Psychology

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.
— Steve Jobs

It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.
— Mark Twain

Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.
― Leonardo da Vinci

Mark Manson

One of my favorite authors (and now even a best-selling author). He gives “personal development [advice] that doesn’t suck” that I found particularly helpful, especially concerning relationships. Each of his favorite articles are in my opinion must reads:

Mark Manson’s best articles

Included in his list are my two all-time favorite articles:

The Most Important Question Of Your Life
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck [Also the title of his must-read book.]

 In addition, I also enjoyed the following articles:

Your Goals Are Overrated [the article that finally managed to motivate me enough to create my website]
Shut Up and Be Grateful
5 Things That Should Be Taught in Every School
3 Things School Taught You Without You Even Realizing It

And also his take about the above topic: Meditation: Why You Should Do It

Ted Talks

Most of my favorite talks are kind of psychology / life choice related, but here are the most important ones:

  1. Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address by Steve Jobs
  2. The Art Of Stillness by Pico Iyer
  3. How To Find Work You Love by Scott Dinsmore
  4. The Power Of Vulnerability by Brené Brown
  5. All It Takes Is 10 Mindful Minutes by Andy Puddicombe
  6. Why Some Of Us Don’t Have One True Calling by Emilie Wapnick
  7. Less Stuff, More Happiness by Graham Hill
  8. The Surprising Thing I Learned Sailing Solo Around The World by Dame Ellen MacArthur
  9. The Paradox Of Choice by Barry Schwartz
  10. Why You Will Fail To Have A Great Career by Larry Smith
  11. 10 Ways To Have A Better Conversation by Celeste Headlee
  12. Why We All Need To Practice Emotional First Aid by Guy Winch
  13. Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are by Amy Cuddy
  14. What Makes A Good Life? Lessons From The Longest Study On Happiness by Robert Waldinger
  15. The Happy Secret To Better Work by Shawn Achor
  16. In Praise Of Slowness by Carl Honoré
  17. The Puzzle Of Motivation by Dan Pink

The Tim Ferriss Show

I am also a big fan of the Tim Ferriss Show which is giving insights into the lives of some of the most interesting people on the planet – including many TEDsters. See the list of my favorite episodes here. His book: The 4-Hour Workweek is also a must read :).