Our life is defined by the emotions we experience, moments we have and people that we meet along the way. This anthology encompasses some of those emotions, moments and influence of people that help us shape the path of our lives in a positive or negative way. The poems are a series of free-flowing letters from the author's older self to the younger self giving a voice to the various experiences that the author has encountered first hand or observed from the close quarters of life.

Chris Sumlin's debut book, Dealing with This Thing Called Life, is the self-help book for young men and women who want to overcome obstacles and aspire to Greatness. These relatable, entertaining anecdotes, from acceptance to the prestigious Morehouse College to meeting Kim Kardashian-West, will inspire readers to reach their maximum potential. The author shares: 12 Stories 12 Lessons 12 I AM Seeds Chris Sumlin is passionate about motivating others in their quest to deal with this thing called life.

A New York Times Best Seller 2019 National Book Award Longlist, Nonfiction 2019 Kirkus Book Prize Finalist, Nonfiction A February IndieNext Pick Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2019 by Buzzfeed, Nylon, The A. V. Club, CBC Books, and The Rumpus, and a Winter's Most Anticipated Book by Vanity Fair and The Week Starred Reviews: Kirkus and Booklist "Warm, immediate and intensely personal."—New York Times How does one pay homage to A Tribe Called Quest? The seminal rap group brought jazz into the genre, resurrecting timeless rhythms to create masterpieces such as The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. Seventeen years after their last album, they resurrected themselves with an intense, socially conscious record, We Got It from Here . . . Thank You 4 Your Service, which arrived when fans needed it most, in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib digs into the group’s history and draws from his own experience to reflect on how its distinctive sound resonated among fans like himself. The result is as ambitious and genre-bending as the rap group itself. Abdurraqib traces the Tribe's creative career, from their early days as part of the Afrocentric rap collective known as the Native Tongues, through their first three classic albums, to their eventual breakup and long hiatus. Their work is placed in the context of the broader rap landscape of the 1990s, one upended by sampling laws that forced a reinvention in production methods, the East Coast–West Coast rivalry that threatened to destroy the genre, and some record labels’ shift from focusing on groups to individual MCs. Throughout the narrative Abdurraqib connects the music and cultural history to their street-level impact. Whether he’s remembering The Source magazine cover announcing the Tribe’s 1998 breakup or writing personal letters to the group after bandmate Phife Dawg’s death, Abdurraqib seeks the deeper truths of A Tribe Called Quest; truths that—like the low end, the bass—are not simply heard in the head, but felt in the chest.

A remarkable guide to the quests that give our lives meaning—and how to find your own—from the New York Times bestselling author of The $100 Startup and 100 Side Hustles “If you like complacency and mediocrity, do not read this book. It’s dangerously inspiring.”—A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All When he set out to visit all of the planet’s countries by age thirty-five, compulsive goal-seeker Chris Guillebeau never imagined that his journey’s biggest revelation would be how many people like himself exist—each pursuing a challenging quest. These quests are as diverse as humanity itself, involving exploration, the pursuit of athletic or artistic excellence, or battling against injustice and poverty. Everywhere that Chris visited he found ordinary people working toward extraordinary goals, making daily down payments on their dreams. These “questers” included a suburban mom pursuing a wildly ambitious culinary project, a DJ producing the world’s largest symphony, a young widower completing the tasks his wife would never accomplish—and scores of others writing themselves into the record books. The more Chris spoke with these strivers, the more he began to appreciate the direct link between questing and long-term happiness, and he was compelled to complete a comprehensive study of the phenomenon. In The Happiness of Pursuit, he draws on interviews with hundreds of questers, revealing their secret motivations, their selection criteria, the role played by friends and family, their tricks for solving logistics, and the importance of documentation. Equally fascinating is Chris’s examination of questing’s other side. What happens after the summit is climbed, the painting hung, the endurance record broken, the at-risk community saved? A book that challenges each of us to take control—to make our lives be about something while at the same time remaining clear-eyed about the commitment—The Happiness of Pursuit will inspire readers of every age and aspiration. It’s a playbook for making your life count. “The Happiness of Pursuit is smart, honest, and dangerous. Why dangerous? Because it is as practical as it is inspiring. You won’t just be daydreaming about your quest—you’ll be packing for it!”—Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, author of Daring Greatly

In the thick of modern life, we are tempted to forget what we are doing and why we are doing it. We are busy socializing, building careers, and looking for fun—but what’s it all for? The ancient concept of “vocation” has recently gained popularity as we return to questions about the meaning of life. Almost all religions include the idea that divine purposes should guide our lives; Christianity has particularly accented it. The God who called Israel and sent Jesus has something in mind for us. God’s call challenges us, but also opens us to the best sort of life imaginable. In Living Vocationally, the challenge and the joy of the called life is thoroughly explored. Part one considers the benefits of living vocationally, biblical traditions of call, and subsequent Christian understandings. Part two examines why vocation pertains not only to careers, but indeed touches every dimension of our lives and encompasses our full journey through life. Because every person’s life includes many callings, some very difficult, part three considers the virtues we need to live the called life well. Living Vocationally demonstrates why to have found a calling is to have found a good way to live.

Why did we come to earth? Why did we take this human birth? What is the purpose of our existence? We just live and die, we look up at the sky, we cry and we ask, ‘Why?’ We don’t discover who we are and why we are here. Isn’t it time to start a quest to discover the purpose of life? To take that inner voyage to realize that I am not the body that will die, not the mind that I cannot find, not the ego that says I, it is a lie. This journey will lead us to the state of truth Consciousness where there is Eternal Bliss, Divine Love and Everlasting Peace. This book will not only help you start a quest but will also take you to achieving your ultimate goal, of realizing you are the Divine Soul and being liberated and united with the Divine.

In these pages, you will be guided step by step through the biblical principles that will help you discover God's plan for your life. You will gain the tools you need to make the right choices. You will learn God's foolproof plan for keeping you from going astray. You will uncover the subtle deceptions that could exist even within your own heart. You will delight in God's guiding principles for decision-making and equip yourself to discover your destiny.

Each and every life has a story to tell. We all have to figure out how to navigate through life with the pain and the struggles that come with it. But. there are invaluable moments of love and beauty, relationships and growth. Every one of us has to learn how to move away from the past and forgive ourselves for the poor choices and the sin and pain that followed it. This Thing Called Life is a personal journey of joy and sorrow, grace, and love. It's about how to learn to love yourself again and see what Jesus saw in you all along. My relationship with Christ has done more than just save me, it helped me to understand what true forgiveness means. Every single one of us is in some way broken, but God has a purpose for each of us.

One of the greatest motivators for men and women to scale heights and overcome what seems to be insurmountable odds is often an incident early in their lives that perpetually challenged them. It is like climbing one's Mt. Everest while pursuing their lives and, more specifically, their chosen fields of endeavor. But how can one get past personal and career life challenges and emerge victorious? That is what this book, "The 8 Streams of Confluent Learning to Personal Effectiveness," is all about. Its author, Ed Teovisio, presents his theory on holistic learning and human potential development with insightful, introspective, and experiential fervor. Ed transcends the term "learning" from its traditional sense making it relevant not only in developing the cognitive mind but also the creative, physical, intrapersonal, spiritual, interpersonal, emotional, and behavioral faculties that play an important part in learning and realizing one's success potentials. Much like how powerful the 10 numbers can become, when combined, can come up with countless permutations; the 3 primary colors can produce infinite palette of colors; the 7 musical notes can create unlimited melodies; the streams that become a river and rivers that become an ocean. The confluence or coming together and meeting at a common point of the 8 life streams can draw out the power to excel in one's chosen fields of endeavor where personal effectiveness is central. Part 1 entitled "Learn" deals with the author's personal transformation and relevant body of knowledge from the international community from which many of his insights were drawn. Part 2 dubbed as "Unleash" describes in detail the 8 principles and techniques of the learning theory. Part 3 marked as "Succeed" presents 8 developmental programs to guide the readers on the specific applications of the principles and how to successfully unleash their personal effectiveness in various work / life situations.

Humans, seeking to understand the nature of reality, have learned to discern life's patterns and to respond to life's vicissitudes by acting wisely, doing what brings happiness and success. The Bible is a record of that journey. It represents the inspired attempt to become wise at the deepest level, living harmoniously with one's community, the earth, and the Creator. Through their inspirational teachings, the sages of the biblical wisdom tradition offer time-honored advice about some of life's most difficult concerns, including the problem of pain, the suffering of the innocent, the nature of evil, the justice of God, and the pervasiveness of death. Wisdom Revealed, a survey of biblical wisdom literature, offers perspective on topics that arise as one follows the text, always with an eye on the big picture, namely, daily living. Those who read this literature will be exposed to a set of core values necessary for vital citizenship and effective leadership at all levels of life. They will also obtain time-honored advice about how to deal with life's uncertainties in a holistic and pragmatic manner, focusing on what it means to be human in the presence of God.