If you want to be happy, fulfilled and energised its probably best not to obsess over being THE best. Why not focus on doing YOUR best? You don't need to completely transform yourself and become a shining beacon of wonderment and astonishing success—you should remain you . . . just a better version. You, Only Better is all about discovering what you're good at and focusing on that. It's about deciding what it is you really want from life and learning how to reach your full potential. Packed with the author's hand-drawn illustrations, helpful quotes, mini-case studies and Q&As you'll learn how to change your mindset for the better and think positively, take action to achieve your goals, fight against fatigue and get motivated and achieve long lasting happiness and contentment. You, Only Better offers techniques and methods for: Gaining energy and focus Managing your time effectively Setting your goals Honing your thinking and mindset Dealing with pressure and stress Making smart decisions Thinking creatively to solve problems Actually taking action and keeping up the momentum

Along with all the perks of becoming an adult come challenges and the need to learn skills that help you self-regulate as you venture into new experiences. Highlighting five key areas of life — physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial — Be You, Only Better offers science- and experience-backed tools and easy-to-implement techniques for success. Skill-building and self-care practices — such as journaling, getting enough sleep and exercise, embracing nature, managing time and money, and practicing gratitude, mindfulness, and optimism — are presented, and each is illustrated with the story of a real young person. These practices will help you create a resilient foundation for your powerful future. You’ll discover a wonderfully accessible lifeline and a realistically inspiring guide to leading — and loving — your best possible life.

Based on Mike Bayer’s New York Times bestseller Best Self, a motivational, do-it-yourself workbook teaching you how to reinvent your life and live every day as your Best Self. In Best Self, Mike Bayer, known to his fans and followers as Coach Mike, empowered his readers to embrace authenticity, break through obstacles, and discover the freedom to be their best selves. By working through each of the Seven SPHERES of life—Social, Personal, Health, Education, Relationships, Employment, and Spiritual Development—Coach Mike distilled his wisdom into a focused guide to get real results. Now, Coach Mike, a regular on The Dr. Phil Show, expands upon his tried-and-true strategy for igniting change and shows you how to design a life that is deeply fulfilling. In this fully interactive workbook, Coach Mike builds on the revealing quizzes, provocative questionnaires, and paradigm-shifting prompts he introduced in Best Self. Using his important but tough questions and exercises, he can help anyone see what their Best Selves and Anti-Selves really look like. The truth is, we all show up in slightly different ways within each of our seven SPHERES. We behave differently when we are in “parenting” mode, versus “career” mode, and so on. That’s to be expected to a degree, but where we run into trouble is when we aren’t always acting as our Best Self within all of our SPHERES. This workbook helps the reader discover personalized strategies for consistently staying connected to and behaving authentically within each SPHERE, because if we aren’t, then we run the risk of getting way out of balance in some areas of our lives. As a mental health specialist, a personal development coach, and an all-around change agent, Coach Mike understands our struggles intimately, because he’s faced—and overcome—his own. With this essential handbook, he makes you see that change is possible. Be Your Best Self will give readers the tools to build a better life, in real-time.

Middle schooler Jamie Kelly returns with another dumb diary: “You’ll laugh out loud at what this girl has to say.” —Knight Ridder Tribune Dear Dumb Diary, I went five whole days without seeing or hearing from Angeline. I was beginning to get used to it. It’s true that I have learned to overlook many of Angeline’s flaws, like her flawlessness, but she can still be difficult to be around. Like when she’s lit perfectly, for example. To my extreme credit, I have learned to pretend to ignore Angeline’s failure to not be perfect. Jamie Kelly is back with an all-new, all-funny diary! But she has no idea that anybody is reading it. So please, please, please don’t tell her . . . Praise for New York Times–bestselling author Jim Benton’s books “An amusing antic sensibility.” —Publishers Weekly “Preteens will be onboard immediately.” —Kirkus Reviews

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ONLY ONE HOLDING YOU BACK, IS YOU? Rebecca was raised to be independent—handle her business, graduate college, and dive into a rising advertising career. But there’s a nagging problem she’s hasn’t been able to shake. The same one that sends her boyfriend storming out the bedroom door. Her doctor says she’s fine, but what would he know? He wasn’t the only 28-year-old woman in Manhattan who couldn’t finish in the bedroom. For the life of her, she can’t figure out what she’s doing wrong. Her new doctor is unorthodox, but she’s tried everything else. Well, everything except Kyle. The gorgeous photographer who moves in across the hall is everything she isn’t. He’s confident, charming, and takes the world by storm from astride his black motorcycle. When they’re together, her troubles melt away. Well, all but one. After hiding her secret becomes impossible, Rebecca is forced to fight for the life she wants—knowing it could be her last chance. Daringly honest and tenderly relatable, Love, Only Better explores a topic too long kept in the shadows: women’s pleasure. Paulette Stout crafts an authentic and inspiring story that will leave readers feeling empowered. This book contains intimate scenes. PRAISE FOR LOVE, ONLY BETTER “Stout excels at describing and dramatizing Rebecca’s issues, seizing a welcome opportunity to address common (but often avoided) issues surrounding female sexuality and intimacy.” —BookLife "This book is original and needed women's fiction" --BookTrib “Love, only better is a sex-positive, empowering novel about common female issues that are rarely discussed… kudos to Paulette for wrapping this issue in a charming novel.” —Hasty Book List “Brave in a way women desperately need.” —Reader Review “I loved the feminism and the overdue mentions of women's basic needs. I definitely recommend this book.” (NetGalley) “If you’re looking for a book with its heart open just waiting to draw you in, look no further. I really recommend it.” (NetGalley) “Paulette Stout deserves all the stars for bringing to the page a story that I haven’t seen explore in fiction this way before.” (NetGalley) “The chemistry between Kyle and Rebecca had me on the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend this book.” (NetGalley) “At a time when women need their voices heard, you sing a beautiful song with this book.” (Reader Review) “Rebecca’s journey is a story I’ve never encountered before and I read A LOT of books.” (Reader Review) “I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in two days.” (Reader Review) “You took a difficult topic and made it a beach read.” (Reader Review) “I’ve fallen in love with Kyle.” (Reader Review) “Rebecca is such a great, multidimensional character.” (Reader Review) “I couldn’t put it down.” (Reader Review) “I absolutely adore these characters.” (Reader Review)

A New York Times Bestseller From Dr. Phil show regular and author of the New York Times bestselling Best Self: Be You, Only Better, a plan for taking immediate steps to improving your life Foreword by Dr. Phil McGraw It is estimated that we make 35,000 decisions every day. Right now, at least one decision we make will have a powerful ripple effect across all aspects of our life. But One Decision isn't about taking one overwhelming big step; it's about starting with a single, important choice we can make every day: the decision to be authentic. It is the decision to know who you are, to be who you are, and express yourself authentically. Whether you find yourself up against a new challenge, deciding on a change in direction, or in need of a total reinvention, Coach Mike has created a powerful blueprint to help you connect with your authenticity so that your life reflects who you truly are. With the tools in this book, you can transform what the obstacles in your life into new opportunities. He shows you how to stop constantly over-thinking the "big" decisions and reconnect with your gut instincts and make all of your decisions with confidence and peace of mind. And, this book helps you navigate the forces that routinely drive your decision making, ensuring that you're motivated by facts instead of fears, clarity over confusion, and evidence over emotion. One Decision is an inspiring and practical action plan to help you improve your life, find your purpose, improve your mental health and relationships, work on your physical health, and even make more money. Drawing on twenty years of experience helping individuals from all walks of life make real and lasting change, Coach Mike has a refreshing approach for motivating you to take a risk, be bold, and take real action toward a better life. A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.