This blog was submitted to GNN by one of our readers for publishing. If you have an interesting story of kindness or positivity, be sure and send it to us for review. Dave Jones and his girlfriend, from Umbria, Italy, were hiking in the California mountains of the John Muir Trail, when they ran out of […]
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Like hundreds of others, 9-year-old Reese Osterberg and her family were devastated to lose their home last month in California’s Fresno County Creek Fire. A huge baseball fan, Reese’s precious baseball card collection was also lost to flames. She’d been collecting since she was 6-years-old, and over three years she’d amassed an impressive 100 cards […]
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One that you’ll find on many of these types of lists is Meditations and for good reason. It’s the only document of its kind to ever be made. The book focuses on the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man who advises himself revolving around making good on his responsibilities and the obligations of his position. We know enough about Marcus Aurelius to know that he was trained in stoic philosophy and practiced every night on a series of spirituality exercises. These exercises were designed to make him humble, patient, empathetic, generous, and strong in the face of whatever problem he had to face off. And he faced plenty of problems since he was basically the emperor of roughly a third of the planet. All of that is poured into this book, and you are bound to remember a line or more that will be applicable in your life. It’s a philosophy book staple. Buy Meditations here.
Similar to Marcus Aurelius, Seneca was another powerful man in Rome. He was a brilliant writer at the time and was the kind of guy to give great advice to his most trusted friends. Fortunately, much of his advice comes in letters, and those letters happen to be in this book. The letters themselves provided advice on dealing with grief, wealth, poverty, success, failure, education, and more. While Seneca was a stoic, he has a more practical approach and has borrowed from other schools of thought for his advice. As he said when he was alive, “I don’t care about the author if the line is good.” Similar to Meditations, there are several brilliant lines and advice that are still relevant to this day. Buy "Letters From a Stoic" here.
Aristotle was a famous Greek philosopher at the time with profound knowledge. He’s named after a form of logic as well called Aristotelian logic. Through this book, Aristotle writes about the root of all Aristotelian ethics. In other words, this book contains the moral ideas that form a base for pretty much all of western civilization. Buy "Nicomachean Ethics" here.
Friedrich Nietzsche played a big role in the philosophical world. He was one of the leading philosophers of the existential movement, and it all came through this particular book. He is a brilliant mind. However, the issue with a lot of his work is that it’s all written in German. Fortunately, this book is one of the slightly more accessible ones since it’s translated. Within the book, he breaks down the paradoxes of conventional understandings of morality. By doing this, he sets the stage for a lot of the 20th-century thought process that followed. Buy "Beyond Good & Evil" here.
In Meditations on First Philosophy, René Descartes breaks his book down into six meditations. The book takes a journalistic style that is structured much like a six-day course of meditation. On day one, he gives instructions on discarding all belief in things that are not guaranteed. After that, he tries to establish what can be known for sure. Similar to Meditations, this is a staple and influential philosophical text that you can pick up. Buy "Meditations on First Philosophy" here.
Written by Benedict de Spinoza, this came at a time during the Age of Enlightenment. Enlightenment was a movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries and with that, many schools of thought emerged and were presented through books. Out of the many influential philosophy books published back then, Ethics dominated during this period as it discussed the basis of rationalism. Even though we’ve developed further beyond that, Ethics can introduce new ways of thinking from this particular school of thought. Buy "Ethics" here.
Immanuel Kant is another great philosopher who brought together two of history’s biggest opposing schools of thought into a single book. Those schools being rational thought and empirical experiential knowledge—knowledge gained through experience. In Critique of Pure Reason, Kant explores human reason and then works to establish its illusions and get down to core constituents. Overall, you can learn more about human behavior and thought processes and thus, open your mind more to how you think and process everything around you. Buy "Critique of Pure Reason" here.
Another piece of work from Nietzsche that is accessible to us is On the Genealogy of Morals. According to Nietzsche, the purpose of this book is to call attention to his previous writings. That said, it does more than that so you don’t need to worry so much about reading his other books. In this book, he expands on the cryptic aphorisms that he brings up in Beyond Good and Evil and offers a discussion or morality in a work that is more accessible than a lot of his previous work. Buy "On the Genealogy of Morals" here.
The only book on this list that’s been written in the past few years, this book by Mark Manson aims to explain why we all need hope while also accepting that hope can often lead us to ruin too. While many of the books on this list are all practical, this one is the most realistic one since not even the greatest of philosophical minds could predict things like technology, Twitter, and how our political world has shaped. Manson delivers a profound book that taps into the minds of our ancestral philosophers, such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, and digs deep into various topics and how all of it is connected—religion and politics, our relationship with money, entertainment, and the internet. Overall, this book serves as a challenge to all of us—a challenge to be more honest with ourselves and connect with the world in a way we’ve never tried before. Buy "Everything Is F*cked" here.
One of the most challenging philosophy books to read on this list, Reasons and Persons will send you on quite the trip. Through a lot of painstaking logic, Derek Parfit shows us some unique perspectives on self-interest, personhood, and whether our actions are good or evil. Considered by many to be an important psychological text around the 20th century, the arguments made about those topics will open your mind to a brand new way of thinking. Buy "Reasons and Persons" here.
Written by Plato himself, this book is the origin of political science and offers a brilliant critique of government. As you would expect, the critique is still important today. If you’re looking to understand the inner thoughts of Plato, this is one of the best books around. Buy "The Republic of Plato" here.
One that you’ll find on many of these types of lists is Meditations and for good reason. It’s the only document of its kind to ever be made. The book focuses on the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man who advises himself revolving around making good on his responsibilities and the obligations of his position. We know enough about Marcus Aurelius to know that he was trained in stoic philosophy and practiced every night on a series of spirituality exercises. These exercises were designed to make him humble, patient, empathetic, generous, and strong in the face of whatever problem he had to face off. And he faced plenty of problems since he was basically the emperor of roughly a third of the planet. All of that is poured into this book, and you are bound to remember a line or more that will be applicable in your life. It’s a philosophy book staple. Buy Meditations here.
Similar to Marcus Aurelius, Seneca was another powerful man in Rome. He was a brilliant writer at the time and was the kind of guy to give great advice to his most trusted friends. Fortunately, much of his advice comes in letters, and those letters happen to be in this book. The letters themselves provided advice on dealing with grief, wealth, poverty, success, failure, education, and more. While Seneca was a stoic, he has a more practical approach and has borrowed from other schools of thought for his advice. As he said when he was alive, “I don’t care about the author if the line is good.” Similar to Meditations, there are several brilliant lines and advice that are still relevant to this day. Buy "Letters From a Stoic" here.
Aristotle was a famous Greek philosopher at the time with profound knowledge. He’s named after a form of logic as well called Aristotelian logic. Through this book, Aristotle writes about the root of all Aristotelian ethics. In other words, this book contains the moral ideas that form a base for pretty much all of western civilization. Buy "Nicomachean Ethics" here.
Friedrich Nietzsche played a big role in the philosophical world. He was one of the leading philosophers of the existential movement, and it all came through this particular book. He is a brilliant mind. However, the issue with a lot of his work is that it’s all written in German. Fortunately, this book is one of the slightly more accessible ones since it’s translated. Within the book, he breaks down the paradoxes of conventional understandings of morality. By doing this, he sets the stage for a lot of the 20th-century thought process that followed. Buy "Beyond Good & Evil" here.
In Meditations on First Philosophy, René Descartes breaks his book down into six meditations. The book takes a journalistic style that is structured much like a six-day course of meditation. On day one, he gives instructions on discarding all belief in things that are not guaranteed. After that, he tries to establish what can be known for sure. Similar to Meditations, this is a staple and influential philosophical text that you can pick up. Buy "Meditations on First Philosophy" here.
Written by Benedict de Spinoza, this came at a time during the Age of Enlightenment. Enlightenment was a movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries and with that, many schools of thought emerged and were presented through books. Out of the many influential philosophy books published back then, Ethics dominated during this period as it discussed the basis of rationalism. Even though we’ve developed further beyond that, Ethics can introduce new ways of thinking from this particular school of thought. Buy "Ethics" here.
Immanuel Kant is another great philosopher who brought together two of history’s biggest opposing schools of thought into a single book. Those schools being rational thought and empirical experiential knowledge—knowledge gained through experience. In Critique of Pure Reason, Kant explores human reason and then works to establish its illusions and get down to core constituents. Overall, you can learn more about human behavior and thought processes and thus, open your mind more to how you think and process everything around you. Buy "Critique of Pure Reason" here.
Another piece of work from Nietzsche that is accessible to us is On the Genealogy of Morals. According to Nietzsche, the purpose of this book is to call attention to his previous writings. That said, it does more than that so you don’t need to worry so much about reading his other books. In this book, he expands on the cryptic aphorisms that he brings up in Beyond Good and Evil and offers a discussion or morality in a work that is more accessible than a lot of his previous work. Buy "On the Genealogy of Morals" here.
The only book on this list that’s been written in the past few years, this book by Mark Manson aims to explain why we all need hope while also accepting that hope can often lead us to ruin too. While many of the books on this list are all practical, this one is the most realistic one since not even the greatest of philosophical minds could predict things like technology, Twitter, and how our political world has shaped. Manson delivers a profound book that taps into the minds of our ancestral philosophers, such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, and digs deep into various topics and how all of it is connected—religion and politics, our relationship with money, entertainment, and the internet. Overall, this book serves as a challenge to all of us—a challenge to be more honest with ourselves and connect with the world in a way we’ve never tried before. Buy "Everything Is F*cked" here.
One of the most challenging philosophy books to read on this list, Reasons and Persons will send you on quite the trip. Through a lot of painstaking logic, Derek Parfit shows us some unique perspectives on self-interest, personhood, and whether our actions are good or evil. Considered by many to be an important psychological text around the 20th century, the arguments made about those topics will open your mind to a brand new way of thinking. Buy "Reasons and Persons" here.
Written by Plato himself, this book is the origin of political science and offers a brilliant critique of government. As you would expect, the critique is still important today. If you’re looking to understand the inner thoughts of Plato, this is one of the best books around. Buy "The Republic of Plato" here.
We’ve partnered with our friend Rob Brezsny, who for years has championed a positive approach to life through astrology. His weekly wisdom can enlighten your thinking and motivate your mood with ‘PROnoia’ instead of paranoia. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column that appears in over a hundred publications. He is also the […]
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Teachers have always had to be resourceful, but in the age of coronavirus, the challenges are even greater. For one heroic Michigan faculty member, a virtual classroom recently became the means to save a woman’s life—IRL. When first-grade teacher Julia Koch got a call about a computer glitch from Cynthia Phillips whose granddaughter was in […]
The post Teacher Giving Zoom Class Notices Grandparent Slurring Her Words, and Ended Up Saving Her From Stroke appeared first on Good News Network.
Liem Kaplan may only be 13 years old, but he’s already spent the past seven years of his life serving his community. Since COVID-19 hit the Seattle area, he’s been applying his generous nature tenfold: getting more than 5,000 masks, as well as sanitizer, food, clothing, and shelter to others—whatever it takes to help those […]
The post 13-Year-old ‘Angel’ is Donating Thousands of Masks, Meals, and Clothing to Seattle’s Homeless–WATCH appeared first on Good News Network.
As the title of the book suggests, this book delivers on a plan to be rich. The author, Ramit Sethi, has a background in personal finance and provides a detailed six-week plan for living out a “rich life.” This book on money covers a wide variety of aspects like using credit cards and maximizing rewards from them, opening a high-yield savings account, and automating accounts where you can save money with no effort from you at all. This book is filled with nothing but pure actions that are outlined and sectioned off in a good way. Buy "I Will Teach You to Be Rich" here.
Another one of the great books on money that will help you build a system is The Automatic Millionaire. Written by David Bach, a financial writer, this book focuses on our ability to automate our finances and builds a system based on that. The idea with this book is to give you the knowledge and information to put together a system in an afternoon that will make a large impact on your financial future for the better. Buy "The Automatic Millionaire" here.
The principles from this book on money were first presented by the author to his daughter through a series of letters. As such, you’d expect there to be plenty of actionable advice when it comes to investing and overall saving. Considering the direction of the book further, this book is light and has a casual tone to it. That said, it won’t shy away from complicated explanations. It’s one of the highest-rated personal finance books around and it’s clear why it is. Buy "The Simple Path to Wealth" here.
This is a book for those who are looking to be involved in the FIRE movement. FIRE stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early, and it’s clear why many people are striving for this or considering it. This book delves into the principles and acts as a primer for this movement and going down this path. That said, it also considers other principles that make FIRE more attainable or easier to achieve, even if you’re not planning on retirement in the next few years. Buy "Retire Before Mom and Dad" here.
Money is a topic that most people shy away from, and it makes sense. Money is a status thing and seeing someone making more can cause unease or resentment. Money can also strain relationships and overall cause harm. People fear talking about money and it’s those emotions that cause problems in the first place. This book on money is powerful as it provides opportunities for women to be talking to their partner about money. After all, stereotypically speaking, men are meant to be making more money than women and it’s a sore spot when it’s the reverse. This book is fantastic because the author, Farnoosh Torabi, lives a life where she is the one making more than her partner. Getting into details, this book looks at the realities and the various rules she’s set up with her partner. She also discusses ways to maximize earnings while minimizing conflict. Buy "When She Makes More" here.
Suze Orman is a financial advisor who most notably ran a show called The Suze Orman Show from 2002 to 2015. In the show, she received calls from viewers who asked for financial advice and whether or not it’s a good idea to buy various items. Orman has years of experience working in this field and pools a lot of her knowledge into the various books she’s published. Women & Money is one of the more recent ones. This book in particular talks about how women earn, invest, and save while also giving practical advice on retirement, marriage, and other topics. Whether you are 20 years old or 60, this is a good choice if you’re looking to learn more. Buy "Women & Money" here.
This famous book has been around for almost 90 years and still holds some relevant information. While this book on money won’t tell you about 401Ks and building a portfolio, it takes a turn to the mindset of building wealth. Through this book, you’ll learn more about desire and persistence as opposed to strategy or money management. While this is an odd book on our list, we believe it’s still important as the stories and the lessons are still relevant to your money attitude today. Buy "Think and Grow Rich" here.
As you can guess from this title, this book takes a lighthearted angle to personal finance. Similar to "Think and Grow Rich," this book also focuses on the mindset of earning and keeping money. While this book lacks any sort of actionable financial advice, it’s compensated by the fact it’s inspiring. It’s an ideal book if you’re looking for a new perspective to making money and could spark conversation with friends, family, or your partner. On top of that, it’s a nice motivational booster. Buy "You Are a Badass at Making Money" here.
Another inspirational focused book that you’ll want to pick up is "The Millionaire Next Door." Many years ago, Thomas J Stanley, Ph.D. and William D. Danko, Ph.D. did extensive research into the millionaires of America. From the various interviews they’ve conducted, they created a profile of America’s wealthiest citizens and discovered common connections amongst them all. Stanley wrote it all in this book that has garnered over 1,700 five-star reviews and provides tremendous insight into what it’s like to be a millionaire. This is all explained through seven habits that all of these individuals have in common. Again, there’s not so much practical advice here, but it prompts you to take a closer look at their overall lives and what you can do to change yours to be like theirs. Even if you’re not planning to be a millionaire, the lessons in there are all practical such as living below your means and rejecting traditional consumerism. Buy "The Millionaire Next Door" here.
For those looking for a good book for budgeting and personal finance for beginners, this is a good pick. Author Michelle Singletary reflects on her life with her grandmother who raised five children on a modest salary. By watching her grandmother, Singletary devised principles that her grandmother used to support that kind of lifestyle with what money she had. Through those principles, you can find inspiration in her story while learning about how to stretch the money that you already have. Buy "Spend Well, Live Rich" here.
The core of this book is financial independence and lays out a plan to reach that goal. While this book is the longest in this list, it does provide advice on pretty much every aspect of financial independence you can think of. It covers things like mindset requirements as well as investment moves that you should be making. Even if your plan isn’t to retire early, there is plenty of advice in this book you can use. Buy "Your Money or Your Life" here.
Amongst millennials, this book on money is a favorite for its simple and relatable language. It touches on a lot of the struggles and issues that millennials are faced off with today—things like living with your parents in your 20s, dealing with student debt, and even dealing with friendships and your finances. Between all of this, the book does offer plenty of practical advice and things to consider for those within this age group. It covers a broad overview of checking your credit score to even buying your first home. Even if you’re not there, chances are likely that the information mentioned in this book will be relevant for quite some time. Buy "Broke Millennial" here.
Another millennial-focused book is “Get a Financial Life,” which covers a lot of the basics for personal finance. This book is more direct with its advice since it covers things like doing your own taxes and paying off debt. The goal of this book is to provide a foundation for you to establish a financial life and it does so in a good and clear manner. Buy "Get a Financial Life" here.
There’s no arguing that the coronavirus pandemic has left the world reeling, but it’s also taught us some invaluable lessons about the nature of perseverance, the courage of conviction, and the gift of compassion. Now, more than ever, people young and old are being inspired to make a positive difference in their communities. And few […]
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Despite battling cancer, 70-year-old veteran Marshall Helm did not hesitate to charge into his neighbor's home earlier this week.
The post 70-Year-Old Veteran Battling Cancer Hailed as an ‘Angel’ After He Charged into Burning Home to Save Neighbors appeared first on Good News Network.
“People tell me all the time, well I’m just not a morning person. You either hate waking up because you go to bed way too late, or because you don’t know the reason you’re getting out of bed.”―Ryan Serhant
"Definiteness of purpose is the starting point from which one must begin"―Napoleon Hill
"It’s not about who you are today, it’s about who you want to become and the price you are willing to pay to get there."―Tom Bilyeu, Founder Impact Theory
“And actually, it’s not repetition that creates habits. It’s emotions that creates habits.”―Rangan Chatterjee
"Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued. It must ensue. And it only does so as the unintended side of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself."―Viktor Frankl
"I’d tell men and women in their mid-twenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it. If you’re following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointments will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt."―Phil Knight, Shoe Dog
"Do the best you can, until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."―Maya Angelou
"I can and I will. Watch me."―Carrie Green, Female Entrepreneur Association
"Success is not to be pursued; it is attracted by the person you become."―Jim Rohn
"I’m going to make a difference in the world, you don’t believe it, but say it a million times and you’re going to end up believing it. I’m meant to do something special with my life, there’s no way in the world god put me on this planet to just be a regular guy, no way, the blood in here’s boiling, I want to do some big with my life. This guy was put on the planet to make a difference. Say it over, and over, and over, and over, and over again, convince everybody in the world, the entire time you’re just trying to convince one person, and that is you."―Patrick Bet David, Valuetainment
"Set a goal, not only to follow world-class role models, but to become a world-class role model."―Steve Siebold, Author
Always do your best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse and regret."―Don Miguel Ruiz
"The price of greatness is responsibility."―Winston Churchill
"Each day is an opportunity to craft your best life. Each day brings a chance to choose your greatness."―Robin Sharma
“Many people want to change their life, but they are not will to change their choices, and ultimately this changes nothing.”―MJ DeMarco, The Millionaire Fastlane
“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while”.―Gretchen Rubin
“We must be willing to roll the dice and lose. Prepare, at the end of the day, for none of it to work.”―Ryan Holiday
“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”―Seneca
"The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right."―James Clear, Atomic Habits
"The law of life is the law of belief."―Joseph Murphy, Ph.D.
“Go the extra mile, it’s never crowded.”―Jay Shetty
"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”―Goethe
"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."―Confucius
"There will never be anyone exactly like you. You were given special gifts and talents to share with the world, and even though everybody has special gifts and talents, nobody will use theirs quite the same way you do."―Jen Sincero
“At some point, the pain of not doing it becomes greater than the pain of doing it.”―Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
"There is a place that you are to fill and no one else can fill, something you are to do, which no one else can do."―Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life
“Don’t be in the business of playing it safe. Be in the business of creating possibilities for greatness.”―Robert Iger, Chairman of Disney
"May you see a clear sign that your prayers are working and unfolding."―Idil Ahmed
“I let go of my need to control and allow the universe to do her thing.”―Gabrielle Bernstein
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."―Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
“My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.” -- Jack KerouacChallenge and question yourself if passion is stopping you from investing in new skills or new habits. For instance, I adore writing and coaching, but I’ve never enjoyed writing coaching reports and my publisher will tell you how much I loathe editing! Look for the procrastination in your life, and you may have the answers to where passion needs to be ignored. You don't always have to follow your passion.
Passion can drive your success forward, or it can drive you to insanity.To constantly work and work and work and not get the results you want is, at the least, depressing and demotivating and at worse, demoralizing and soul-destroying. Just as passion can be used to motivate you into action, a lack of results from passion can seriously damage your mindset—and a damaged mindset can lead to poor judgment, poor decisions, and poor results. Use the above questions to discover your power words. These will drive you on. Write them down and make them visual in your everyday life, or add them to the home page of your phone. You need to remember what is driving that passion every day. By understanding your unique take on the idea of achievement, you can keep going and know when passion is damaging your success instead of enabling it.
“Many advances in sciences and business happen when people bring different fields together, when people see novel connections between fields that maybe hadn’t been seen before.”((CNBC: Stanford researchers: ‘Follow your passion’ advice could make you less successful))In their research with Carol Dweck and Paul O’Keefe, they concluded that those popular mantras like “follow your passion” make people think that pursuing a passion will be easy. Believers are then more likely to give up when they face challenges or roadblocks.
