Books like Talented Teenagers — picked by fans

This is, in many ways, the book that introduced the concept of flow to the world. I’m in awe with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. While I never got to meet him, I imagine he was a most wonderful person–wise, curious, thoughtful, kind, warm, approachable, creative, quiet, yet profound.

I agree with almost everything he wrote, and I think his ideas about happiness, flow, and the meaning of life were spot on.

“WOW! Flow is awesome! It’s super powerful. If I can learn how to experience it more often, that will have a huge positive effect on my life.” 

That’s what I thought to myself when I read Kotler’s description of flow. I love the book’s engaging and sensational style. It’s the book that got me excited about flow, and, as such, it will always have a special place in my heart.

I love reading scholarly articles and books. In my opinion, this book is the #1 academic book on the subject of flow. It’s absolutely packed with information on the subject.

Some of my favorite chapters were those on the autotelic personality (which character traits facilitate or hinder flow?), the psychophysiology of flow (what’s happening in the brain and body during flow?), and flow in the context of work (what are the benefits and what are the factors that make flow at work more or less likely?).

I enjoyed reading this relatively short book and often found myself in a mild flow state while reading it. I especially enjoyed reading about Jackson’s story (she’s one of the world’s leading experts on flow). She has a chapter in which she shares a recent experience of adversity she had to go through. She details her struggles, her coping strategies, and what she learned about flow in the process–fascinating!

I also like how she introduces the reader to other people in the world of flow (e.g., Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). My favorite chapter was the one in which she explains how anxiety can get in the way of flow and how acceptance can be helpful in dealing with anxiety. I especially enjoyed the stories she shares about Steve Hayes, Kelly Wilson, and Akshay Nananvati–each of them found their own way to embrace and accept anxiety in order to live a happier, more… show more.

Love is a word that not many of us understand, but Buscaglia explains it so well. When people use the word "love," they express their understanding of love at that moment. There is no universal definition of love. Sometimes teens don’t know if they love themselves because it is not tangible. This book helps them know that they are worthy of that love. Love changed my life when I was in high school. It helped me understand myself and influenced my life purpose: to be kind and in solidarity with people. When I work with teens, they often feel untethered by not having, and not knowing, their purpose. In my book, I teach how important a goal is to feel good about yourself, and setting one is much simpler than you think it is! It helps motivate them to get over their anxiety.

While it’s generally agreed that our teens are going through a tougher time, I think that if we give them the skills to understand their own thinking they can ultimately come through this period stronger and more resilient. What’s more, we can’t just tell them how their minds work. They have to understand it for themselves. So that’s why I love this book which compresses the science for teens and gives them a ready-to-use tool kit for everything from handling worries to feeling better about their bodies.

Hyperbolic discounting is a term used in behavioral economics to describe our tendency to overvalue immediate gratification while undervaluing future rewards. When asked to choose between getting (A) one apple a year from now or (B) two apples a year and a day from now, people pick (B). However, if the choice is between getting (A) one apple today or (B) two apples tomorrow, people find (A) more attractive. Why is it so difficult to acquire good habits, like going to bed early or getting important work done, instead of playing with our smartphone? The idea of hyperbolic discounting offers a brilliant explanation, shedding light on the troublesome natures we humans possess. Although that’s not the main focus of this book, it’s still an excellent, easy-to-read introduction to behavioral economics.

While this book lacks the elegant organization of Collins or the memorable simplicity of Adizes or 4DX, it is stuffed with valuable wisdom.

It will be the longest read for your team, but it will make all of you better managers and give you specific traction points for organizational development and culture building. One of its fundamental points is particularly powerful for all of us: assume good intent. 

This book really completes the cycle of motivational targets: if the last book was about the individual, this one drills down further to students at school and university.

We often think young people don’t need motivation because they are young – they should have it, shouldn’t they? Covid 19, I think, has revealed very clearly the opposite. Here we have a clear, step-by-step guide including topics like what motivation is, why it’s important to have it, how to develop enthusiasm, how to set and achieve goals, how to improve your memory and concentration, and more besides.

Finally, this is all geared around being successful at college, and so its importance cannot be overemphasized.

What motivated “ordinary people” to risk their lives and their families’ lives to save Jews? I was especially interested to know because my father and his labor battalion of 140 Hungarian Jews were saved by their Commanding Officer. As a therapist, I wondered what personal and family characteristics made a difference. As a mother, I wanted to raise children who care about others and take action in the face of injustice.

Based on interviews with 700 rescuers and survivors, central was the rescuers’ sense of personal obligation to others which began with close family relationships and seeing their parents model caring behavior and ethical values. I remember hearing a rescuer sum it up, “I had to do it to be able to live with myself.”