The Self Help Classics iPhone E-book collection

Created using my own personal iPhone ebook software (TouchBooksReader), this book collection follows the same basic idea of the famous Classics.app of Andrew Kaz and Phill Ryu : a hand-picked bookshelf of major classic masterpieces in the fields of Self Help, Personal Improvement or Productivity.


So far, Self Help Classics contains:

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – the biggest seller of Hill’s books, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, and probably the most successful motivational book in history
• The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and Joseph Berg Esenwein – a best-seller in all its re-editions, since 1915 to the present. Learn how to talk to conferences, how to sustain presentations and to become a captivating and charismatic speaker.
• The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles – has been cited by the author of the bestselling The Secret as a primary source
• The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel – developer of the Law of Attraction theory, which has been acknowledged as one of the primary sources for The Secret.
• Benjamin Franklin’s The Way to Wealth – a famous essay written in 1758 for the Poor Richard’s Almanac
• Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell – originated as a speech, one of the most successful in its times, delivered over 6,000 times around the world. It became a short book the success of which financed the creation of Temple University

And here comes the fun and really interesting part:

1. there’s a SPECIAL SALE for the first few days of the app launch: $0.99 instead of the regular $2.99! Don’t miss it, it’s a limited time offer!
2. In the following free updates I’ll be adding to this impressive pack other classics about success, self improvement, wealth, business or entrepreneurship. This is where you can join in: either by using the TouchBooksReader contact form or by leaving a comment below, you can suggest any number of major works to be included in the Self Help Classics collection. The one criterion is that you recommend real classics – we only want to publish great classic works that stood the test of time.
   
   The authors of the first 5 comments will automatically get free promotional codes for downloading Self Help Classics on their iPhone/iPod Touch.
   
   The best 5 suggestions will receive promo codes for both Self Help Classics and the fairy tales ebook Wonderful Stories Collection.
   
   Even if you don’t have a iPhone / iPod Touch, you can still join in the discussion and share your ideas.
   
3. Also, promotional free access codes will also be given to the first 10 bloggers who blog about Self Help Classics (at their choice, one promotional code for any of my iPhone ebook apps)!

What do you say? Care for a comment or suggestion?

Update:
It just came to my attention that the aforementioned promotional codes only work in the US version of the AppStore. Sorry to my non-US readers out there.

In my freshman year of college(Computer Science) I was just discovering the Internet and the vast information one could get from it. Those were the days of MsDOS, Windows 95 and Windows 98, and my geek hobby back then was to subscribe to e-zines of the underground computer virus geeks. I never learned to build a computer virus(it’s bad, evil and it turns you into a criminal) but, being young and restless, I enjoyed reading how one could conceive such software that resembled most to real life-forms – the smallest and code efficient possible, which could replicate, mutate and propagate around. Nothing much stuck with me from that wild age except for a broader understanding of computers, operating systems and assembly language and, completely unrelated, the tale of one of those virus developers.

The guy was stuck at some point trying to understand how to work around the limitations(security) of Windows 98; he had tried all ideas that came to mind, and was starting to get desperate and frustrated. Yet, at one moment, he decided to just lay back. Closed the monitor, closed his eyes. Tried to think of nothing. Quarter of hour later he was coding furiously and excited. His (memory quote) computer coding Zen had struck again.

Without naming it, I’ve been using this method since highschool; now, in my computer programmer existence, I use it more than ever. Whenever I’m facing a bug I can’t understand, whenever something eludes me no matter how hard I try or how much documentation I read, I will stop.

I breathe, I take a walk around the office, get some water from the watercooler. Chat with friends. When coming back to my computer, 10 minutes later, I close my eyes and try to think of nothing. Call it Zen meditation if you prefer; call it  yourKitKat moment.

I prefer to call it Seiza – the seated 1 minute meditation before martial arts training. Letting my mind free of all thoughts is just what we perceive on the outside; on the inside, our subconscious keeps working, freed from the outside stimuli and conscious noise.

More often than once, stepping back is all it takes to solve even the biggest problem.

[photo courtesy of Flickr]

You might already know Robert Scoble reads 622 RSS feeds each morning. But I’m not him, I don’t even want to. My brain is too tiny to even try to skim through such information; my time is too precious to spend it reading that many posts – I’d rather linger in bed some more. So I dare suggest a different approach to reading 728 new feed articles in less than 1 second:
…(suspense)
…

Mark all as read – just skip over; delete them; erase them.

You knew this was coming. It’s a no brainer – if you feel overwhelmed by otherwise trivial things, the smartest thing to do once in a while is just cut back. You knew it was coming, yet so few of us actually apply this. Whether it’s about iCal meetings that no longer give you time to see your family, or about bulk mail piling up, or even social events you must attend or else. Really now, get serious, nothing is as important as it seems, and few things are really life changing.

How many life changing feed articles have you read the last year? Can you survive for one day/week/month without learning about the latest Windows Vista shortcut, or the Top 10 ways you should walk your Cat?
I think you can, as you can survive without reading this article too. So, instead of stressing over the accumulating unread email, paper mail or unread feed items, just do the clean cut, destroy the Gordian knot and start anew. The feeling of liberation is totally worth it.
[tags]feed reading, google reader, gordian knot[/tags]

Then I remembered an article I had read over here: people who smile get happier, even against their will. Our brain is so used to associating the feeling with the gesture that it actually works both ways.

Angry as I was, I forced myself to smile. And, against all odds, it worked: I instantly felt better. Like magic.

So, yes, here’s the magic tip – whenever you feel down, just SMILE! Doesn’t matter what you’re thinking of. Just smile.

That’s it. The single best happiness tip.

Enjoy

This is the last of a 3 article series on dealing with the stress of an upcoming event. We talk about an exam, but most tips apply to tests, interviews, business meetings.
Go read, if you haven’t already, Part 1 – The evening before
and Part 2 – The morning before

Stress handling during the exam

Pointers:

If blocked out, breathe
Don’t panic
take a break, think of something else
break the writer’s block – write down anything
reread the subjects
underline the key points
sketch out ideas of solutions

The exam has just started – the test subjects have been given. If you’re prepared and stress free, go for it, don’t waste useful time.

If not, you might feel blocked out – nothing seems familiar, no idea comes. Stop for a minute or two. Breathe, look around. Try not to think of the subjects in front of you for a while. Write down your name, age, etc…

Then, slowly, get started reading the subjects. Start copying the requests, underline what seems important. Let the zen mind and spirit come to you.

Even now, don’t rush into it. First read them all and underline the key points of each. Once again.

Then, pick whichever looks easier to solve and try to do sketch the solution or steps to it on a side-sheet. Don’t rush into solving it, just think a bit of how you could approach it. Then, pick the next in line. See? You already noted a few things down, your brain starts working again. The rest is up to you.

This is part 2 of a 3 article series on dealing with the stress of an upcoming event. We talk about an exam, but most tips apply to tests, interviews, business meetings.
Go read, if you haven’t already, Part 1 – The evening before
and, once you’re done with this one, continue with Part 3 – Handling the stress during

I guess you had a nice pleasant sleep after all the relaxation from the evening before. Or, yet again, maybe you didn’t. You woke up at 6 AM although your exam, interview or presentation only starts at 10 AM. You might have had nightmares that you went unprepared and woke up sweating in fear.

The morning of the event

Pointers:

Last minute study almost never works
Personal calming ritual: familiar gestures, focus on the senses
Healthy breakfast
Look briefly over your keynotes
Get there half an hour before
Talk to others

Don’t rush to study. It can’t help you much now, can it? Instead, go start your daily calming ritual. Everyone has a calming ritual, a routine, superstition or quirk before the major events. In my case, here they are:

Get energized. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, tea or natural juice. Go out on the balcony and admire the sunrise while slowly eating a french croissant, a french toast or any solid food you can get. The eating/drinking ritual are familiar gestures that if done slowly will eventually calm you.

Any familiar ritual or gesture is helpful against stress, especially if it involves concentrating on the senses, not the thoughts. What do you think about doing some invigorating exercise followed by a Scottish shower (alternate hot with cold water for several seconds each) to get your body moving and cast the sleep away? Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Eat healthily. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day not necessarily because it needs to be a rich one, but because it can’t be skipped. Your brain absolutely needs the energy boost. Your stomach as well. Don’t get shy eating a sandwich or two in the morning – you don’t want to get hungry or even faint from low glucose levels, do you?

If you are really anxious and want to study, don’t overdo it. Just skim briefly over the subjects you are least prepared for. Look over the notes from the previous evening, where you’ve summed up the most important things to remember. Don’t spend more then 10 minutes on it. If you’re not prepared for it, you’ll never be. Just go for it, worries behind, trying to focus on the spot.

Try to get to the target half an hour before schedule. Use the remaining time to relieve stress and get ready for the event. Get your gear out and ready. Test it. Breathe calmly, if you are too tired try to close your eyes and relax. One great stress relief is to introduce yourself to others, talk, chit-chat, socialize. You’ll see others are nervous about the BIG event too – there’s nothing to worry about, you are just as prepared as they are.

This is part 1 of a 3 article series on dealing with the stress of an upcoming event. We talk about an exam, but most tips apply to tests, interviews, business meetings.
Once you’re done with this one, continue with Part 2 – The morning before and Part 3 – Handling the stress during

I don’t handle stress very well. When I was a little tiny insignificant secondary school student, the stress before exams was unbearable – I felt sick, couldn’t focus, couldn’t remember a thing. Luckily I grew up and now, after being through a LOT of such experiences, I developed my own stress-handling routine – it’s now a habit that I apply subconsciously, whenever facing a stressful upcoming event – exam, interview or business meeting.

Let’s, for the story sake, assume you’re having a final exam for a class with a high failure rate. Or, if you prefer, a job interview with lots of applicants and several tests involved. Stress is building up in stages, starting with the evening before the event. Try to follow along the most important stress relief pointers:

The evening before

Pointers:

Don’t do all nighters
Stop all study before nightfall
Take a break and do something else
Meditate
Exercise
Use your last hour wisely – quizzes, reviews, write things down – notes for yourself.
Prepare the gear

The day before the exam you usually try to get yourself pumped up by studying as much as you can. When evening comes, panic strikes – you feel as if you’re not prepared, you consider getting high on caffeine to stay up all night, for an all-night study.

Don’t! Being tired before an exam actually makes you more stupid. [read my previous articles on how to ace your exams, boost your iq, or this NewScientist article]

When I was in college I had Karate training on Monday and Wednesday evenings. More than once it happened the evening before some really difficult exams. At first I skipped sports training and went study instead – I was feeling like I couldn’t afford wasting two vital hours NOT studying.

Luckily, I soon discovered that studying right before the exam only makes a mess of all knowledge in the brain, and that the best thing I could do was actually make some sports the evening before. You tire your brain and mix all the knowledge up, instead of letting it settle and self organize.

The intense physical exercise releases endorphins which relax the mind and improve memory. Not thinking at the exam/test/interview is a well-deserved rest for your tired brain, which gets time to assimilate the knowledge and strengthens the involved synapses.

One other thing I discovered during Karate training was the calming effect of the seated(Seiza) meditation at the beginning and end – you let your mind be like water, clear of any thoughts and worries. Once the training was over, I was energized enough to be able to study a couple of hours more, if I wanted or needed to.

Even if you don’t have in schedule a particular sports training, you can still apply the same lessons:

Take a break when evening approaches. Stop, no more studying. Even though you feel that you don’t remember anything, take a break.

Try to do some physical exercise – pushups, jogging, even a long walk in a nearby park. The endorphins will do you good and help relieve the stress – (oh, btw, sex is also a well-known stress relief which also releases endorphins – but I guess you already know this)

If unable or unwilling to exercise, try at least to relax [here's a few pointers - link....]. Go out on the balcony and drink a nice glass of ice tea(careful, no caffeine).

Meditate – close your eyes, breathe deeply, clear your mind of all thoughts. Just sit, in a dim light, eyes shut, trying to breathe regularly, thinking of nothing but nothingness. Remain this way until you feel completely void of worries.

What if you really have the urge to study some more? Here’s a tip – don’t go blindly read stuff. Instead, try to write down lists of the important points you need to remember – can be important formulas or topics for exams, keynote outline for a presentation. Organizing your ideas in writing is the best way to remember things and discover your weakest points. [in case you missed it, go check my previous article on studying for exams]

One last thing you can and should do in the evening is to get the gear ready for the upcoming event: If it’s a presentation then prepare the slides, charge your laptop and your phone, get your USB key, wireless mouse, various adapters. Don’t forget your business cards, moleskin, pen. Put them all in your laptop bag so you make sure the next morning you won’t forget them.

Similar advice for students – prepare your material the evening before. Get your clothes ready – inspect them and put them on a hanger in sight – who knows, next morning you might be in a hurry and have to get dressed in only a few minutes.

Set your alarm clock at a reasonable hour – not the middle of the night, but not too late either. Make it so that if bad things happen, you still have lots of time to get to the meeting/interview in time.

1. I’m a nice person – I often help old people open doors and carry grocery bags for them. I also most often offer my seat in the bus or subway to the elderly, the sick or to women(be they pregnant or not). But occasionally I DON’T WANNA – I want to enjoy the trip a bit. It doesn’t make me a jerk, just an ordinary passenger. Young people may be feeling sick or tired as well, while some elder people may be feeling better than them. Off course, anyone who is not sick, old or pregnant and occupies the seats in the bus or train that are specially marked for them is a jerk and should be warned so, fined or thrown out of the train. Me, I never sit there.
2. I don’t use to talk to strangers in the subway – it’s weird at the least. But I met some beautiful girls this way. I also think that people are a bit too afraid of each other – socializing is good – it all depends on the circumstances.
3. I don’t encourage people to be jerks, push others around or take others’ space. But I also don’t like it when others do it to me. And, man, this happens all the time in the crowded subway trains around here – over expansive guys that take one seat and a half, squeezing me like I was furniture; business guys whose briefcases hit me occasionally. No, I don’t think being a doormat will help fix this – using their weapons against them will. My tips – be the alpha male and mark your space are therefore to be used wisely and only when other methods don’t work. Don’t be a jerk – instead, help fight the jerks.

These being said, let’s take a look at the most useful comments I had on the subject:

Red says to “go to sleep”. This might work in Japan, but at least in Europe, you risk waking up without your wallet and miles past your destination.

Rasti warns you how to spot pickpockets in Barcelona – Be cautious if you see a group of 3 or more people (generally male) trying to look casual and unconcerned but blocking your way out from the train when there is a lot of empty around.

Phill says that Please take bags off and keep the between your feet – it makes more space yet the wider legs ensure space. It contradicts what I wrote, but it makes sense and minimizes the chance of being robbed.

Malcolm has great tips on the London subway – go to the end of the train and open windows; plus, the obvious, if your destination is close, just walk.

Kevin Bracken suggests to take a job slightly off-hours. You get to avoid the rush hour and get to work and back home more relaxed and in less time. When you take a new job, you could ask, for instance, what their policy is towards the working hours – if it’s flexible enough, you could try this.

Matt says that, as a frequent commuter, he learned which car has the most seats. So.. keep on eye on patterns.

Lizzybee recommends Noise Canceling Headphones and preparing your exit – start moving towards the door one or two stops before the destination.

Tymian writes :

I can see what he meant with the assertivity, though. I no longer give in to people pushing into me- I used to move aside or squish against the wall to let them pass, but what would happen all too often was that the person would move up next to me instead of further down. And I’d be stuck in the weird position I took just so they could squeeze past me. Not funny.

No matter how smart you are, there’s always place for improvement. While the subject has been covered by LOTS of blogs, and although we really can’t add anything new, there’s always place for a quick “Best Tips” and “Best Resources” roundup list

Best Tips Roundup

1. Exercise – the Romans used to say “Mens sana in corpore sano” – Healthy mind in a healthy body – I really can’t comment enough on this one. Take long walks in the nature, pick up a favorite sport to practice, etc. It is the best way to boost one’s cerebral power.
2. Don’t eat junk – the less junk food, the more natural products – milk, vegetables, fish and fruit are known to help the organism and the brain especially. Oh, and creatine(found in red meat) seems to help a bit, too.
3. Don’t read junk – your attention and memory are of high value – don’t waste them reading daily news and celebrity gossip. Bring quality into your intellectual life and the results will follow Aim to read some classics instead – major poetry or novels you hated in your English class, major essays, history, art or science.
4. Be curious, Ask questions, Aim to answer – No, curiosity didn’t actually kill the cat. High IQ is in close correlation with high curiosity. Don’t be ashamed to ask questions, don’t be ashamed to search for answers on the web. Always aim to study some more, even if college ended years ago for you. Pick up new languages, new skills, new hobbies, or simply browse around Wikipedia and see what interesting things you can learn. Oh, yes, learning improves the IQ like nothing else.
5. Don’t panic. Relax. – breaks, relaxation and meditation are great for rebooting the brain. Have a problem you’re stuck with and don’t see the solution? Step back, change the context, think of something else. Most times the solution will come after a while, in a completely unrelated context.
6. Force the brain! Do things differently – use the computer mouse with the other hand, do stuff around the house with the eyes shut, switch hands in daily tasks, struggle to move muscles you didn’t know you had (who of the audience can move the smallest toe independent to the others?) – this will exercise unused parts of your brain and boost them.
7. Nothing is really forgotten – really now, memory is like an enormous hard-drive, it can store A LOT. What you have to do, however, is to defragment it once in a while and try to use some Google search spider on it. Namely, try to remember as many things as you can from as various contexts as possible. This will improve synapses and help you retrieve information in the future.
8. Sleep healthily – experiments on students have shown that being tired is like having a much lower IQ. So… don’t get too tired – sleep regularly and healthily

I could go on and on, but it’s better I point you to some other great articles on the subject:

Best Tips Links Roundup

1. Wikipedia’s entry on the IQ
2. NewScientist – 11 steps to a better brain
3. online free version of the cool How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition book
4. Boost Your Brainpower! – Five ways to get your gray matter going.
5. How to Boost Your Brain Power
6. RirianProject – 22 ways to overclock your brain
7. NewScientist – meditation helps your brain
8. Solve Tough Problems with a Brain Reboot

What about getting smarter while procrastinating? The answer is simple – mind games. There’s a plethora of brain games out there that help you improve your attention, memory, cognitive and language skills and logical thinking. I’ll only list a couple of the most famous:

1. Lumosity Lumosity is the brain fitness program designed by neuroscientists that is scientifically demonstrated to improve your memory, attention and processing speed.
2. Crossword puzzles
3. Sudoku
4. IQ tests
5. Memory games – plenty of those around, I can’t really chose one link

Update, 30 May 2007 – Sometimes hack is the wrong keyword. I learned this the hard way as this article, Survival hacks in crowded subways, got on Digg homepage which led to me getting a LOT of evil comments, ranging from this ain’t a hack, you’re a hack to common sense has never been a hack or you’re a f**k and a jerk. What can I say but apologize for an uninspired title? A more accurate one could have been 5 obvious things to do if the subway is crowded. But inspiration came otherwise, and for that I sincerely apologize to all readers who misunderstood the message, didn’t see it’s irony and were disappointed by a funny/how to/not to list.
Still.. the hatred of some private messages or comments I received still makes me shiver as I remember Kathy. So, once again, sorry if my lame article annoyed or offended you; its purpose was just to entertain, at most…

Hate the crowded train or subway? Hate to be squeezed like a tomato between sweating strangers? These tips can be a lifesaver.

Are you one of the tens of millions who, every morning, have to commute by subway or train to their day jobs? I feel your pain, as I was one of you, daily being squished in the side of the wagon by sweaty crowds of other commuters. Here are some tips I use to make my daily commuting a bit more comfortable.

• Pick the place where you stand
  Obviously, if you hate crowds, first of all you should avoid them. If you take the sub for more than one station, you shouldn’t stay by the doors – advance instead towards the center, where less people are bound to gather.
• Pick the place where you sit
  When you get back from work, if the train is crowded but you spot an empty seat, go for it. Being polite and offering your seat to the hot blonde is great once in a while, but it will ruin you if you do it every day. From time to time you have the right to indulge yourself with a bit of rest after work.What if the train you take isn’t crowded yet but you know it will be packed by the time you get to destination? You have the choice of the seating place. Try to pick it with an exit strategy in mind: pick the one that minimizes the crossing of the crowd – the closest one to the door will do.

The vital space

The reason you feel uncomfortable when being squished against strangers is because you need your vital space. This comes from the primitive animal nature: our survival instincts start red alerting us whenever we let strangers get too close – we feel this as the sensation of discomfort or anxiety; the bigger/more dangerous the stranger, the bigger the space we need to stay away from it.

It’s a no brainer – in order to feel more comfortable, we need to feel secure, at distance from danger and strangers.

• Mark your territory
  Remember, what makes you feel more secure(and comfortable) is having strangers away from you.So go ahead, try this – when you get on your next crowded subway/bus/train, try to occupy the most space as possible; keep others AWAY – keep your arms a bit wider from you, keep your backpack on the back instead of at your feet, make larger arms gestures whenever possible, etc.You don’t need to have “clear space” around you to make yourself more comfortable. Whether you are seated or standing, you can keep the crowd away from you by marking your territory with clothes, accessories, luggage, etc. For instance, if you keep your jacket or luggage in your hand or on your seat, barely trespassing the space of your neighbors, you are actually making THEM feel uncomfortable – though they probably won’t be able to see why ; hopefully they will step back a bit, preys of your evil space-domination plan.
• Be the alpha male – look powerful
  All animals(humans included) keep their distance from the powerful alpha males. The vital space is proportional to the importance of the animal. An alpha male will benefit from a larger space, as the weaker ones will tremble in fear and step back.The nice trick here is that you don’t really have to BE a dangerous fellow. In order to maximize your vital space and push the crowd back, all it takes is to look powerful and confident. Not to mention you will probably hook up with some girls along the way – everyone loves a secure and confident guy.How can you do it? I’ll write about this some more in some future articles, but here’s the short version: it’s all in the attitude, language and body language:When you speak, do it a bit louder than usual with larger, confident hand gestures; when you walk try to look big and important; when you seat, keep your feet spread and your arms apart; instead of looking humble, look secure. When it’ll work, you’ll know – people will start perceiving you as a secure, important fellow, an alpha male they need to keep their distance from. Careful though, not to overreact – you don’t want to look obnoxious, loud and aggressive, do you?
• Make your trip more enjoyable
  Keep yourself busy while commuting. Make some use of this otherwise wasted time. Time goes a lot faster if you enjoy yourself. Here’s some things I love doing on the subway:
  • play mobile phone games – an exciting yet easy-to-play mobile game turns a boring trip into a gaming session
  • read a book – there’s a reason why pocket-sized books are shaped as such – great for getting them out of your pocket in between stations, the time to read a couple of pages.
  • talk to people – people you might know or even strangers sitting next to you – there’s always time for networking
  • relax and meditate – perhaps with the help of your favorite music, just sit back, watch the scenery and try to relax. Might be hard in the crowd, but it’s an art worth mastering.
• Make your trip educational
  • read the latest rss feeds on your phone or pda
  • solve mental science problems and try to remember your forgotten college knowledge – how many golf balls fit in a subway train? What’s the volume of your shoe? What’s the friction between the subway wheel and the track?
  • listen to an instructive audiobook or to your favorite podcasts
  • observe others – you can learn A LOT on human psychology by just looking around – see how other react, what they say, how they say it.

Conclusion

Here they were, some tips for more enjoyable commuting. Remember, what I wrote above is not maths nor law. Your subway might never be crowded, you might be one to enjoy being squished against a random stranger or maybe the commute is so crowded you can’t do anything about it but try to survive. Me, I use most of them whenever traveling by train or subway, and I’m having fun.