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Chocolate—and 6 Other Foods to Boost Your Mind and Mood

Chocolate and 6 Other Foods to Boost Your Mood

We all have our go-to pick-me-ups—a beat-pumping Zumba class, a Taylor Swift song on repeat, that scoop (or three) of ice cream. Everyone needs that little boost every now and then—and food is one of the best ways to get it. Studies have shown that what you eat has a significant effect on how you feel, so here are seven foods to grab first when it’s time for your next pick-me-up. 1. TURKEY You know that warm sensation of calmness and satisfaction after a hearty Thanksgiving meal? Well, that’s thanks in part to the amino acid tryptophan that’s found in turkey. Tryptophan stimulates serotonin production in the brain—the ultimate “feel-good” chemical that improves mood and evenregulates stress. Turkey is alsopacked with protein, which boosts energy and alertness levels. 2. WALNUTS Walnuts are a powerhouse of omega-3 fatty acids, and have been shown to boost mood and even feelings of self-worth. Sarah M. Conklin, Ph.D from the University of Pittsburgh found that adults who consumed higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their diet had higher volumes of grey matter in the area of their brain that controls emotion and mood. Not to mention, walnuts also improveheart health,cognitive function, andjoint maintenance. 3. LOW-FAT DAIRY Selenium is the star when it comes to low-fat dairy products. A mineral that can only be absorbed through food, selenium behaves as an antioxidant that protects against oxidative stress. Selenium has also been scientifically proven to enhance self-reported mood. In addition to low-fat dairy products, this mineral can also be found in whole grains, legumes, and seafood. 4.EGGS Believe it or not, eggs are an egg-cellent source of vitamin D. All puns aside, vitamin D, which is found in egg yolks, has beenproven to increase positive mood and prevent depressive symptoms.Eggs are also a great source of iron, protein and vitamin B, which is responsible for converting food into energy. 5. DARK CHOCOLATE Dark chocolate is a known joy stimulant. In onestudy, subjects who drink the equivalent of 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily reported feeling calmer and more content. This is a result of thecocoa in dark chocolate that boosts brain serotonin levels, producing those feelings of calm and bliss we all experience when we bite into a piece of chocolate. 6. FATTY FISH Fatty fish, especially herring, rainbow trout, salmon, sardines and tuna, contains omega-3 fatty acids, which, as we know, is a powerful mood stabilizer. One study found that participants who ingested a gram of fish oil each day noticed a 50 percent decrease in negative symptoms, such as anxiety or sadness, and an improvement in mood. 7. GREEN TEA According to Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, a researcher and nutrition expert, green tea contains theanine, an amino acid that stimulates sensations of calmness and focus.Studies show that theanine can cross the blood-brain barrier and positively affect brain chemistry, possibly by changing the levels of amino acids affecting serotonin—everyone’s favorite neurotransmitter. Read More: 4 Great Ways to Use Your Superfoods

Practice

5 Ways to Get in Touch With Your Higher Calling

Finding meaning in one’s life is such an integral concept to Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, that he includes it in his shorthand for happiness, PERMA, which stands for Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement. While the fleeting happiness we get from something like watching a gorgeous sunset is nice and part of the “pleasant life,” Martin says, if we want to be happy in the long term, we need to strive for “the Meaningful Life” in which “we find a deep sense of fulfillment by employing our unique strengths for a purpose greater than ourselves.” It sounds wonderful. A “purpose-driven life” as it were. But how do we find it? In church, synagogue or mosque? Alone in the wilderness with our thoughts or while finding a deep sense of connection with our friends and families? Some seem to have a clearer view of how to arrive there than others. The passionate artist, the pediatric surgeon, idealistic missionary or dedicated social worker ... they seem to already know or quickly find their strengths, follow their passions, help, teach and give to others, and gain a deep sense of satisfaction from their work. But most of us spend a little more time wandering in the wilderness. Here are a few ideas for those who are still searching for a greater sense of purpose in life: 1. Volunteer Working with children, seniors, at-risk teenagers … anyone who needs help will give you a quick on-ramp to the purpose superhighway. Many cities have volunteer clearinghouses like Volunteer Match that will help match you with an organization. Or if you prefer, stay close to your community and pitch in at the local elementary school. The rewards will be immediate and plentiful. When we pursue a meaningful future, it sheds a special light over our daily life, painting the most mundane and pedestrian activities in brighter colors.” — Ran Zilca, research scientist, author and chief data-science officer at Happify. His latest book, Ride of Your Life, was released this year.** 2. Get in touch with the divine Pray, meditate, walk outside, stargaze. There are myriad ways to remind ourselves that we are small bits of a large, interconnected universe. Whether you believe in God, a higher power or the power of humankind, prayer and meditation, as well as reconnecting with nature, are ways to get in touch with the sacred. I believe that meaning is an experience that we can cultivate, influence, and in a certain sense, create… The best way to make this meaning—to have this experience—is by identifying and then living our life purposes." — Eric Maisel, Ph.D., a California-licensed family therapist who has written more than 40 books, including Life Purpose Boot Camp 3. Spread positive emotion Give to the world what you would like to get back. See how you might add more positive emotion to your life by strengthening relationships and being kind and compassionate toward friends and strangers alike. Start performing small Happy Acts as a way of giving back. We can endure the most difficult of times and even thrive in the midst of the chaos around us when we give our lives meaning." —Barb Schmidt, international speaker, philanthropist, spiritual mentor and best-selling author of The Practice. 4. Practice gratitude Focus on things already meaningful in your life instead of taking them for granted, invest each one with a deep sense of gratitude. Soon you may feel motivated and energized to help and protect the people and things you care about, whether that means writing a letter to a nephew or starting a non-profit. 5. Create When you were younger, did you love to draw, throw pottery or write short plays? Something about the act of creating makes us feel alive and part of the dynamic universe. We can make something out of nothing! It’s exhilarating. You can do your thing in solitude or join a playhouse or rent space in a collective studio. In this way, a hobby has the potential to develop into not only a great source of purpose and a sense of identity but also of important and meaningful relationships. And once you've gotten really great at something, you can teach others to do it. You will get back much more than you give. For much more on finding a sense of meaning and purpose in your life, see our feature story, "The Path to Purpose," in the October issue of Live Happy magazine—on newsstands September 1. **Expert quotes are from the “Survey” section (pages 28-29) of the October issue of Live Happy magazine.

science

Upping Your Downtime

We’ve all been there: We spend weeks and even months anticipating that dream vacation, only to return to work afterward feeling like we need a few days off. Even our weekends, which are supposed to help us relax and rejuvenate, often leave us feeling exhausted. So if downtime is supposed to make us happier and healthier, then why do so many of us feel depleted by it? “People today are doing more with less, and there are tremendous levels of burnout,” says Jamie Gruman, Ph.D., associate professor of organizational behavior at University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. “People really need to figure out how to decompress in their leisure time”. Cut the cord One way to make better use of time away from the office is to actually leave it behind. People who leave work at work tend to be more satisfied with their lives and experience fewer symptoms of psychological strain than those who bring it home. What’s more, a study published in Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology found that “psychological detachment” during the weekend may even improve our job performance during the workweek. Read More: How to Be Present Still plugged in “It’s not enough to just physically leave the office,” Jamie says. “You have to mentally leave the office. Very few people do this.” Sure, you might be sitting by the pool, but your mind might still be parked at your desk. “If you’re checking your email every half hour, if you’re not turning off your head and allowing yourself to enjoy the moment, you’re psychologically attached to your obligations,” he says. Technology has made it easier than ever to check in with work, which in turn has made it that much harder to check out mentally. Jamie recommends giving high-tech the heave-ho as much as possible. That could mean turning off email notifications on your cell phone or creating an out-of-office auto-reply so you don’t feel the need to respond immediately. Even better, have two cell phones—one for work and another for personal use—allowing you to turn off the work phone on nights, weekends and vacations. Read More: Unplugged Learn to detach Of course, turning off devices is easier than turning off thoughts. If you’re the type who broods about what happened at work or worries about what might happen, you may need to change how you spend your free time. A study by Sabine Sonnentag, Ph.D., called “Psychological Detachment from Work During Leisure Time: The Benefits of Mentally Disengaging from Work,” published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, found that meaningful activities like volunteering and mindfulness practices such as meditation can help us detach from work. You’ll stand a better chance of detaching if you bring tasks to completion before clocking out, notes Sabine, a leading researcher in organizational psychology and a professor at University of Mannheim in Germany. She’s published a number of studies showing that a heavy workload and high time pressure are the strongest predictors of low detachment from work. That’s why it’s wise to take vacations during slow periods at work or on the heels of a big deadline. And, if you absolutely must do some work on evenings, weekends or a vacation, set aside a specific time for it—and don’t allow yourself to dwell on it before or afterward. Read More: 6 Steps to Mindful Meditation How long is enough? No matter how well-timed the vacation, work will likely pile up in your absence. That’s just one of the reasons Jamie and other experts recommend taking frequent short vacations instead of infrequent long ones. Less time away means less catch-up and stress when you return; shorter vacations also require less preparation, which reduces stress in the days beforehand. “It’s not the [amount of] time but the quality of the time that matters,” Jamie says. “Research shows that three-day weekends can be as replenishing as longer vacations.” In his study “Vacationers Happier, but Most Not Happier after a Vacation,” published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, Jeroen Nawijn, Ph.D., found that vacation length does not affect post-vacation happiness and confirmed previous findings that a vacation’s positive effects are short-lived. However, we can prolong our getaways’ positive effects by looking at photos, telling friends about the trip and otherwise keeping vacation memories alive, says Jeroen, a lecturer at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Both he and Jamie advise building in some “recovery time” between time off and returning to work. Read More: 5 Tips for an Energy Boosting Vacation Cut down on lag time “People think the way to get the most out of their vacation is to spend the most time away. It’s logical, but it’s a mistake,” Jamie says. Instead, leave time for laundry, grocery shopping and even recovering from jetlag when you return home, he says. And rather than getting home late Sunday night and going back to work Monday morning, consider coming home Saturday night—or at least early in the day on Sunday—to give yourself time to re-enter your world. Do downtime differently While relaxation is important to well-being, the way we relax could be keeping us from optimal happiness. “We’re not very creative in our downtime,” Jamie says. “We just do whatever is our habit.” He advises taking time to assess the effects of your habits. Does TV time relax you and improve your mood? If you go for a walk before you sit down to watch TV, do you feel better? Do the people you spend time with bring out the best in you? Ask yourself if there’s something you used to love doing that you aren’t doing anymore, and then start doing it again. “Doing something you enjoy is key to getting a boost out of downtime,” Jamie says. “We play a role in how happy we’re going to feel.” Read More: Tripped Up

Man sitting with headphones on his shoulders.

science

Headspace Brings Mindfulness to the Masses

How’s your head? With more than 50,000 thoughts a day signaling through 80 billion neurons and a quadrillion synapses, there is a lot going on upstairs. You’ll need some help navigating your chaotic noggin, and the good folks over at Headspace, a digital step-by-step platform on mindfulness, have a solution. Co-founded by meditation expert and ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, Headspace is designed to be a “gym membership for your mind.” A chill-out room for your brain Because it is his personal mission to “improve the health and happiness of the world,” Andy calmly guides you through daily 10-minute sessions that ease you into the world of meditation through your smartphone. With a subscription, you’ll have access to hundreds of hours of content, including ways to eat, sleep, listen and love better. iPhone a friend And because we all know that giving makes us happy, Headspace will even donate a free subscription to someone in need to fulfill your altruistic tendencies. Available for both iOS and Android devices, the app keeps stats of your sessions and can also connect you with your friends for extra motivation. So sit back, relax and free your mind.

Giving

Not So Blue Hawaii

Aloha. On Christmas Day 2013, my husband and teenage daughter helped me fulfill a longtime dream of sharing a holiday meal with the homeless. We prepared 18 meals of ham, my famous cheesy vegetables, holiday cookies and rolls, placed into containers with a thoughtful greeting and a ribbon to make it a gift.Family teamworkChristmas evening, we drove around a few miles from where we lived and shared our meals with those we saw in their tents or asleep on the sidewalk. I was the driver, my daughter handled the meals and water from the back seat, and my husband would approach and ask if they would accept our gift. (And we noticed in pictures we took he was even wearing his Live Happy shirt!)A gift from the heartWe were so grateful to know if they had not received anything for Christmas, we were able to place a warm meal in their hands. Having this experience in my heart all year, I just knew I wanted to find a way to continue this project. Struggling with the ‘how,’ I’m ashamed to say I did nothing all year. That is until three days before Thanksgiving 2014, when I got inspired! With my husband and daughter helping me again, we prepared 24 meals of turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and rolls to share.Personalized messagesFor the note, my daughter and I were working to create a message that said “YOU MATTER.” We had just learned about the Live Happy notes, and we both had an inspired thought to use them. We wrote the message “A holiday meal…just for YOU!” and placed the Live Happy note on the container and tied a ribbon around it. I loved that the note could be removed and kept.There were shouts of “Aloha!” (a Hawaiian greeting of love), and we could see tears in the eyes of several people as they read the notes after accepting the meals. My eyes were also filled with tears from this amazing experience and for having my husband and daughter be a part of it.Read about 15 Happy Acts You Can Do Today.Giving back gets biggerMy heart desired for more people to experience this unique way of giving back. On Christmas Day 2014, with the help of 28 people, we were able to share 100 meals. It was so touching to see others get involved and share in this vision. Our system of preparing the 24 meals was just duplicated four times.We had people donate the hams, cheesy vegetables, Christmas cookies, rolls, bottled water, and all the necessary supplies to make it a success. Wrapped toys were donated for the kids, and even dog food donations were made for the pets who were on the streets with their owners.Dreaming even biggerFeeling gratitude for the success that I had just witnessed for this project from my heart, I started dreaming BIG…and my commitment for 2015 is to share on four holidays: Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas! On April 5, for Easter, we were able to share 100 meals with the help of 35 volunteers and the start of a system to build to our larger meal runs. Our Fourth of July run will have 500 meals and will include a special gift basket just for veterans we encounter on the streets.Our biggest run will be on Christmas Day this year; we will be sharing 1,000 meals… Yes, 1,000! We are planning to include wrapped presents for kids as well as practical presents for adults, such as flashlights, blankets and jackets.Read here about some other Happy Acts Heroes.What will your Happy Act be?I am committed to keeping the Live Happy notes as a staple for this project. Countless times, when the meal was given, we could see recipients reading the notes and tearing up or even burying their heads and sobbing.Witnessing this, I am grateful that the message was received by the people who were supposed to be reading it in this unique way!

Lifestyle

Alanis Morissette Savors the Moment

Alanis Morissette has had several “phoenix rising from the ashes” moments in her life.Perhaps the most significant was right after giving birth, when she suffered from postpartum depression. “I think postpartum depression often affects—not always obviously—but often affects women who were in one mode of operation. In my case, [I was] very career-orientated, very work-addicted. And so when I gave birth to my son, and frankly when I got married, it was a huge sea change.”She continues, “I was attempting to live the equivalent of 14 people’s lives all in one human body, combined with the hormonal underpinnings. My temperament is highly sensitive, combined with this high novelty or high sensation-seeking element to it. So often I would feel like I had my foot on the brake and the gas pedal at the same time,” Alanis says."Pretty blissed out"She credits the happiest moment of her life to giving birth to her son, Ever Imre, in 2010. She describes it as a “pretty blissed out, oxytocin-riddled moment.” To her, raising a child is about being as attentive as possible: “I just think mindfulness and parenting are the same thing. If we’re distracted or we’re barely there, we’re technically not parenting.”Alanis built a studio in her Los Angeles home so she could raise her child mindfully while also working on her passion and career. “For me, offering presence is commensurate to offering love,” she says. “Offering that to a child is the greatest gift of all.”Read a behind-the-scenes look at our photo shoot withAlanis here.For her, being a parent is akin to activism, in the sense that you’re making the world a better place by bringing new life into it. “It creates the foundation of what this planet will evolve into,” she says.Her husband, Mario “Souleye” Treadway, fellow musician and father of her child, joins her in choosing a mindful path—for parenting and all aspects of life. They met at a meditation gathering. “He came with a mutual friend of ours, and when he walked in I just thought ‘Wow!’” Alanis says. It stood out to her that “he was oriented toward really doing the brave inner work, the kind of inner work that isn’t always comfortable.”Musical beginningsAlanis started playing the piano at the age of 6, and, a few years later, her talent for music began to shine through. She wrote her first song at the age of 9, and, by age 10 she started acting on the Nickelodeon show You Can’t Do That On Television. By 14, she had signed her first major record deal, spending her early teenage years as a pop singer in Canada.Everything changesEven with early accomplishments, Alanis remained a go-getter; she packed her things and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music career. That’s when her massive success came at the age of 19—Jagged Little Pill was introduced to the world. Alanis was almost immediately catapulted into fame: millions of passionate, loyal fans; sold-out concerts; traveling and performing week after week. People would come at her with multiple opinions about the direction of her music, fans were breaking into her hotel room, and she was recognized everywhere she went.“After the tour for Jagged Little Pill and that whole experience, I just felt like I grabbed the brass ring that I’ve been encouraged to chase my whole life, through culture and otherwise. And so there I was, everything was amplified, so if there was any underlying loneliness or unresolved wounds or traumas, from childhood, etc., they were all exacerbated."To read more of the feature about Alanis Morissette, including amazing insights and original photos, pick up the August 2015 issue of Live Happy magazine.

News & Trends

Norman the Therapy Pig Hams It Up

Bleary-eyed college students are hunched over their laptops in the library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, cramming for final exams. Several lift their heads when they hear a loudspeaker announcement: “Norman the therapy pig is in the lobby for a study break." Laptops snap shut as students crowd the lobby to stroke the pig, snap selfies and grin at the first therapy pig in North Texas. Norman entertained the crowd by honking a horn, riding a skateboard, tossing a ball in a miniature basketball hoop, completing a three-piece shape puzzle and giving his handler, Misty Carter, a sloppy pig kiss. But mostly he good-naturedly accepted the students’ attention until they returned to their studies. Animal attraction “Animals are a really good source of de-stressing, especially a pig,” said SMU freshman music therapy and psychology major Caitlyn Etter. “Bringing a therapy pig to campus is a really good idea.” When Norman joined Shane and Misty Carter’s household last year, he fulfilled Misty’s longtime dream for a pet pig. He joined a growing menagerie of dogs and chickens at the couple’s comfortable log home in rural East Texas. The Carters soon realized, however, that Norman was no ordinary pig. He quickly learned to respond to commands and took his place as an inside pet with the family’s four dogs. On a leash at local festivals, the 70-pound Juliana pig charmed neighbors wagging his tail and wearing a custom-made ball cap. “He just makes people happy,” Misty said. A good and humble pig Last January, Misty discoveredPet Partners, a national pet therapy organization that accepts rabbits, donkeys, horses and pigs. She trained to become a therapy pet handler, then trained Norman to remain nonplussed around wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, unexpected noises and large groups of people. “He already knew the typical dog commands of ‘come,’ ‘stay’ and ‘leave it,’” Misty said. Norman passed the pet therapy certification test on his first attempt. Since then Misty has taken him to visit nursing homes, assisted living centers, children’s hospitals and schools, particularly when Charlotte's Web is on the reading list. Her work with Norman is voluntary and often takes place on her vacation days. The importance of animals The importance of viewing nature, especially animals, appears to be deeply imbedded in the human psyche, says Alan M. Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. Companion animals can help people feel less lonely, find comfort with touch and find reasons to laugh, he said. Alan doesn’t expect pigs to replace the most popular therapy pet–dogs. But he sees a role for unusual therapy animals like pigs and even llamas. “They can play an important role in schools and other places where they are a novelty and pull upon children’s natural interest in animals.” For Shane Carter, who compares life with Norman to living with a celebrity, Norman’s popularity is simple, “It’s just a feel-good thing.” Nancy Lowell George is a freelance writer living in North Texas.

work

Get Optimism to Go Viral in 3 Easy Steps

Even for the most positive among us, contact with an infectiously negative person can change our mood and outlook on life. At work, toxicity has the potential to dramatically alter the culture. With mountains of data connecting negativity and stress at work to poor health, lower engagement and dwindling profits, negative people have become some of the biggest liabilities in today’s modern economy. Engaging bright side But our research in positive psychology shows an energizing picture: In fact, we have identified the key to influencing an organization’s culture and pushing it into positive territory. By activating what we call the Hidden 31, you have the power—no matter your role at an organization—to rescript the culture at work to enhance talent and achievement. In a cross-industry study with Training magazine, we found that a whopping 31 percent of respondents say that they are “positive but not expressive of it at work.” These people are one step short of being champions of positivity. These optimists are just waiting to be activated, and they are your key to success.https://livehappy.com/blogs/happiness-motion/be-happy-work Read more about what makes for a happier workplace. Air your positivity We are all broadcasters, constantly sharing information with others. What we choose to broadcast predicts happiness and success for all. It’s the focus of Michelle’s upcoming book, Broadcasting Happiness. To overcome the debilitating signals of negative people, it is important to be highly expressive of our own positive mindsets and can-do attitudes and to activate others to do the same. We are often asked whether positive people or negative people have a more powerful influence on a group. The answer from the research is neither. The people who have the most power to influence are the ones who are most verbally or nonverbally expressive of their mindset. Too often, the very vocal negative person writes the social script at work. By broadcasting our optimism, we can tip our companies, families and friendships to positive. Get others to do it, and great transformation can occur. Read our expert tips about avoiding burnout at work. The key is to get the Hidden 31 to speak up. We’ve identified three steps to do this: identify, acknowledge and activate. Identify The most important step is finding out who is in the 31 percent. This can be done through formal surveys or informal conversations. Ask where they stand on a topic and note how expressive they are of their approval or disapproval. Too often managers we have worked with focus on converting the most pessimistic person in the room to be positive. Instead, focus energy on those already primed to be positive broadcasters. Acknowledge The best way to get someone to be more expressive of positive positions is to let them know that they are not alone. If you are a positive person but feel like the people around you are not, you might not act. The research shows that plenty of others around you at work actually are positive, even if they are not expressing it. Once you acknowledge that a third of the people around you are also optimists, it can engender positive change. Activate Activating even a few optimists can tip the culture in your favor. You can activate them in two main ways. First, boost your own signal. As you demonstrate positivity verbally and nonverbally, you change the conversation and show others how to do the same in a rational way. Second, after identifying the Hidden 31, give them easy ways to express their positive mindsets. Suggest sending a positive email praising a colleague or sharing goals with their team that they are excited about. Starting with small steps gives even the introverts safe ways to express their positivity. While this strategy works well for companies and business teams, it works at the family dinner table, too. Customers can also become “enthusiasts,” spreading the word about the product or service they appreciate. And sports teams can recruit and develop the Hidden 31, thereby tipping balances to winning mindsets. If you identify, acknowledge and activate the Hidden 31 by giving people clear ways to express their positive mindsets, you can inspire optimism and happiness to go viral. And that makes it much easier for us all to live happy. What motivates you at work? Let us know in the comments section, below. SHAWN ACHOR is the New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Advantageand Before Happiness. After he spent 12 years at Harvard University, Shawn traveled to more than 50 countries,bringing positive psychology to schools and companies. He is co-founder of the happiness research and consulting groupGoodthink Inc. MICHELLE GIELAN is an expert on the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success. She holds a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and is co-founder of the happiness research and consulting groupGoodthink Inc.Her first book is called Broadcasting Happiness.

Reading

10 Life-Changing Books That Stay With You

There are books that entertain, books that inform ... books that speak to the brain, the mind, the intellect and the emotions. And then there are books that seem to speak directly to the soul—life-changing books that make you question your core beliefs, staying with you long after you've finished reading. These 10 masterpieces fall into the second category. Each is a pleasure to read, a treasure to ponder, and ultimately changes something deep inside of you - just for having experienced it. 1. The Alchemist By: Paulo Coelho Year: 1988 Synopsis: Originally published in Portuguese, this inspiring tale of self-discovery follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. But his quest takes him in a different - and far more satisfying - direction, to learn how to listen to his heart and follow his dreams. That something special: Easy to read and highly descriptive, this masterpiece will inspire you to brave the path to pursuing your dreams - just like Santiago. 2. The Artist's Way By: Julia Cameron Year: 1992 Synopsis: Essentially a self-help workbook on creativity, this life-changing book coaxes readers along a spiritual, rtistic path. With tasks to complete at the end of each chapter, reading this book is a dynamic affair. That special something: Deep and yet simple, this book has the power to flip the creativity switch in anyone - from accountants to athletes and everywhere in between. 3. Life of Pi By: Yann Martel Year: 2001 Synopsis: Pi Patel is the son of a zookeeper, with an encyclopedic knowledge of animals and a taste for philosophy. While immigrating to North America from India with his family, their ship sinks - and Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger - or does he? What follows is a fantastical tale of intrigue and adventure. That special something: While this is not a book about religion, it does tell a tale about the importance of believing in something - be it God, Mother Nature, or your own strength. 4. The Road Less Traveled By: M.Scott Peck Year: 1978 Synopsis: A cross of psychology and spirituality, this non-fiction book is packed with insight and wisdom about the attributes that make for a fulfilled person. With an eloquent examination of complex, human concepts such as discipline and love, Peck theorizes four distinct stages of human spiritual development along the path to self-realization. That special something: This quote says it all: Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and wisdom. 5. The History of Love By: Nicole Kraus Year: 2005 Synopsis: This beautiful book-within-a-book tells the story of Leo Gursky and the love of his life, Alma. With an adventure across oceans and decades, the novel is fueled by the thrill of mystery and joy of connection. That special something: This book will leave you thinking about Leo and Alma nonstop for days after you finish it - and while the story will fade from the front of your mind, it will never really leave you. 6. Conversations with God By: Neil Donald Walsch Year: 1995 Synopsis: The full name of this trilogy of books is Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue and it is indeed an uncommon dialogue. The entire series is a captivating back and forth conversation between the author and - on topics ranging from religion and spirituality to education, love and politics. That special something: Regardless of your beliefs, these inspired and inspirational books will challenge you to think about the world around you and your own existence. 7. The Giving Tree By: Shel Silverstein Year: 1964 Synopsis: The Giving Tree is the beautiful, poignant story of a tree who loved a little boy. The tree loves the boy and does anything she can for him as he grows older - without regard for what she’s getting in return. That something special: Ostensibly a children’s book, this parable has a clear message for readers of all ages - about the gift of giving, and accepting different the ways in with others return affection. 8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience By: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Year: 2013 Synopsis: Csikszentmihalyi studies over the past two decades have revealed that is what makes life experiences genuinely satisfying—a feel of deep concentration, immersion and absorption. This classic work on happiness touches on contemporary psychology, delving into issues such as family, art and sport to ultimately answer the question - how do we make our lives meaningful? That special something: This life-changing book will help you to identify when you’re really happy—and channel the to maximize those good vibes. 9. Sophie's World By: Jostein Gaarder Year: 1991. Synopsis: A novel and a philosophical work in one, this life-changing book tells the story of Sophie Amundsen, a teenage girl living in Norway, and Alberto Knox, the middle-aged philosopher who introduces her to philosophy. That special something: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? are the two cardinal questions that Sophie has to answer. You’ll ponder them too. 10: The Red Tent By: Anita Diamant Year: 1997 Synopsis: This novel imagines the compelling story of Dinah - daughter of Leah and Jacob and sister of Joseph. Building on hints in the Book of Genesis, the author writes about the lives of women in biblical times, touching on mothers and daughters, midwifery, love, and living in a foreign land. That special something: Strongly feminist and deeply touching, this story will change the way you think of biblical times.

People

The Heroes Among Us

Author Brad Meltzer knows what makes a hero or superhero tick. He’s written best-selling books about espionage in the nation’s capital in books including The Inner Circleand The President's Shadow, scripted conversations among the members of the Justice League of America for DC Comics, and uncovered secrets that only top FBI agents and international spies may know on his History Channel shows Decoded and the new Lost History.New series on down-to-earth heroesHowever, it is in his recent series of family-friendly books, such as the popular Heroes for My Sonand Heroes for My Daughterand his series collectively called Ordinary People Change the World that Brad has been perhaps most able to define and depict heroism and how it can be achieved and accepted by all of us.“There’s one [strength] that repeats over and over—and defines a hero: You have to help someone,” Brad says. “You may help people directly, like Abraham Lincoln, or maybe you inspire us like Amelia Earhart. But to be a hero, you have to help someone. In these books, these aren’t just the stories of famous people. They’re what we're all capable of on our very best days.”American mythologyWhile Superman and Wonder Woman amaze with their super-human powers, for many, it is their humanity and our ability to connect with them that makes them so super. This is all the more true of everyday heroes like Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks and Meltzer’s latest subjects, Albert Einstein and Jackie Robinson. These people could not leap over buildings or bend steel bars with their bare hands, but they did even more to overcome obstacles, bend rules and change hearts, minds and points of view.With this in mind, Brad suggests that there is really not much difference between a female flier like Earhart and Wonder Woman. “They are all part of the American mythology,” he observes, “and the reason these stories still persist so strongly for all these decades isn't just because they tell the stories about other people. It’s because their stories also tell us about ourselves.”Giving backBrad’s helpful definition of a hero has also directed his own life. As each new best-seller is released and more people come to know his name, he does even more to reach out and help out. Proceeds from his sales go to such organizations as City Year, Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Sharsheret, a Jewish community response to breast cancer. While many of the heroes he writes about are his own (including his parents, grandparents, and eighth-grade English teacher), Brad’s Son and Daughter books also feature many of his family’s favorites.“My daughter…loves Lucille Ball,” he says, offering an example from “her” book and noting that his daughter is so enamored with the pioneering and famously charitable comedienne that she is probably “the only girl in America watching black and white TV!”Leave room for your own heroesAnd while all of his books depict and discuss the helpful and heroic lives of such people as Gandhi, Ben Franklin, Golda Meir and “Superman” himself (i.e., Christopher Reeve), Brad says that he always saves the best for last by including members of his own family toward the end of each collection. In both books, there is also a set of blank pages where readers can add their own chapters and pay their own tributes to the people who have helped them and been their heroes as well.“If you take a picture of your mom or grandparent or teacher, and you paste it in the book and write one sentence on what that person means to you,” he pledges, “it will be the most beautiful page [and] the best present we can give our children: the reminder that it is ordinary people who change the world.”Who are the everyday superheroes in your own life? Let us know in the comments section, below.Matt Robinson is a freelance writer living in Boston.