Five must-read books to for health and happiness.

May 25, 12:44 PMPortland Health and Happiness ExaminerChris Trout

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The definition of overwhelmed? Standing in front of the self-help section at your local big box bookstore. How do you sort through all that clutter to find the best of the best? Here are five recommendations to get you started. From the practical to the spiritual, each ends up with the same core conclusions:

1. We each have a remarkable inner navigation system to guide us to our own happiness.
2. The most powerful change tools available to us are our thoughts and our imagination.

These are books to change your life.

Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham, is a practical exploration of the life and work-changing ideas that grew out of decades of research by the Gallup Organization. If you want to go right back to the source (and if you like online surveys instead of self-reflection), check out Now, Discover Your Strengths by Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.

Stumbling On Happiness, by Harvard psychology professor Daniel Gilbert, is am entertaining and highly informative exploration of the nature of our minds as revealed through dozens of research studies. Don't let the word "research" throw you. You'll feel more like you've just had a hilarious evening with Gilbert rather than a three hour college lecture.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Pocketbook Guide to Fulfilling Your Dreams, by Deepak Chopra, comes from a spiritual perspective, yet feels highly practical. You will find yourself nodding as you recognize truth after truth, and understand how these strategies can be integrated into your life.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book, by Don Miguel Ruiz, will challenge your sense of reality. Yet, you won't want to put it down. It's novel-like feel will keep you turning the pages, wanting to know more about this ancient insight into how we become who we are - and how we can return to our more authentic selves.

Change the Way You See Yourself: Through Asset-Based Thinking, by by Kathryn D. Cramer, Hank Wasiak, returns to the light and inspirational. If you like books with lots of graphics, photos, different size fonts, and short articles, this one is for you. The premise is simple: Look at yourself through a positive lens and you get different results. This is the sequel to their equally fun, Change the Way You See Everything through Asset-Based Thinking.

So there you go. Not a comprehensive list, but a great place to start. Enjoy! 

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