“The Ten Worlds”
In which a new paradigm describing how beliefs about what make us happy are themselves what determine how happy we’re able to be. The Buddhist notion of enlightenment is explored not as mystical state but as a psychological state.
Key concepts: core affect, life-condition, core delusion.
“The Undefeated Mind”
In which strategies to increase one’s resilience are discussed including setting one’s expectations for task difficulty high, altering one’s self-explanatory style, and learning to let go of attachments.
Key concepts: self-explanatory style, naive vs. realistic optimism, sense-making vs. benefit-finding.
“Implementing Organizational Change”
In which the challenges of and lessons learned from leading a major organizational change are discussed.
Key concepts: preparing employees for change, setting expectations correctly, managing loss aversion, immunizing employees against discouragement.
“The Wisdom to Know the Difference”
In which the example of cigarette smoking is used to illustrate how knowledge must be believed to motivate behavioral change.
Key concepts: why belief is the key to behavioral change, the definition of wisdom and its relationship to belief, manifesting wisdom to manifest change.
“How to Become a Leader”
In which the characteristics that make a great leader and how to manifest them are discussed.
Key concepts: the definition of leadership, ten keys to excellence in leadership.
“Accepting Pain”
In which the concept of acceptance is applied to pain, both physical and emotional, as a way to increase the likelihood of obtaining one’s goals.
Key concepts: acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive defusion, nonjudgment.
“When Doctors Don’t Know What’s Wrong”
In which the common thought errors doctors make when confronted with symptoms they can’t explain are discussed and how to help yourself by helping your doctor avoid them.
Key concepts: novice vs. expert thinking, unconscious biases, how to get your doctor on your side.
