Living a Conscious Life: How to Find Peace, Wholeness, and Freedom in a Chaotic World

by Donald E. Johnson

Overview

Living a Conscious Life: How to Find Peace, Wholeness, and Freedom in a Chaotic World offers profound, prescriptive advice with a practical footing across a wide expanse of human experience. Grounded yet uplifting, factual yet inspiring, it can be considered a "user's manual for human beings" in its broad reach of topics, its depth of meaningful insights, and the transformation it brings to its readers. Johnson has brought a deep reverence to the diverse textures of his life experience in order to master the art of being human through awareness. Over the years, he has collected numerous incisive tools of consciousness to help bring success to every area of life. Not shying from difficult topics, in Living a Conscious Life, he delivers a thoughtful, one-of-a-kind guide to achieving perhaps the most-valuable goal in life: peace within oneself and success in the world. The book weaves together wisdom, humor, simple exercises and daily practices, and provocative questions to provide a read that is accessible, entertaining, easy to identify with, and profoundly effective. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590795637
Publisher:	SelectBooks
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Don Johnson is a former business, and sales leader turned writer, transformational coach, and leadership consultant. He is a top writer on Medium.com, where he shares life stories and lessons learned on his journey in and out of chaos with his over 12,400 followers (550,000+ views). https://medium.com/@donjohnsonwrites He is also the founder of the Integria Group, a boutique consulting firm offering transformative coaching, conscious leadership, and team-building solutions. https://www.integriagroup.com Don Johnson is a former business, and sales leader turned writer, transformational coach, and leadership consultant. He is a top writer on Medium.com, where he shares life stories and lessons learned on his journey in and out of chaos with his over 12,400 followers (550,000+ views). https://medium.com/@donjohnsonwrites He is also the founder of the Integria Group, a boutique consulting firm offering transformative coaching, conscious leadership, and team-building solutions. https://www.integriagroup.com

Table of Contents

CONTENTS Preface Introduction PART ONE For the Heart When You Live from the Heart, No One Forgets What You Leave Behind A Failed Vasectomy Changed My Life The Power of Healing Broken Relationships How to Light Up a Room without Stepping Inside The Path to Finding Love Can Be a Long, Winding Road You’ re The Only Person That Needs to Know How Good You Are Tenacity Pays Off Be Yourself— Not Someone Else Inspiration to Stir Your Soul PART TWO Nurturing the Inner World How I Reclaimed My Life after Ten Years in a Cult Happiness Comes from Learning to Play the Inner Game The Real Reason We Get into Stupid Arguments How to Face Your Limiting Beliefs and Transform Your Life The Stories You Tell Yourself Make or Break You. How to Weather the Storm in Your Head The Difference between Winning and Success Listening and Curiosity Make a Better World Two Phrases That Drain Our Power All Personal Growth Starts with an Ending Lessons from Black Holes PART THREE Building Meaningful Relationships Wisdom Begins When You Ask This One Question Four Steps to being Honest. Even When it’s Hard. Avoid Stupid Arguments with Verbal Aikido How to Be a More Interesting Conversationalist Opinions Are Not Facts We Behave Differently Because We’ re Wired Differently Practical Tips for Type A Personality Types Forget about Trying to Change Someone’s Mind How to Deal with Difficult People without Losing Your Mind Eight Easy Things Extraverts Can Do That Introverts Love Turn an Argument with your Partner into a Healing Conversation PART FOUR Living a More Fulfilling Life How to Get Deeper Meaning in Work and Life How to Recover from Losing Your Identity When You’ ve Only Lost Your Job Five Simple, Powerful Leadership Principles How to Quickly Size Up Someone’s Personality Style How to Survive the Dark Side of Corporate Life PART FIVE Meditation and Spirituality Five Things I’ve Learned From 49 Years of Meditation Five Ways to Fire Up Your Meditation Practice How to Reduce the Noise in Your Head Before You Meditate The Power and Beauty of Meditation Just One Habit to Deepen Your Meditation Practice The Importance of Being in a World Consumed with Doing Tips for More Inner Quiet PART SIX Navigating the Business World How to Get Deeper Meaning in Work and Life How to Recover from Losing Your Identity When You’ ve Only Lost Your Job Five Simple, Powerful Leadership Principles How to Quickly Size Up Someone’s Personality Style How to Survive the Dark Side of Corporate Life Acknowledgments Index About the Author

Editorial Reviews

03/18/2024

Leadership consultant Johnson debuts with a solid if somewhat scattered collection of life advice. Drawing from the 10 years he spent in an ashram, his professional career, and his personal relationships, Johnson offers lessons for inner growth that include dismantling limiting beliefs, practicing gratitude, and reframing challenges as sources of inspiration. Other sections tackle workplace upheavals (readers who feel they’ve “lost identity” after being laid off should develop new skills and focus on the “process, not the outcome” of their next job search) and interpersonal dynamics (when dealing with “difficult people,” keep in mind that “life is not about being right”). An extended section on meditation puts things in perspective: “True joy is not derived from people, places, or things.... It comes from the soul.” While the book’s patchwork structure means that the general principles (practice gratitude, be honest with oneself) tend to repeat, Johnson’s advice is effectively anchored by candid, vulnerable recollections of his failed relationships and marriages, the ups and downs of corporate America, and his winding spiritual journey, which included joining a cult after he graduated from college. Best dipped into and out of, it’s a motley array of wisdom from a colorful life. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Living a Conscious Life is a masterful blend of authentic and engaging personal stories, development frameworks, highly relevant quotes, and lots of practical applications. It’s well written with short, snappy sentences and digestible chapters.” —Jim Clemmer, international leadership author of Firing on All Cylinders: The Service/Quality System for High-Powered Corporate Performance

“Living a Conscious Life is one of the best personal development works I have read. What a great combination of story and best practices.” —Andi Lothian, Founder of Insights Learning & Development 

“Living a Conscious Life is a wonderful, practical companion to a path of personal growth, which when followed will lead to better choices, better outcomes, and greater well—being for self and those around us.” —Carolyn Taylor, author of Walking the Talk: Building a Culture for Success 

“If I had to describe Living a Conscious Life as a math equation it would be: Incredibly gifted writer + super important subject area = home run book that must be read. With the world where it is today, nothing is more critical than becoming more conscious. Don Johnson's beautifully written book will help people do just that.” —David Gerken, Former Writer for The West Wing, Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher 

“How often do we find ourselves living our life on autopilot? It doesn’t have to be this way. In this entertaining book, Don Johnson provides an easy-to-follow framework for living a more intentional life. By consciously unpacking mindsets, attitudes, and beliefs, Don gives you the tools to take control of your holistic destiny. This inspiring, yet imminently practical narrative, is a timeless read for all ages and professions.” —Lisa Earle McLeod, Bestselling Author, Selling with Noble Purpose 

“Living a Conscious Life is an honest story of one man, his struggles, and his triumphs. In the past, they were called the elders of the community, and their job was to pass their lifetime wisdom through storytelling. Don’s book offers the kind of knowledge that doesn’t teach but makes one think and choose their own path.” —Oxana Mikhaleva, LLM, Entrepreneur 

“Don is a natural and talented storyteller. In this book, he generously shares his life story and wisdom, sometimes hard-gained, with the reader. Each chapter gifts practical tips and suggestions to becoming more conscious.” —Jonny Miller, Human Engineer, Speaker, Entrepreneur 

 

“Don’s book is a must-read for anyone interested in self-discovery and exploring the path to peace, health, and happiness. Through his own journey of life experiences as monk, husband, father and corporate sales leader, Don encourages the reader to nurture their inner self, stay true to themselves and live life with honestly, respectfully and with gratitude.” —Joe Trueblood, CEO, Amplify Growth 

From the Publisher