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When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. A deep
meditation on what it means to be with suffering and pain, and of what is
possible when we consider life's difficulties less as obstacles to be
overcome and more as opportunities for learning and growing. |
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Learning to Fall by Phillip Simmons. Subtitled
"The Blessings of an Imperfect Life", this is a collection of essays by a
professor of English stricken with a terminal illness in his mid-thirties.
Simmons spent the last ten years of his life experiencing the gradual
shutting down of most of his physical capacities, while still appreciating
every moment he was able to share with his wife and children.
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Wide Awake by Diana Winston.
A thorough and easy-to-read introduction to Buddhist philosophy.
Written primarily for teens, but useful for beginners of all ages. |
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Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. One of the
classic texts on the practice of meditation. The title states one of
the great paradoxes in Buddhism, that we cannot grow and develop to our
fullest potential (our "zen mind") unless we retain a continuous awareness
of how much we always still have to learn (our "beginner's mind"). |
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The Experience of Insight by Joseph Goldstein. A collection
of short essays and reflections, adapted from the author's oral
presentations to participants in the 30-day meditation retreats he leads
at the Insight Meditation Center in Barre, Massachusetts, of which he is a
co-founder. |
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Journeying East by Victoria Jean Dimidjian. Transcripts of
conversations the author conducted with nine different individuals, each
of whom is involved professionally in some aspect of caring for and/or
learning from persons who are near death. Many useful insights about
letting go, and practicing nonattachment. |
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Awake in the Wild by Mark Coleman. A collection of
reflections and guided meditations, unified under the theme of using the
natural world as the setting for cultivating mindfulness. |
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Here are some books that will support you in living more
effectively, from a place of being fully engaged ..... |
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The Practice of Freedom by Wendy Palmer. An exploration of
the principles of Aikido, by an expert practitioner and teacher of this
particular martial art. The activity of Aikido involves receiving a
partner's "attack" with acceptance rather than resistance, so as to assist
him in completing his move successfully. The two of you become
collaborators rather than opponents. The author proposes that this
discipline can be a useful way to conduct your life outside of the Aikido
exercise studio as well. She calls this approach "Conscious
Embodiment", a deliberate stance of engaging in every encounter as an
opportunity to receive and collaborate, rather than to resist and
vanquish. A very novel proposal, well worth our careful
consideration -- especially for those of us who too often find ourselves
in conflict with our partners, our children, our friends, our colleagues. |
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.
As relevant today as when it was first published over 25 years ago.
The first three habits promote personal skills (which Covey collectively
labels "independence"), the next three promote social skills
("interdependence", according to Covey), and the seventh and last habit
involves ongoing self-care ("sharpening the saw") in order to maintain the
gains from the first six. If you have not yet read this classic,
there is much useful material here for you to practice new personal habits
and social skills that can expand the range of outcomes currently
available to you.
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Getting Things Done by David Allen.
A master plan for getting yourself organized, and staying so.
Possibly a bit too detailed and regimental for everyone's taste.
Even if you don't care to adopt the systems Allen proposes, reading this
book will stimulate you to devise your own personal systems of
organization.
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Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Another classic
book, detailing five categories of mastery in being aware of and managing
our emotions. In an interesting parallel to the progression of
habits as expounded in Covey's book, here also we progress from the
personal to the social. The foundations of emotional intelligence
lie in developing personal awareness and mastery of our own emotions.
Then we can advance to the more challenging tasks of developing our
awareness of others' emotions and becoming more skillful in interacting
with others by taking their emotions into account.
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Life 101 by Peter McWilliams. A light-hearted and
entertaining book, the premise of which is that our most meaningful
activity is continuous life-long learning -- about ourselves and our
lives. Each short chapter is a brief reflection on some aspect of
being alive, and what learning the author takes from the situation under
discussion. Lots of amusing and thought-provoking quotes accompany
every chapter. |
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Do It! by
Peter McWilliams. A more focused
book than Life 101 -- here the author
addresses the issue of procrastination as it impacts our ability to live
fully and realize our true potential. Once again, lots of quotes and
very short chapters, and McWilliams' customary humorous approach.
But, there are also lots of useful exercises to help you deepen your
awareness of your values and aspirations, as well as some suggestions for
structures and habits that can help you become more effective in making
things happen. |
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And finally, here are some books that will support you in better
understanding both the Insight Coaching philosophy and the paradox of
living both fully engaged and completely nonattached ..... |
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Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others by James Flaherty.
Written by the founder of New Ventures West, this is a masterful
presentation on the coaching process. Rather than offering a
manual of "techniques", Flaherty explores in detail the
philosophical and psychological underpinnings of the coach-client
communication process, and interweaves an in-depth case study
throughout the entire book to illustrate the concepts discussed in
each chapter. This book will not only improve your
understanding of how to be a coach, it will inevitably transform
your awareness of yourself and how you are contributing in the
world. |
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Coaching to the Human Soul Ontological Coaching and Deep Change, Vol. 1
Coaching to the Human Soul: Ontological Coaching and Deep Change: Volume II: Emotional Learning and Ontological Coaching
by Alan Sieler. These companion volumes offer an extraordinary
synthesis of the latest research in the fields of linguistics and
emotional development, as each relates to the coaching process.
Sieler's intellectual accomplishment is more than matched by the
compassionate stance he takes with the clients whose cases he shares
with us in these texts. He is an inspiring model for any
aspiring coach. |
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