Career Development

Public speaking can be terrifying. For David Nihill, the idea of standing in front of an audience was scarier than cliff jumping into a thorny pit of spiders and mothers-in-law. Without a parachute or advanced weaponry. Something had to change.

In what doesn't sound like the best plan ever, David decided to overcome his fears by pretending to be a comedian called "Irish Dave" for one full year, crashing as many comedy clubs, festivals, and shows as possible.

From an era when 'self-help' books had genuine depth, Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People has influenced the world. No book in the self-help category matters more than this one. Learning to relate to people in the ways Carnegie instructs will help you personally as well as professionally. This book is a classic because Carnegie teaches timeless truths in timeless ways. This is a condensation of the original book.

Hands shaking? Mind blank? That familiar dread before speaking to a crowd? You're not alone – 75% of people share that fear. But what if speaking to THOUSANDS could feel as natural, as connecting, or talking to ONE trusted friend? This isn't about some rare, inborn talent. Many legends, from Gandhi to Buffett, battled intense shyness. They didn't avoid the stage; they discovered how to own it, and so can you. This guide provides strategies to conquer fear, connect with your audience, and see public speaking as an opportunity to reach, motivate, and inspire.

What’s the difference between a dreamer and someone who achieves a dream? According to best-selling author Dr. John Maxwell, the answer lies in answering 10 powerful, yet straightforward, questions. Whether you’ve lost sight of an old dream or you are searching for a new one within you, Put Your Dream to the Test provides a step-by-step action plan that you can start using today to see, own, and reach your dream. Dr. Maxwell draws on his 40 years of mentoring experience to expertly guide you through the 10 questions required of every successful dreamer:

Najwa Zebian, EdD, has been grappling with the concept of letting go for years, both in her own journey and in her interactions with community members, students, and friends. More and more, Najwa has observed that while our problems are personal, the themes surrounding them are universal. She concluded that letting go is a topic that deserves specific attention and consideration.

Simply Said is the essential handbook for business communication. Do you ever feel as though your message hasn't gotten across? Do details get lost along the way? Have tense situations ever escalated unnecessarily? It all comes down to communication. We all communicate, but few of us do it well. From tough presentations to everyday transactions, there is no scenario that cannot be improved with better communication skills. This book presents an all-encompassing guide to improving your communication.

Despite the overwhelming amount of resources for time management and work-life balance, the ability to cultivate the efficiency and equilibrium needed to manage all our worthy pursuits can often feel frustratingly out of reach. The reason for our struggle is that productivity and time-management systems focus on individual habits rather than more meaningful and lasting lifestyle changes. But as it turns out, there is a better way to reach our full potential.

A world-renowned psychologist and mindfulness performance expert who has helped superstars such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant transform their careers, offers proven strategies for unleashing our innate strengths, avoiding burnout, and discovering enduring success.

Your mind has a secret invisible talisman. On one side is emblazoned the letters PMA (positive mental attitude) and on the other the letters NMA (negative mental attitude). A positive attitude will naturally attract the good and the beautiful. The negative attitude will rob you of all that makes life worth living.

Acuff knows the reason why many writers' novels go unfinished - it's the same reason why gyms are filled in the first week of January and empty by the end of the month and why people stop learning a new language once they get past the easy parts. It's not just that people lose momentum or get distracted. People give up on projects when they fail to live up to their own high expectations and decide that if they can't do something perfectly, they won't do it at all. If you're going to finish, you have to kill perfectionism.

We're often told that the key to success in life involves advancing in our careers, so why do feel stuck and unfulfilled when everything seems to be going right? Adult development expert Maja Djikic explains that in order to discover our purpose and achieve real, lasting change, we need to move beyond narrowly targeted ideas and strategies like changing our mindset or slightly altering one aspect of our behavior. Instead, we need to go deeper and focus on our innate desires.

In Decisive, the Heaths, based on an exhaustive study of the decision-making literature, introduce a four-step process designed to counteract these biases. Written in an engaging and compulsively listenable style, Decisive takes readers on an unforgettable journey, from a rock star’s ingenious decision-making trick to a CEO’s disastrous acquisition, to a single question that can often resolve thorny personal decisions.

Everyone has a sensitive side, but nearly one in three people have the genes to be more sensitive than others—both physically and emotionally. These are the people who pause before speaking and think before acting; they tune in to subtle details and make connections that others miss. Whether introverted or extroverted, they tend to be bighearted, creative, and wired to go deep, yet society tells them to hide the very sensitivity that makes them this way. These are the world’s “highly sensitive people,” and Sensitive is the book that champions them.

Gravity affects every aspect of our physical being, but there’s a psychological force just as powerful - yet almost nobody has heard of it. It’s responsible for bringing groups of people together and pulling them apart, making certain goals attractive to some and not to others, and fueling cycles of anxiety and conflict. In Wanting, Luke Burgis draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and reveals how it shapes our lives and societies.

Translated into English for the first time: new lessons on abundance from Japan's best-selling personal-development author, founded on Zen principles and delivered in a spirit of compassion, freedom, and joy.

Minister Catherine Ponder reveals universal truths for health, love, success, and peace in this groundbreaking book first published in 1962. She offers plenty of practical advice and countless actual success stories about using divine power to overcome difficulties, achieve happiness, and live a fulfilling, rewarding life. This book has helped people in every walk of life improve their relationships, work, finances, health, and spiritual understanding. Every change you want to make in your life starts first in your mind.

This remarkable business allegory tells a fascinating story in presenting the key principles of Napoleon Hill's revolutionary best seller Think and Grow Rich. While you follow a struggling young entrepreneur through a life-changing series of encounters with some of today's foremost business leaders and inspirational figures, you'll find encouragement and motivation to believe in yourself, discover your own Personal Success Equation, and to never give up. You are just three feet from gold!

Millions have embraced Joseph Murphy's writings, including the phenomenal best seller The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, a beloved classic that sits alongside the works of Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, and Norman Vincent Peale. This new collection, authorized by the Joseph Murphy Trust, focuses on prosperity - and the simple yet powerful ways we can focus our attention and beliefs to achieve life goals, obtain riches, and live the life of our dreams.

Speak your mind effectively! The best, most direct way to convey your intelligence, expertise, professionalism, and personality to other people is through talking to them. But most people have no idea what they sound like. And even if they do, they don’t think they can change it. It’s the Way You Say It is a thorough, nuts-and-bolts guide to becoming aware and taking control of how you communicate with others. Dr. Carol Fleming provides detailed advice and scores of exercises.

We used to think of failure as the opposite of success. Now, we’re often torn between two “failure cultures”: one that says to avoid failure at all costs, the other that says fail fast, fail often. The trouble is that both approaches lack the crucial distinctions to help us separate good failure from bad. As a result, we miss the opportunity to fail well. After decades of award-winning research, Amy Edmondson is here to upend our understanding of failure and make it work for us. In Right Kind of Wrong, Edmondson provides the framework to think, discuss, and practice failure wisely.