It may seem like the world is constantly in flux, particularly right now, as we find ourselves in such unforeseen circumstances. But even during a pandemic, there are some nuggets of wisdom that will always ring true.
As people across the world stay at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and find themselves with more time on their hands, there's no better time pick up one of these classic self-help books and learn a thing or two about living life for when it all starts back up again.
These seven picks might be more than 20 years old, but the advice they contain is timeless.
How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936)
Dale Carnegie
This is the oldest one on the list – dating back more than 80 years – and yet it's probably the most famous, as it was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential books of all time. It promises to get you out of a mental rut, help you make friends easily and quickly, teach you how to increase your popularity, and how to become more persuasive and win new clients or customers, as well as boost your earning power – among other things. Dale Carnegie, a public speaker and writer, may have been born in 1888, but he would still be one popular man today.
Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny (1992)
Tony Robbins
Love him or hate him, American life coach, public speaker and writer Tony Robbins has a knack for turning people's lives around. Awaken the Giant Within wasn't his first book, but it is arguably his most influential. First published in 1992, it provides readers with tips on how to clarify their personal values, resolve any internal conflicts, master their emotions and overcome bad habits that have been holding them back. It's packed with research to back up his assertions, as well as practical guidelines to follow. Not many of us can say we don't need that kind of advice.
The Power of Positive Thinking (1952)
Norman Vincent Peale
Case studies and practical instructions are what fill the pages of this 1950s book by Norman Vincent Peale, an American minister and author best known for popularising the idea of positive thinking. His book helps boost self-confidence, build power and determination to reach your goals, break the cycle of worrying too much, improve personal relationships, assume control over your life and, ultimately, be kinder to yourself. The international bestseller was written with the “sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying and worthwhile life”. Who doesn’t want that?
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (2000)
Eckhart Toll
German-born spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle is highly praised within the world of mindfulness and meditation. He's written a number of books, but this one is perhaps his most beloved and has been translated into more than 50 languages. In it, we're introduced to the idea of enlightenment, and how the mind is its natural enemy. Tolle teaches people about their role in the creation of their own pain, and how to live fully in the present, as opposed to constantly lamenting or yearning for the past and worrying about the future. Once you've finished with that, you can move on to his other bestselling work, A New Earth: Create A Better Life, a personal favourite of Oprah Winfrey's.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)
Stephen R Covey
There’s a reason why companies still send employees on this course: it just never gets old. The business and self-help book by American educator, author and businessman Stephen Covey presents a principle-centric approach to problem-solving both in our personal and professional lives. He uses insights and anecdotes to lay out a step-by-step method for living with fairness and integrity, allowing us to embrace the wisdom and power to adapt to change. He does all this while explaining seven habits that are grouped into three categories: independence, interdependence and continual improvement. The book has sold more than 25 million copies around the world since it was first published, and became the first non-fiction audiobook in the US to sell more than one million.
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (1996)
Pema Chodron
Pema Chodron, the only female author on this list, is an American Tibetan Buddhist nun and, for many people, her bestselling book When Things Fall Apart has been life-changing. It's a classic from 1996, but she tackles topics that are particularly poignant for today. She addresses how we can continue to live life when everything seems to be falling apart, when we are constantly overcome by fear, anxiety and pain. The solution, she says, is to move towards painful situations, rather than backing away. She draws from Buddhist wisdom and offers tools for transforming suffering and negativity into endless joy.
The 48 Laws of Power (1998)
By Robert Greene
American author Robert Greene is best known for his books on the mastery of strategy, power and seduction. He has written six international bestsellers, but this one, his first, is his most enduring. It’s a practical guide for people who want to gain, observe or protect themselves against ultimate control. He distils 3,000 years of history into these 48 truths, drawing inspiration from the lives of influential historical figures, from Niccolo Machiavelli to Queen Elizabeth I and Henry Kissinger. Laws include “never outshine the master”, “enter action with boldness” and “crush your enemy totally”. It has sold millions of copies and is particularly popular with the rich and famous, including Kanye West, Jay-Z and Will Smith.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Sunday's games
Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
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