Passion Perfect

The Perfect Passion Dating Company at No. 24 Mouse Lane in Edinburgh's New Town is run by Katie Donald who has an innate instinct for bringing people together. She has developed a skill for finding out what it is that people really want. Along the way, Katie learns profound lessons about her own desires as she works at better understanding others. Although Katie has little in the way of direct experience, with the help of her amiable and handsome office neighbour William Kidd, she soon finds herself making matches for the lonely hearts tired of meeting online – and who want a more personal touch. For fans of Alexander McCall Smith's many beloved series and romantic standalone novels, The Perfect Passion Company shows him at his most perceptive, playful, and generous. In the way that only McCall Smith can, this novel offers a glimpse inside the psychology of matchmaking, the search for love and companionship, and the mysterious spark of attraction that can, at times, catch hold of us all. Two stories that wind their way into this wonderful novel were previously available in different forms as e-book only shorts.

The coauthors of the bestselling Peak Performance dive into the fascinating science behind passion, showing how it can lead to a rich and meaningful life while also illuminating the ways in which it is a double-edged sword. Here’s how to cultivate a passion that will take you to great heights—while minimizing the risk of an equally great fall. Common advice is to find and follow your passion. A life of passion is a good life, or so we are told. But it's not that simple. Rarely is passion something that you just stumble upon, and the same drive that fuels breakthroughs—whether they're athletic, scientific, entrepreneurial, or artistic—can be every bit as destructive as it is productive. Yes, passion can be a wonderful gift, but only if you know how to channel it. If you're not careful, passion can become an awful curse, leading to endless seeking, suffering, and burnout. Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness once again team up, this time to demystify passion, showing readers how they can find and cultivate their passion, sustainably harness its power, and avoid its dangers. They ultimately argue that passion and balance--that other virtue touted by our culture--are incompatible, and that to find your passion, you must lose balance. And that's not always a bad thing. They show readers how to develop the right kind of passion, the kind that lets you achieve great things without ruining your life. Swift, compact, and powerful, this thought-provoking book combines captivating stories of extraordinarily passionate individuals with the latest science on the biological and psychological factors that give rise to—and every bit as important, sustain—passion.

The coauthors of the bestselling Peak Performance dive into the fascinating science behind passion, showing how it can lead to a rich and meaningful life while also illuminating the ways in which it is a double-edged sword. Here’s how to cultivate a passion that will take you to great heights—while minimizing the risk of an equally great fall. Common advice is to find and follow your passion. A life of passion is a good life, or so we are told. But it's not that simple. Rarely is passion something that you just stumble upon, and the same drive that fuels breakthroughs—whether they're athletic, scientific, entrepreneurial, or artistic—can be every bit as destructive as it is productive. Yes, passion can be a wonderful gift, but only if you know how to channel it. If you're not careful, passion can become an awful curse, leading to endless seeking, suffering, and burnout. Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness once again team up, this time to demystify passion, showing readers how they can find and cultivate their passion, sustainably harness its power, and avoid its dangers. They ultimately argue that passion and balance--that other virtue touted by our culture--are incompatible, and that to find your passion, you must lose balance. And that's not always a bad thing. They show readers how to develop the right kind of passion, the kind that lets you achieve great things without ruining your life. Swift, compact, and powerful, this thought-provoking book combines captivating stories of extraordinarily passionate individuals with the latest science on the biological and psychological factors that give rise to—and every bit as important, sustain—passion.

In this sublime book the minds of two mystics intermingle in a work of inspired vision and clarity. Jalalud-Din Rumi, enlightened spiritualist poet of Sufism, has been venerated by Moslems everywhere since his death in 1273. No other poet in history—not even Shakespeare or Dante—has made so exalted and comprehensive an impact on his own civilization, and in the latter part of the twentieth century he has become, for people of every race and creed, the poet of the new mystical Renaissance that is slowly but surely coming to its flowering. No one has done more than Andrew Harvey to spread popular awareness of Rumi’s message. Himself a charismatic mystic, he has spent the last twenty years of his life in search of the essential truths that could transform the spiritual barrenness at the heart of modern Western civilization. In his books Love’s Fire and Speaking Flame he has re-created Rumi’s poems with a brilliance that speaks eloquently to us today. The Way of Passion draws on the poems to present a guide to the contemporary spiritual and ecological crisis. Each chapter, Harvey tells us, is “a dance, a dance of mirrors, in which essential spiritual themes return to be reflected in different constellations and harmonies, a dance around Rumi and that mystery of Love he lived and expressed so completely.” Inspired by Rumi’s voice and by his own startling ability to see into the innermost heart of life, Harvey urges us to change, to have faith and to act through Love to transform this time of Apocalypse into the time of Resurrection. The passion of his words shines from the pages with an intensity that can embrace and inspire us all.

Gold Medal Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award in Business & Economics In an era of economic uncertainty, layoffs, and hiring freezes, creating and promoting a top-flight personal brand that stands out in the crowd is more important than ever. In Fresh Passion: Get a Brand Or Die A Generic, Michael D. Brown shows you how to employ the Fresh Passion methodology to build a personal brand that will maximize your potential and help you to achieve success beyond your dreams in whatever field you choose. Whether you are an executive, an entrepreneur, a tradesperson, an educator, a student, or a member of any other vocation, Fresh Passion is the pathway to outperform and outshine your peers and competitors and obtain the professional and personal rewards you deserve. Brown outlines the Fresh Passion method in easy-to-follow detail, with plenty of interactive worksheets and quizzes to keep you engaged in the process and on the right track. You will discover how to create an entire experience you can present to employers, bosses, clients, and co-workers that will leave them begging for your services and expertise. With Fresh Passion, you can avoid the pitfalls of a generic career and instead obtain the benefits that come from being a branded entity. Inject some Fresh Passion into your life and your career today! It’s never too soon to prevent a generic death and never too late to create a winning brand that will guarantee you long-term personal and professional success that does not waver?even when the economy starts to shake.

The concept of passion is one we regularly use to describe our interests, and yet there is no broad theory that can explain the development and consequences of passion for activities across people's lives. In The Psychology of Passion, Robert J. Vallerand presents the first such theory, providing a complete presentation of the Dualistic Model of Passion and the empirical evidence that supports it. Vallerand conceives of two types of passion: harmonious passion, which remains under the person's control, and obsessive passion, which controls the person. While the first typically leads to adaptive behaviors, the obsessive form of passion leads to less adaptive and, at times, maladaptive behaviors. Vallerand highlights the effects of these two types of passion on a number of psychological phenomena, such as cognition, emotions, performance, relationships, aggression, and violence. He also discusses the development of passion and reviews a range of literature on passion for activities.

This book examines how early Christians cultivated affective compassion as a virtue in a Roman world that valued emotional tranquillity.

A cross between The Promise of a Pencil and She Means Business, this book from the co-founder of a charity dedicated to bringing education to students in rural Kenya demonstrates how finding your purpose can change the world and change your life. THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR YOUR BIG DREAM! Imagine if everyone took a few minutes each day to make the world a better place using their unique talents fueled by their deepest passions. What an amazing world we would live in! This book is your guide to discovering your passion, living your purpose, and making a positive impact on the world. Amy McLaren's passion for world travel and education kickstarted her journey from unfulfilled schoolteacher to the purpose-driven founder of Village Impact, a charity that provides education for nearly 5,000 kids in Kenya in partnership with local communities. But this book isn't about doing exactly what Amy did or following a template to start a business or non-profit--it's about making your big dream into a reality. Learn how to: Feed your brain with possibility to discover your passion. Surround yourself with positivity and support. Tap into the strengths and connections you already have. Get out of your comfort zone and eliminate self-doubt for good. Trust in yourself and have faith that things will work out. Leave a legacy of good.