Self Help

Grit, the ability to persevere against all odds, is widely recognized as the key to success. But how can grit be cultivated and sustained? In this myth-shattering book, David DeSteno reveals that the most powerful tools we can draw upon to achieve our toughest goals are not willpower or self-denial, but our prosocial emotions—gratitude, compassion, and pride. In fact, this undervalued toolkit evolved specifically to help us resist immediate temptations in favor of long-term gains.

DeSteno breaks down the long-overlooked mechanisms of perseverance built into our brains and shows how we can work with our emotions, instead of denying them, to achieve our goals. And he shows how we can do it with greater ease and deeper satisfaction than we would have thought possible.

Most of us have a habit we’d like to change, and there’s no shortage of expert advice. But as we all know from tough experience, no magic, one-size-fits-all solution exists. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.

In Better Than Before, acclaimed writer Gretchen Rubin identifies every approach that actually works. She presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good.

Infused with Rubin’s compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better Than Before explains the (sometimes counterintuitive) core principles of habit formation and answers the most perplexing questions about habits:

• Why do we find it tough to create a habit for something we love to do?
• How can we keep our healthy habits when we’re surrounded by temptations?
• How can we help someone else change a habit?

Rubin reveals the true secret to habit change: first, we must know ourselves. When we shape our habits to suit ourselves, we can find success—even if we’ve failed before.

Whether you want to eat more healthfully, stop checking devices, or finish a project, the invaluable ideas in Better Than Before will start you working on your own habits—even before you’ve finished the book.

Trauma pervades every aspect of our lives, particularly in recent years between climate change, social justice issues, the coronavirus pandemic, and more. But the truth is that post-traumatic growth, rather than post-traumatic stress, is not only possible but probable. In this book, you’ll discover the conditions and compassionate practices that make growth and resilience possible, including:

• How to regulate your nervous system by regulating your breath and body
• Trauma-informed self-compassion practices that make you more resilient to the world around you
• Skills to set boundaries to aid in your healing
• Dozens of other ways to turn your difficult experiences toward growth

Simple and to the point, each chapter offers practices, self-assessments, enlightening science facts, and advice for the real world―perfect for reading a page or two after an exhausting day or sharing with others when they need a lift.

No one gets a pass from life’s challenges. The good news is, we are hardwired to turn them into a source of strength. Turn to this book anytime you need to find out How We Grow Through What We Go Through.