I have purchased and read (or listened to the audio-book) probably around 30 books on self-improvement (self help) and motivation. I’ve told you the common messages in a previous post. And, I’ve told you what works and what doesn’t. But what if you want to read (or listen to) these yourself? Which ones should you pick? Below are my recommendations.
Category Archives: Motivation
Self-help Motivational Reading List
Busy vs. Productive
People admire others for being active and doing things, and not sitting around and thinking about doing things. I think that’s why people have been conditioned to be “busy.”
But is this really a good thing?
Work – Life Balance
Probably one of the most-asked questions in the workplace is about how to achieve a balance between work and the rest of your life. Almost nobody seems to be able to actually do it any more. Why? I think the problem is not trying to achieve the balance, but it is in the question itself. Maybe if we stopped asking how to achieve the balance between work and life, and started looking at and changing our assumptions, we could figure this out! Continue reading
Modeling
According to Anthony Robbins
If I see success in someone or something, I want it too! The best and fastest way to achieve success is to model myself or my product after something that is already successful.
Here’s what I did. Continue reading
Flow
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in his book “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
It turns out that the state of flow comes more naturally to some people. Some people are Autotelic and this means that they have self-motivation and are internally driven. This quality of their personality makes them “gifted” when it comes to being able to achieve the state of flow. But others can achieve this state as well if they know what to do to achieve it.
How do you achieve it? There are certain factors that allow the state of flow, and they are…
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is necessary for any individual to succeed. In 100% of every case where someone has succeeded at anything, they have had intrinsic motivation. Do you?
First, I’ll describe the two types of motivations, and how they occur in my life and yours every day.
Easy Ways to Practice Writing
I’ve been wanting to write a book for awhile and trying to figure out how to make time has been difficult. Practice makes perfect, I know, but how can I write my book if I can’t find the time? Finding the time is only one part of the problem – where and what to write are other issues. When do I write and why?
I studied myself and found that if I had an interest, I would write. For example, email at work. I am forced to use email at work and have to write it. However, email-writing is not the same as book-writing. It just isn’t because the style isn’t right. Continue reading
Try Until – A Debrouillard Strategy
First, a definition of the French word, debrouillard…
debrouillard: [de-broo-yar]
- adjective
1. skilled at adapting to any situation;
resourceful.- noun
2. a resourceful person who can act
independently or cope with any development.
One of the things that this word means to me is that I must “try until.” This “try until” attitude is a hallmark of great people and it is a system of thinking that will make you extraordinary! Who would not want someone on their team that embodies the debrouillard mindset? Who wouldn’t want to know someone like this? They don’t give up.
Continue reading
How to Listen to Audio Books While Driving
Because I have a long commute (1+ hours), I use my time in the car to listen to audio books. This allows me to make use of that drive time that would otherwise be wasted in listening to the radio, cursing other drivers, etc. But there are a few things that I have learned that are absolutely essential to getting the most out of any audio book while driving: Continue reading
Self-help – What works and what doesn’t?
You’ve seen my list of self-help lessons I have learned from reading lots of books on the subject of personal development, and my self-help book reading lists. But what really works?
Here again is my list of lessons learned from reading self-help and motivational texts, but this time with notation to tell you what works and what doesn’t, and what is supported by scientific evidence, and what just seems to work without science to back it.
Tony Robbins and Jim Rohn: Two of the most effective personal development gurus available.
My List:
A Chronology of Motivational Writers and Speakers
Updated 2-August-2011
This concept map shown here is the linkage and chronology (upper people are older or were born earlier) of motivational and self-help writers and speakers throughout history, based on how they attributed who taught or influenced them. Continue reading
Self-help’s Common Messages
I have read a lot of “self-help” and “motivational” books lately. They certainly work. They all have the same things in common. Here they are: Continue reading
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Lars Lentz
