Darya Sinusoid, Author at Shortform Books

The Art of Happiness: Review & Critical Reception

What is the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler’s book The Art of Happiness about? What’s the key message to take away from the book? The Art of Happiness presents the Dalai Lama’s Buddhist approach to achieving greater happiness in life. Happiness, he says, isn’t something that happens to lucky people and eludes the unlucky: It’s something you can—and should—actively work to increase in your life. Here’s our review of The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler.

ACT Therapy Techniques: Expansion

What is the expansion technique? How can practicing expansion help you deal with negative emotions more productively? In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, expansion is a technique that uses our observing self to create space in our body to accept our emotions, rather than fight against them. Once we accommodate these difficult emotions, we can focus on taking meaningful action to improve our lives. Keep reading to learn about the ACT therapy technique of expansion, its benefits, and how to apply it.

Ryan Holiday: The Art of Stoic Resilience

How does one develop resilience? What can you do to become better at handling the curve balls that life throws at you? One of the cornerstones of Stoic philosophy is to be invulnerable to hardship and any external stress. Most modern people don’t have this kind of Stoic resilience because our powerful technology lulls us into thinking we can control everything that happens around us—we forget that life is unpredictable. Here’s how to build Stoic resilience, according to Ryan Holiday.

Blue Ocean Strategy: Book Overview

What is Blue Ocean Strategy about? What is the difference between a blue ocean and a red ocean? In their book Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne argue that the solution to business success is to operate in an uncontested market (the “blue ocean”). They contrast it with a “red ocean”, a marketplace where fierce competition has stained the water with the blood of the combatants. According to the authors, crowded markets and red ocean strategies tend to produce minimal profit margins, while blue ocean strategies lead to more profitable growth. Below is a brief overview of the

How to Organize Your Stuff for Better Efficiency

What is the best way to organize your stuff? Is it best to organize by category or by the frequency of use? The go-to method of organization is based on category. However, organizing your belongings by category isn’t actually very efficient. To efficiently access any item, it’s best to segment your stuff based on the frequency of use. Here is how to organize your stuff to give you the best access to the things you need.

The Cause of Suffering: The Stoic Perspective

What is the Stoic take on suffering? How does subjective perception cause suffering? According to Stoics, suffering is, to a great extent, the result of our inability to see things as they are. In contrast, Stoics view events neutrally—that is, they observe only the facts of any given situation, without judgment. Here is how our inability to see things as they are leads to unnecessary suffering.

There Is Nothing Wrong With Being Unhappy

Are humans meant to be happy? What’s wrong with treating happiness as the norm and unhappiness as a problem? There is a tacit assumption in our society that humans are meant to be happy. One consequence of this idea is that there is something wrong with being unhappy or experiencing psychological distress. Here is why there is nothing wrong with being unhappy.

The Top 4 Myths About Happiness: Debunked

What is happiness to you? Do you think happiness is the natural state for humans? Are your beliefs about happiness rooted in reality? People have many misguided beliefs about happiness. These widely held beliefs trap us in vicious cycles that actually increase—rather than decrease—our suffering. In this article, we’ll explore four common myths about happiness, and debunk them with human psychology rooted in empirical evidence, rather than cultural misconceptions.

Best Books About Money, Wealth, & Personal Finance

Are you looking for the absolute best books about money? Do you want to increase your financial literacy and potentially start investing? With so much financial material out there, it can be difficult to pick out the authoritative resources written by authors who don’t just preach theory but also offer actionable strategies to help you get to grips with your finances, understand basic investment principles, and start building wealth. That’s why we’ve rounded up the following list of the absolute best books about money—written by financial educators with decades of experience, featured on well-known bestsellers’ lists, and positively rated by thousands

How to Create a Blue Ocean Product That Sells

How do you design a blue ocean product? What is the key to creating a product in a yet uncontested market? To begin brainstorming ideas for a blue ocean product offering, think of a product or service your company already sells, to use as a starting point. To help you come up with product ideas, Kim and Mauborgne explore some different approaches you can take to brainstorming. Here are seven potential routes you could take to brainstorm a blue ocean product that sells.