600 + of the top optimal
living books…ever.

You ever procrastinate? Me, too. D'oh! This is an *awesome* book to help get at the underlying psychological issues/behaviorial patterns that are driving the show when we procrastinate (The Pursuit of Perfect is another great one for that, btw) and we'll have fun getting out of perfectionism and into facing our fears with baby steps in the right direction as we replace the self-defeating thoughts with more empowering ones.

This is one of three titles we cover by Esther and Jerry Hicks. In this Note, we'll look at some Big Ideas on how to rock the Law of Attraction to circulate wealth. We'll explore the fact that the most valuable skill we'll ever have is the control of our minds and how we need to make our lifetime career all about discovering and following our bliss!

Mark Williams is one of the world's leading authorities on applying mindfulness to cognitive therapy. In this great book, he teams up with Danny Penman to help us find peace in a frantic world. In the Note, we explore the what and why and how of cultivating our mindfulness. And, bonus, we get our raisin mind rockin'!

Flow. It's all about the science of optimal human experience. In this Note, we'll explore what the flow state is (hint: get fully engaged in an activity that matches your skills with your challenge) and we’ll look at some other Big Ideas on controlling the contents of our consciousness to get out of anxiety and boredom as we create more flow experiences in our lives. (Plus, you'll even learn how to pronounce "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.")

Would you like to ignite and sustain the fire of genius? Well, Michael Gelb's your guy, then. Gelb is one of the world's leading thinkers + teachers on applied genius creativity. He wrote the life-changing book, "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci" and is back with more goodness in this gem. Specifically, he teaches us how to cultivate our creative mindset + creative mojo via tapping into universal life force, or qi = good stuff!

Eric Barker is the creator of the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, which “presents science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life.” This is a REALLY engaging, well-written, compelling book. Eric takes us on a fun adventure through the science of what *really* works. And, as the sub-title suggests: How most of what you *think* works, is either a LOT more nuanced than you may have been led to believe or is just plain wrong. Big Ideas we explore include why valedictorians don’t typically top the success charts, how to get more willpower, why managing your energy is so key, the power of mentors (and how to get one), and the #1 thing to remember for success.

When you appraoch a set of stairs and an escalator what do you do? If you're like 95% of the world, you hop on the escalator but Rory Vaden tells us if we want true success in our lives we need to quit looking for shortcuts and Take the Stairs! In the Note we'll look at how to quit being a Should-head, embrace the Pain Paradox and get our Visioneering on.

Marden wrote this book in 1910. To put that in perspective: Teddy Roosevelt had just left the Presidency. I just love the old-school, hard-hitting, uber-inspiring wisdom Marden delivers. The founder of SUCCESS magazine, he’s kinda like a mashup of Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Allen and Tony Robbins. Big Ideas we explore: the power of vision, letting go of fear, and basking in the sunshine of right thought.

Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman are academics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Spirituality and the Mind. In this great book, they walk us through how God (or any spiritual practices in general) can, as the title suggests, changes our brains! Big Ideas we explore in the Note include the power if intention, the science of neuroplasticity and how meditation and exercise effect your brain!

Ralph Waldo Emerson is a hero of mine (he occupies the Great-Great+ Grandfather slot in my spiritual family tree) and his essays, although written in 19th century prose, totally fire me up. In this Note, we'll explore some Big Ideas on self-reliance (trust yourself!!!), the power of enthusiasm (did you know the word literally means "God within"?!), and how God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. Plus other goodness.