Few of us, if any, get through the day feeling as though there is nothing that could have been improved. The desire to make things better is an essential element of being human, and most of us actively wish that aspects of our lives were better in some way. Sometimes it’s the little things that bother us—like a smartphone distracting us with beeps or dings while we’re trying to have a face-to-face conversation. At other times, we wrestle with larger problems, such as an inability to resolve a conflict with our partner. In between, we may wish we were in better shape, want our memory to be sharper, desire more refreshing sleep, or strive for a sense of connection with something greater than ourselves. There are all sorts of ways we could improve our lives . . . if only we had the tools to do so.

Most of us, however, are not used to thinking about self-improvement in these terms. We may resist the idea that we need to use a tool to achieve the results we seek. Perhaps applying the concept of tools to sensitive parts of our lives, such as our psyches, seems mechanical and inhuman, or we resist the connotation that there is something wrong with us that needs to be fixed. The tools in this book, however, are not necessarily meant to repair anything or anyone, or even imply that anyone is broken. They are simply processes, methods, and techniques that offer the possibility of better outcomes tomorrow than we can achieve today.

Few of us, if any, get through the day feeling as though there is nothing that could have been improved. The desire to make things better is an essential element of being human, and most of us actively wish that aspects of our lives were better in some way. Sometimes it’s the little things that bother us—like a smartphone distracting us with beeps or dings while we’re trying to have a face-to-face conversation. At other times, we wrestle with larger problems, such as an inability to resolve a conflict with our partner. In between, we may wish we were in better shape, want our memory to be sharper, desire more refreshing sleep, or strive for a sense of connection with something greater than ourselves. There are all sorts of ways we could improve our lives . . . if only we had the tools to do so.

Most of us, however, are not used to thinking about self-improvement in these terms. We may resist the idea that we need to use a tool to achieve the results we seek. Perhaps applying the concept of tools to sensitive parts of our lives, such as our psyches, seems mechanical and inhuman, or we resist the connotation that there is something wrong with us that needs to be fixed. The tools in this book, however, are not necessarily meant to repair anything or anyone, or even imply that anyone is broken. They are simply processes, methods, and techniques that offer the possibility of better outcomes tomorrow than we can achieve today.