Tag: Challenge

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The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life – Master Any Skill or Challenge by Learning to Love the Process

In those times when we want to acquire a new skill or face a formidable challenge we hope to overcome, what we need most are patience, focus, and discipline, traits that seem elusive or difficult to maintain. In this enticing and practical book, Thomas Sterner demonstrates how to learn skills for any aspect of life, from golfing to business to parenting, by learning to love the process.

Early life is all about trial-and-error practice. If we had given up in the face of failure, repetition, and difficulty, we would never have learned to walk or tie our shoes. So why, as adults, do we often give up on a goal when at first we don’t succeed? In his study of how we learn (prompted by his pursuit of disciplines such as music and golf), Sterner has found that we have forgotten the principles of practice — the process of picking a goal and applying steady effort to reach it. The methods Sterner teaches show that practice done properly isn’t drudgery on the way to mastery but a fulfilling process in and of itself, one that builds discipline and clarity.

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Early Morning Revival Challenge: 90 Day Bible Study (With Journaling, Prayer, Reading Psalms and Proverbs, and Quotes from Ministers.)

From the Back Cover: “Inspired by the life, writings, and journals of John Wesley (1700’s), the author has created a 90 – day Bible study challenge. . . The program consists of four, easy to follow, daily assignments. Readers are expected to rise earlier in the morning than normal; Spend 20 minutes in prayer, Bible reading, writing in a journal, and reading quotes from Ministers from long ago. . . The study is simple to follow, but will take a tremendous amount of discipline to stay consistent to the very end. . . If you are up for a challenge and ready for a revival, this book is just what you need! . . . . . . . Additional Description from the Author. . . . . “This is a slim, 72 page, paperback book. The interior has an “antique” look with “cream” colored paper, rather than the traditional “white.” The cover has a photograph of our Vermont Estate Grounds, and looks very peaceful. I spent hours searching through my home library, to glean a selection of inspiring quotes from Ministers from the 1600’s, 1700’s and the 1800’s. These include Richard Baxter, Thomas Boston, John Wesley, Samuel Rutherford, John Bunyan, and more (one for each day of the challenge). The book includes a complete bibliography of quotes, so you can see exactly where they came from.”

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The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations

The 25th anniversary edition of the bestselling business classic, completely revised and updated

For more than 25 years, The Leadership Challenge has been the most trusted source on becoming a better leader, selling more than 2 million copies in over 20 languages since its first publication. Based on Kouzes and Posner’s extensive research, this all-new edition casts their enduring work in context for today’s world, proving how leadership is a relationship that must be nurtured, and most importantly, that it can be learned.Features over 100 all-new case studies and examples, which show The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership in action around the worldFocuses on the toughest organizational challenges leaders face todayAddresses changes in how people work and what people want from their work

An indispensable resource for leaders at all levels, this anniversary edition is a landmark update and must-read.

Featured Guest Review by Marshall Goldsmith

Marshall Goldsmith has been recognized by almost every major business publication as one of America’s leading executive educators and coaches. He is the author or co-editor of more than 32 books, including the New York Times best sellers What Got You Here Won’t Get You There and Mojo. Marshall Goldsmith

Twenty-five years after the first edition was published, The Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner is still my choice for the best research-based book ever written in the field of leadership. It is a classic, and I recommend it to all of my clients.

The Leadership Challenge is written for real leaders, who today face some of the toughest organizational challenges we’ve ever encountered. And, it provides practical, real-world advice based on Jim’s and Barry’s extensive global research that is indispensable for leaders at all levels.

I always refer leaders to this book, because although my Ph.D. is in Organizational Behavior, my undergraduate background is in mathematics. And, I respect people who gather real facts! In developing the Leadership Practices Inventory, which is possibly the world’s most widely respected tool for 360° leadership feedback, Jim and Barry have thoroughly reviewed input from tens of thousands of respondents. They’ve then used this data to form sound conclusions about what works–and what doesn’t work–in terms of leadership behavior.

The central theme of The Leadership Challenge is that leadership is for everyone. It can be learned, but, let’s face it, it’s not easy. The Leadership Challenge is based upon learnings from leaders at all levels–and shows how “regular people” can make a huge, positive difference in their organizations. It is written in a way that can help executives, mid-managers, first-line supervisors, project leaders–and even individual contributors–better understand how they can lead and immediately apply what they have learned in their work.

For example, Jim and Barry asked managers about their clarity around their personal values as well as around the values of their organizations. These managers were also asked about their level of commitment to the organization, their level of motivation and productivity, job satisfaction, and so on. To me, what they found is fascinating! Leaders with the highest levels of commitment are those who are clearest about their own personal values. Clarity about personal values was more prevalent in a positive workplace attitude and level of engagement than was clarity around organizational values. In doing the research for my recent book, Mojo, I found something similar to be true as well: People who find happiness and meaning at home are more likely to also find happiness and meaning at work.

Finally, for those of you reading this book now, I’d highly recommend that you put what you read here into practice. This book can help you lead in such a way that your organization will become a better place for you, your managers, employees, and colleagues-to-be. At the same time, if you implement what you learn here, you’ll make a positive difference in not only your organization, but also in your own life and in the lives of those whom you lead.

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The Sketchbook Challenge: Techniques, Prompts, and Inspiration for Achieving Your Creative Goals

Have you ever bought a new sketchbook, opened to the first page, and thought, “Now what do I do?” Sue Bleiweiss and the talented minds behind The Sketchbook Challenge are here to help.

Imagine a supportive community of artists sharing the innermost pages of their sketchbooks and offering you tips and techniques for overcoming creative blocks. That’s what The Sketchbook Challenge is all about, and the popular blog of the same name has already inspired thousands. Inside this book, you’ll find:
 
· Themes that will motivate you to start your sketchbook—and, more important, keep at it

· Tutorials spotlighting such mixed-media techniques as thread sketching, painted papers for collage, digital printing, and much more

· Strategies to get off the sketchbook page and start creating inspired art—whether you’re into painting, collage, fiber art, or beyond.

· In-depth profiles of artists who have taken the Sketchbook Challenge and used it as a launching pad for their own meaningful artwork