What’s the key to a happy and fulfilling life? Is it money or health? Intelligence or ambition? More friends or better friends? According to thousands of years of expert advice, the secret to improving your life is a mix of all the above.
Anyone seeking self-help ideas faces an overwhelming amount of sometimes conflicting information. You could spend a lifetime exploring advice in sources ranging from the Bible and Aristotle’s scrolls to Dale Carnegie’s lectures and the millions of books and websites available today.
What’s missing is a comprehensive guide that showcases the best advice and demonstrates how to apply it to your life.
I encountered this situation during the pandemic when I started writing the Celebrations Pulse letter to stay connected with 1-800-Flowers.com’s customers and brands. The goal of the weekly letter wasn’t to sell products; rather, I aimed to foster community and offer insights on building stronger relationships.
The letter became more popular than I ever imagined, prompting me to dig deeper into the self-help library for inspiration. I began questioning how anyone could untangle and benefit from all this information.
While researching for a Celebrations Pulse letter, I found a fascinating article in Psychology Today about the pandemic’s impact on connection. It was written by Dr. George S. Everly, Jr., an esteemed clinical psychologist and public health expert who holds faculty positions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine.
Impressed by the article, I wrote to him asking if he’d like to chat. Soon after our first conversation, George and I started referring to ourselves as “COVID buddies.” Our friendship grew, and we discovered that we shared the desire to be the best versions of ourselves, help others do the same, and combat the epidemic of loneliness.
I invited George to join 1-800-Flowers.com’s Connectivity Council, a panel of experts who advised on topics and provided expertise for Celebrations Pulse. He introduced me to his community of psychologists while I extended introductions to my network of academic and business friends.
When he invited me to work on a book together, I was flattered. He suggested that writing a book would help focus our thoughts and share them with a wider audience. I immediately agreed.
Two years later, we’re publishing Lodestar, a self-help book unlike any other. It draws on themes from the most influential and credible self-help books of the last century—books that have collectively sold hundreds of millions of copies—and dives into those themes with insights and anecdotes from me, George, and other notable figures.
We began by conducting a factor analysis, comparing the content of each top book to determine which topics appeared most frequently. We then filtered the list through our own experiences and those of historical figures, celebrities, and our friends.
Lodestar explores key principles such as harnessing optimism, building resilience, improving time management, embracing happiness, and strengthening relationships. Most importantly, we show you how to make these top ideas work for you.
As we wrote in the introduction: “If you close this book feeling more equipped to find success—whether you want to make it on your own terms, make the world a better place, or simply make it through the challenges ahead—and to be kind to yourself and others along the way, our job here is done.”
Lodestar has been a labor of love for George and me. Working on this project deepened our bond, turning the process of research and writing into a journey of mutual growth and discovery.
Our collaboration was driven by a shared commitment to meaningful work that has the power to change lives. Partnering with someone who shares your vision adds a profound layer of satisfaction to a project. George’s friendship has been a true gift in my life.
We hope Lodestar becomes a beacon for those seeking to navigate their paths to success, happiness, and fulfillment. May this book serve as the starting point for your incredible journey toward becoming the best version of yourself.
