Showing results by narrator "Michael Toms" in All Categories

Rank has legitimate rights. When rank has been earned and signifies excellence, then it's generally accepted, and rightfully so. But the power of rank is often abused. The abuse of rank, or of power, is rankism. Treating others as invisible, as "nobodies", - insulting someone's dignity - that's rankism. Most of us have felt its sting; most have dished it out in some form.

Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, O. Henry Award and Edgar Awards, the 19 writers in this 2005 edition are not just considered some of the best Southern writers, but among the best American writers period. With works by such writers as Dennis Lehane, Moira Crone, Robert Olen Butler, Cary Holladay, Tom Franklin, and Rebecca Soppe, this collection provides an electrifying current of deep, dark subjects set in the brutal, but charming south.

If you're looking for ways to live more fully and abundantly, you'll want to listen closely to psychologist Ross, as she describes her own path to prosperity. Numerous insights and practical steps are revealed in the course of the conversation.

As the founder of the Mo Tzu Project, Bob Fuller travels the planet as a citizen diplomat, searching out the roots of conflict in the hope of learning what can be done to make peace a reality, not just a dream. He has the rare ability to cut through the usual rhetoric we hear, and reveal, clearly and concisely, perspectives that often are so basic and simple we cannot imagine why they aren't more widely accepted.

In this interview, Richard Moss says that there are two basic mistakes we make in this stage of the evolution of consciousness: we identify with our thoughts, and we flee from our feelings. He describes the four ways your thinking can affect you, how the body is literally the center of the experience of being in the now, and how the negative stories we tell ourselves are a form of physical poison and self abuse.

All of us have access to mystical and spiritual knowledge, according to Leah Garfield, who was trained by Pomo Indian shamaness Essie Parrish. In this conversation she speaks of how we can tap into our own deep wisdom source and enhance our self-knowledge. She also tells how each person has spirit guides available and how they can be contacted.

Feeling weighed down by all your responsibilities and the constant pressures of your personal and professional life? Well, there's no time like the present to lighten your load. Let Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro show you how to let go of excess baggage and create your own vision of happiness and success. You'll learn how to balance work, love, and purpose by "unpacking" your physical, emotional, and intellectual luggage and "repacking" it to make the most of your life's journey.

We all want to "be somebody". But often, those who become somebody become statues, trapped in an identity that doesn't allow them to change or grow. Robert Fuller talks about his own struggle with being a nobody between periods of high recognition and status.

Michael Gelb explains what neuroplasticity means, and provides some low cost ways (including optimism!) to improve our brain power and resilience, and possibly prevent Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. He describes the benefits of challenging the brain to do something new, and other brain-enhancing activities, including meditation, wine in moderation, and naps!

There are no limits to your ability to think, according to psychologist Dyer, who suggests that you can imagine yourself doing anything. The power of the mind is limitless. He encourages us to put our consciousness on what we are for rather than what we are against.

Living your dream and following your heart are possible for anyone willing to engage life with passion, according to Sinetar, an organizational psychologist, who has studied many people who have become successful doing what they love. Self-esteem, overcoming resistance, accepting and forgiving oneself, taking risks, and more are addressed in this visionary yet practical view of merging life and work.

The Afghan-Soviet War could be called an "invisible war", since it is largely unnoticed in the West. Yet more than five million Afghans are refugees, and estimates of the dead range from one to two million. Here two principals of the Mo Tzu Project, a citizens diplomacy endeavor, who have recently visited the Afghan refugee camps on the Afghan-Pakistani border, report the facts as they have observed them.

Gerald Rosen has seen America from most every vantage point. He grew up in a house without books, obtained an ivy league PhD in literature, and went on to run a liquor store on the edge of Harlem. He’s crossed paths, in one way or another, with Miles Davis, Jack Kerouac, Janis Joplin, even Babe Ruth. So his observations about American culture carry his own particular brand of authenticity. And what he sees has him a little concerned.

Have you ever harbored dreams of being a writer? You're far from alone. Have you wrestled time and again with a seeming inability to write? You've got even more company there. Now help is on the way, in the person of Gabriele Rico, professor of English and creative arts at San Jose State University.

In the midst of the Superpowers and the Third World, a new vision is emerging of a Fourth World, encompassing small communities as an alternative to the notion that "bigger is better." Returning power to a personal level is one of the goals, according to Papworth, who offers an expansive overview of the plight of the individual vs. "giant ism." "Human scale and morality" need to be reintroduced to the political decision-making process, Papworth says, and he provides some useful ways to meet the challenge he so eloquently describes.

Here Wayne Dyer tells his personal story as never before in a moving and poignant manner, and shares insights gleaned from his vigorous pursuit of aliveness and joy.

Making a living while following one's bliss is too often seen as an impossible dream, too idealistic, and pragmatically unattainable. Not so, according to Nancy Anderson, who provides a wealth of wisdom and myriad ways to discover your passion and follow your heart to a financially and personally rewarding career. She emphasizes the need to choose work that you love in order to lead a fully productive, integrated life - a life filled with happiness and satisfaction.

Do you ever find yourself a little mumblemouthed? Or do you go to the dictionary to look up a word, only to get sidetracked when other, more interesting words catch your eye? If so, you share Phil Cousineau’s dynamic relationship with words. For him they’re playthings, enchantresses, magical sounds that can stir your heart, and mementos that tell fascinating stories about the lives of the ancestors who created them. The way we use them has more power than we may realize.

Best-selling motivational author and lecturer Wayne Dyer ignites your inspiration to be all you can be. "The danger is not that your hopes are too high and you fail to reach them, but that they are too low and you do."

In this dialogue, Stearns, a clinical psychologist, tells how new growth can occur through pain, grief and trauma. Turning losses into victories underscores the conversation, as she describes what enables and inspires some people to transform tragedy into rebirth while others are defeated or crushed. Stearns tells the real life stories of "triumphant survivors" who have become stronger and continued moving forward positively after enduring terrible loss and trauma.