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Showing 616 tag results for “20th-century-classic”

All(616) PhilosophersNotes(63) Authors(50) Quotes(503)

PhilosophersNotes (63)

Eight Pillars of Prosperity

From: Mind Is the Master - The Complete James Allen Treasury

by James Allen

James Allen wrote As a Man Thinketh—one of the all-time classics of old-school inspirational self-help. As it turns out, he wrote a *ton* of other stuff as well. He was an incredibly (!) prolific and lucid writer. Big Ideas we explore in this Note include the eight pillars of prosperity, why energy is a moral virtue, the power of kindness and generosity and how to tap into the soul of genius.

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Abundance & Purpose

20th Century Classic Character Mind Virtue

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Maximum Achievement

Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed

by Brian Tracy

As with all of Brian Tracy’s books, this one is ridiculously packed with wisdom. He wrote it 25 years ago (25 years into his journey as a teacher). It’s based on a training program he created called The Psychology of Achievement that he taught to 1 million+ people. It’s a dense, 350-page encyclopedia of Big Ideas to help us jumbo crush it. Big Ideas we explore: the 7 ingredients of success, the Law of Substitution, mining your acres of diamonds, 7 questions that can change your life, moving from positive thinking to positive knowing, treating excusitis, and the secret sauce of achievement (hint: it’s love).

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Confidence & Peak Performance

20th Century Classic soul Spirit Top 101

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The Way to Love

The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello

by Anthony de Mello

This is a tiny little pocket book featuring thirty-one inspiring, challenging meditations on how to love by Anthony de Mello, a mystical Jesuit priest who also wrote the great book Awareness that we cover. The book is a powerful, challenging look at how to break free from our conditioning, reprogram our minds and truly love. Big Ideas we explore include what it means to love, enjoying the symphony of life (by no longer clinging or renouncing), the art of looking (How are you THAT?), how to create freedom to make a fool of yourself, plus effort, effortlessness and fun.

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Connection & Love

20th Century Classic Heart Spirit Spirituality

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The Miracle of Mindfulness

An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Written in 1975, The Miracle of Mindfulness is one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s earliest books. It was originally written as a long letter to one of his main staff members in South Vietnam—encouraging him during very challenging times to continue their work of “engaged Buddhism.” It’s beautifully written and packed with wisdom. Big Ideas we explore include what qualifies as a miracle (hint: it’s ALL a miracle), choosing to sit or stand but avoiding the wobble, how to balance on top of a bamboo pole and three questions to ponder.

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Meditation & Mindfulness

20th Century Classic Buddhism

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Existentialism Is a Humanism

by Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and critic. He was a leading intellectual of the 20th century and the leading proponent of existentialism. This short book is a transcript of a speech Sartre gave in 1945 to address many of the critics of existentialism. It’s a *remarkably* lucid, concise exposition on the primary tenets of existentialism—even more remarkable given the fact that Sartre gave this lecture without notes. Big Ideas we explore: Anguish + its antidote, passion vs. choice, quietism vs. commitment, the stern optimism of existentialism and moral choices as a work of art.

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Confidence & Purpose

20th Century Classic Choice Existentialism Philosophy Responsibility soul Spirit

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Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot

by James Stockdale

Vice Admiral James Stockdale is an American hero. Stockdale spent nearly eight years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He spent four of those years in solitary confinement and was repeatedly tortured. He was the commanding officer of hundreds of other U.S. soldiers and received the Medal of Honor for his service beyond the call of duty. This is an incredibly inspiring look at the powerful mind and equally powerful moral commitment of a hero. Big Ideas we explore: Being our brother’s keeper, chiseling our integrity to achieve delight with life, courage as endurance of the soul and heroes vs. bums.

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Leadership & Stoicism

20th Century Classic Military Mind

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Leading an Inspired Life

by Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn was one of the 20th century’s leading personal development gurus—influencing everyone from Tony Robbins to Darren Hardy. He wrote and taught in a simple, conversational, down-to-earth style. Reading this book feels like sitting down and having an inspiring chat with one of the best old-school coaches out there. Big Ideas we explore include the formula for success (+ the 2 easies), how to unlock your potential, character = chisel, and the key to perseverance.

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Conquering Procrastination & Purpose

20th Century Classic Discipline Mind Motivation success

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The Common Denominator of Success

Laws of Leadership, Volume IX

by Albert E.N. Gray

This is a dinky little pamphlet of a book based on a speech Albert E.N. Gray gave to a group of Prudential Life insurance agents back in 1940. It’s packed with goodness and is uber-popular. In this Note, we define The Common Denominator of Success, identify the power of purpose and the fact that your future is formed by your habits.

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20th Century Classic Mind success

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Creating Affluence

by Deepak Chopra

This is a tiny book. Like super tiny. But, it’s also packed with a bunch of great Big Ideas. We explore the root of the word affluence, the two goddesses of wealth (and which one to chase!), the most important question for affluence, seeing failure as feedback + stepping stones, and creating unbending intent.

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20th Century Classic Mind

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The Relaxation Response

The classic mind/body approach that has helped millions conquer the harmful effects of stress.

by Herbert Benson

Originally published in 1975, this is an old-school classic on the science of meditation. Herbert Benson, MD, has been a Professor at Harvard Medical School and a leading figure in the mind/body movement for decades. Benson was the first to scientifically establish the significant positive effects of meditation. He called it the “Relaxation Response.” Big Ideas we explore: Fight-or-flight vs. Relaxation responses, how to elicit the relaxation response, the placebo effect (is powerful!), and the power of focus.

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20th Century Classic Body

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Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect

by Bob Rotella

This book is not only a golf/sports psychology classic, but a great primer on approaching life with the right mindset. If you’re into golf, you’ll love it. Big Ideas we explore include: Being an expander rather than a shrink, smaller targets leading to greater focus, the importance of your short game (in golf AND in life), fear vs. nervousness, paying a caddie to berate you and expectations: the good and the bad.

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20th Century Classic Golf mental training Mind Sports

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Passage Meditation

Bringing the Deep Wisdom of the Heart into Daily Life

by Eknath Easwaran

This book could have been called “The Eight-Point Program for Daily Living” as Eknath Easwaran walks us through not just his approach to “passage meditation” but also the other key tenets of spiritual living. Big Ideas we explore include deciding whether you *really* want to get over your problems, how to tame your mind (and why it’s like an elephant’s unruly trunk!), making your mind one-pointed, swimming upstream and doing the work (vs. just attending lectures).

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20th Century Classic Buddhism soul Spirit Spirituality

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Take Your Time

The Wisdom of Slowing Down

by Eknath Easwaran

This book was written in 1994—WAY before we blew up our brains with the Internet. Yet, the need to slow down and cultivate a calm, unhurried mind has been discussed by all the great teachers for 2,500+ years. We need the wisdom now more than ever. Big Ideas we explore include how use a red pencil, changing the channels of your mind, a quick quiz on whether meditation is right for you, and how to drive your mind safely (no tailgating thoughts!).

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Meditation & Self-Care

20th Century Classic Happiness soul Spirit Spirituality

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The Miracle of Right Thought

by Orison Swett Marden

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.

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20th Century Classic Mind optimism

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Art and Fear

Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

by David Bayles, Ted Orland

Art and fear. (You may have noticed they go together.) This is a quick-reading (122 pages), witty, real look at the process and challenges of making art. Of course, I think the biggest art project all of us can ever engage in is the creation of our own optimized and actualized lives, so we’ll be focusing on Big Ideas we can apply to our lives today including: quitting vs. stopping, fast vs. slow, 50 lbs, the importance of progress, naive passion vs. informed passion and how to get work done like a PRO!

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Conquering Fear & Creativity & Purpose

20th Century Classic Art Mind

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The Mental Edge

Maximize Your Sports Potential with the Mind-Body Connection

by Kenneth Baum

This is an old-school mental training book written for athletes in 1999. When Kenneth Baum wrote it, the mind-body connection wasn’t as well-established as it is now so many of the ideas he shares were cutting-edge at the time. Big Ideas we explore include the power of a desire inferno, DROPing into WOOP, power talk, 26,000 breaths a day, and Maslow’s warning.

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20th Century Classic mental training Mind Sports

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I Can If I Want To

Change Your Thinking, Change Your Behavior, Change Your Life

by Arnold Lazarus

This is a fantastic, old school psychology classic. Written in 1975, Albert Ellis (see Notes on A Guide to Rational Living) says it’s “One of the best self help books ever written.” Lazarus and Fay walk us through 20 of the most common mistakes that can ruin our lives and, of course, how to correct them. Big Ideas include myths about change, the 2 things we need to do to change, and optimizing our locus of control.

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20th Century Classic Mind

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What To Say When You Talk to Yourself

Powerful New Techniques to Program Your Potential for Success!

by Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D.

What do you say when you talk to yourself? Is it empowering? Or not so much? Shad Helmstetter tells us nothing matters quite as much as that. Big Ideas include why and how we need to upgrade our programming, the 5 levels of Self-Talk, and conquering our greatest challenge.

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Toughness Training for Life

A Revolutionary Program for Maximizing Health, Happiness and Productivity

by James E. Loehr

Toughness. Jim Loehr tells us that cultivating our toughness is the essence of creating healthier, happier and more productive lives. And, in this great, old-school book (written in 1993), he shows us how to go about doing that. Big Ideas we explore in the Note include how toughening happens (key: adaptive stress!!), the importance of training recovery, ultradian rhythms and emotional phones ringing.

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Peak Performance & Spartan Training

20th Century Classic mental training Mind

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The New Toughness Training for Sports

Mental Emotional Physical Conditioning from One of the World's Premier Sports Psychologists

by James E. Loehr

Jim Loehr is one of the world’s leading sports psychologists and peak performance experts. In this great book, he tells us how all champions are able to access their Ideal Performance States, why we want to lean into challenges, how to make waves throughout out day and the first rule of toughness.

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20th Century Classic mental training Mind Sports

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