Some of Anne's favorite books, articles and podcasts

A website which helps locate the best prices on new and used books:  http://www.dealoz.com/ 

Three all time favorites:

1.  The Soul of Money:  Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life, by Lynne Twist.  ◘ An amazing book.   It talks about how so many of our life's decisions (what we eat, where we live, schools we attend, how we spend our free time, etc.) are influenced by money.  ◘       Society equates self-worth with net-worth.  It equates HAVING more with BEING more.  Society tells us more is better, where the book suggests that "better" is when we fully appreciate all that we already have.   ◘       When we use money to support our deepest values, then our true wealth expands.  The money that we earn, spend and give away should go towards supporting our deepest values, which in turn creates the world we want.   ◘       Society tell us that there is a "scarcity" mentality -- it's a “you against me”, “us against them”, world.  The books suggests a "sufficiency" approach -- it's a you AND me, us AND them world, based on trust and cooperation.  

2.  The Corporate Mystic:  A Guidebook for Visionaries with Their Feet on the Ground, by Gay Hendricks and Kate Ludeman (quotes are from the book)  ◘       "If you will open up to being a source of integrity, vision and intuition in your organization, you step into leadership, regardless of the niche you occupy."  I know this to be true.  ◘       "Every single mystic we interviewed said the same thing:  The first secret to success in business is today only things that are true, and to say them with total consistency.  People cannot relax and produce at their finest in an atmosphere of distortion and concealment."   ◘       "The mystic knows the difference between control and influence.  While you cannot control other people, the past or the future, you can certainly influence them.  Control comes out of fear; influence is exercised consciously with a goal and a plan."

3.  Kitchen Table Wisdom:  Stories that Heal, by Rachel Naomi Remen    ◘       Short stories which “guide us like a life compass, showing us what's good and lasting about ourselves as well as humanity.”    ◘       The podcast which introduced me to Rachel Naomi Remen, MD    

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2008/listening_generously

BALANCE AND PEACE

The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management:  Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace, by Hyrum W. Smith.  (quotes below are from the book)    ◘       “The focus of this book, then, is not exclusively on time management but on achieving inner peace.  Time management is only a set of skills and tools to help us more efficiently control the events of our lives.  But efficient time management alone will not give us inner peace.”   ◘       “The secret to achieving inner peace lies in understanding our inner core values – those things in our lives that are most important to us – and then seeing that they are reflected in the daily events of our lives.”

The Power of Now:  A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle  (quotes below are from the book)     ◘       This books talks about how when we focus on the past, it can produce feelings of sadness and longing, and when we focus on the future, it can produce fear.  It talks about keeping your mind in the present – the Power of Now.    ◘       “Fear is always of something that might happen, not of something that is happening now.  YOU are in the here and now, while your mind is in the future.  This creates an anxiety gap.”   ◘       “You can always cope with the present moment, but you cannot cope with something that is only a mind projection – you cannot cope with the future.”   ◘       “The whole essence of Zen consists in walking along the razor’s edge of Now – be so utterly, so completely present that no problem, no suffering, nothing that is not who you are in your essence, can survive in you.  Suffering needs time; it cannot survive in the Now.”

Podcast with author of The Power of Now  http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/tolle/

The Power of Intention:  Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Life Lessons:  Two Experts on Death and Dying Teach Us About the Mysteries of Life and Living, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler

The Power of Full Engagement:  Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz  (quotes are from the book)    ◘       “We race through our lives without pausing to consider who we really want to be or where we really want to go.  We’re all wired up but we’re melting down.”    ◘       “How should I spend my energy in a way that is consistent with my deepest values?  The consequence of living our lives at warp speed is that we rarely take the time to reflect on what we value most deeply or keep those priorities front and center.  Most of us spend more time reacting to immediate crises and responding to the expectations of others than we do making considered choices guided by a clear sense of what matters most.”

Eat, Pray, Love:  One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, by Elizabeth Gilbert    ◘      (Review from The New Yorker  Copyright © 2006):  At the age of thirty-one, Gilbert moved with her husband to the suburbs of New York and began trying to get pregnant, only to realize that she wanted neither a child nor a husband. Three years later, after a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for "balancing." These destinations are all on the beaten track, but Gilbert's exuberance and her self-deprecating humor enliven the proceedings: recalling the first time she attempted to speak directly to God, she says, "It was all I could do to stop myself from saying, 'I've always been a big fan of your work.'" 

The Value of Play in our Lives (podcast)    Stuart Brown, a physician and director of the National Institute for Play, says that pleasurable, purposeless activity prevents violence and promotes trust, empathy, and adaptability to life's complication. He promotes cutting-edge science on human play, and draws on a rich universe of study of intelligent social animals. http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/play/  

Stress and the Balance Within (podcast)  The American experience of stress has spawned a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. Wary of this, Esther Sternberg says that, until recently, modern science did not have the tools or the inclination to take emotional stress seriously. She shares fascinating new scientific insight into the molecular level of the mind-body connection. http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2008/stress/

Truth is Good for You, by David Servan-Schreiber   ◘        A very short article about the best prescription for happiness: to thine own self be true.   ◘        December 2008 issue of Ode:  The online community for Intelligent Optimist          http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/59/truth-is-good-for-you/

Stress and our Bodies (podcast) /11The body has a system for getting out of trouble. Back when trouble meant being chased by a tiger, that system gave us a real survival edge. But these days, "trouble" is more likely to mean waiting in traffic... and "the system" is more likely to make us sick. Stanford University neurologist Dr. Robert Sapolsky takes us through what happens on our insides when we stand in the wrong line at the supermarket and offers a few coping strategies: gnawing on wood, beating the crap out of somebody, and having friends.   http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2005/02/11

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph. D. (Podcast and podcast description from Fresh Air, WHYY)  

Neurological researcher Jill Bolte Taylor suffered a stroke 12 years ago. While a stroke is often devastating and sometimes fatal, Taylor was able to make a complete recovery after becoming her own experimental subject.  Her new book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, recounts her experience.  Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist. She was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008.  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91861432 

A video of one of Jill’s lectures on her experience   http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Our Peace of Mind (podcast)   Great podcast to sum up the various findings about happiness.  Program desciption from the producers:  "The happiness industry is booming. And with good reason - everyone wants to be happy.  Today, science can light the way.  Brain researcher Richard Davidson can sum it up quickly: learn to meditate.  Davidson's research studying the brains of longtime Buddhist monks has discovered that most of the time, the brain that meditates is a happy brain. And a Harvard-trained neuro-scientist [Jill Bolte Taylor] finds nirvana in the devastation of a stroke."    http://www.wpr.org/book/090412a.cfm

The Art of Receiving, Hilary Hart    ◘       An article about how receiving is harder than giving, but can lead to even greater personal and spiritual growth.  ◘       December 2008 issue of Ode:  The online community for Intelligent Optimist      http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/59/the-art-of-receiving/

What Now?, by Ann Patchett   ◘      (Summary review from Amazon.com Review):  Based on   her lauded commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College, this stirring essay by bestselling author Ann Patchett offers hope and inspiration for anyone at a crossroads, whether graduating, changing careers, or transitioning from one life stage to another. With wit and candor, Patchett tells her own story of attending college, graduating, and struggling with the inevitable question, What now?    ◘        Great!

Broken Open:  How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow, by Elizabeth Lesser

Cleanse Your Closet, by Julie Morgenstern.  Tips and wisdom on putting our lives in order (via our closets)   http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/organize/closet-cleanse?click=main_sr

Preventing Burnout:  Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Coping Strategies  Link   

Conflict Resolution and Communication Skills

The Sacred Art of Listening:  Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice, by Kay Lindal (quotes below are from the book)  ◘       "We must learn to listen if there is to be peace in the world."  ◘   "Learning how to listen and speak with each other are essential skills for creating relationships that lead to mutual respect, dialogue, understanding and peace."   ◘       "Listening takes time, skill and a readiness to slow down, to let go of expectations, judgment, boredom, self-assertiveness, defensiveness."   ◘      "Listen for what connects us, while appreciating that which differentiates us.   Practitioners of dialogue have discovered 3  vital practices of listening to understand:  1. The more we understand about one another, the less we fear.    2.    The less we fear, the more we trust.   3.   The more we trust, the more our hearts open to love."


Getting to Yes, by Roger Fisher and William Ury (quotes below are from the book)  ◘       “Be hard on the problem, soft on the people.  Attach the problem without blaming the people.  Go even further and be personally supportive:  listen to them with respect, show them courtesy, express your appreciation for their time and effort, emphasize your concern with meeting their basic needs, etc.  Show them that you are attacking the problem, not them.”   ◘       “Speak for yourself, not about them.  It is more persuasive to describe a problem in terms of its impact on you than in terms of what they did or why.  ‘I feel let down’ instead of ‘You broke your word.’  You convey the same information without provoking a defensive reaction.” 


Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen   ◘       This book gives you a hands-on approach for how to have those difficult conversations.

Resolving Conflicts at Work:  A Complete Guide for Everyone on the Job, by Kenneth Cloke and Joan Goldsmith

Fierce Conversations:  Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time, by Susan Scott

The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction, by Rebecca Z. Shafir, M.A. CCC


Crucial Conversations:  Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler                              


General Management

(Time management, managing groups, leading organizations, etc.)


The Speed of Trust:  One Thing that Changes Everything, by Stephen M. R. Covey with Rebecca R. Merrill


50 Ways to Teach Your Learner, by Ed Rose   ◘ A great book filled with hands on team building, experiential learning exercises


Multitasking in the Car:  Just Like Druken Driving (podcast) "If you're driving while cell-phoning, then your performance is going to be as poor as if you were legally drunk." says David Meyer, as psychology professor at the University of Michigan.  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95702512

Think You're Multitasking?  Think Again.  (podcast)   New research shows that we humans aren't as good as we think we are at doing several things at once.  But it also highlights a human skill that gave us an evolutionary edge.  As technology allows people to do more tasks at the same time, the myth that we can multitask has never been stronger.  But researchers say it's still a myth -- and they have the data to prove it.    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95256794

How Much Football Can Sports Fans Handle?  (podcast)    On Sundays, many sports fans accomplish a multitasking feat: They watch seven or eight games at a time on multiple TV screens. Multitasking expert Greg Trafton and Andrea Seabrook discuss how much fans' minds can handle.  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97925728

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencione.   An easy to read story that talks about the 5 necessary components of a strong team.  The 5 healthy aspects are  1.)  Trust:  Willingness to be vulnerable, to be genuinely open, to make and admit mistakes.  2.)   Conflict:  Teams need healthy conflict to talk about ideas and to move forward.   3.)  Commitment:  Once people have been heard and concerns addressed, commitment to decisions and plans is more likely.  Commitment does not always equal agreement.  4.)  Accountablility:  When there is trust and commitment to plans, members hold each other accountable for delivering those plans.  5.)  Results:  With trust and buy-in, the focus is on achieving the collective results (not ego, career advancement, etc.)

Making Work Work, by Julie Morgenstern  (quotes below are from the book)   ◘    “Once thought to increase productivity, multitasking has since been discovered to do the exact opposite.  By training yourself to concentrate on one task at a time, you get more done, in less time, and the quality of work will increase.  ◘    “Mastering your work-life balance improves your workplace performance by boosting your energy, increasing mental acuity, fueling your creativity, giving you perspective and patience.”