Self-Help

Gratitude and generosity go hand in hand--the more we appreciate our lives, the more we want to give to others. In A Grateful Heart, M. J. Ryan provided tools for expressing thanks. In the best-selling Attitudes of Gratitude, she taught us the inner work of realizing the many blessings we take for granted. Now, in The Giving Heart, she presents her latest examination of the virtues we need to cultivate for the twenty-first century and takes a look at generosity: what creates it, what blocks it, and what the practice of generosity can bring to our lives.

In a series of short, heart-felt essays, Ryan encourages us all to stop living from what she calls "the ledger sheet mentality" of obligatory gifting, and to begin giving from the overflow of a loving heart. She asks readers to consider where and how they are stingy as well as where they are meant to give, and to contemplate all the types of possible generosity, because the giving of time, energy, kind words, loving gestures, and forgiveness may ultimately matter more than any amount of money.

In her down-to-earth, accessible style, Ryan takes us to the heart of what it means to truly give, and what that giving can do not only for the recipient, but for ourselves, as well.

As the current economic boom brings attention to altruism and "giving back" The Giving Heart shows us how to experience joy, peace, and fulfillment when we live from a place of generosity.

Codependency--living as if what others think matters more than what we think, and trying to please or change others--is an insidious and pervasive addiction. And there is a simple way out of it: detachment.

In Codependence and the Power of Detachment, bestselling author Karen Casey shares her story and the story of others who have suffered from codependency. Based on the insights and tools she’s discovered during her many years of sobriety to address codependency, Casey takes readers through the steps of detaching from a bad situation: admitting the attachment, surrendering the outcome, forgiving, and focusing attention on what works. She describes how to pay attention, be aware, and take care of ourselves, and let others--husbands, family, and coworkers--become accountable for themselves.

Codependence and the Power of Detachment shows that detachment is a power anyone can claim. It is the power of sanity, of peace, of finding one's own inner strength.

An illustrated guide to gratitude. MJ Ryan has taught us that everything goes better with gratitude! In 1999, she wrote Attitudes of Gratitude, a popular, best-selling book that extols the benefits of living with a grateful heart. When we let ourselves feel and express our appreciation, we feel happier, younger, and healthier. Now Ryan has taken the essence of living a grateful life from the original book and paired it with beautiful and evocative images in Giving Thanks.

From the book:
Gratitude connects us to others and feeling gratitude allows us to be our best selves -- in good times and in hard times. When we are truly grateful, we can count on living the life we want. With the "gratitude movement" sweeping the country -- from left to right, from conservative to progressive, from mainstream to alternative -- people are looking for ways to express their gratitude. This impeccable book is a colorful map of the geography of gratitude, and it offers a wonderful opportunity for readers to learn a variety of ways to be grateful. It is also a beautiful "thank you" gift in itself.

Now available with an updated look and a larger format for easier reading,The Woman's Book of Courage is a little book with a big message--we can take charge of our lives, stop trying to please all of the (other) people all of the time, and live happily with ourselves and others right now (not at all the same as happily ever after as soon as...). Psychotherapist Sue Patton Thoele is on a mission to help each and every woman uncover her own authentic self and tap into her own wellspring of wisdom and inner-strength. Thoele offers practical tools and gentle guidance to aid in setting boundaries, changing self-defeating behaviors, and increasing passion for themselves and others.

In more than a hundred short entries, Thoele offers meditations, affirmations, and true stories, including deeply personal, often humorous, revelatory stories of her own rocky path of personal growth. The reflections are presented in twelve chapters that can be tapped into randomly or used as a monthly meditation guide. Among the "A Woman Has the Courage to..." chapters are: Create Peace of Mind; Tame and Transform Her Dragons; Make Her Own Choices; Develop Healthy Relationships; Take Risks and Change; and Recognize Rainbows. Since it was first published, A Woman's Book of Courage has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of women. Simple, passionate, profound, this edition will find a place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands more.