DailyLit: Self-Help Books

100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money

by Tom Peters

Description

The secrets to success in business and life are revealed in business icon and management guru Tom Peters' 100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money. Delivered in Peters' singularly irreverent voice, these tidbits—which originally appeared on Peters's blog—will transform your way of looking at business while also giving you the swift verbal kick in the, er, behind that will motivate you to put these ideas into action. With a tip a day from Tom Peters delivered by DailyLit, you can take up Peters' call to "Wow...Now! (No bull. This is doable)." Doable indeed.

Extended Copyright Information

This work, 100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money, by Tom Peters, is distributed under the following Creative Commons License: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Sample Installment

Everyday Leadership

by Daniel Granholm Mulhern

Description

A down-to-earth, behind-the scenes account that goes beyond the usual self-improvement book to put a human face on the role of leadership in our lives.

Everyday Leadership offers strategies to improve leadership skills, achieve results, and gain greater satisfaction in these hectic times. It speaks to the everyday leader, whether that person is a principal, pastor, parent, or CEO.

Daniel Granholm Mulhern brings the art of management down to earth, presenting stories that illuminate some of the best ideas about real human leadership. He offers practical steps to achieve the goal of leading well in our lives through creating a vision, communicating that vision, and living it in simple yet powerful ways.

Praise for Everyday Leadership

"A book that truly speaks to everyone...Always practical, often inspiring, this is more a reference book than a self-improvement text, and a great read for any would-be leader."
—Roger Penske, owner of Penske Corporation and Penske Racing

"Sound, practical advice driven home with real-world examples....This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to make a positive difference in the lives of others in their community, their business, or their family."
—Dennis W. Archer, former mayor of Detroit

"Everyday Leadership is a treasure chest of engaging stories, practical tips, and rich insights into how we each can make a difference in the world when we take responsibility for the personal power that we have....once you've taken Everyday Leadership to heart you'll leave this world a little bit better than you found it."
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge

"Everyday Leadership taught me as much about how to be a better person as it did about being a better leader. In fact, it revealed how much the two are the same. Excellent and helpful reading for anyone."
—Marianne Williamson, author of Return to Love and Everyday Grace

Extended Copyright Information

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

Previously published by the University of Michigan Press.

Cover design by CERB Associates.

Sample Installment

The Cult of Perfection

by Cooper Lawrence

Description

Quiz: Are You an Overachiever?

- Is your life ruled by a "to do" list of goals?
- When you get an idea, do you act upon it immediately, not resting until you have achieved a result?
- Do you always complete your work before the deadline?
- Do you often feel overwhelmed?
- Are you restless even on vacation?

If you answered "yes" to the above questions, chances are you are an overachiever. But don’t worry—it's not a dirty word. Join psychology expert and media personality (and self-professed overachiever) Cooper Lawrence as she details the upside of this way of life (whatever you set your mind to, you achieve) and the downside (the stress, anxiety, and self-doubt you sometimes experience). Most important, she provides the tools you need to make peace with your inner overachiever. Packed with practical exercises and real-life stories of overachieving women past and present, The Cult of Perfection helps you harness your incredible energy, focus, and determination, to bring joy and success to your life.

Extended Copyright Information

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests for permission should be sent to skirt!, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437.

Previously published by skirt!, an imprint of The Globe Pequot Press.

Cover design by Kara Plikaitis.
Cover photo by Michael Harrison,
Michael Harrison Photography, Charlotte, NC.

Sample Installment

The Underachiever's Manifesto

by Ray Bennett

Description

The Underachiever's Manifesto—Lower the bar. Turn it down a notch. Get off the Stairmaster. The Underachiever's Manifesto is the playfully persuasive pocket guide to living life to the least and loving it. With sharp humor and genuine wisdom, this welcome little book extols the fabulous benefits of underachievement in our overextended society. A witty introduction makes the case for the right amount of effort—a lot less than we've been led to believe. Ten principles of underachievement establish the basics (#8: The tallest blade of grass is the surest to be cut); and practical applications show how mediocrity is the key to happiness at work, in relationships, dieting, exercise, investment, and more. Devilishly enlisting examples from philosophy, economics, science, and good common sense, The Underachiever's Manifesto is a lighthearted, life-changing rallying call for those who dare to do less and enjoy more.

Extended Copyright Information

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Previously published by Chronicle Books.

Sample Installment

Field Guide to Happiness

by Barbara Ann Kipfer

Description

Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer's 14,000 Things to Be Happy About sold more than one million copies and started a groundswell of self-awareness, gratitude, and contentment. Her new book offers easy-to-use tools and techniques for helping readers "choose" happiness in their everyday lives. Making lists, mind maps, and journals can help you set goals, inspire you, and motivate you to achieve the things that bring you happiness. This delightful book is filled with steps to take toward reaching any goal, with sidebars about staying encouraged and redefining what makes you happy. It will simply and efficiently expand your creative output, help you solve personal problems, and guide you in new and positive directions.

Take your happiness into your own hands and discover new joy in your life! This field guide help you find the way.

Extended Copyright Information

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to The Lyons Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Previously published by The Lyons Press, an imprint of the Globe Pequot Press.

Cover design by Georgiana Goodwin.
Cover image copyright Getty Images.

Sample Installment

skirt! Rules for the Workplace

by Kelly Love Johnson

Description

Humorous, practical, tell-it-like-it-is advice for women in the workplace.

Only seven of the Fortune 500 companies have a woman as CEO or President, and nearly 20 percent of them don't have any women at all in upper management. In the bestselling tradition of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office and Who Moved My Cheese, Kelly Love Johnson lays out practical advice for career women who are starting out or who wonder why they're not moving ahead. This is the book every graduating senior, receptionist, and entry-level assistant will steal from her best friend. Johnson shows how speaking out, embracing change, and changing others' perceptions of working women can bring both personal and professional success. Chapters include: "The Alphas and the Betas: Personality Types," "A Feminist Says What?" and "Work Like a Girl." Using personal anecdotes, tried and true tactics, and a directory of resources and Web sites, Johnson shows readers how women can move ahead in the workplace just as well as men, as Ginger Rogers once said, "but backwards and in high heels."

Praise for skirt! Rules for the Workplace

"Want a fulfilling career? To be paid what you are worth? To get ahead without leaving your ethics in the garbage? skirt! Rules for the Workplace . . . is savvy, strategic, and suitable wisdom for any office."
—Jennifer Baumgardner, author of Manifesta, Grassroots, and Look Both Ways

"Funny, feminist, and packed with practical suggestions that will make your work life better—and make the workplace in general better for women. I learned something or got useful encouragement on every page."
—Alison Piepmeier, director of the Women's and Gender Studies, Program at the College of Charleston

Extended Copyright Information

Previously published by skirt!, an imprint of the Globe Pequot Press.

Cover design by Georgiana Goodwin.

Sample Installment

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

by Maxine Schnall

Description

Perhaps the hardest thing to remember in the throes of a crisis is that every bad break can also be a blessing. Indeed, there are always unexpected benefits in misfortune, provided we meet our crises with a shift in outlook. Born of the author's own terrible trauma, What Doesn't Kill You presents hard-won advice and practical exercises to help readers most effectively navigate the winding path from loss to regeneration. Rich with stories of people who have come through tragedy to find new or different meaning in their lives—from the author's own story of her daughter's near-fatal car accident to the experiences of survivors of the September 11 attacks—What Doesn't Kill You will help readers not simply survive adversity but harvest a new kind of strength from it.

Praise for What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

"This book is a must-read or a must-give if you or someone you know is dealing with loss."
—Sacramento Bee

"This is a really valuable book for anyone whose life feels as though it is coming apart. Rooted firmly in Maxine Schnall’s own experience and enriched by the examples of the other people she has worked with, What Doesn’t Kill You tells you not only how to survive loss but also how to find meaning in it."
—William Bridges, author of Transitions and Managing Transitions

"Ninety percent of the greatest things that ever happened to me were the result of smashing defeats. This book has hundreds of true stories about survival. It is a must read."
—Phyllis Diller

"A must-read for anyone in crisis. Rather than offer platitudes, Schnall gives us real life examples of people who have used tragedy to turn their lives around. Her inclusiveness and attitude of sharing experiences rather than pretending to have a universal solution for anyone who is grieving makes this book work from the very beginning."
—Cheryl Dellasega, author of Surviving Ophelia

"I wish I had the opportunity to read What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger three years ago following my motorcycle accident . . . it would have been great-tasting medicine."
—Pat Croce, author of I Feel Great, and You Will Too! and 110%: 110 Strategies for Feeling Great Every Day

"Maxine Schnall has written a much-needed book—especially for these difficult times. By sharing her profound wisdom with us—as well as her personal story and those of others—she shows us that we truly can find surprising gifts in any misfortune. I highly recommend it to anyone who is in crisis or has experienced a loss of any kind."
—Beverly Engel, author of The Power of Apology: Healing Steps to Transform All Your Relationships

Extended Copyright Information

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Previously published by Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.

Cover deisgn by Kimberly Glyder.
Cover photograph copyright L'aura Colan/Photonica.

Sample Installment

Locker Room Diaries

by Leslie Goldman

Description

"I wish my thighs were smaller."

"If only I could lose ten pounds."

A wake-up call for any woman who has engaged in the "if only" wishing game, Locker Room Diaries uses the unique lens of the locker room to reveal what, exactly, goes into "shaping" not just a woman's body but her body image. The locker room can be a wondrous retreat, a place to toss aside the worries of the day, but it is also where our flaws become most apparent—and where most of us can't help but wonder how we "measure up." Often dressed in no more than a towel, Leslie Goldman spent five years talking with women of all shapes and sizes about their body image, from taut twenty-somethings to heavyset seniors. Why is it, she asks, that almost no one seems satisfied with her physique? From compulsive workouts to daily dates with the scale, from bikini waxes to body fat measurements, American women are swept up in a constant quest for the "perfect" body. Thankfully, more than one woman reveals how she halted her cycle of self-loathing and learned to like her body as is. Blending expert opinion with wonderfully intimate, often laugh-outloud, confidences, Locker Room Diaries will inspire anyone who knows the highs of exercise to leave the lows of self-esteem behind—and, most especially, once and for all, to step off that scale!

Praise For Locker Room Diaries

"Goldman’s writing style is breezy and humorous, which certainly adds to the reader’s pleasure."
—Boston Globe

"[Goldman] conducted dozens of interviews with women of all ages...Interviews and stories will resonate with readers and provide inspiration for maintaining a positive self-image."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Locker Room Diaries gives heart and humor to body image in a way like-minded books have not before. While it parses out the individual issues that plague each woman, by doing so it reminds the reader that fat, thin; rich, poor; short, tall; blonde, brunette; fair- or dark-skinned, there isn’t a person alive who hasn’t looked in the mirror and asked herself, ‘Am I good enough within this skin?’ Within her book, Leslie Goldman gives us permission to come to some peace with ourselves and our past."
—Erin Shea, author of Tales from the Scale

"Goldman holds the reader’s attention with her empathy and humor....We all need to appreciate our bodies for what they can do and for the qualities that can’t be weighed and measured—strength and grace, for example. This book is a good read in that direction."
—Club Life Magazine

"A must-read for any woman who struggles with her body image. Finally, someone has asked women what they really think about their bodies, and their answers are at once surprising, life-affirming, heartbreaking, and hilarious. Leslie Goldman has written an important book with humor and compassion that will help women put their body image woes to rest once and for all."
—Ann Kearney-Cooke, author of Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your Body and Self After 40

"Having seen that age brings with it greater body confidence and comfort and the shedding of self-consciousness, Goldman, who underwent deep transformation while preparing this eminently suitable addition to women’s studies, says it is ‘time to throw in the towel on hating our bodies.’"
—Booklist

About the Author

Leslie Goldman, M.P.H., is a health and medical writer for the American Medical Assocation. A regular contributor to the Chicago Tribune, she also writes for Health, Marie Claire, People, and Redbook. She lives in Chicago.

Extended Copyright Information

Previously published by Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.

Although the majority of women's names and identifying characteristics in this book are authentic, a select few identities have been changed to protect anonymity.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and where Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters.

Cover design by Sara Eisenman.
Cover photograph copyright Getty Images.

Sample Installment

Skinny Bitch

by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

Description

#1 New York Times Bestseller and International Bestseller

A no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!

Not your typical boring diet book, this is a tart-tongued, no-holds-barred wakeup call to all women who want to be thin. With such blunt advice as, "Soda is liquid Satan" and "You are a total moron if you think the Atkins Diet will make you thin," it's a rallying cry for all savvy women to start eating healthy and looking radiant. Unlike standard diet books, it actually makes the reader laugh out loud with its truthful, smart-mouthed revelations. Behind all the attitude, however, there's solid guidance. Skinny Bitch espouses a healthful lifestyle that promotes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and encourages women to get excited about feeling "clean and pure and energized."

Praise for Skinny Bitch:

"A funny foul-mouthed ode . . ."
—The New York Times Book Review

"Don't hate them—be them. The authors of Skinny Bitch offer women a no-holds-barred approach to being thin and fabulous."
—Metro

"A cleverly titled book with useful information on healthy eating . . ."
—Elle UK

"Ready to jump-start [the year] with an electric prod to the system? . . . They tell it like it is, and without delicacy."
—Chicago Sun Times

"By no means for the faint hearted . . . this is as hard hitting as it comes!"
—Hot Stars (UK)

"What makes this diet easy to swallow is the book's tough-love attitude—part best-friend counsel, part drill-sergeant abuse and a dash of sailor mouth, wrapped in a pretty chick-lit package."
—iVillage, Diet & Fitness

Extended Copyright Information

Previously published by Running Press Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group.

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.

Cover and interior designed by Maria Taffera Lewis.

Sample Installment

Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes

by William Bridges

Description

Whether it is chosen or thrust upon you, change brings both opportunities and turmoil. Since first published 25 years ago, Transitions has helped hundreds of thousands of readers cope with these issues by providing an elegantly simple yet profoundly insightful roadmap of the transition process. With the understanding born of both personal and professional experience, William Bridges takes readers step by step through the three stages of any transition: The Ending, The Neutral Zone, and, in time, The New Beginning. Bridges explains how each stage can be understood and embraced, leading to meaningful and productive movement into a hopeful future. With a new introduction highlighting how the advice in the book continues to apply and is perhaps even more relevant today, and a new chapter devoted to change in the workplace, Transitions will remain the essential guide for coping with the one constant in life: change.

Extended Copyright Information

Originally published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group

Sample Installment