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Showing 589 tag results for “soul”

All(589) +1s(325) PhilosophersNotes(114) Master Classes(7) Authors(104) Quotes(39)

+1s (325)

Changing Times
#1182

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Call for Unchanging Principles

In our last +1, we talked about Jesus, Tolle and You and your House on the Rock. I mentioned the fact that Tom Morris leaned on Jesus’ wisdom in his great book on how to deal with life’s inevitable lemons appropriately called

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+1 inspired by Note: Plato’s Lemonade Stand

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Modern Hērō & Stoicism

modern-hero Philosophy Practice soul Spirit stoicism Virtue Wisdom

#1182

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Jesus, Tolle, You and Your House on the Rock
#1181

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The Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders

The other day I ran into my friend Michael on the Trail. Well, technically, we did a 6-feet-apart virtual elbow tap as it was the start of the COVID-19 crisis. He asked me if I’d seen Eckart Tolle’s recent talk on how to deal with crisis. I told him I hadn’t. (I read books, folks! ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Plato’s Lemonade Stand

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Modern Hērō & Stoicism

Fundamentals modern-hero Philosophy Practice soul Spirit stoicism Wisdom

#1181

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Eudaimonism vs. Hedonism
#1166

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Don’t Want to Be Depressed? Science Says…

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that when we go after accumulating more and more “stuff” (whether that’s the latest gadgets or Instagram likes), we often find ourselves working harder and harder but not getting any happier. We’re stuck on what scientists call a ...

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+1 inspired by Note: What Doesn't Kill Us

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Conquering Anxiety & Conquering Depression

conquering-anxiety conquering-depression Eudaimonia flourish Happiness soul Spirit Virtue

#1166

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Eudaimonic Treadmills
#1165

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Note: There Aren’t Any

Have you ever heard of “hedonic treadmills”? We talked about them briefly a few years ago in the context of this +1 on the science of hedonic adaptation. Basic idea: We adapt to ...

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+1 inspired by Note: The Myths of Happiness

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Conquering Anxiety & Conquering Depression

conquering-anxiety conquering-depression Eudaimonia flourish Happiness soul Spirit Virtue

#1165

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"The Tyranny of Positive Thinking”
#1164

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And How to Avoid It

In our last few +1s, we’ve been Optimizing our Optimism. After hanging out with some long-lived nuns, we spent some time with Marin Seligman (NOT SMOKING two packs a day) then we spent some time with Sonja Lyubomirsky (journaling on our awesome future lives). Today I want to go bac...

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+1 inspired by Note: Positive Psychology and the Body

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Positive Psychology & Stoicism

Eudaimonia Happiness positive-psychology soul Spirit stoicism Virtue WOOP

#1164

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“The Most Robust Strategy”
#1163

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To Cultivate Optimism Is…

In our last +1, we talked about some (more) crazy stats on the power of Optimism. We have those long-lived nuns and Martin Seligman telling us that he and his colleagues “estimate that being in the upper quartile of optimism seems to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk rou...

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+1 inspired by Note: The Myths of Happiness

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Journaling & Positive Psychology

Happiness Hope journal-exercise journaling optimism positive-psychology soul Spirit Vision

#1163

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High-Hanging Fruit
#1160

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Your Fuel for 10x Thinking

In our last +1, we spent some time with Tim Ferriss, setting some unusually large goals and thinking about the fact that those jumbo goals can often be, paradoxically, easier to reach than the “realistic” goals that everyone else is going after. Of course, as we dream big, ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Smartcuts

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Goals & Purpose

action big-picture courage goals purpose soul Spirit wildly-important-goals

#1160

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Tim Ferriss on Unusually Large Goals
#1159

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And the Collective Insecurity of the World

In our last +1, we spent some time with Isaiah Hankel in his Black Hole of Focus and talked about “How Intelligent People Can Create a Powerful Purpose for Their Lives.” We quickly reflected ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Black Hole Focus

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Goals & Purpose

Actualization big-picture courage goals purpose soul Spirit wildly-important-goals

#1159

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You Can Achieve Greatness
#1158

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Here’s a Two-Step Process

In our last couple +1s, we did some gardening with Kennedy, fixed our roofs together and we got ready to land on the moon. Now… To find that moonshot wisdom, I did a quick search of the 596 PhilosophersNotes I have on my Mac. “Kennedy moon.” First result: ...

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+1 inspired by Note: Black Hole Focus

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Confidence & Purpose

Actualization big-picture confidence purpose self-awareness soul Spirit wildly-important-goals

#1158

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Moonshots with Kennedy
#1157

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What Goal Is Organizing and Measuring YOUR Energy and Skills?

In our last +1, we planted some trees with John F. Kennedy. Recall that he told us: “I am reminded of the story of the great French Marshal Lyautey, who once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow-growing and would not reach maturity for a hun...

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+1 inspired by Note: Black Hole Focus

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Leadership & Purpose

big-picture courage Inspiration leadership purpose soul Spirit Vision wildly-important-goals

#1157

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Cover It All in Leather
#1150

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Or… Just Wrap Leather Around Your Feet

In our last +1, we tapped into some wisdom from Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness as we wrote ourselves a permission slip and then hopped on the bus. 📝 🚌 Today we’re going to spend some more time with Brené. And, we’ll invite Pema Chodrön to the party.

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+1 inspired by Note: The Way of the Bodhisattva

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Conquering Perfectionism & Self-Image

Character conquering-perfectionism Happiness self-awareness self-image soul Spirit

#1150

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Permission Slips
#1149

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Time to Write Yourself One?

Brené Brown is one of the world’s leading scholars on the subjects of vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame. She’s also one of the most popular TED speakers and writers out there. I’ve enjoyed

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+1 inspired by Note: Braving the Wilderness

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Confidence & Conquering Anxiety

confidence conquering-anxiety courage Happiness Mindset self-awareness soul Spirit

#1149

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The Patron Letter of Heroes
#1148

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<- The Letter U

In our last +1, we chatted about The Three Quests: Universal + Unique + Ultimate. I proposed that we all have the same Universal quest to become the best version of ourselves in service to our families, communities and world. (“What one can be, one must be!”) We each have our...

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+1 inspired by Note: Pathways to Bliss

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Modern Hērō & Purpose

Actualization big-picture equanimity Hero modern-hero purpose soul Spirit

#1148

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The Three Quests + U
#1147

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Universal + Unique + Ultimate

In our Mastery Series, we kick off the third session of Module II on Hero-ology with The 3 Quests + U in which I proposed that we all have THREE quests—all of which happen to start with the letter “U” which just so happens to be the patron letter of hero’s. We’ll talk more abo...

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+1 inspired by Note: Toward a Psychology of Being

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Purpose

Actualization Areté big-picture purpose soul Spirit wildly-important-goals

#1147

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The Optimize Compass
#1128

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And How to Make One

As I was preparing for our Mastery Series Module on Hero-ology (aka: The Study of a Good Hero), I was having fun thinking about how to operationalize Joseph Campbell’s wisdom on the hero’s journey. One of the things I decided to do was give our heroes (that would be all of us) the n...

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+1 inspired by Note: A Joseph Campbell Companion

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big-picture carpediem Coach Hero journaling modern-hero soul Spirit Virtue

#1128

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PhilosophersNotes (114)

The Artist's Way

25th Anniversary Edition

by Julia Cameron

This is the 25th Anniversary Edition of the classic book that has inspired millions of creative people around the world. It’s essentially a 12-week course in helping us “discover” and “recover” our creative selves. It’s *packed* with exercises and questions to help us connect with the “Great Creator” within as we free up our latent creative potential. Big Ideas we explore include: the spiral path, morning pages, artist dates, gain disguised as loss, and the magic, grace and power of action.

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Female Author Modern Classic soul Spirit

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Knowledge of Higher Worlds and its Attainment

by Rudolf Steiner

I got this book on the recommendation of Phil Stutz (author of The Tools). I recently hired Phil as my coach and he *loves* Rudolf Steiner. I love Phil and I love following Joseph Campbell’s advice to study the books the teachers you admire studied so here we are. Rudolf Steiner was a remarkable man. Born in 1861, he was a philosopher, architect, and social reformer. Big Ideas we explore: the fundamental attitude of your soul, the importance of cultivating courage (and how to do it), spiritual perfection (it’s your ultimate goal), unfailing mastery (is the key), and using all your powers to serve profoundly.

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20th Century Classics courage soul Spirit Spirituality

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The Jefferson Bible

The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

by Thomas Jefferson

The Jefferson Bible. Thomas Jefferson created it for himself and never intended it for broad publication. Jefferson *literally* snipped out the passages and parables (from four different translations of the Bible) that he felt best captured the essence of Jesus’s moral philosophy and conformed with his sense of reason. Big Ideas we cover: Love your enemies (+ everyone else), seek ye first the kingdom of God, take the beam out your eye, use your talents, and build your life on the rock of wisdom.

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Old School soul Spirit

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Pursuing the Good Life

100 Reflections on Positive Psychology

by Christopher Peterson

Christopher Peterson was an award-winning professor at the University of Michigan. He was also one of the founders of the positive psychology movement. He worked closely with Martin Seligman to create one of my favorite surveys: the VIA (Virtues-in-Action) Survey of Character Strengths. This book is essentially a collection of 100 blog posts Chris created for his popular blog on Psychology Today. Big Ideas we explore include: good hope and bad hope, how to truly matter, how to avoid a sub-optimal epitaph and the keys to flourishing relationships.

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Hope Modern Classic soul Spirit

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Spiritual Evolution

How We Are Wired for Faith, Hope, and Love

by George Vaillant

George Vaillant is a psychiatrist and Harvard professor who, for 35 years, led Harvard’s 70+ year Study of Adult Development. (You learn a thing or three when you follow the development of teenagers as they grew into great-grandparents.) In this book, he tells us that we can evolve spiritually. Leaning on his experience running Harvard’s study plus cultural anthropology, ethology and neuroscience, he walks us through the biological underpinnings of the positive emotions that make up our spirituality: faith, love, hope, joy, forgiveness, compassion and awe.

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The Inner Citadel

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

by Pierre Hadot

Pierre Hadot was one of the most influential historians of ancient philosophy. In this book, he gives us an incredible look at Marcus Aurelius and his classic Meditations. You can feel Hadot’s incredible intellectual rigor and equally incredible passion for engaged philosophy. It’s inspiring. Big Ideas we explore include spiritual exercises, your inner citadel, your daimōn, amor fate, turning obstacles upside down and carpe areté.

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Modern Classic Philosophy soul Spirit Top 101 Virtue

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The Four Purposes of Life

Finding Meaning and Direction in a Changing World

by Dan Millman

Dan Millman is one of my favorite teachers and deepest inspirations. This is a super concise, quick-reading book (150 pages) in which Dan synthesizes wisdom from many of his other books—shining light on how we can engage in the four purposes of life to create meaning in an ever-changing world. Big Ideas we explore include a quick look at the 4 purposes of life, the fact that daily life is your master teacher, the required classes in the school of life (and how you’re graded), the importance of deciding to decide (then going all in), how to live happily ever after, and making every moment extraordinary.

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The Myths of Happiness

What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn't, What Shouldn't Make You Happy, but Does

by Sonja Lyubomirsky

Sonja Lyubomirsky is one of the world’s leading positive psychology researchers. Her award-winning and very well-funded research is on “the possibility of permanently increasing happiness.” <— How cool is that? This book focuses on, you guessed it, the myths of happiness—those things we *think* will make us happy (or devastated) but don’t. The book has over 700 (!) scholarly references. I always love connecting ancient wisdom and fun self-help with SOLID research so this book was a great treat. Big Ideas: hedonic adaptation, #1 way to boost optimism (kinda surprising), the ultradian dip, affluenza virus, frequency > intensity and how to set goals.

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Female Author Modern Classic soul Spirit

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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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20th Century Classic soul Spirit Top 101

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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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20th Century Classic Choice Existentialism Philosophy Responsibility soul Spirit

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Iconoclast

A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently

by Gregory Berns, MD, PhD

Wonder what the iconoclast’s brain looks like? Well, that’s what this book is all about. Our guide is Gregory Berns, one of the world’s leading pioneers (iconoclasts?) in the field of neuroeconomics. Berns is a professor in the department of Psychiatry and Economics and at the Goizeta Business School at Emory University. This book is a fascinating look at the three primary facets of the iconoclast’s brain (perception + courage + social skills), brought to life via research studies and biographical sketches of modern iconoclasts. Big Ideas we cover: how to change the way you see the world, how to control your fear and how to build your social skills (hint: be a good human).

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Leadership & Neuroscience

greatness Modern Classic soul Spirit

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Shoe Dog

A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

by Phil Knight

Phil Knight created Nike. This book is a *phenomenally* well-written, funny, tear-jerking, inspiring look at how he and his eclectic team of misfit geniuses made Nike one of the most iconic brands in the world. If you’re into sports, business and hero’s journeys, you’ll love it. I highly recommend it. Big Ideas we explore include: Crazy Ideas, victory, billionaires getting their credit cards declined (before they’re billionaires), optimal business, gratitude, luck and answering your calling.

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Business & Leadership

Biography greatness Hero Modern Classic soul Spirit Sports

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Be Unstoppable

The 8 Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything

by Alden Mills

This is a surprisingly awesome book—a fable about a young captain who spends time with a master and commander who reveals the secret code of rockin’ it. It’s kinda like if a Navy SEAL wrote The Alchemist or The Way of the Peaceful Warrior or The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Big Ideas we cover include: U.P.E.R.S.I.S.T. (the code to being unstoppable), the 2 limitations in life, how to discover your why, how to plan in 3-D, and the magic pill you need to take.

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Fiction Military Modern Classic persistence SEAL soul Spirit

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On the Shortness of Life

Life Is Long If You Know How to Use It

by Seneca

Seneca was an old-school Roman statesman and one of history’s leading Stoic philosophers. In this book he tells us that life is only short if you don’t know how to use it and also gives us some tips on how to deal with challenging times and cultivate tranquility. Big Ideas we explore include making T.O.D.A.Y. the day, how to deal with being exiled (never know when it could happen ;), and why flexibility is the virtuous road to tranquility (and how to avoid the detours).

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The Path to Purpose

How Young People Find Their Calling in Life

by William Damon

This book is a scientific look at Purpose by one of the world’s leading developmental psychologists—a powerful look at how to cultivate purpose in our children (and, for that matter, ourselves) and why it’s so important. Big Ideas we explore include a definition of what it means to be purposeful (and a look at the alternatives), the #1 thing that gets in the way of discovering and creating purpose, 9 key things parents can do to help their kids with purpose, why entrepreneurial spirit is so important and a four-word mantra to reduce timidity and build courage and confidence.

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The Power of Ideals

The Real Story of Moral Choice

by William Damon, Anne Colby

William Damon and Anne Colby are two of the world’s leading researchers in the field of moral psychology. They’re both Professors at Stanford and have been married for 30+ years. This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book that challenges the “new science of morality”’s view that morality is essentially biologically and socially determined. Damon and Colby argue that we all have the power to cultivate our more noble, moral possibilities. Big Ideas we explore include a quick look at our moral exemplars, moral agency, and the three virtues we want to cultivate: Truth + Humility + Faith.

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Character Faith Humility Modern Classic Morality soul Spirit Virtue

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Living Forward

A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want

by Michael Hyatt, Daniel Harkavy

Living Forward is a powerful little book all about helping us figure out our Life Plan—which is, essentially, the vision for every aspect of our lives and our plan to make it a reality. The book is the result of a collaboration between leading publisher + author Michael Hyatt and his coach Daniel Harkavy. It’s basically like having one of the world’s leading life coaches walk you through the Life Planning process he’s used with thousands of his clients. Big Ideas we explore include The Drift, your life GPS, pull power, soul oxygen and the Law of Diminishing Intent.

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Noble Purpose

The Joy of Living a Meaningful Life

by William Damon

William Damon is one of the world’s leading scientists studying human development and the psychology of morality. In this book, he gives us a guide to discovering and creating our noble purpose. Big Ideas we explore include making a distinction between noble and heroic, the ultimate purpose formula, 9 tips on how to cultivate your noble purpose, the one phrase your advisor should whisper in your ears when you’ve achieved ultimate success, and how to create true, sustainable happiness.

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Ego Is the Enemy

by Ryan Holiday

Meet the enemy: Your ego. Our guide, Ryan Holiday, wrote one of my favorite books of 2015: The Obstacle Is the Way. Ego Is the Enemy is now one of my favorite books of 2016. It’s fantastic. Big Ideas we explore include: defining ego, becoming more than a flash in the pan, finally answering the question of whether it takes 10,000 or 20,000 hours to attain mastery, the virtue and value of staying true to your own path and making it rather than faking it.

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The Road to Character

by David Brooks

In today’s world, the road to character has a much less defined map than the road to external success. In this thoughtful, penetrating book, New York Times op-ed columnist and author David Brooks walks us through the evolution of our culture away from a character ethic toward a society all about what he calls the “Big Me.” And, of course, he shows us the way back to character. Big Ideas we explore include résumé virtues vs. eulogy virtues, answering the summons, conquering yourself, living for holiness and becoming strongest at your weakest point.

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