Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth[2][4][5].
In 'Quiet', Susan Cain presents a comprehensive argument that modern Western culture misunderstands and undervalues the traits and capabilities of introverted people. She charts the rise of the 'Extrovert Ideal' and explores how it permeates various aspects of society, including workplaces, schools, and social interactions. Cain draws on research from biology, psychology, neuroscience, and evolution to demonstrate that introversion is common, normal, and valuable. The book offers advice for introverts on functioning in an extrovert-dominated culture and advocates for changes to support and recognize the contributions of introverts. It also distinguishes between introversion, shyness, and anti-social behavior, and highlights the unique strengths of introverts, such as deep thinking, persistence, and excellent negotiation skills.
In this book, Angela Duckworth presents a compelling argument that success is driven more by grit, a fusion of relentless passion and perseverance, than by talent. She explains what grit is, how to identify and develop it, and how it can be grown through stages such as developing interests, consistent practice, finding a pro-social purpose, and cultivating optimism. The book is structured in three parts: explaining what grit is and why it matters, how to grow grit from the inside out, and how to grow grit from the outside in, targeting parents, coaches, teachers, and organizational leaders. Duckworth supports her arguments with personal stories, historical insights, and interviews with high achievers from various fields.
This book, compiled by Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell of Upworthy, offers a trove of stories that highlight the breadth, depth, and beauty of the human experience. Handpicked from Upworthy’s community of millions, these stories provide a restorative opportunity to believe in people’s fundamental goodness. The book includes beautifully illustrated tales of kindness, courage, and compassion, serving as an essential counterbalance to today’s daunting news cycle and offering emotional nourishment for navigating modern life.
In 'Hardwiring Happiness,' Dr. Rick Hanson explains how the brain's ancient survival mechanism makes it more adept at learning from negative experiences than positive ones. He introduces a simple method using everyday experiences to build new neural structures filled with happiness, love, confidence, and peace. Dr. Hanson's four-step HEAL method (Have, Enrich, Absorb, Link) helps readers to counterbalance the brain's negativity bias, making contentment and resilience the new normal. This approach involves focusing on positive experiences, absorbing their good feelings, and linking them to other positive experiences to override negative ones, thereby transforming the brain into a refuge of calm and happiness[1][3][5].
My recent show with Upworthy VP Lucia Knell and head of content and innovation Gabriel Reilich about the book they put together called, GOOD PEOPLE: Stories From the Best of Humanity, has me continually thinking about how much good programming I put in my head. In reading the book which is a compilation of great stories of humanity, I got to considering how much I fill my mind with uplifting messages. The news and most of media focus on bad news. Problems. Drama. Most movies and shows are the same. What I realized is that while I spend a lot of time taking in great messages of personal and spiritual development and human potential, I don’t really take in many, truly uplifting messages, and I am missing out on a vital ingredient to be and feel my best and improve my mental health. Let’s look at what we may be missing and what we stand to gain with intentionally taking in good news.
Sign up for a $1/month trial period at shopify.com/kevin
Go to shipstation.com and use code KEVIN to sign up for your FREE 60-day trial
Get 20% off your first probiotic membership order at pendulumlife.com/drivesyou
Go to cozyearth.com/driven and use code DRIVEN for an exclusive 40% discount
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Kevin Miller Podcast 
