These books have helped me create a framework for approaching life.
Hero on a Mission by Donald Miller
Hero on a Mission is a book written by Donald Miller, a best-selling author and business coach. In the book, Miller discusses the importance of finding and pursuing your "mission" in life, or the work that gives your life meaning and purpose.
Miller argues that too often, people get caught up in the "rat race" of working hard just to make a living, rather than finding work that truly matters to them. He encourages readers to take a step back and think about what they are truly passionate about, and how they can turn that passion into a meaningful career or business.
Miller provides practical guidance and tools for finding your mission, including how to discover your unique strengths and skills, how to create a vision for your future, and how to take action to bring your vision to life. He also covers topics such as how to overcome fear and self-doubt, how to build a supportive network of like-minded individuals, and how to create a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Overall, Hero on a Mission is a inspiring and thought-provoking book that provides valuable insights and strategies for anyone looking to find their purpose and pursue their passions in life.
Miller also argues at different times in our lives we are all playing one of four roles. We are playing the role of the Hero, the Guide, the Victim, or the Villain. We want to move away from our tendency to stay rooted in victimhood. Not only to become the hero of our own story but to play the guide in the story of others.
Stories can be fun to write and fun to live, but the good ones take work. Whether we like it or not, the lives we live are stories. Our lives have a beginning, middle, and end, and inside those three acts we play many roles.
Donald Miller, Hero on a Mission
Hero on a Mission asks you to start by looking at your death. Specifically your eulogy. What kind of eulogy do you want? Who do you want to be there? What relationships do you want to have had? In other words what kind of life do you want to have lived.
I am writing my story and I alone have the responsibility to shape it into something meaningful.
Donald Miller, Hero on a Mission
The book then dives into how this plays out in our daily lives. Focusing on activities that contribute to the story we want to live out.
Check out more of my book highlights on GoodReads.com
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Man's Search for Meaning is a book written by Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist. In the book, Frankl discusses his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps and how he used the principles of logotherapy, a type of psychotherapy he developed, to find meaning and purpose in the midst of extreme suffering and adversity.
Frankl argues that the search for meaning is a fundamental human need, and that finding meaning in life is essential for mental health and well-being. In contrast, Sigmund Freud argued that our greatest human need was pleasure and that humans operated from that premise. Frankl's anti-thesis was meaning. He discusses how to find meaning in three main ways: through work and achievement, through love and relationships, and through suffering and hardship.
Frankl also discusses how the concept of meaning can be applied to everyday life, and how it can help individuals cope with challenges and setbacks. He provides practical guidance and tools for finding meaning in life, including how to set goals and pursue your passions, how to cultivate a positive attitude and mindset, and how to find meaning in relationships and community.
Man's Search for Meaning is a powerful and thought-provoking book that provides valuable insights and strategies for finding meaning and purpose in life, especially in times of adversity. It is one of the books I am most likely to recommend to friends.
12 Rules for Life By Jordan Peterson
12 Rules for Life is a book written by Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist and professor. In the book, Peterson discusses a set of 12 principles for living a fulfilling and meaningful life.
The 12 rules are:
- Stand up straight with your shoulders back.
- Treat yourself like you would someone you are responsible for helping.
- Make at least one thing better every single place you go.
- Compare yourself with who you were yesterday, not with who someone else is today.
- Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.
- Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.
- Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).
- Tell the truth, or, at least, don’t lie.
- Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.
- Be Precise in your speech.
- Try to make one room in your house as beautiful as possible.
- Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.
In this book, he provides twelve profound and practical principles for how to live a meaningful life, from setting your house in order before criticizing others to comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, not someone else today. Happiness is not the goal, he shows us. Instead we must search for meaning, not for its own sake, but as a defense against the suffering that is always a part of our existence.
Drawing on vivid examples from his clinical practice and personal life, cutting-edge psychology and philosophy, and lessons from humanity's oldest myths and stories, Dr. Peterson takes the reader on an intellectual journey like no other. Gripping, thought-provoking and deeply rewarding, 12 Rules for Life offers an antidote to the chaos in our lives: eternal truths applied to our modern problems.
From the books insert
Throughout the book, Peterson provides practical guidance and tools for applying these principles to your life, as well as stories and examples from his own experiences and those of his clients. He covers a wide range of topics, including psychology, philosophy, religion, and politics, and he challenges readers to take responsibility for their own lives and make positive changes.
It's practical and makes you think positively about life and how you might want to move through it. I highly recommend it.
The Official Boy Scout Handbook
This is not a joke. I recommend a pre-1980 copy of the boy scout handbook.
Check out this introduction:
Your Life as a Scout
Today you are an American boy. Before long you will be an American man. It is important to America and to yourself that you become a citizen of fine character, physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
Boy Scouting will help you become that kind of citizen. But also, Scouting will give you fellowship and fun.
Yes, it's fun to be a Boy Scout! It's fun to go hiking and camping with your best friends . . . to swim, to dive, to paddle a canoe, to wield an ax ... to follow the footsteps of the pioneers who led the way through the wilderness to stare into the glowing embers of a campfire and dream of the wonders of the life that is in store for you…
It is fun also to learn to walk noiselessly through the woods, to stalk close to a grazing deer without being noticed . .. to bring a bird close to you by imitating its call. It is fun to find your way cross-country by map and compass ... to make a meal when you are hungry . . . to take a safe swim when you are hot ... to make yourself comfortable for the night in a tent or under the stars. In Scouting you become an outdoorsman.
But Scouting is far more than fun in the outdoors, hiking, and camping. Scouting is a way of life. Scouting is growing into responsible manhood, learning to be of service to others.
The Scout Oath and the Scout Law are your guides to citizenship. They tell you what is expected of a Scout. They point out your duties. The Scout motto is "Be Prepared"-prepared to take care of yourself and to help people in need. The Scout slogan is "Do a Good Turn Daily." Together, the motto and slogan spell out your ability and your willingness to serve.
Your life as a Scout will make you strong and self-reliant. You will learn Scoutcraft skills that will benefit you as you grow. In time, you will develop skills of leadership as well.
So pitch in! Swing into action! In your patrol and your troop you will have some of the best times of your life.
The Official Boy Scout Handbook is a comprehensive guidebook for Boy Scouts, published by the Boy Scouts of America. The 1979 edition of the handbook is the 11th edition of the handbook, and it covers a wide range of topics related to scouting and outdoor skills.
The handbook is divided into several sections, including:
- The Scout Oath, Scout Law, and Scout motto and slogan
- The Scout spirit and Scout purposes
- Scout ranks and advancement
- Scout skills, including outdoor skills, first aid, personal fitness, and citizenship
- Scoutcraft skills, including camping, cooking, and survival skills
- Scout leadership and teamwork
- Scout service and community involvement
Throughout the handbook, there are illustrations and photographs that help guide Scouts through the various activities and skills covered. Classic seventies illustrations. There are also chapters on Scout history and the Scout movement, as well as resources for Scout leaders and parents.
The Official Boy Scout Handbook is a valuable resource for men, and it provides a wealth of information and guidance on outdoor skills, and personal development. Ebay is a great source for older versions.
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