1001 Ideas That Shaped the Way We think is a comprehensive guide to the most interesting and imaginative thoughts from the finest minds of the past 3000 years. Ranging from the ancient wisdom of Confucius and Plato to today's cutting-edge thinkers, it offers a wealth of stimulation and amusement for everyone with a curious mind. Within the pages of this book you will find a wide variety of answers to the great, eternal questions: how was the Universe created and what is the place of humans within it? How should a person live? And how can we build a just society? 1001 Ideas That Shaped the Way We think also includes a host of hypotheses that are remarkable for their sheer weirdness - from the concept of the transmigration of souls to parallel universes and the theoretical paradoxes of time travel (what happens if you travel back in time and kill your own grandfather?). Discover how the Greek philosopher Zeno "proved" a flying arrow never moves; how modern science has shown that a butterfly's wing can stir up an Atlantic storm; and the mathematical proof of the existence of life in other galaxies. The inspirational ideas explored here range from Gandhi's theory of civil disobedience to Henry Thoreau's praise of the simple life and Mary Wollstonecraft's groundbreaking advocacy of women's rights. The book also covers a wide variety of lifestyle concepts, such as 'rational dress' and naturism, and cultural movements including Neoclassicism, Surrealism and Postmodernism. Supported by a wealth of striking illustrations and illuminating questions, 1001 Ideas That Shaped the Way We think is both an in-depth history of ideas and a delightfully browsable source of entertainment. 
Author Biography: Robert Arp is the editor of South Park and Philosophy, the co-editor of Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Biology, and the author of Scenario Visualization: An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving and An Integrated Approach to the Philosophy of Mind. 
Available in paperback from $21.75 (27/02/14)
#ideas #changed #thoughts

Runes have long been used as vital tools for transformation. The Norse employed them as tools for communication, and the Vikings would use them as wisdom before embarking on a journey or entering battle. Runic scholar Kaedrich Olsen reclaims the transformative power of the runes for readers today as a key to unlocking our potential for personal growth and our life's vision. Runes for Transformation is unlike any other rune book on the market, with Olsen's unique techniques and applications for this ancient alphabet including affirmations, NLP, visualizations, and meditation, as well as the historical background essential to embarking on this path.  A highly respected teacher and transpersonal path worker, Kaedrich Olsen posits that the time for this "deeper working" of the runes has come and this will aid readers in both personal and collective evolution. Runes for Transformation is a rich resource and excellent guide for readers to take the steps to change their lives with a boldly modern approach to the ancient runes and for "change that really matters." 

• $9.99 Kindle Edition
• Auto-delivered wirelessly
• $16.95 $12.16 Paperback 
  #symbols # change #life #transformation

The mystery of how, when, and why people change lies at the heart of the therapy process. Many authors have given shape to different pieces of the puzzle. Here at last is a book that provides the integrative framework within which these pieces can fit together.Why is it so difficult for people to change? What can be done to maximize the chances for success? To answer these questions, this sweeping book travels across a vast intellectual terrain, encompassing the history of ideas about human nature, developments in the cognitive sciences, artificial intelligence, evolution, psychobiology, developmental psychology, theories of emotion, the psychology of self, and more. The author then applies the theory to practice, drawing on his wide personal experience with hundreds of clients ”in transition” to outline a model of significant change. Mahoney identifies common themes and experience patterns associated with dramatic change, emphasizing the role of emotionality and cognitive processes, and challenging long-revered notions about thinking and feeling.Here is an important work that will point researchers in new directions, will help practicing therapists adapt theoretical concepts to helping patients change, and will make fascinating reading for anyone exploring his or her own life journey.  
​​Amazon.com $61.75 & free shipping or 32 new from $10.99 or used from $0.1 (6/9/2013)
#human #change #process 

What exactly is self-esteem? Most people, as well as many psychologists and educators, believe we need it, that it's good for our emotional well-being, and that it makes us more successful. World-renowned psychologist Albert Ellis says no, it's all a myth. According to Ellis, self-esteem is probably the greatest emotional disturbance known to humans. Self-esteem results in each of us praising ourselves when what we do is approved by others. But we also damn ourselves when we don't do well enough and others disapprove of us. What we need more than self-esteem, Ellis maintains, is self-acceptance! In "The Myth of Self-Esteem", Ellis provides a lively and insightful explanation of self-esteem and self-acceptance, examining the thinking of great religious teachers, philosophers, and psychologists, including Lao Tsu, Jesus, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Buber, Heidegger, Sartre, Tillich, DT Suzuki, the Dalai Lama, Carl Rogers, and Nathaniel Branden, among others. He then provides exercises for training oneself to change self-defeating habits to the healthy, positive approach of self-acceptance. These include specific thinking techniques as well as emotive and behavioural exercises. He concludes by stressing that unconditional self-acceptance is the basis for establishing healthy relationships with others, along with unconditional other-acceptance and a total philosophy of life anchored in unconditional life-acceptance. Amazon.com $15.00 (1/4/13)
#myth #self-esteem #change

Goodreads member Dwayne Roberts rated this book a  " very rational methodology for self-improvement. Although easily adaptable for virtually any problematic self-behavior, it focuses mostly on smoking, alcoholism, and excessive weight. Many people - especially on January 1 - dive into a stage of action they're not prepared for, then fail and drop their good-intentioned regimen because of "a lack of will power". This very readable text explains the several stages of change all humans must participate in, and why a lack of will power is not necessarily the cause of their downfall." to read more click here

Christyne says "Changing for Good was certainly revolutionary for behavioural  psychology in the 1990's. Today, the strategies in this book can help anyone wanting to change their behaviour, because it provides a way in which to rationalise change.  It is an optimistic book about understood stages of human change and it is recommended reading for anyone needing a theoretical framework to use as guide" For more information about some of the ideas contained in this book, click here 

Changing for Good is available now on Amazon.com from around $3.30 used to $20.00 collectors edition (2 Mar 2013). 
Search the Amazon box above right for more information. 
#changing #good #habits #change

Daniel Lim 
I will try to summarize everything and attempt to show how this can be done step by step. Those who succeeded in changing a behavior have this thing called Agency: The capacity to control our own behavior. You need to create your own plan. What works for others may not work for you. You need to understand what influence your behaviors. First, identify your crucial moments: You are not tempted 24/7. Identify which time, place, and/or people makes you most tempted. Second, create your vital behaviors: What do you HAVE to do when you are at risk. (If you can refocus your behaviors, not succumb to the urge, for just 3 or 4 mins, then you can get back to wanting to do your own behaviors.) Third, in order to achieve this every time, you need to engage all 6 sources of influences (or at least engage most of them). The 6 sources of influences: 1. Personal Motivation- Do I want to? Am I motivated? (How much do I want to change and why? E.g. Sharman used a card to keep reminding herself when faced with food temptations.) 2. Personal Ability- Can I do it? If not, can I learn a skill to achieve it? (E.g. AJ knew her Dad was a stumbling block she had to overcome. She would succumb whenever he offered a cigarette to her. She learned how to talk to him about this issue.) 3. Social Motivation- Do I have encouragement and support? Someone who keeps me on track? (Identify friends from accomplices. If you can’t turn accomplices to friends, i.e. they are not serious in helping you, stay away from them!) 4. Social Ability- Do I have someone to coach me, give me feedback to improve? 5. Structural Motivation- Do I have any rewards or incentives to keep me going? 6. Structural Ability- Am I in an environment which helps to control my space? Is it possible to make my good behavior easy and my bad behavior hard? (E.g. Get rid of junk food in the house. Make healthy food easily available and junk food out of reach.) Remember, it's not a willpower problem, it's a maths problem. No. 1 and 2 derived from yourself. No. 3 and 4 derived from external help. For no. 5 and 6, you need to make plans in advance to create the environment. Finally, the last step is to make bad days into good data. To prevent relapse, you have to plan for what happens if you ever failed to control your behavior. Understand what went wrong, analyse it, talk to someone about it, know what to do about it, etc. "A plan is not a plan, until it specifies how you deal with setbacks."