Self-Help Books That Rock
This installment of the Riot Recommendation is sponsored by Smile at Strangers by Susan Schorn.
Susan Schorn led an anxious life. For no clear reason, she had become progressively paralyzed by fear. Fed up with feeling powerless, she took up karate.
She learned how to say no and how to fight when you have to (even in the dark). Karate taught her how to persuade her husband to wear a helmet, best one bossy Girl Scout troop leader, and set boundaries with an over-sharing boss. Here this double black belt recounts a fighting, biting, laughing woman’s journey on the road to living fearlessly-where enlightenment is as much about embracing absurdity and landing a punch as about finding that perfect method of meditation.
Full of hilarious hijinks and tactical wisdom, Schorn’s quest for a more satisfying life features practical-and often counterintuitive-lessons about safety and self defense.Smile at strangers, she says. Question your habits, your fears, your self-criticism: Self-criticism is easy. Self-improvement is hard. And don’t forget this essential gem:Everybody wants to have adventures. Whether they know it or not. Join the adventure in these pages, and come through it poised to have more of your own.
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Self-help books sometimes get a bad rap, but we know there are great ones out there. So last week we asked you to share the best self-help books you know. Here’s a collection of your recommendations from Facebook, Twitter, and the comments.
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Secrets of the SuperOptimist by W.R. Morton
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
The Dip by Seth Godin
Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald
One Person/Multiple Careers by Marci Alboher
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe
The Boss of You by Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon
Project: Happily Ever After by Alissa Bowman
The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne
The Wisdom of Yoga by Stephen Cope
Bringing Your Yoga to Life by Donna Farhi
Quiet by Susan Cain
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander
The Smart Stepmom by Laura Petherbridge
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
What did we miss?
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