Mindfulness by Ellen Langer

Here's my pick for this week. I loved the clarity and power of Ellen Langer's classic, scientifically-supported work on mindfulness. And I saw many connections between being mindful and improvisation. It gently shines a light on unwitting habits of categorical thinking, and the tone is curious, open, light. I found this book to hold many beautiful and useful implications for many dimensions of my life and relationships. 

Organizational Trauma and Healing by Patricia Vivian and Shana Hormann

Lately I've been "zooming out" to try to understand some of the deeper, underlying patterns and systems that give rise to our experiences. The concept of "organizational trauma" was new to me but after reading Pat Vivian and Shana Hormann's piece, I see it as a useful lens, especially for highly mission-driven organizations. 

The Ohlone Way by Malcolm Margolin

This quasi-historical, quasi-fanciful little book paints vivid pictures of the lives and culture of peaceful, dreaming, dancing, indigenous people who lived attuned with nature in California for thousands of years. Spending time in the Bay Area recently and chatting with Loren reminded me of how joyful it was to read this book years ago. I believe that as we re-imagine our institutions and communities it's powerful to reconnect with inspiring elements of ancient societies.

The Social Profit Handbook: The Essential Guide to Setting Goals, Assessing Outcomes, and Achieving Success for Mission-Driven Organizations by David Grant

How do you know if you're successful in achieving your mission - especially if your mission is, say, a little idealistic and fuzzy? There are lots of metrics to consider looking at...This is an inspiring little book by David Grant on designing qualitative assessment systems - rubrics - for mission-driven organizations to measure success. Quick read, lots of concrete examples, stories from the field. Grateful for Shorey Myers' recommendation to check it out.

Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon

A sweet little book that reminded me of the power of process over perfection. Austin Kleon shows how that sharing works-in-progress (and thinking-in-progress) even while still messy and unripened can be valuable and inspiring and catalyze all kinds of great results. For some reason this makes me think of fractals.

Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence by Rick Hanson

This gentle and sweet neuroscience book made me realize that most of the chronic stress I often feel is completely unnecessary, and offered very simple ways to build a more self-loving innerspace. We don't need to be worried all the time, and we're more productive when we get our brains feeling all safe and happy. Thank you Rick Hanson! 

Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff

This epic book by George Lakoff, who I consider one of the most brilliant and subtle thinkers of our time, and Mark Johnson, crisply explains how metaphors structure all our thinking - and how completely they can constrain or free us. It showed me things "which i cannot touch because they are too near" to quote e.e. cummings - it helped me discover new ways of thinking about love, war, and my own mind. Please read carefully this powerful book and you just may find it applicable in every corner of your life like I did.

Educating for Eco-Justice and Community by C. Bowers

In this book, Chet Bowers shows why EVEN progressive theories of education unwittingly reinforce belief systems that are hostile to environmental care and community health. I believe this is extremely important for all of us, especially those who care about education, to understand. This is a super dense book, definitely NOT an easy read, and, to be completely honest to you, I was really only able to process the intro. I hope that someone out there finds it valuable and worth diving deeper into, and is able to bring this important thinking into your work.

Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by R. Buckminster Fuller

R. Buckminster Fuller imagines a world that works for everyone with nobody excluded. I believe his vision is possible. "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" gave me an inspiring and complete new way of looking at the challenges and opportunities facing humanity, and a set of attitudes that I find very helpful in guiding my efforts.

Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz

It was hard to take in so many stories of suffering and limitation for women caused by the institution of marriage, and documented in Stephanie Coontz's "Marriage, A History." When I read it I felt so grateful to be alive NOW. May we keep learning the lessons from the past, about how one-sidedness harms us, and create a world that meets the needs of all men and women.

A Course In Miracles

Good morning! Today I want to share a book that helped me start to sense who I could be if I let go of fear. A Course In Miracles is an extraordinary gift - a sane and vigorous text, a mind-opening 365-day workbook. I believe it is a good time to find freedom from fear and reconnect to the deep love and connectedness that is our true nature. 

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams

I keep learning and relearning the value of becoming willing to fail, and thus to widen and widen my world. With gratitude to all those who give me space to practice, try, experiment, and keep learning, and discover ways to serve and create that are increasingly in tune with my authentic self. This is a great book with lots of wisdom, a fast read that's very funny and silly too!

A Woman's Journey to God by Joan Borysenko

Remembering how much I learned from this beautiful book by Joan Borysenko offering a feminine take on spirituality. She contrasts how many women enjoy exploring connection with the divine, with other narratives that to me now feel much less relevant. Although I still feel a bit tentative in sharing spiritual resources here, the value they have brought me motivates me to go ahead in case others find them helpful and connecting.

Rattling the Cage: Toward Legal Rights for Animals by Steven M. Wise

Caring, sentient beings like elephants, dolphins and chimpanzees have a right to bodily integrity and freedom from incarceration. A more sure path for them to have that right is legal reclassification to "non-human persons." Steven Wise has dedicated his career to this work that moves us closer to a more just, gentle, and peaceful society. A hundred years from now let our generation be remembered as the one that ended the enslavement of these intelligent friends.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all surrounded by people who have survived traumas. This incredible book, the fruit of decades of difficult research, helped me learn so much about how to I can better understand this disturbingly common experience and be more helpful. Bessel van der Kolk is a pioneer and beacon of sanity in a confused world, and his work highlights gentle new paradigms for healing.

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg

This book completely changed the way I work with emotions because it provided an extremely clear way of distinguishing between emotions and judgments/narratives. There are transcripts of actual examples which provide new ways of thinking about how conversations could unfold. The rich language related to real needs and feelings is so helpful for navigating interpersonal worlds. Please read this book by Marshall Rosenberg

Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell

This beautiful book, the Book of the Way, poetically invites us to move past categories of right and wrong and learn to flow with change. Stephen Mitchell's translation is so opening. Mitchell has translated many spiritual masterpieces and his voice in our times is such a gift.

On Dialogue by David Bohm

This short and readable book by quantum physicist David Bohm calls for a new kind of wide-open-minded dialogue that actually makes change possible. That's what I hope will start to happen within any groups that wish to foster productive change, like our legislative bodies. 

Leading from the Emerging Future by Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer

How do complex systems change? A big idea from this book is that we can't CREATE change unless we are willing to change OURSELVES. And it suggests an approach for "leaning in" to the emerging future even if we can't quite clearly see it or know, yet, what exactly needs to happen. Many inspiring examples - I found that the detailed frameworks in this book helped me more clearly imagine the kind of world I want to see emerge, and see ways I could support that emergence. And, following the journalling prompts was in itself transformative. 

Love 2.0: Creating Happiness and Health in Moments of Connection by Barbara Fredrickson

This book redefines love as a kind of openness that you can practice, that leads to these "micro-moments of positivity resonance" that make you a scientifically healthier person.