more self-aware.

In his new book, Stephen Levine, author of the perennial best-seller Who Dies?, teaches us how to live each moment, each hour, each day mindfully--as if it were all that was left. On his deathbed, Socrates exhorted his followers to practice dying as the highest form of wisdom. Levine decided to live this way himself for a whole year, and now he shares with us how such immediacy radically changes our view of the world and forces us to examine our priorities. Most of us go to extraordinary lengths to ignore, laugh off, or deny the fact that we are going to die, but preparing for death is one of the most rational and rewarding acts of a lifetime. It is an exercise that gives us the opportunity to deal with unfinished business and enter into a new and vibrant relationship with life. Levine provides us with a year-long program of intensely practical strategies and powerful guided meditations to help with this work, so that whenever the ultimate moment does arrive for each of us, we will not feel that it has come too soon.

Seriously . . . another book that tells you how to live a good life? Don’t we have enough of those? You’d think so. Yet, more people than ever are walking through life disconnected, disengaged, dissatisfied, mired in regret, declining health, and a near maniacal state of gut-wrenching autopilot busyness. Whatever is out there isn’t getting through. We don’t know who to trust. We don’t know what’s real and what’s fantasy. We don’t know how and where to begin and we don’t want to wade through another minute of advice that gives us hope, then saps our time and leaves us empty. How to Live a Good Life is your antidote; a practical and provocative modern-day manual for the pursuit of a life well lived. No need for blind faith or surrender of intelligence; everything you’ll discover is immediately actionable and subject to validation through your own experience. Drawn from the intersection of science, spirituality, and the author’s years-long quest to learn at the feet of masters from nearly every tradition and walk of life, this book offers a simple yet powerful model, the “Good Life Buckets ” —spend 30 days filling your buckets and reclaiming your life. Each day will bring a new, practical yet powerful idea, along with a specific exploration designed to rekindle deep, loving, and compassionate relationships; cultivate vitality, radiance, and graceful ease; and leave you feeling lit up by the way you contribute to the world, like you’re doing the work you were put on the planet to do. How to Live a Good Life is not just a book to be read; it’s a path to possibility, to be walked, then lived.

A collection of essays by fifteen philosophers presenting a thoughtful, introductory guide to choosing a philosophy for living an examined and meaningful life. Socrates famously said "the unexamined life is not worth living," but what does it mean to truly live philosophically? This thought-provoking, wide-ranging collection brings together essays by fifteen leading philosophers reflecting on what it means to live according to a philosophy of life. From Eastern philosophies (Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism) and classical Western philosophies (such as Aristotelianism and Stoicism), to the four major religions, as well as contemporary philosophies (such as existentialism and effective altruism), each contributor offers a lively, personal account of how they find meaning in the practice of their chosen philosophical tradition. Together, the pieces in How to Live a Good Life provide not only a beginner's guide to choosing a life philosophy but also a timely portrait of what it means to live an examined life in the twenty-first century. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL

A Practical Guide to Living Life in the Present Moment "This moment is it. It is everything. It is all there is, and the solution to any difficulty in your life is to be found here and here alone..." Based on more than 25 years of experience, bestselling author and facilitator Ernest Holm Svendsen takes you on the most important journey of your life. The journey from the prison of your mind to the vitality and aliveness of the present moment. In his down-to-earth style and using practical exercises and experiments, Ernest shows you exactly how to change your life by shutting down your autopilot and waking up to the spontaneous joy of being in the present moment. Through clear explanations and step-by-step guidance, How to Live In the Now offers a practical path to living life in the present moment which is available to anyone, no matter their life circumstances. Learn how to be in the present moment Learn how to let go of anxiety and worried thoughts Learn how to create deep connections with others Learn how to stop seeking approval and be yourself "I loved this book and how it taught me to live life in the present! From the precise and easy-to-understand explanations to the simplicity of the practices it has made such a difference for me." "It was as if I could weave your instructions as a thread through my (very busy) life as a working parent. I have spent so much time not living in the present and I can't begin to express what getting better at living now has brought to my marriage, the relationship to my children and my work life." "I've read so many books on how to live in the present. Being present in the moment is the most important topic in life but it is so often misunderstood. Your book really clears it up and the training program is just perfect. Thank you for this little gem making everyone better at living in the now!"

Life is a problem -- a problem you can solve! All you need are some simple, insightful ways of looking at yourself and your world, plus frank, straightforward tools for developing your philosophy, addressing your feelings and clarifying your goals. And they’re all here for you – in abundance – in John Vorhaus’s down-to-earth guide to lofty concerns, How to Live Life. Using the plain-spoken, exercise-driven approach of his many successful writing books, How to Live Life offers no magic solutions, just practical strategies for advancing your self-awareness, acquiring self-acceptance and closing the gap between the person you are and the person you want to be. If spiritual matters matter to you, if you want to make your life rise, and if you wish to gain a better grasp of the questions that confront us all, this little book will have a great big impact on you.

Awe. It is about wonder. About accessing the amazing to express reverence, admiration. Awe like this can show up in every aspect of our lives – even those we declare as not so great. When we can look at all aspects of our lives with this kind wonder and admiration, awe changes us. We are broken open by it. It forces us to rethink things. To tweak our behaviors and choices. To move toward things that matter. Psychologist Nicholas Humphrey says awe forces us to reconfigure our mental model so we can make sense of what we’ve seen and experienced. It broadens us, inspires us. Awe then, has the ability to awaken us. It can show us the beauty that already exists and remind us who we are at our spiritual core. It brings us closer to our purpose and passion and helps us create meaning. It helps us to live with the mystery in life, to survive the uncertainty of it all. It allows us to sink into the experience of living. To engage in it. To be touched by it. To participate rather than needing to manipulate, contrive, or control every moment, each experience. When you live in awe of your life you are open to diverse experiences. Some are easy peasy, comfortable and even joyous. Others totally suck. But you are okay because you know that within every experience the possibilities are limitless and experience is multi-dimensional. It is never just one thing. It is always more than bad or good. Polly Campbell designed this book to help you engage with the awesome qualities of your life. Do the exercises if you want – or not. Read this book chapter by chapter or go to the section that will help you most right now. Take what works, discard the rest. You will not be graded on how well you use this book. You won’t be judged. Living an Awesome Life isn’t about following a strict set of rules. It’s about living from your essence and using all that to catapult you into your best life. What that life looks like is up to you. You are the creator of your moments. They are shaped by what you believe, what you notice, how you behave. You get to choose. No matter who you are, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, what you’ve experienced and borne, the very next moment can be awesome. Seriously. Sounds a little woo-woo, I know, but this is totally doable. When you discover the awe in the now, it transforms the next moment and makes it more possible, a bit easier to bear. A bit more awesome. When you string together a whole batch of little awesome moments, you can create a big, fat awesome life. Starting now. From right here

With delightful illustrations and simple prose, Sandy Gingras strips away the complicated, structured way of life we cling to and helps us find perspective and appreciation in simple things - like the beach. How to Live at the Beach is a gift book that is at home anywhere, on any coast, or far from it. For the beach is only a metaphor, and with every reading we are awakened: How we might live, how we can pace ourselves, how we can appreciate our world, how we can love.

Simple prose and watercolor illustrations offer tips for living a simple, relaxed lifestyle by slowing down and finding happiness in the little things of life.

From the author of the beloved New York Times best-selling The End of Your Life Book Club, an inspiring and magical exploration of the power of books to shape our lives in an era of constant connectivity. "[A] gift, and one that keeps giving.” —USA Today For Will Schwalbe, reading is a way to entertain himself but also to make sense of the world, and to find the answers to life’s questions big and small. In each chapter, he discusses a particular book and how it relates to concerns we all share. These books span centuries and genres—from Stuart Little to The Girl on the Train, from David Copperfield to Wonder, from Giovanni's Room to Rebecca, and from 1984 to Gifts from the Sea. Throughout, Schwalbe tells stories from his life and focuses on the way certain books can help us honor those we've loved and lost, and also figure out how to live each day more fully.

How medieval monastic practices—with their emphasis on a healthy soul, mind, and body—can inspire us to live fuller lives today We know that they prayed, sang, and wore long robes, but what was it really like to be a monk? Though monastic living may seem unimaginable to us moderns, it has relevance for today. This book illuminates the day-to-day of medieval European monasticism, showing how you can apply the principles of monastic living, like finding balance and peace, to your life. With wit and insight, medievalist and podcaster Daniele Cybulskie dives into the history of monasticism in each chapter and then reveals applications for today, such as the benefits of healthy eating, streamlining routines, gardening, and helping others. She shares how monks authentically embraced their spiritual calling, and were also down to earth: they wrote complaints about being cold in the manuscripts they copied, made beer and wine, and even kept bees. How to Live Like a Monk features original illustrations by Anna Lobanova, as well as more than eighty color reproductions from medieval manuscripts. It is for anyone interested in the Middle Ages and those seeking inspiration for how to live a full life, even when we’re confined to the cloister of our homes.

From the author of the best-selling The Joy of Less, a handbook for mindful minimalism that provides a philosophy and instructions to lighten up every aspect of our lives--in just 5 or 10 minutes a day.

Sum is a stunning exploration of funny and unexpected afterlives that have never been considered- each presented as a vignette that offers a lens through which to see ourselves here and now. In one afterlife you may find that God is the size of a microbe and is unaware of your existence. In another, you work as a background character in other people's dreams. Or you may find that the afterlife contains only those people whom you remember. The stories in Sum are rooted in romance, science, and awe: a mixture of death, hope, computers, immortality, love, biology, and desire that cuts through human nature at new and exciting angles.

It's time to reset, adjust and take the power back. Having spent over 20 years building her hugely successful beauty empire, Maria Hatzistefanis managed to achieve all her childhood dreams and goals. She has attended exclusive parties, walked on glamorous red carpets and visited beautiful cities. Whilst this life of glamour and success is exhilarating, Maria is shocked to find that the happiness it brings is fleeting. This leads her to realise that her life needs a new focus. In this easy to follow guide Maria asks the fundamental question 'what is happiness?'. Analysing her own experiences, failures and fortunes, Maria provides clear, concise and intuitive strategies to help you tackle your own challenges. From aligning your thoughts and actions to detaching your success from achievements, Maria shares her practical secrets to mastering your mindset. How to Live Your Best Life will equip you with the tools you need to be in control of your own destiny. Brimming with good sense, great advice and clear tips Maria guides you on your journey to happiness and ultimately success.

Are you living your best life? Do you want to become 32% happier? This book will help you improve your happiness, reduce stress and help you be more successful at work and home. There are countless self-improvement books. Which one is right for you? How do you integrate all this information to accomplish your goals and live your best life?In Live Your Purpose, Rick Heyland, MBA, shares personal research and experiences based on his thirty-one year management consulting career to deliver a fully integrated personal improvement system to live your best life.Adrian Gostick, New York Times bestselling author of "Leading with Gratitude," had this to say about Live Your Purpose: "As Rick Heyland reminds us, purpose is the reason you were created, it is your ultimate why. This terrific book not only addresses the need to develop purpose statements, but takes us on a practical journey to live our best lives. Full of real-world takeaways and wisdom from a highly rated management consultant and senior business leader, this gem of a book will quickly become the go-to standard for anyone looking to live a more purposeful life."Dr. Robert Maurer, author of "Small Steps That Can Change Your Life - The Kaizen Way", says this about Live Your Purpose: "Rick Heyland provides a road map to a rich and fuller life, a path to bringing joy and passion to your daily life. You will find elegant strategies for achieving your goals and turning stress and stumbling blocks into steppingstones." In Live Your Purpose, you will learn how to develop clear and compelling personal purpose statements. You will also learn a comprehensive goal accomplishment system. Lastly, you will learn how to overcome stress, anxiety and setbacks along the path to your best life. Ready to get started?Thirty-three percent of the profits of this book will be donated to charities, including twenty-five percent to Operation Underground Railroad (www.ourrescue.org)