The end of the year is approaching very fast, and you might already have been thinking about some New Year’s resolutions you would like to make. I decided to include 2 books that will help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions in my recommendation list.
1. The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal
Self-knowledge—especially of how we find ourselves in willpower trouble—is the foundation of self-control. Kelly McGonigal, The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and is teaching a course entitled “The Science of Willpower” at Stanford University. Her course was so popular that they have to move the room four times to accommodate new enrollment.
The great thing about this book is that it is supported by scientifically based evidence, but as the same time it offers practical exercises that have been refined over time by the hundreds of students who have taken the class and try them out.
This book will help you understand how willpower works and when, how and why you lose control. Just by the fact of being aware of all the traps that lead to willpower failures, you will be able to effectively increase your self-control. Awareness is always the first step before any change. Kelly also gave a great TED Talk entitled “How to make stress your friend” that I strongly recommend you to watch. It might literally help you live longer!
2. Superhuman By Habits by Tynan
When people learn that I write every single day, study a foreign language every day, work on my big projects every day, eat healthy every day, work out every other day, and maintain a consistent sleep schedule, they marvel at the deep well of self discipline that I have. In truth, though, it’s all just habits that feel easy. Habits are the closest we can get to having superpowers. Tynan, Superhuman By Habit: A Guide to Becoming the Best Possible Version of Yourself, One Tiny Habit at a Time
This book teaches you how to effectively create new habits that can be sustained for the rest of your life. The key is to start small and to be consistent. The author introduces many habits and how you can adopt them in your daily life. It includes habits like:
- Positivity habits
- Eating healthy food
- Good sleep
- Meditation
- Working out
- Organization
- Cleaning
It’s after reading this book that I decided to create chain of habits. Chain of habits are when you have one habit that becomes the trigger for another habit. I was pretty consistent with my habits but I wanted to be even more consistent. Having a trigger for each of my habits allows me to do it more systematically and automatically.
In addition to that, I introduced new daily habits like cleaning 5-10 minutes or drinking green tea every morning.
What about you? What new habits are you going to adopt in 2015?
3. The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle
In the normal, mind-identified or unenlightened state of consciousness, the power and creative potential that lie concealed in the Now are completely obscured by psychological time. You cannot find yourself by going into the past. You can find yourself by coming into the present. Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be. – Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
In this book, Eckhart Tolle explains the importance of living in the now. The Now is timeless. In the Now there is no past and no future. When we are present in the Now, we shut off our mind; we stop judging, we stop labeling things, we stop analyzing and we just embrace the reality as it is.
Are you often present or are you always lost in your thoughts? Why not try to increase your time spent in the Now when you are waiting, doing task that require no thinking or walking to the station? After all, Now is the only thing we have.
4. The Five Love Languages by Gary D. Chapman
When your spouse’s emotional love tank is full and he feels secure in your love, the whole world looks bright and your spouse will move out to reach his highest potential in life. – Gary D. Chapman, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts
In this book Gary D. Chapman explains that people have different ways to receive love. When we fail to understand what is our partner’s main way to receive love, our partner might feel unloved no matter how much love we are pouring into the relationship. Finding how your partner likes to receive love can literally transform your relationship.
The five love languages:
- Words of affirmation (compliments)
- Quality time spend together
- Receiving gifts
- Acts of service (gardening, washing dishes, cleaning the house, preparing dinner…)
- Physical touch
Do you know what is your partner’s love language? What about your love language?
My sincere hope is that you will start 2015 with new habits that will lead to durable positive change in your life without forgetting to love and to live in the now of course 🙂
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