In this ground-breaking and inspiring guide, a renowned Harvard psychologist demonstrates how turning everyday habits into rituals can improve our work, our relationships and our lives.

• Think of the quirky traditions that you keep up with your friends.
• Or the unusual ways that you and your family mark special occasions.
• Or the gifts that your partner gives – and what you’d think if they’d bought the same for an ex.

These are rituals: practices that are imbued with symbolic meaning. And they have the power to turn black-and-white moments into technicolour.

Along the way, Norton shares stories from sporting superstars (Serena Williams always bouncing the ball five times before her first serve), million-dollar companies (Zipcar urging staff to destroy their old desktops with sledgehammers) and ordinary people (inventing their own “ritual signatures”), who reimagine everyday moments, build camaraderie, and spark joy.

Rituals can help us to forge winning teams, heal families experiencing grief and encourage us rise to challenges, big or small. Now it’s time to create yours.

Two professors combine their fascinating and cutting-edge research in behavioral science to explain how money can buy happiness--if you follow five core principles of smart spending.
Most people recognize that they need professional advice on how to earn, save, and invest their money. When it comes to spending" "that money, most people just follow their intuitions. But scientific research shows that those intuitions are often wrong.
"Happy Money" offers a tour of research on the science of spending, explaining how you can get more happiness for your money. Authors Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton have outlined five principles--from choosing experiences over stuff to spending money on others--to guide not only individuals looking for financial security, but also companies seeking to create happier employees and provide "happier products" to their customers. Dunn and Norton show how companies from Google to Pepsi to Charmin have put these ideas into action.
Along the way, Dunn and Norton explore fascinating research that reveals that luxury cars often provide no more pleasure than economy models, that commercials can actually enhance the enjoyment of watching television, and that residents of many cities frequently miss out on inexpensive pleasures in their hometowns. By the end of this "lively and engaging book" (Dan Gilbert, author of "Stumbling on Happiness"), you'll be asking yourself one simple question every time you reach for your wallet: Am I getting the biggest happiness bang for my buck?

In the bestselling tradition of Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit and Angela Duckworth's Grit, a renowned social psychologist demonstrates the power of small acts--and how a subtle shift of turning habits into rituals can add purpose and pleasure to life. Our lives are filled with repetitive tasks meant to boost productivity--what we come to know as habits. Over time, these habits (for example, brushing your teeth or putting on your right sock first) are done on autopilot. But when a layer of mindfulness accompanies a habit--when we focus on the precise way an act is performed--a ritual has been created. Now, an everyday act goes from black-and-white into technicolor. And as author Michael Norton explains here, it's these rituals, that make life worth living. Think of the way you savor a certain beverage, the care you take with a certain outfit that only gets worn on special occasions, the unique way that your family gathers around the table at the holidays, or the secret language you enjoy with your significant other. To some, these behaviors may seem quirky, but because rituals matter so deeply to us on a personal level, they saturate our lives with purpose and meaning. Rituals can heal a community experiencing a great loss, guide a speaker through a difficult presentation, drive a stadium of sports fans to ecstasy, inspire courage in soldiers going into combat, and help us rise to challenges and realize opportunities. Among those who have made effective use of rituals are Maya Angelou, Keith Richards, Barack Obama, and Steve Jobs. Drawing on decades of original research, author Michal Norton reveals that shifting from a "habitual" mindset to a "ritual" mindset can both enhance performance while also adding meaning to your life. Compelling, inspiring, and practical, The Ritual Effect takes us on a fascinating tour of the intention-filled acts that drive human behavior and shows us how to create simple rituals to imbue everyday life with a sense of purpose and joy.

This book examines the recovery principle of co-production within mental health services, defining it as the creation of a space where all stakeholders - including service users, family members, carers and supporters - come together in a partnership to improve all aspects of mental health services. Exploring both the practicalities and complexities of co-production, the book provides detailed analyses of all aspects of the concept in relation to mental health and discusses the growing evidence-base for adopting co-production as a recovery approach within a mental health setting. The book's chapters outline: the foundational principles in implementing the concept in services; the theories of co-production in and outside of mental health settings; how to translate theory into practice; and examples of implementation. The book also explores the sustainability of co-production and the tensions that are present between the idea of recovery and mental health policy. The volume represents an ideal introduction to the concept of co-production in mental health and will be valuable reading for those researching and working in the area of mental health services and recovery, including nurses, occupational therapists and social workers.

Businesses are nowadays expected to act sustainably; it is also in both society s and the company s own interest if opportunities to develop more sustainable products or services can be fully grasped. Leading international companies may already be moving in this direction, but many (especially smaller companies) are often held back by a lack of personnel or know how. This book has been written to overcome this deficit by providing a convenient one-stop-shop where readers (whether they be business staff, university or business school students) can understand personally what the sustainability issue is about, and appreciate the many areas where companies can respond to the challenge of a more sustainable world.

Based on a successful Green Management of Technology Masters introduced in Japan in 2008, this book explains in non-specialist language why current economic systems under which firms operate do not lead to sustainable outcomes, provides the background to the evolution of concerns over sustainability, and also provides sufficient understanding of key environmental and social issues to support informed debate, encouraging readers to consider working for a more sustainable organisation and society.

Focusing on the implications of sustainability for business, the book provides an overview of both the internal business issues raised by concerns over sustainability, and the many external opportunities which exist for innovation and development of new products and services which can contribute to both company viability and a sustainable future for society. It can either be used as a basis for self-study and learning, or as a textbook to support a course in an MBA, MOT or similar business-oriented course. It includes educational feedback from the course students (mostly working in local businesses), which may encourage readers to explore the interactions between sustainability and business, and help teachers planning and implementing similar courses. It also blends together case studies from both UK and Japan providing a genuinely trans-national perspective.

After a fairly low threshold, income and material wealth have no measurable effect on happiness. But how we spend our money does. In this groundbreaking book, Dr Elizabeth Dunn and Dr Michael Norton explain the secret to "happiness-efficient" spending. Using their own cutting-edge research, they reveal: * Why it's better to buy concert tickets instead of a new iPhone * Adverts actually make television more enjoyable * Why you should book your next holiday many months in advance * How "time affluence" is more important than a fat pay cheque * Why charitable giving is the best investment you can make A rare combination of informed science writing, wit, and practical pointers for a flourishing life, Happy Money will help you to be more fulfilled for less.

Knowledge is power. Get informed and choose action over despair. Everything you need to know about the earth and the life it supports - right now. From the challenges we face with global environmental, health, poverty, equality, technological, political and justice issues to the pioneering places and people making a difference to our future. With 40 simple ways to support change. 'While the hour is late, the future remains ours to make. This hugely enjoyable book is a powerful introduction to the way things are and the way things can be. Keep it by your bed.' Tim Smit, co-founder The Eden Project

The recent activism film Just Do It (2011) had a message: 'Get off your arse and change the world'. But, as Michael Norton here implores, no-one has to be that energetic. Click2Change advocates sitting back and changing the world from computers, iPads and iPhones. Click2Change offers a wide range of world-changing thing to do on the internet: such as becoming an e-activist or recycling unwanted stuff. With plenty of ideas, information and lots of websites to access, readers will be able to make their mark on the world with a click of the mouse.

This book combines issues several critical ones in the energy field (low-energy technologies, renewable energies such as the hydrogen economy, and geothermal energy). Moving towards a more sustainable world requires a complete revolution in the way we manage energy and resources. However, from an academic perspective, this theme is so broad that most educators and researchers tend to focus on just one aspect, and maintaining the broad viewpoint which is necessary for making strategic judgments becomes difficult. Tohoku University addressed this challenge when developing a new education and training program for environmental leaders and brought together the extensive range of expertise available in specific fields into one special course which forms the basis of this book. Now in one volume, both students and educators can be brought up to date on a wide range of critical issues currently being addressed in the field of energy and resources. Chapters on resources include availability (for instance, rare earth metals), extraction and recycling of metals and plastics, and technological solutions to specific waste-disposal problems. In addition, broader strategic issues such as limits to growth and the interaction between the economic system and environmental issues are addressed. Even though each chapter provides topical data and knowledge from disparate and specialized fields, the book is written at a level that is readily understandable by students from all scientific, engineering, and humanities fields.

In this book we will uncover a great deception at work within the church and expose the evil spirit behind it, "Judas." You will see how this Judas spirit is hard at work infiltrating the church and attempting to turn believers against the Lord Himself. Make no mistake, this spirit is relentless and won't rest until it has succeeded in pulling away as many as it can (the great apostasy). Once again, in these last days this spirit is attempting to betray the Lord of Glory with an act of affection. Within the church body he walks, he talks, and he lives. He is among us, within us, but is Not of us.

Many aspects of counterinsurgency (COIN) operations in today's contemporary operating environment suggest that historical review of previous COIN experiences can provide critical insight. Such reviews tend to fail to be incorporated into doctrine as time and era change reduced the perceived relevance of previous experiences. Development of COIN doctrine requires the study of available insurgency experiences to enable the U.S. military to apply the crucial principles of COIN to current threat models. An example of an army which struggled to develop COIN doctrine as it combated an insurgency is the French Army in their conflict in Algeria from 1954 to 1962. French experiences in Algeria provide information on COIN operations that achieved great success at the tactical level, but failure at the strategic level. From this perspective, it is important to examine current U.S. Army doctrine, recently published in FM 3-24, Counterinsurgency, in light of French efforts in Algeria. Centered on the influencing of a population, French COIN experiences provide examples to compare against current U.S. doctrine.

At the end of his life, the poet encounters the End of Days-- Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell in everything around him. In his secular, ironic way, he meditates on the final destiny of humankind. Personal life draws to a close; and the trivial, the sublime and the ridiculous commingle in the poem, in the Kingdom of God that is within us and that we are within.

365 Ways to Change the World is the ultimate answer for anyone who has ever asked 'how can I make a difference?' This ingenious handbook shows how the smallest actions can impact on your local community and the wider world. Packed with ideas, and facts from leading campaign organisations, it suggests one action for every day of the year.

You want to make a difference in the world, but don't know where to begin. Now you can. Here is just the guide to lots of exciting ways that are more personal and fun than merely writing a check. For every day of the year, "365 Ways to Change the World" is packed with information and ideas that don't take a lot of special skills to put into action, but will achieve something positive:
Observe a "Buy Nothing Day" Plant a "peace pole" Sew a panel for an AIDS memorial quilt Collect rainwater to water your plants
The suggestions cover twelve important areas in which you can influence change, including in your local community, as a consumer, making a cultural contribution, and addressing problems such as the environment, health, and human rights. You can go through the book day by day or use the index to flip to the issues that concern you most; to help you take action, a complementary website links straight to many of the sources listed in the book. Great to give as well as to keep, this is an inspiring, practical resource for making the world a better place -- one day at a time.

Fiction and the Philosophy of Happiness explores the novel's participation in eighteenth-century "inquiries after happiness," an ancient ethical project that acquired new urgency with the rise of subjective models of wellbeing in early modern and Enlightenment Europe. Combining archival research on treatises on happiness with illuminating readings of Samuel Johnson, Laurence Sterne, Denis Diderot, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, William Godwin and Mary Hays, Brian Michael Norton's innovative study asks us to see the novel itself as a key instrument of Enlightenment ethics. His central argument is that the novel form provided a uniquely valuable tool for thinking about the nature and challenges of modern happiness: whereas treatises sought to theorize the conditions that made happiness possible in general, eighteenth-century fiction excelled at interrogating the problem on the level of the particular, in the details of a single individual's psychology and unique circumstances. Fiction and the Philosophy of Happiness demonstrates further that through their fine-tuned attention to subjectivity and social context these writers called into question some cherished and time-honored assumptions about the good life: happiness is in one's power; virtue is the exclusive path to happiness; only vice can make us miserable. This elegant and richly interdisciplinary book offers a new understanding of the cultural work the eighteenth-century novel performed as well as an original interpretation of the Enlightenment's ethical legacy.

Fiction and the Philosophy of Happiness explores the novel's participation in eighteenth-century "inquiries after happiness," an ancient ethical project that acquired new urgency with the rise of subjective models of wellbeing in early modern and Enlightenment Europe. Combining archival research on treatises on happiness with illuminating readings of Samuel Johnson, Laurence Sterne, Denis Diderot, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, William Godwin and Mary Hays, Brian Michael Norton's innovative study asks us to see the novel itself as a key instrument of Enlightenment ethics. His central argument is that the novel form provided a uniquely valuable tool for thinking about the nature and challenges of modern happiness: whereas treatises sought to theorize the conditions that made happiness possible in general, eighteenth-century fiction excelled at interrogating the problem on the level of the particular, in the details of a single individual's psychology and unique circumstances. Fiction and the Philosophy of Happiness demonstrates further that through their fine-tuned attention to subjectivity and social context these writers called into question some cherished and time-honored assumptions about the good life: happiness is in one's power; virtue is the exclusive path to happiness; only vice can make us miserable. This elegant and richly interdisciplinary book offers a new understanding of the cultural work the eighteenth-century novel performed as well as an original interpretation of the Enlightenment's ethical legacy.