Tag: Strong

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Rising Strong

When we deny our stories, they define us.
When we own our stories, we get to write the ending.
 
Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall.
 
It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort.
 
Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.

From the Hardcover edition.

An Amazon Best Book of August 2015: You may be someone who looks at Rising Strong and says, “oh, that’s not really for me….” Translation: I don’t read or need that self-help stuff, give me a good novel and go away. But Brené Brown isn’t a spiritual guru, or someone who’s risen from the ashes to tell us how to live our lives. She’s a researcher. And Rising Strong isn’t some feel-good-get-over-it regimen; it’s more investigative reporting on the common denominators of people who whole-heartedly get back up and go another round after getting their asses handed to them in big and small ways. In her straightforward Texan voice, Brown sets the table for us to get curious about life’s sticky moments and invites us to serve ourselves a plate of what she’s learned in over a decade of research. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to be famous or come up with a cure that will change the world, I just want to live happily and keep getting back in the arena whether I’ve been rocked on my heels, knocked to my knees, or gone face down in the dirt. For my money, seeing how I can do that better is worth reading about. – Seira Wilson

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Rising Strong

When we deny our stories, they define us.
When we own our stories, we get to write the ending.
 
Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall.
 
It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort.
 
Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.

An Amazon Best Book of August 2015: You may be someone who looks at Rising Strong and says, “oh, that’s not really for me….” Translation: I don’t read or need that self-help stuff, give me a good novel and go away. But Brené Brown isn’t a spiritual guru, or someone who’s risen from the ashes to tell us how to live our lives. She’s a researcher. And Rising Strong isn’t some feel-good-get-over-it regimen; it’s more investigative reporting on the common denominators of people who whole-heartedly get back up and go another round after getting their asses handed to them in big and small ways. In her straightforward Texan voice, Brown sets the table for us to get curious about life’s sticky moments and invites us to serve ourselves a plate of what she’s learned in over a decade of research. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to be famous or come up with a cure that will change the world, I just want to live happily and keep getting back in the arena whether I’ve been rocked on my heels, knocked to my knees, or gone face down in the dirt. For my money, seeing how I can do that better is worth reading about. – Seira Wilson

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Strong and Sexy: Exercise, Food, and Motivation for a Healthy, Beach-Ready Body

Who said a healthy lifestyle has to be boring? Join Swedish TV and fashion personalities Sofi Fahrman and Julia Fors on a journey toward a stronger, healthier, more beach-ready body. They’ve got easy tips and fun facts on nutrition and training, and they ready to share their favorite insider tips from Hollywood’s most successful fitness coaches.

Sofi’s step-by-step photographs demonstrate the best exercises for women for each muscle group. Her program is designed for strength and toning, because strong equals sexy. Then, Julia shows how to avoid all the common pitfalls when choosing good food and healthy eating. Believe it or not, no foods are off-limits—it’s all about smart, clean choices.

It all wraps up in “Bikini Boot Camp.” This three-week training program is a focused effort for when you have a special goal in sight or need a kick start to get on your way to becoming the best version of yourself. This is not another diet book. This is about achieving your dream body while getting stronger, feeling healthier, and having a fun time doing it!

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Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know

In today’s increasingly complicated world, it’s often difficult for parents to connect with their daughters–and especially so for fathers. In this unique and invaluable guide, Dr. Meg Meeker, a pediatrician with more than twenty years’ experience counseling girls, reveals that a young woman’s relationship with her father is far more important than we’ve ever realized. To become a strong, confident woman, a daughter needs her father’s attention, protection, courage, and wisdom. Dr. Meeker shares the ten secrets every father needs to know in order to strengthen or rebuild bonds with his daughter and shape her life–and his own–for the better. Inside you’ll discover:

• the essential virtues of strong fathers–and how to develop them
• the cues daughters take from their dads on everything from self-respect to drugs, alcohol, and sex
• the truth about ground rules (girls do want them, despite their protests)
• the importance of becoming a hero to your daughter
• the biggest mistake a dad can make–and the ramifications
• the fact that girls actually depend on their dads’ guidance into adulthood
• steps fathers can follow to help daughters avoid disastrous decisions and mistakes
• ways in which a father’s faith–or lack thereof–will influence his daughter
• essential communication strategies for different stages of a girl’s life
• true stories of “prodigal daughters”–and how their fathers helped to bring them back

Dads, you are far more powerful than you think–and if you follow Dr. Meeker’s advice, the rewards will be unmatched.

“Reassuring and challenging . . . a helpful road map for concerned fathers [that] tackles difficult issues.”
–National Review

“A touching, illuminating book that will prove valuable to all of us who are fortunate enough to have been blessed with daughters.”
–Michael Medved, nationally syndicated radio talk-show host, author of Right Turns

“Dr. Meeker’s conclusions are timely, relevant, and often deeply moving. No one interested in what girls experience growing up in our culture today–and the impact that parents, especially fathers, have on the experience–can afford to miss reading this book.”
–Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., M.D., professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

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Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year

Demi Lovato wakes up each morning and affirms her commitment to herself—to her health, her happiness, her being. Those commitments are the bedrock of her recovery and her work helping other young people dealing with the issues she lives with every single day.

Demi is a platinum-selling recording artist whose latest album—DEMI—is already a smash hit. She’s about to embark on her second season as a judge on X-Factor, and just launched The Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program. And she is an outspoken advocate for young people everywhere.

Demi is also a young woman finding her way in the world. She has dealt deftly with her struggles in the face of public scrutiny, and she has always relied, not just on friends and family, but daily affirmations of her self-worth and value. Affirmations that steady her days and strengthen her resolve. 

Those affirmations have grown into STAYING STRONG, a powerful 365-day collection of Demi’s most powerful, honest, and hopeful insights. Each day will provide the readers with a quote, a personal reflection and a goal. 

These are Demi’s words. Words she lives by and shares with the people she loves and total strangers alike. They are a powerful testament to a young woman standing up and fighting back.

From the Book: A Letter from Demi Lovato

Dear Reader,

I have been through all kinds of experiences in my life, and I have faced struggles ranging from addiction to depression, all the while on a search for self-discovery and happiness. There are always going to be highs and lows, heartbreaks and victories, and everything in between. So sometimes the smallest few words can make all the difference; they can comfort and they can inspire.

Each day I meditate and pray by getting in touch with the higher power within me. No matter how old you are, where you come from, your race or religion, it is vital to have a higher power–something bigger than yourself that you can turn to for comfort. For me, it’s God, but for you, it can be anything you believe in, the universe, karma, etc. Though some days can be a struggle, it’s important to have something that will motivate, inspire, and help us stay positive and keep moving forward.

This book is a collection of my own words, quotes that inspire me, as well as lessons, meditations, reflections, and daily goals. They have helped me tremendously, and it’s a special and personal gift that I want to share with all of you.

Wherever you are in life, please read these and know that I’m always there for you. Stay strong, be brave, love hard and true, and you will have nothing to lose.

All my love,

Demi

An Introduction from Katie Couric

I first met Demi over breakfast at the London Hotel in the summer of 2012. Her career was on fire. She had a huge hit in “Skyscraper,” “Give Your Heart a Break” was climbing the charts (it would eventually hit #1), and she was months away from being named a judge on The X Factor alongside Simon Cowell and Britney Spears.

For a girl who had just turned 20 and made her name as a Disney teen queen, she seemed wise beyond her years. But she encountered more than a few bumps on her road to success. Demi shared her personal struggles with me, including her battles with anorexia and bulimia, bullying, self-harm and bipolar disorder, and how these challenges almost derailed her career.

As a mother of two daughters, I was so grateful that Demi was using her painful experiences to talk frankly to girls and let them know that fame doesn’t necessarily shield you from insecurity and self-doubt. By pulling back the glossy curtain of celebrity and exposing her all-too-human side, I know Demi made countless young women with some of those same problems feel much less alone.

Not long after our first meeting, I welcomed Demi to the set of my daytime talk show. No surprise, she was charismatic and generous. Her willingness to speak so openly in a public forum inspired me to share my own experience with an eating disorder in my twenties, something that I had never spoken about before. Demi’s honesty made me feel safe to be honest about my own past.

Demi has a unique relationship with her fans. They love her and she loves them right back. She’s taught us all that we need to give our hearts a break at the low moments, and take the time to enjoy the view from the skyscraper when we hit our highs.

Whether you’re 16, or, in my case, 56, you’ll learn something from Demi’s journey and life advice, and end up loving her even more.

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Secrets of A Strong Mind: What My Years As An FBI Counterintelligence Agent Taught Me About Leadership and Empowerment – And How To Make It Work For You (Volume 1)

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to be stronger willed? Do you want to find better ways to overcome the obstacles in your life? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, this is the book for you. We will all face adversity of different kinds this year, and the way in which we embrace it will determine the direction that life takes us. The plans we have for life frequently get derailed with hardships and disappointments. Now, with Secrets of A Strong Mind, we can learn how to embrace challenges and empower the leader in us. Secrets of A Strong Mind reveals the six core components needed to move through barriers so we can lead our life from a place of personal strength. Former FBI agent LaRae Quy spent over twenty years working as an FBI undercover and counterintelligence agent. Her job was to identify foreign spies who were operating in the United States, find out what they were stealing and stop them, assess whether they possessed the type of information the U.S. needed, and if they did, find ways to persuade them to work for our government. LaRae shares the skills needed to survive as an undercover agent. We may never need to talk ourselves out of a desperate situation with criminals or spies, but getting people to trust us is important in business and personal life. She reveals how the same tools she used in the world of spying and counterintelligence to survive in environments of hostility, deception, and fear can help us navigate through the confusion and duplicity we find in relationships, investments, and business. Secrets of A Strong Mind shows how we can view failure and obstacles as opportunities to earn new problem-solving skills. With real-life stories, practical exercises, and inspiring tactics, Secrets of A Strong Mind teaches the skills needed to survive and take full advantage of life. LaRae provides the tools for excavating the significance of our own stories and memories to help us uncover the unknown about ourselves. This discovery will be a new strength. The learning process will not fatigue us; instead, it will invigorate us. This enables us to keep our eyes on the goals and not on the obstacles. Secrets of A Strong Mind will empower the leader in you to live with the mental toughness needed to overcome life’s obstacles and achieve your goals. It is an ideal book for discussion groups, church groups, and corporate off-sites.

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As a Man Thinketh: Classic Wisdom for Proper Thought, Strong Character, & Right Actions

Timeless Wisdom for the Modern Man

In the years since its publication in 1902, As a Man Thinketh has set thousands of men on the pathway to personal and financial growth. Now, in this unique rendition of James Allen’s masterwork, you, too, can manifest the traits and skills characteristic of those honorable, refined, and successful men. Each of the aphorisms and quotes in this book reveals simple yet revelatory techniques that will empower you to strengthen your character, harness constructive thoughts, and create the life you’ve always wanted.

As Allen himself wrote, As a Man Thinketh “shall create positive results in daily circumstances and actions, regardless of the venue—an agreeable prospect, one must concede!”