30 Apr The Secret to Self-Motivation
Waking up early, exercising, meditating, working on creative projects, spending time in nature, eating nourishing food, getting quality sleep… What do these things have in common? Most of us say we should do MORE of them, but just can’t seem to make it happen on a consistent...
23 May Why Be Great?
Written by Lifebook Vice President, Sandra GarestWhy be great?
Why focus on excellence and continuous improvement? Sure it takes effort, discipline and gigantic focus to live an extraordinary, world-class life. So why do it? Because it makes you feel good, which makes it all worth it. It all centers around this big idea… Playing below your potential makes you feel bad about yourself.
09 May 9 Steps to Quit a Bad Habit
Just about everyone in the world has a bad habit they’d like to quit. Whether it’s smoking, sugar, shopping, nail biting, porn, excessive social media or TV, or any other distraction… for better or worse, we humans are wired for habitual behavior. The problem is, most of...
13 Dec Why Self-Discipline = Freedom
Written by Lifebook Wisdom Curator, Jessi Kohlhagen I wear a lot of hats in my life (and, if you’re a fellow human of the 21st century, it’s safe to assume you do too!). I’m a wife, mother, careerwoman, homeschool teacher, yogi, maid, chef, chauffer… and underneath it all, I’m a human being who wants to create the best possible life for myself, and the people I love most. If I had to pinpoint the single most important characteristic I employ to be the very best woman I can be in every area of my life, it would undoubtedly be self-discipline. Self-discipline is the key to freedom and fulfillment everywhere in my life. It seems counter-intuitive, I know. Self-discipline implies restraint, control, and limitation — where freedom embodies flexibility, allowance, and even indulgence. But in my own experience, I’ve found that these two traits are inseparable… You can’t truly experience the power (and privilege) of freedom without first activating self-discipline. You can’t have a vibrant, healthy body without applying willpower toward what you eat and how often (and well) you move. You can’t experience the enjoyment of having a peaceful, beautiful home without spending some amount of time organizing and caring for it every single day. You can’t be a rock star in your career without getting your hands dirty and putting in the necessary hours to get the job done well. And we all know you can’t drink the sweet, healing nectar of a blossoming love relationship without daily cultivation and devotion to its growth. Self-discipline is the giver, not the taker, of freedom.
31 May How to Transform Failure into Opportunity
In this month’s audio presentation by Lifebook Member Ken Coscia, we take an in-depth look at failure; what it means, why we fear it, and how we can redefine it in our lives. With his takeaway daily strategies and tips, Ken inspires us to increase our...
26 Apr Lifebook’s Master List of Virtues
Character determines our destiny, and virtues are the core essence of our character. The more we recognize the impact that consciously practicing virtues has on our lives, the more we open up to new possibilities, growth and greater joy and fulfillment. So pull out your Lifebooks and flip to your Character chapter… it’s time to hand-select the virtues you are most committed to mastering this month! Explore our Master List of Virtues below, and discover powerful new definitions for each of them.In honor of the virtue of “order,” they've been organized into six main categories: Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance and Transcendence (adapted from Values in Action classification of strengths, Peterson and Seligman, 2004).
Once you’ve read through the list, comment at the bottom to share which virtues resonate most deeply with you at this point in your life. And if you have a virtue to add that isn’t listed below, be sure to share it with us! Enjoy!
25 Aug The building blocks of character
Written by Lifebook Member Joel Wade We know that character underlies our health and fitness – the self-discipline, commitment, and devotion that are needed to keep up a regimen of good diet and exercise are all qualities of character. But how do we grow our character? Practice. As a psychologist and a life coach, I’m always looking at the latest research on what’s effective, how we change and grow, and I’m always on the lookout for tangible, practical strategies to help people. That’s one of the reasons I’m so proud and excited to be part of Lifebook. I keep finding elements of this program that are supported by solid research in the field. Starting with health and fitness is one great example of this. Because exercise is such a concrete action – you either work out, or you don’t. How many push-ups did you do? How many laps did you swim? How hard did you work? How sore are you the next day? – This very concreteness makes it (relatively) easy to commit to, easy to measure, compared to some of the categories that may be more abstract or complex. What we know is that when we grow our capacity for self-discipline in one area, that capacity generalizes to other areas. So by mastering the discipline that it takes to create the health and fitness we want, we’re also growing the self-discipline that we can draw from for all the other categories as we go along.
04 Aug Habits 101: How to Make Change Stick
All of history’s wisest teachers tell us that greatness is about consistency with the fundamentals. Have you been meaning to start a meditation practice, exercise more, eat better or otherwise optimize your life via great habits? If so, we think you’ll dig this special class hosted by Brian Johnson (author of our beloved Philosopher’s Notes), where you’ll look at the science (and art!) of creating habits that will change your life. This month, Brian has shared his 90-minute Habits 101 class recording for Lifebookers absolutely free, so you can absorb all the goodness into your own life and amp up your Character this April. (Keep scrolling down for the audio)Here's the class overview:
04 May How to Make Decisions Like a Samurai
Life is all about CHOICE and ACTION. The samurai knew it. Lifebookers know it. Yet, somehow, most people don’t make the connection between the choices they make and the quality of their life. At Lifebook, we believe that ANYONE can have a fantastic, fulfilling, happy life if...