UFYB 131: A Year of Thought Work Vol. 2 - Dating, Breakups, & Social Justice

In Self-Compassion, Kristin Neff argues that when you respond to your failings and pain with kindness and comfort, you can manage the most challenging situations life throws at you. This entails understanding that you—like all people—make mistakes and suffer, are intrinsically worthy of care and comfort, and are connected to others through your suffering.

Neff is a pioneer in self-compassion research, whose tenets are rooted in Buddhist psychology. She’s the co-founder of the nonprofit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion training and workbook, and author of Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive (2021). Self-Compassion was published in 2015.

In this guide, we’ll examine Neff’s definition of self-compassion and explore the key practices, benefits, and obstacles to embracing it. We’ll also explain how self-compassion can improve your relationship with others, making you a better partner and parent. We’ll also expand on Neff’s claims by comparing them with ideas and advice from other spiritual, psychology, medical, and public health experts.

Dive deep into the subconscious with Mel Robbins as she welcomes Dr. Paul Conti on The Mel Robbins Podcast. Known for his expertise in psychiatric care and applauded by the likes of Lady Gaga, Dr. Conti brings his knowledge on the subconscious mind to light, discussing its compelling influence over our everyday lives. Together, they explore how our inner narrative not only shapes our emotions and behaviors but also can be the key to unlocking greater happiness and potential.

In a discussion that ranges from unveiling the origins of self-perception to strategies for fostering a healthier mind, Mel and Dr. Conti touch on fascinating topics such as Cotard's syndrome and the lasting impact of childhood trauma. They provide listeners with actionable advice on confronting internal critics and reshaping negative self-talk. This episode is a must for anyone looking to understand the powerful subconscious forces at play in their lives and seeking meaningful ways to initiate positive change. Join the conversation and see how introspection and a shift in inner dialogue can lead to profound personal growth and mental wellness.

What if changing your life for the better was as simple as loving your current life? According to the guidance provided by Rhonda Byrne in The Power, the follow-up to her acclaimed book The Secret, you can have whatever you want in life simply by feeling love for it. The greatest force in the universe is the force of love, and this force is powerful enough to attract everything in life you want through the law of attraction. Your thoughts and feelings are what create your reality, so ensuring they stay positive is paramount. Byrne provides an overview of the law of attraction and helps you learn how to use your thoughts and feelings about life, money, relationships, and health to experience all the joy you deserve.

The Big Leap, by psychologist and personal growth coach Gay Hendricks, aims to help you overcome the psychological barriers to success and fulfillment. Hendricks asserts that, while we all have an innate call toward our most successful and fulfilling life, even highly successful people are often unable to achieve beyond a self-imposed limit, a “happiness threshold.” As you achieve greater success, Hendricks says you reach this threshold, which triggers self-sabotaging behaviors.

Hendricks explains how our happiness thresholds are established early in life, through the adoption of false beliefs, and how to identify your own false beliefs. He offers practical advice for applying this new knowledge to your life and relationships, in order to take the “big leap” into living your best life.

We’ll compare Hendricks’s ideas on happiness, limiting beliefs, and self-sabotage with those of other authors and experts, and we’ll explore the scientific research behind key concepts.

In The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Klemp argue that many leadership models are unsustainable because they don’t prioritize self-management and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This causes leaders to burn out, lose their passion, and succumb to an unhealthy culture of competition and greed. As a result, employees disengage, turnover soars, and organizations break down from within. To overcome these issues, the authors argue that leaders must learn to understand and manage their emotions and mindset, communicate effectively with others, and align their actions and behaviors with their goals and commitments.

Dethmer, Chapman, and Klemp present 15 commitments that conscious leaders must uphold to run an effective organization, which we’ve synthesized into eight primary behaviors. We’ll explain what each behavior is, why it’s important, and how to put it into action. In our commentary, we’ll further discuss how to improve your leadership abilities and adopt the authors’ recommended behaviors, citing experts like Brené Brown (Dare to Lead) and Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth).

Does something in your life feel “off"? If so, you may not be living in alignment with your true self. In The Way of Integrity, Martha Beck seeks to connect readers with their inner truths and lead them to a life of happiness, well-being, and spiritual growth. She argues that each of us has a deep, personal nature that tells us who we want to be and how we want to live. However, we lose touch with this nature as we internalize messages from our culture that tell us to chase things we don't really want.

Beck is a life coach and best-selling author. She draws her lessons from her own struggles and the lives of her clients. In this guide, you'll learn about the root causes of chronic unhappiness, how to challenge your false beliefs, and why changing yourself can also change the world around you. Along the way, we compare Beck’s advice to psychological research and extend her strategies with tips from other self-help authors.

The Big Leap, by psychologist and personal growth coach Gay Hendricks, aims to help you overcome the psychological barriers to success and fulfillment. Hendricks asserts that, while we all have an innate call toward our most successful and fulfilling life, even highly successful people are often unable to achieve beyond a self-imposed limit, a “happiness threshold.” As you achieve greater success, Hendricks says you reach this threshold, which triggers self-sabotaging behaviors.

Hendricks explains how our happiness thresholds are established early in life, through the adoption of false beliefs, and how to identify your own false beliefs. He offers practical advice for applying this new knowledge to your life and relationships, in order to take the “big leap” into living your best life.

We’ll compare Hendricks’s ideas on happiness, limiting beliefs, and self-sabotage with those of other authors and experts, and we’ll explore the scientific research behind key concepts.

Does it sometimes feel like everybody else has life figured out except you? Rachel Hollis, author of Girl, Wash Your Face, wants you to know that’s a lie. Life is messy and complicated for everyone, but once you understand that you are in control of your life, you can begin to live with passion, joy and confidence.

Aimed at women who feel overwhelmed and unworthy, Girl, Wash Your Face examines 20 lies that can hold you back from becoming who you were meant to be. Hollis details her own mistakes, traumas and life lessons, and shares with readers the strategies she used to overcome these lies and find true happiness.

Can a commitment to love really reshape our society for the better? In All About Love, bell hooks explores the power of love from a feminist perspective using personal stories and cultural analysis to develop her argument. Delving into the complexities of love within the context of broader social forces like race, gender, and class, hooks challenges conventional notions of what love is and provides a roadmap for rooting your life in love. Centering love as a core value, she argues, won't only transform your relationship with yourself, but also with your friends, family, and the world around you.

In this guide, we’ll explain hooks’s definition of love, why it’s so important, and how we, as individuals and a society, can transform our lives by using love as a guiding force.

What would happen if you faced your fears and said “yes” to everything outside your comfort zone for a whole year? In Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes, the celebrated television screenwriter and producer of the hit series “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” answers that very question. Rhimes recounts her journey of personal growth and transformation as she embarks on a year-long experiment to say "yes" to everything that scares her. From giving public speeches to prioritizing playtime with her daughters, Rhimes pushes herself out of her comfort zone and learns to embrace new experiences.

In this guide, we’ll explore Rhimes’s journey from a life of merely surviving to full-hearted thriving and outline the meaningful lessons she wishes to pass on to her readers so they, too, can reclaim their lives from fear. Along the way, we’ll compare the author's ideas to those of other similar self-help writers and provide additional context from sociology and psychology experts to help you better understand and apply Rhimes’s insights to your life.

Dive into the complicated world of insecurities with Leo Skepi on the "Aware & Aggravated" podcast. In this thought-provoking episode, Skepi unwraps the deep-rooted 'cancel out' mindset and its role in groundlessly undermining self-esteem, negatively affecting friendships and personal relationships, corroding financial behaviors, and even hindering proper trauma processing. Journey with Skepi on a quest to understand this damaging mindset as he shares personal experiences, scrutinizes societal norms on emotional expression, and elaborately critiques its influence on our perception of personal appearance, wealth, and fame.

Delving further, Leo Skepi teaches how to recognize the behavioral manifestations of the 'cancel out' mindset, and provides practical techniques for emotional understanding and management. Listen as he shares valuable life lessons on empathetic listening, emotional validation, understanding the timing of introducing comparative perspectives, and the importance of introspection. Don't miss the chance to engage with Skepi as he continues to unravel complicated emotional issues aiming to promote mutual respect, empathy and understanding.