1. How to Be Happy at Work
The Power of Purpose, Hope, and Friendship
By Annie McKee
September; Harvard Business Review Press; $27
Given the rapid pace and stress of the 21st-century workplace, is happiness even possible? Absolutely, says Annie McKee. A senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and director of its executive doctoral program, McKee argues that happiness is not only possible but more important than ever—and not only for the benefit of workers and managers but for the bottom line, too.
McKee organizes her book around three things she says have to be in place before people work with happiness. One is a sense of purpose, a feeling of contributing to something bigger. Another is a powerful vision that creates a personal sense of hope. The last is genuine friendly relationships with co-workers and bosses. By following McKee’s suggestions, based on her research and experience, leaders can create a positive, healthy work experience in any business, no matter how fast the pace or how intense the pressure.
2. Altered Traits
Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body
By Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson
September; Avery; $27
Meditation is having a moment. And with mounting scientific support, it might be here for good. In Altered Traits, Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson clear away the myths that have sprouted around meditation in recent years. Among other things, they show how scientific data has been twisted to market easy mental training methods to a well-intentioned but ill-informed public. Sure, there is some benefit, but it’s far from a cure-all.
Pop meditation might induce a pleasant mental state, say Goleman and Davidson, but the real thing delivers lasting changes to personality traits. Brief daily meditation is not enough, and yet hours of meditation are not required either. Instead Davidson and Goleman, author of the mega-best-selling Emotional Intelligence, drawing in part from Davidson’s lab data, explain the ingredients that go into a practice that delivers the best results. Altered Traits is an informative book that is sure to be controversial. Highly recommended.
3. High Performance Habits
How Extraordinary People Become That Way
By Brendon Burchard
September; Hay House; $27
Oprah.com has called Brendon Burchard, “one of the most successful online instructors in history.” He’s earned other accolades, too, including being named one of the 100 most-followed public figures on Facebook. In his latest book, Burchard distills years of original research and a decade as a top performance coach into six specific habits he says will make you into a high performer—regardless of age, field, skill set or personality.
The six habits of high-performance people: the pursuit of clarity for confidence in themselves and the future; a willingness to generate energy instead of waiting for it to arrive; a capacity for raising necessity, the assurance that what they are doing must be done; a drive to increase productivity; the seeking of influence with co-workers and leaders; and the consistent demonstration of courage. All of these habits are within reach of anyone who wants them, Burchard says. High Performance Habits presents a practical, readable guide to a high-performance lifestyle.
Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times
By Anita L. Sanchez
September; Atria/Enliven Books; $24
What the modern business world needs, says Anita L. Sanchez, a Mexican-American corporate consultant of Aztec heritage, is a connection to spirit, earth and the ways of indigenous people. The four sacred gifts—unity, healing, hope and forgiving the unforgivable—offer the restoration of harmony with others and with nature. They might even save the world.
5. Claim Your Power
A 40-Day Journey to Dissolve the Hidden Blocks That Keep You Stuck and Finally Thrive in Your Life’s Unique Purpose
By Mastin Kipp
September; Hay House; $25
Mastin Kipp’s mission to connect people with what makes them happy grew out of his own experience of finding spiritual fulfillment after hitting rock bottom as a music manager in Hollywood. His new book offers a 40-day program of rapid personal transformation. Happiness comes not from what you own, he says, but what you have inside.
6. On Being Awesome
A Unified Theory of How Not to Suck
By Nick Riggle
September; Penguin Books; $20
Nick Riggle is a high school dropout and former champion rollerblader who went on to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy from New York University and become an assistant professor at the University of San Diego. His first book is a deceptively fun-loving tour of philosophy’s most ancient question: how best to live. Riggle uses modern jargon to apply timeless philosophical truths to today’s problems.
This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
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