Optimizing Heroes :-)

I figured it was time to come back to my blog and provide a positive update given that one of the things that has helped me see things so positively! 

Heroic (previously called Optimize - hence this updated post for June 2023) gives me access to more wisdom in less time via: 

• **650+PhilosophersNotes** (6-pg PDFs & 20-min MP3s breaking down the big ideas from the best books), 
• **1,000+ Optimize +1s** (3-4-5 minute practical micro-lessons), and 
• **50+ Optimal Living 101s** (hour-long classes on everything from peak performance, mental toughness, and leadership to positive psychology, parenting and more)

Below is a list of all the current PhilosophersNotes and if you want to read any of the PhilosophersNotes listed below - click this link. 

• #ASKGARYVEE by Gary Vaynerchuk

• 1:59 by Dr. Philip Maffetone

• 10 Rules for Resilience by Joe De Sena

• 10-Minute Toughness by Jason Selk

• 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steve Chandler

• 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson

• 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse

• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

• 212° The Extra Degree by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson

• A Better Way to Live by Og Mandino

• A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen

• A Daily Dose of Sanity by Alan Cohen

• A Guide to Rational Living by Albert Ellis and Robert Harper

• A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine

• A Joseph Campbell Companion by Joseph Campbell

• A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley, Ph.D.

• A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

• A Round of Golf with My Father by William Damon

• Always Hungry? by David Ludwig

• An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

• An Audience of One by Srinivas Rao

• An Iron Will by Orison Swett Marden

• Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber

• Anxiety Free by Patrick McKeown

• Are You Fully Charged? by Tom Rath

• Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland

• As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

• Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Attainment by Troy Bassham

• Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman

• Awaken Your Strongest Self by Neil Fiore

• Awareness by Anthony de Mello

• Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker

• Be Quick -- But Don't Hurry by Andrew Hill and John Wooden

• Be Unstoppable by Alden Mills

• Beyond Religion by Dalai Lama

• Big Mind Big Heart by Genpo Roshi

• Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed

• Black Hole Focus by Isaiah Hankel

• Body Mind Mastery by Dan Millman

• Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi

• Born for This by Chris Guillebeau

• Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

• Bounce by Matthew Syed

• Brain Energy by Christopher M. Palmer MD

• Brain Maker by David Perlmutter

• Brain Power by Michael Gelb and Kelly Howell

• Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina

• Brain Wash by David Perlmutter, M.D. and Austin Perlmutter, M.D.

• Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown

• Breathe by Belisa Vranich

• Breathe In, Breathe Out by James E. Loehr and Jeffrey Migdow

• Bright Line Eating by Susan Peirce Thompson

• Broadcasting Happiness by Michelle Gielan

• Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson

• Buddhism Day by Day by Daisaku Ikeda

• Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis and Bing West

• Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

• Cancer as a Metabolic Disease - Book by Thomas N. Seyfried

• Cancer as a Metabolic Disease - Journal Article by Thomas N. Seyfried and Laura Shelton

• Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

• Character Strengths Matter by Shannon Polly, MAPP and Kathryn Britton

• Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron

• Choke by Sian Beilock

• Choose the Life You Want by Tal Ben-Shahar

• Clean by Alejandro Junger, M.D.

• Clean Gut by Alejandro Junger, M.D.

• Coaching the Mental Game by H.A. Dorfman

• Coming Alive by Barry Michels and Phil Stutz

• Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice by Robert W. Firestone, Lisa Firestone and Joyce Catlett

• Conquest of Mind by Eknath Easwaran

• Conscious Living by Gay Hendricks

• Constructive Living by David K. Reynolds

• Counterclockwise by Ellen Langer

• Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday

• Courage Under Fire by James Stockdale

• Courageous Dreaming by Alberto Villoldo

• Crazy Good by Steve Chandler

• Creating Affluence by Deepak Chopra

• Creative Mind and Success by Ernest Holmes

• Creativity by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

• Creativity on Demand by Michael J. Gelb

• CREATOR by Steve Chandler

• Daily Rituals by Mason Currey

• Dare to Be 100 by Walter M. Bortz II M.D.

• Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

• David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

• Deep Work by Cal Newport

• Designed to Move by Dr. Joan Vernikos

• Die Empty by Todd Henry

• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

• Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink

• Discipline Is Destiny by Ryan Holiday

• Discourses by Epictetus

• Discover the Power Within You by Eric Butterworth

• Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

• Do You! by Russell Simmons

• Don't Just Sit There by Katy Bowman

• Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes by Neal Barnard

• Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel by Judith Morgan, Neil Morgan

• Drive by Daniel H. Pink

• Driven by Douglas Brackmann, PhD

• Eat Fat, Get Thin by Mark Hyman

• Eat Move Sleep by Tom Rath

• Eat that Frog! by Brian Tracy

• Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman

• Effortless Healing by Dr. Joseph Mercola

• Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

• Eight Pillars of Prosperity by James Allen

• Elite Minds by Dr. Stan Beecham

• Embrace the Suck by Brent Gleeson

• Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

• Enough Already by Alan Cohen

• EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey

• Everyday Enlightenment by Dan Millman

• Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck

• Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

• Evolution by Joe Manganiello

• Excuses Begone! by Wayne Dyer

• Executive Toughness by Jason Selk

• Existentialism Is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre

• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

• Fail Fast, Fail Often by Ryan Babineaux and John Krumboltz

• Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

• Fat Chance by Robert Lustig

• Fat for Fuel by Dr. Joseph Mercola

• Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

• Fearless by Eric Blehm

• Fearless by Steve Chandler

• Finding Your Zone by Dr. Michael Lardon

• Fix Your Feet by Dr. Philip Maffetone

• Flourish by Martin Seligman

• Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

• Focal Point by Brian Tracy

• Focus by Daniel Goleman

• Food Fix by Mark Hyman

• Food Rules by Michael Pollan

• Fully Engaged by Thomas M. Sterner

• Future Visions by Edward Hoffman

• Gandhi the Man by Eknath Easwaran

• Gay and Katie Hendricks by Gay and Katie Hendricks

• Getting Grit by Caroline Adams Miller

• Getting Things Done by David Allen

• Go Long! by Jerry Rice

• Go Wild by John Ratey and Richard Manning

• Goals! by Brian Tracy

• Golden Rules for Everyday Life by Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

• Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella

• Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, M.D.

• Gratitude Works! by Robert Emmons

• Grit by Angela Duckworth

• Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar

• Happiness by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener

• Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff

• Happy Together by James and Suzie Pawelski

• Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

• He Can Who Thinks He Can by Orison Swett Marden

• Head Strong by Dave Asprey

• Healthy at 100 by John Robbins

• Hero on a Mission by Donald Miller

• Heroic Coach by Brian Johnson

• Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari

• How Bad Do You Want It? by Matt Fitzgerald

• How Champions Think by Bob Rotella

• How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman

• How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell

• How to Awaken Your True Potential by Paramahansa Yogananda

• How to Be a Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci

• How to Be a Success by Paramahansa Yogananda

• How to Be an Imperfectionist by Stephen Guise

• How to Be Free by Epictetus, translated by A. A. Long

• How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport

• How to Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie

• How To Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett

• How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

• How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere by Larry King

• How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson

• How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

• How We Learn by Benedict Carey

• Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey

• I Can If I Want To by Arnold Lazarus

• Iconoclast by Gregory Berns

• Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson

• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

• Indistractable by Nir Eyal

• Infinite Self by Stuart Wilde

• Influence by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.

• Instant Influence by Michael V. Pantalon, Ph.D.

• Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal

• Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe, Ph.D.

• Irresistible by Adam Alter

• It Starts With Food by Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig

• It Takes What It Takes by Trevor Moawad

• It Worked for Me by General Colin L. Powell

• It's Just a Thought by Thomas M. Sterner

• It's Not About the Money by Brent Kessel

• JAY-Z by Michael Eric Dyson

• Ken Wilber by Brian Johnson

• Keto for Cancer by Miriam Kalamian

• Ketotarian by Dr. Will Cole

• Knowledge of Higher Worlds and its Attainment by Rudolf Steiner

• Lead the Field by Earl Nightingale

• Lead Yourself First by Raymond M. Kethledge and Michael S. Erwin

• Leaders: Myth and Reality by General Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, and Jay Mangone

• Leadershift by John C. Maxwell

• Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin

• Leading an Inspired Life by Jim Rohn

• Learn How to Lead to Win by Mike Manazir

• Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman

• Legacy by James Kerr

• Letters from a Stoic by Seneca

• Life to the Fullest by Darrin Donnelly

• Life Visioning by Michael Bernard Beckwith

• Life's Great Question by Tom Rath

• Limitless by Jim Kwik

• Little Bets by Peter Sims

• Live Life Aggressively! by Mike Mahler

• Living Fearlessly by Paramahansa Yogananda

• Living Forward by Michael Hyatt, Daniel Harkavy

• Living Untethered by Michael A. Singer

• Longitude by Dava Sobel

• Louder than Words by Todd Henry

• Love by Leo Buscaglia

• Love 2.0 by Barbara Fredrickson

• Love, Medicine and Miracles by Bernie S. Siegel

• Loving What Is by Byron Katie

• Make It Stick by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger and Mark McDaniel

• Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

• Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven

• Make Your Mark by Jocelyn K. Glei

• Making Hope Happen by Shane J. Lopez, PhD

• Making Life a Masterpiece by Orison Swett Marden

• Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

• Manage Your Day-to-Day by Jocelyn K. Glei

• Many Ways to Say I Love You by Fred Rogers

• Mastering Creative Anxiety by Eric Maisel

• Mastery by George Leonard

• Mastery by Robert Greene

• Maximize Your Potential by Jocelyn K. Glei

• Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy

• Me to We by Craig and Marc Kielburger

• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

• Messy by Tim Harford

• Mind Gym by Gary Mack

• Mind Hacking by John Hargrave

• Mindfulness by Ellen Langer

• Mindfulness by Mark Williams and Danny Penman

• Mindset by Carol Dweck

• Mindsight by Dr. Dan Siegel

• Mini Habits by Stephen Guise

• Money, and the Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks

• Motivation and Personality by Abraham Maslow

• Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman

• Movement Matters by Katy Bowman

• Musonius Rufus by Cynthia Arrieu-King

• My Fight Your Fight by Ronda Rousey

• My Morning Routine by Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander

• Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McGougall

• Never Finished by David Goggins

• No Excuses! by Brian Tracy

• No Limits by Michael Phelps and Alan Abrahamson

• No Mud, No Lotus by Thich Nhat Hanh

• No Sweat by Michelle Segar, Ph.D.

• Noble Purpose by William Damon

• Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield

• Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg

• Off Balance by Matthew Kelly

• Old School Grit by Darrin Donnelly

• On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis

• On the Shortness of Life by Seneca

• On Writing by Stephen King

• One Percent Better by Brian Cain

• One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Maurer

• One Spirit Medicine by Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D.

• Organize Tomorrow Today by Jason Selk, Tom Bartow and Matthew Rudy

• Originals by Adam Grant

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

• Outside the Box Cancer Therapies by Dr. Mark Stengler, N.M.D. and Dr. Paul Anderson, N.M.D.

• Overachievement by John Eliot, Ph.D.

• Parenting Champions by Lanny Bassham

• Passage Meditation by Eknath Easwaran

• Pathways to Bliss by Joseph Campbell

• Paulo Coelho by Brian Johnson

• Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh

• Peak by Anders Ericsson

• Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

• Perfect Breathing by Al Lee and Don Campbell

• Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly

• Plato’s Lemonade Stand by Tom Morris

• Play by Stuart Brown

• Positive Addiction by William Glasser

• Positive Psychology and the Body by Dr. Kate Hefferon, PhD

• Power Sleep by James B. Maas

• Power Up Your Brain by David Perlmutter, M.D. and Alberto Villoldo

• Presence by Amy Cuddy

• Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn

• Primary Greatness by Stephen R. Covey

• Principles: Life by Ray Dalio

• Procrastinate on Purpose by Rory Vaden

• Prosperity, Plenitude & Infinite Possibilities by Michael B. Beckwith

• Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

• Pursuing the Good Life by Christopher Peterson

• Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be by Steven Pressfield

• Radical Remission by Kelly A. Turner

• Raise Your Game by Alan Stein Jr.

• Rapt by Winifred Gallagher

• Real Magic by Wayne Dyer

• Reinventing Yourself by Steve Chandler

• Relax into Wealth by Alan Cohen

• Relentless by Tim S. Grover

• Relentless Optimism by Darrin Donnelly

• Resilience by Eric Greitens

• Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

• Rethinking Depression by Eric Maisel

• Rethinking Narcissism by Dr. Craig Malkin

• Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabrielle Oettingen

• Revive by Frank Lipman, M.D.

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

• Rumi Daylight by Rumi

• Running Down a Dream by Tim Grahl

• Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

• Sea Stories by Admiral William H. McRaven

• Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

• Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.

• Self-Help by Samuel Smiles

• Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Self-theories by Carol Dweck

• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

• Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

• Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh

• Sitting Kills, Moving Heals by Dr. Joan Vernikos

• Sleep for Success! by James B. Maas

• Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson

• Smartcuts by Shane Snow

• Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg

• So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport

• Solving the Procrastination Puzzle by Timothy A. Pychyl

• Spark by John J. Ratey

• Spartan Fit! by Joe De Sena

• Spartan Up! by Joe De Sena

• Spirit Means Business by Alan Cohen

• Spiritual Economics by Eric Butterworth

• Spiritual Evolution by George Vaillant

• Spiritual Liberation by Michael Bernard Beckwith

• Staring Down the Wolf by Mark Divine

• Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

• Stick with It by Sean D Young

• Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday

• Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle

• Strength for Life by Shawn Phillips

• Strength in the Storm by Eknath Easwaran

• Stress Less, Accomplish More by Emily Fletcher

• Striking Thoughts by Bruce Lee

• Succeed by Heidi Grant Halvorson

• Success Through Stillness by Russell Simmons

• Super Human by Dave Asprey

• Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman

• Super Rich by Russell Simmons

• Superheroes and Philosophy by Tom Morris and Matt Morris

• Superhuman by Habit by Tynan

• Take a Nap! Change Your Life. by Sara C. Mednick

• Take Off from Within by Ervin Seale

• Take the Stairs by Rory Vaden

• Take Your Time by Eknath Easwaran

• Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

• Thanks! by Robert A. Emmons

• The 10 Pillars of Mental Performance Mastery by Brian Cain

• The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone

• The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwell

• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

• The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling

• The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

• The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

• The Achievement Habit by Bernard Roth

• The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman

• The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent by Esther and Jerry Hicks

• The Analects of Confucius by Confucius

• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Jeff S. Volek and Stephen D. Phinney

• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Jeff S. Volek and Stephen D. Phinney

• The Art of Achievement by Tom Morris

• The Art of Connection by Michael Gelb

• The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

• The Art of Life by Ernest Holmes

• The Art of Living Consciously by Nathaniel Branden

• The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm

• The Art of Mental Training by DC Gonzalez

• The Art of Peace by Morihei Ueshiba

• The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander

• The Art of Taking Action by Gregg Krech

• The Art of Work by Jeff Goins

• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

• The Artist’s Journey by Steven Pressfield

• The As If Principle by Richard Wiseman

• The Awakened Brain by Lisa Miller, Ph.D.

• The Bhagavad Gita by Krishna

• The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing by Dr. Philip Maffetone

• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

• The Big Picture by Tony Horton

• The Book of Understanding by Osho

• The Brain Warrior's Way by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. and Tana Amen

• The Buddha in Your Mirror by Woody Hochswender, Greg Martin and Ted Morino

• The Bulletproof Diet by Dave Asprey

• The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes

• The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes

• The Champion's Comeback by Jim Afremow

• The Champion's Mind by Jim Afremow

• The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane

• The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

• The China Study by Colin Campbell

• The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda, PhD

• The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

• The Common Denominator of Success by Albert E.N. Gray

• The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

• The Confidence Gap by Dr. Russ Harris

• The Courage Quotient by Robert Biswas-Diener

• The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

• The Courage to Create by Rollo May

• The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

• The Creativity Book by Eric Maisel

• The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday

• The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford

• The Dhammapada by Buddha

• The Diamond Cutter by Geshe Michael Roach

• The Distracted Mind by Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen

• The Distraction Addiction by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

• The Effective Executive by Peter F. Drucker

• The Element by Ken Robinson

• The Emotional Life of Your Brain by Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley

• The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

• The Enchiridion by Epictetus

• The End of Alzheimer’s by Dale Bredesen

• The Endurance Handbook by Dr. Philip Maffetone

• The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn

• The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy

• The Essence of Success by Earl Nightingale

• The Everyday Patriot by Tom V. Morris

• The First 30 Days by Ariane de Bonvoisin

• The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle by Jim Rohn

• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

• The Four Purposes of Life by Dan Millman

• The Freak Factor by David Rendall

• The Genius in All of Us by David Shenk

• The Genius Life by Max Lugavere

• The Gifted Adult by Mary-Elaine Jacobsen, Psy.D.

• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

• The Golden Present by Sri Swami Satchidananda

• The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan by David Perlmutter

• The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope

• The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

• The Happiness Diet by Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey, MD

• The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha

• The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt

• The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau

• The Happiness Track by Emma Seppälä

• The Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ Harris

• The Healing Power of the Breath by Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg

• The Healthy Deviant by Pilar Gerasimo

• The Heart and the Fist by Eric Greitens

• The Hero Code by Admiral William H. McRaven

• The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

• The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins

• The Highest Goal by Michael Ray

• The Hoops Whisperer by Idan Ravin

• The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

• The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin

• The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadrot

• The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey

• The Jefferson Bible by Thomas Jefferson

• The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal

• The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson

• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

• The Law of Success by Paramahansa Yogananda

• The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma

• The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes, Barry Posner

• The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle

• The Longevity Paradox by Steven R. Gundry, MD

• The Maffetone Method by Phil Maffetone

• The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz

• The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe by Glenn Clark

• The Marshmallow Test by Walter Mischel

• The Master Key by Robert Peng, Rafael Nasser

• The Mental Edge by Kenneth Baum

• The Message of a Master by John McDonald

• The Metabolic Approach to Cancer by Dr. Nasha Winters and Jess Higgins Kelley, MNT

• The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco

• The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford

• The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

• The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

• The Miracle of Right Thought by Orison Swett Marden

• The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

• The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard

• The Myths of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

• The Narcissism Epidemic by Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell

• The New Toughness Training for Sports by James E. Loehr

• The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

• The Now Habit by Neil Fiore

• The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday

• The Official Bright Line Eating Cookbook by Susan Peirce Thompson

• The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

• The Other 90% by Robert K. Cooper

• The Overfat Pandemic by Dr. Philip Maffetone

• The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown

• The Paleo Manifesto by John Durant

• The Paradox of Choice - Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz

• The Passion Paradox by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

• The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz

• The Path to Purpose by William Damon

• The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy by Donald Robertson

• The Places that Scare You by Pema Chödrön

• The Plant Paradox by Steven R. Gundry, MD

• The Pleasure Trap by Douglas J. Lisle

• The Power of Agency by Paul Napper and Anthony Rao

• The Power of Character Strengths by Robert E. McGrath and Ryan M. Niemiec

• The Power of Concentration by Theron Q. Dumont

• The Power of Decision by Raymond Charles Barker

• The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

• The Power of Habit by Jack D. Hodge

• The Power of Ideals by William Damon and Anne Colby

• The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer

• The Power of Mindful Learning by Ellen Langer

• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

• The Power of Rest by Matthew Edlund

• The Power of Starting Something Stupid by Richie Norton

• The Power of TED* by David Emerald

• The Power of Your Breath by Anders Olsson

• The Power of Your Supermind by Vernon Howard

• The Practice by Seth Godin

• The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner

• The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth

• The Procrastination Equation by Piers Steel

• The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer

• The Psychology of Hope by Charles Snyder

• The Psychology of Winning by Denis Waitley

• The Pursuit of Perfect by Tal Ben-Shahar

• The RAVE Diet by Mike Anderson

• The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson

• The Relaxation Revolution by Herbert Benson

• The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly

• The Right Kind of Crazy by Adam Steltzner

• The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler

• The Road to Character by David Brooks

• The Road to Sparta by Dean Karnazes

• The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes

• The Science of Being Great by Wallace D. Wattles

• The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles

• The Second Mountain by David Brooks

• The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson

• The Self Health Revolution by J. Michael Zenn

• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman and Nan Silver

• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra

• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes by Deepak Chopra with Gotham Chopra

• The Seventh Sense by Joshua Cooper Ramo

• The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

• The Silva Mind Control Method of Mental Dynamics by Jose Silva and Burt Goldman

• The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden

• The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington

• The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

• The Soul of a Butterfly by Muhammad Ali

• The Spartan Way by Joe De Sena

• The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra

• The Stoic Art of Living by Tom Morris

• The Stoic Challenge by William B. Irvine

• The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale

• The Stress Test by Ian Robertson

• The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

• The Success System That Never Fails by W. Clement Stone

• The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

• The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

• The Telomere Effect by Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D. and Elissa Epel, Ph.D.

• The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier

• The Tools by Barry Michels and Phil Stutz

• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

• The Truth in Small Doses by Clifton Leaf

• The Turnaround by Darrin Donnelly

• The Ultra Mindset by Travis Macy and John Hanc

• The Undefeated Mind by Alex Lickerman, MD

• The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

• The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal

• The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

• The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva

• The Way of the Fight by Georges St-Pierre

• The Way of the SEAL by Mark Divine

• The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

• The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello

• The Wheel of Time by Carlos Castaneda

• The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal

• The Wim Hof Method by Wim Hof

• The Winner Effect by Ian Robertson

• The World According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

• Think Like a Warrior by Darrin Donnelly

• Think on These Things by Jiddu Krishnamurti

• This Book Will Make You Dangerous by Tripp Lanier

• Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot by James Stockdale

• Three Essays on Universal Law by Michael A. Singer

• Thresholds of the Mind by Bill Harris

• Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche

• Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

• Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

• To Be Victorious in Life by Paramahansa Yogananda

• To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink

• Today We Are Rich by Tim Sanders

• Tony Robbins by Tony Robbins

• Toughness Training for Life by James E. Loehr

• Toward a Psychology of Being by Abraham Maslow

• Tripping over the Truth by Travis Christofferson

• True Success by Tom Morris

• True to Form by Eric Goodman

• Trust Your Vibes by Sonia Choquette

• Trying Not to Try by Edward Slingerland

• Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

• Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine

• Unleash the Warrior Within by Richard Machowicz

• Unstoppable Teams by Alden Mills

• Unsubscribe by Jocelyn K. Glei

• Victory Favors the Fearless by Darrin Donnelly

• Waking Up by Sam Harris

• Wealth Warrior by Steve Chandler

• What Doesn't Kill Us by Steven Joseph

• What To Say When You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D.

• When by Daniel H. Pink

• When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön

• Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, PhD

• Why Meditate? by Matthieu Ricard

• Why We Do What We Do by Edward L. Deci

• Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes

• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

• Why Your Life Sucks by Alan Cohen

• Willpower by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney

• Win Forever by Pete Carroll

• Win or Learn by John Kavanagh

• Wired to Create by Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire

• Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf

• With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham

• Wooden by John Wooden

• Words to Live By by Eknath Easwaran

• You Are Special by Fred Rogers

• You Are the Leader You’ve Been Waiting For by Eric Klein

• You Are the Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza

• You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

• You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

• You Owe You by Eric Thomas, PhD

• Your Brain at Work by David Rock

• Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne Dyer

• Your Life Is Your Message by Eknath Easwaran

The above is a list of all the current PhilosophersNotes and this link provides access to them. 

# HeroesUnite

Back Again - it's been some time

Wow, it's been a while since I was back here.  I guess I need to come back to this and start posting again. It's funny - I am never around when things are ticking along and bearable.  All sort of shit has been going on but relationship wise things were okay. Until this week that is.  The drinking is still there - same old same old.  Broken promises about giving up or cutting down. You'd think I would be prepared by now - same old pattern.    I know he hasn't been well lately so I guess that's the reason I am back here.  

I need to learn to come here when I have something good to share - something happy and positive.  

Let's do the positive stuff instead

I can't make this up: Life Lessons - The book I am laughing out loud at - which probably looks crazy when I am walking the dog.

The 4-hour body - The Slow-Carb diet I am currently on - 15 days in and 6.5lb lighter!  Doesn't even feel like a diet, just a healthy way to eat.

Future Crunch - I signed up for this and received their first email this week - finally some positive news about the world! Why doesn't this stuff get reported in the newspapers? Not that I follow the mainstream news but I don't hear people talking about this stuff.

Mutumamas - Something I need to start again - particularly now it's all been reworked :-) as of a few days ago.  The website is looking good. 

Interstitial Journaling - a method of working that I am trialling - it's going well so far - just need to remember to do it.

Quote, I am pondering this week - “I'm not interested in whether the glass is half empty or half full. I'm interested in figuring out how to fill the glass.” – Donald Kaberuka

If I post on a regular basis this may help with my memory (see the previous post) and that way I would have a record of all the things that caught my eye in a week and I could come back to this list to remind myself.  Another step on the way to me discovering me!

Total Memory Makeover by Marilu Henner

I have been reading this book the past few days - Total Memory Makeover by Marilu Henner.  I have a terrible memory.  A really terrible memory.  I am only part way through the book but I can see already the possible reason for me having such a bad memory.  Marilu believes that if you aren't paying 100% attention to what you are doing (because your thoughts are in the past or the future or distracted by your phone) then you're not going to be able to build memories on which to remember later.  Also, it seems that 'bad' memories can be buried away so as to avoid pain.

Things have been better with my husband the past few months.  We have made an effort to go out more, just the two of us on an almost weekly basis.   The drinking has still been getting me down particularly since we agreed to stick to a certain budget each and yet when his budget runs out he still buys drink.  I really want to get us out of debt so would rather we didn't keep overspending.  He says he loves me but the drink always comes first.  And it's not like he buys one extra drink when he has no money - no he can buy two or three extra per day.  Also, whilst we are together we are more like house mates than husband and wife. And then tonight he asks me what I want to drink - cup of tea or hemlock?  It was a joke apparently.  But given that I have been feeling a little well, the s word, I didn't find it funny at all. It actually really hurt.  If he doesn't want to be with me then he can just say so.  Why doesn't he just say so?  If he wants money then he should just say and I will take a loan and try and get him the money he wants and then I can get on with my life and see if I can't somehow find the happiness I haven't been able to find so far.  Or even just find peace. That was my one wish for the summer holidays - find peace.  And what have I found instead - hurt, pain and sleeping on the sofa.  

And what is going to happen?  What is the pattern that always happens?  I can feel it starting to happen even now - I'm too tired for this.  Too tired to stand my ground.  So he will leave me alone for a couple of days until I forget and then once the feelings have been buried and forgotten we will just go back to how it was before until the next thing.  So can Marilu and her memory exercises wake me up?

Marilu in her book says:

"Positive and negative patterns in your life are easy to identify once you step back and look at them from a wide-angle perspective."

Will Marilu's APR - anticipation, participation and recollection practice - help me on the path to Me Discovering Me?

It must be true - time flies when you are having fun...

I can't believe how long it has been since I added a blog post.  Things must have been going well.  Well on the relationship front they are better than they have ever been.  Not perfect but then what is!  We are so much closer now than we ever were (even in the beginning) which can be clearly seen by my lack of blog posts. I only ever felt the need to post when things between us weren't going so well.

So why am I back now.  

I have just filled out a survey about Mutu Mamas and I had checked on my blog to see what comments I had put about the Tupler Technique and that's when I saw how long it had been since I last posted.

So where am I now?  This is what I put a the top of the blog all those years ago.

Why? Quite simply... because I haven't got a clue who I am. Time is moving on fast and it is about time I worked out who I am, what my priorities are, and what I want my life to represent. If you had to write your own obituary today - what would you write and would it please you?

Worryingly, despite how good things are relationship wise, I am not sure what has changed for the above statement.  I think I have a little bit more of a clue about who I am but I still haven't worked out my priorities. In fact that is something that I am really struggling with.   

I have joined audible and I am currently on my second run of listening to

Freedom from the World  Written and Narrated by: Eckhart Tolle

It's a bit different but I do think there are some valuable takeaways and things for me to think about.

'You're never upset for the reason you think' - I haven't got my head around this one yet.

'Don't take your thoughts too seriously. They are only thoughts.'  - yes this is one I need to listen to.

'Refuse to be driven mad by the world' - absolutely need to listen to this.

'Nothing in this world matters absolutely' - I do need to learn to keep things in perspective.

'Allow this moment to be as it is' - it is what it is - I do need to learn to sit back and allow space between myself and whatever is going on so I don't get dragged into the drama of it all.

He suggests practising the ability to do small tasks, like picking up a cup and moving it, without the interference of thought.  One conscious breath at a time and try and do 50 per day.

I think, given my poor memory, that I should make little notes like this on the blog so that I can remind myself of what I have listened to or read.   I was quite surprised at the detail in my Tupler Technique post and found it very useful being able to go back to it and look at what I thought at the time.

Well it is about time I got back to documenting the journey of me discovering me.

Groundhog Day

I have in the recent past tried to follow the FlyLady thread on MSE but then I decide to search for the original FlyLady.

The basics for FlyLady (amongst other advice) is setting up morning and evening routines so you get in the habit of getting the things done that you need to in order to have more peace in your life.

FlyLady believes that it takes 27 days for a habit to form.

This is what I have been working on.  Rather than putting post it notes around to act as reminders, I use the unofficial FlyHelper app so that I have my routines with me all the time (well all those times when I haven't misplaced my phone).

But today it finally dawned on me.  Things hadn't gone quite according to my morning routine list  (as seems to be the case most days) and I was wishing it was tomorrow so I could try all over again to 'get it right' whilst trying not to beat myself up about it.  

That's when it hit - Groundhog Day.  

I need to go through my 'groundhog day' until I get the routines rights.  Just like Bill Murray's character had to in the film.  And yes it was frustrating and annoying for his character to have to keep messing up before getting it right but it was all worth it in the end.

So instead of me beating myself up, I need to remind myself that I'm just having a groundhog day and if I keep on going it will be worth it all in the end.

And I will be well on my way to me discovering me.

Roller coaster

I had a revelation today, of the spiritual kind...

I am not the one responsible for the roller coasters!

And that is despite always, always getting the blame for them. 

The reason, I think, I get the blame is that the OH only realises we are on a roller coaster when he hears me screaming to get off.  Hence why I get the blame.  But it finally dawned on me that the only reason I am screaming is because I can't cope with him when he is so consumed by drink.  

If he didn't drink, I would have no need to scream.  Therefore, he is one responsible for the roller coaster not me. 

Destructive Relationship

He is destroying me and I don't have the strength to resist or cope.  If I don't get out I don't know what will happen.  Life is POINTLESS.

It's like pulling off a sticking plaster, you know it is going to hurt like hell and you don't know how bad the wound is underneath.  It could get better without the plaster and with some fresh air.

Picking at the corners and managing to pull half of it off then leaves it to catch on something causing more pain. Stupid us tried to stick it back down.  Now I get double the pain. How stupid am I?  I have to go through this again but this time I've got severe depression to deal with as well.  How can I cope?  Flylady and mini habits mastery had better be as effective as they claim.  I have to ignore Monday and focus on getting through the next five minutes, working through my routines and then see where I am.  And on and on until I can cope a bit better.

I think I am his crutch but I'm broken now.  He needs to find a new crutch.  I'm destroyed.

He treats strangers better than me.  I was committed to a prison sentence and not told of my crime until 2011.  And my crime - I wasn't THE ONE.  And he knew it before he married me.  And stupid, stupid me tried to carry on and show him just how much I did love him.  And FOUR years later, whilst times have been better (hence the lack of posts) I AM STILL NOT THE ONE!  Never was, never will be. End of. 

I drive him to drink because I'm not the one he wants to be with, and his drinking destroys me. I resent it and drive him to drink more and on and on and on.  DESTRUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP.

Finally an update...

So what have I been doing on my journey to me discovering me.

To cut a long story short I ended up off work for a long period of time with stress and depression (I was in denial about the depression).

I've managed to get back to work and I'm probably four months back now. I am still not well and as I said in my last post I had a bit of a mini breakdown the other week.

I don't understand why I am struggling so much as I have been doing a lot to try and get better. 

I signed up to Get Some Headspace a while back and ended up buying the version for the whole year. I've done the foundation, the stress pack and I am now struggling with the relationship pack. Without a good morning routine I really struggled to fit the Headspace into my day. I find, like Andy Puddicombe says, that aiming to do it in the morning means it gets done and you have more chance of taking it with you during the day. I have managed a few weeks waking up about 6:00 to 6:30 putting on the travel kettle that I now have by my bed so I can get a cup of tea which is usually cooled enough to drink by the time I have finished my Headspace session.  It feels good to get it done like.  I found it difficult to do the visualisation with the stress pack (I just can't get over the fact that each toe and each finger fills up one at a time - how??) and find it hard to find someone to focus on in the relationship pack. I am hoping that if I keep going things will get easier. I need to get more sleep though as I keep falling asleep during my Headspace, particularly the relationship pack.

I also took out a subscription to Psychologies magazine using our Tesco points.

I am currently reading:

• Learned Optimism;
• Organizing from the Inside Out;
• Never Check Your Emails in the Morning; and
• Optimised Thinking.

Oh and also reading:

• Bastard Husband; and
• My Life in Black and White.

I never normally read fiction but I found Bastard Husband whilst I was going through my own difficulties.  I have just finished reading Bastard Husband and at the end of the book it pointed to a website/blog and it turns out the story is more fact than fiction. I have yet to have a good look at the blog but it is something I intend to do.  I found My Life in Black and White purely by accident.  I was walking through the library about to get some magazines out and this book cover caught my eye and that was it I ended up borrowing it. 

From reading Learned Optimism it is now confirmed that I am very pessimistic. I guess anyone reading the blog probably knew that already. When I am feeling brave enough I am going to read my blog from the start and see how much is pervasive, personal and permanent.  I am currently trying to note my ABC's - Adversity, Beliefs and Consequences so I can move on in the book.

I also found out from doing the test in the book that I am moderately depressed.  I was one point off being severely depressed.  I hadn't believed the doctor when he suggested I was back in November 2013!   At least now I understand why and can be more aware, hopefully.

Prior to this I have been receiving emails from a couple of places and I have found real benefit from them.

The first is Rori Raye. Obviously it is about selling the information she has gathered over the years and normally I wouldn't look at something like that because of that simple reason.  But in this case, over the months of receiving her emails, I am convinced she has valuable information to sell.  And if I knew anyone having relationship problems I would recommend that they at least sign up for her emails. I do believe she could give you knowledge that most women do not have.  The reason I am convinced she knows what she is talking about is because it was only after reading her emails that I realised I had been doing some of the things she talks about completely by accident and now I understand a bit more how me and OH have gone from a really bad relationship to one that is better than it was in the very beginning. We still need to work out the alcohol issue but otherwise things are very good. 

Marc and Angel Hack Life is another email I am signed up for.  They send regular emails that make you think about the way you live.  I need to set aside time to take it all in properly.   I have even extracted a paragraph or two and shared it with the children.  They might only be 9 and 12 but no reason why they can't start thinking about what they want from life and how they want to live it.  I will do a blog post in the future as there was a passage that they interpreted totally differently to me and I feel they were right.  I just hadn't seen it.  Very enlightening and good to know my children are more insightful than I am.

I have also recently found Zen Habits and want to put time aside to think about the issues and ideas presented by Leo Babauta.

Because I have so much going on, probably too much, I thought I could try and do a more regular blog post picking up on issues in the books and from the emails and websites I have been looking at.  I am hoping that by doing it that I will focus on one or two ideas at a time rather than reading something and moving on to something else without exploring what I have already found, if that makes any sense.

I want to commit, on a daily basis, to me discovering me.