Become Who You Are: A New Theory of Self-Esteem, Human Greatness, and the Opposite of Depression

From the author of the international bestseller Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture comes "a paradigm-challenging new look at real happiness." - Kirkus Reviews After spending over a decade researching the psychology and philosophy of well-being, and even writing his first book on the topic, it took a struggle with his own mental health for Ryan A Bush to integrate the data he had studied to form a groundbreaking new psychological theory. Become Who You Are argues that the peak form of human happiness is determined, not by pleasure or pain, loss or gain, but by the admirability we observe in our own behaviors. "From post-traumatic growth to postpartum depression, the many counterintuitive stories of happiness actually all tell the same tale. Our overall well-being does not correspond to the surface-level events to which we tend to attribute it. But it corresponds perfectly to something else-something going on beneath the surface of our external outcomes." This philosophy-infused self-development guide takes readers on a kaleidoscopic journey through Stoic philosophy and neuropsychology - Nietzschean virtue ethics and evolutionary psychology-spiritual wisdom and psychotherapy. It offers a moving account of Ryan's own descent into depression, his climb back to flourishing, and the ambitious new framework this journey led him to that we can use to decode and direct our lives. "The good life is not the sum of simple pleasure or the fruit of success. Its essence is not comfort, struggle, purpose, or even love. You don't need meaning. You need virtue." Become Who You Are: A New Theory of Self-Esteem, Human Greatness, and the Opposite of Depression is Bush's best, most rigorous, and most personal work to date. The theory it presents will have radical implications for our understanding of the mind and countless individual lives. And it will provide readers with an invaluable guide for reaching the peaks of flourishing and a powerful call to personal greatness.

About the Author :
Ryan A Bush is a thinker and designer focused on building better systems, better people, and a better future. As founder of Designing the Mind, Ryan's central purpose is to provide wisdom education and expand human potential beyond the norm.Ryan's background is in the design of systems - he has worked with tech startups to design and develop everything from patented physical products, to software, to buildings, to business models. But his most relevant credential is a lifelong appetite for introspective investigation, ravenous reading, and obsessive self-optimization.For many years, Ryan has studied the insights of ancient teachers, practical philosophers, and cognitive scientists. His ideas have been featured on major platforms like Psyche, Lifehack, and Modern Stoicism, and he has been a guest on podcasts with topics ranging from emotions to philosophy to motivation.He lives in a small mountain town where he splits his time between creating, reflecting, and adventuring with his partner and their corgi, Hootie, who is on track to be an honors student this year.

Review :
"With a rare combination of intellectual rigor and personal vulnerability, Become Who You Are sticks with you long after reading. Bush presents a masterful blend of mental wellness advice and practical philosophy. Like me, the author has a product design background, and it shows. His work overflows with both intuitive illustrations and a relentless focus on the experience of his readers. It utilizes principles from behavioral science and psychology to help readers design better lives. The book flips so much conventional wisdom on its head and replaces it with actionable insight for deep fulfillment. Bush weaves a novel, interdisciplinary tapestry. His writing integrates clinical research, moving personal experience, and ancient philosophical insight. This book has the potential to change countless lives. I loved it!" - Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life "Ryan Bush tackles that age-old question-How can I lead a good life?-in a fresh and imaginative way. A wisdom forager at heart, he borrows from ancient philosophy and modern psychology to craft a wholly new approach to human excellence. Systems-thinking for the soul. Become Who You Are is a must-read for anyone looking for a practical way to fulfill their potential." - Eric Weiner, New York Times bestselling author of The Socrates Express "In searching for what the author refers to as a "grand, unified theory of happiness," he proposes a new model of happiness itself... "Your actions must," he contends, "exemplify traits that you value in others." The author posits that "a good life is an admirable life." Bush draws from a wide range of self-help and psychology authors as well as ancient and modern philosophers, and his book is attractively arranged and illustrated with graphs and flowcharts, but its core message is surprisingly simple: When the self one presents to the world is favorably aligned with one's own values, one's happiness increases. A paradigm-challenging new look at real happiness." - Kirkus Reviews "Become Who You Are is an interesting and engaging read, which documents the author's personal struggles on a journey that takes in ideas from Nietzsche, Stoicism, and modern psychology, among many other sources of inspiration. It presents a way of approaching happiness and fulfillment that prioritizes virtue, and which I think many readers will benefit tremendously from reading." - Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor "Become Who You Are is an impressive blend of research and imagination that resonated with me and left me thinking well after I finished reading. The approach put forward in Become Who You Are is promising, with potential to help stimulate people to do the work to overcome their mental health struggles. Reading the book could help catalyze a person's search for values, the courage to pursue their highest aspirations, and the climb to reach their ideal self." - Jonathan Rottenberg, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and author of The Depths "Bush's brilliant blend of cutting-edge science and ancient philosophical wisdom is back in full form. In Become Who You Are, he weaves personal narrative and powerful neuroscience into a book that informs as well as inspires. Well-written and well-researched, Become Who You Are builds on the philosophy of his breakthrough bestseller, Designing the Mind, with the aim of helping you rise, thrive, and strive toward self-mastery." - Peter Andrei, author of How Highly Effective People Speak