The World's Best Book Summaries
How can people become virtuous? What was Aristotle’s theory? A person can develop moral virtue, Aristotle says, through habit. This journey involves three main elements: achieving a mean between two vices, experiencing pain and pleasure, and acquiring moral education. Continue reading for an overview of Aristotle’s ideas about moral virtue as presented in his Nicomachean Ethics.
What if socializing doesn’t come naturally to you? Is success really about who—not what—you know? Not necessarily, according to peak performance expert Eric Barker. But, your relationships are essential, so you must expand and nurture your network. He shares three steps to cultivate professional connections: focus on building friendships, mentor and be mentored, and regularly thank the people in your life. Keep reading to learn how to expand your network and make the connections stronger.
How important are location and timing in business? Are they a built-in advantage for you? If you’re in the right place at the right time, you have a leg up over the competition. Location and timing are unfair advantages identified in the book The Unfair Advantage by entrepreneurs Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba. The authors discuss potential drawbacks of good location and timing, how to know if location and timing are your unfair advantage in particular, and how to improve and make the most of your location and timing. Let’s take a closer look at this unfair advantage.
What’s happiness? What does reason have to do with it? How is virtue a factor? Aristotle concedes that many people agree with him that happiness is the goal of human life. The real challenge is defining happiness. He defines it as rational activity aligned with virtue. Keep reading to understand Aristotle’s definition of happiness.
How hard should you work? What does it mean to work hard but smart? Is work-life balance achievable? In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, peak performance expert Eric Barker discusses the importance of hard work and persistence. He does, however, believe that there’s such a thing as working too hard. He argues that a truly successful life involves pursuing joy, reaching your goals, connecting with others, and making an impact, and he offers tips on how to build a schedule so that you can achieve this healthy balance. Keep reading for Barker’s ideas on finding balance between work and life.
What’s a tribe? How do tribal cultures develop? What does a tribal leader do? In the book Tribal Leadership, Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King contend that organizations succeed or fail on the strength of their tribes—groups of individuals with shared social norms and ways of working. They argue that you can improve your organization by elevating the cultures of those tribes. If you implement their strategies, the authors say you’ll improve both your bottom line and the happiness of your employees. Take a look at our overview of the book, and see what you can apply to your
If you want to succeed with your startup, what must you believe to be true? What should you value? According to entrepreneurs Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba, your mindset determines your level of motivation and your ability to set ambitious but realistic goals. If you lack the right mindset, any action you take is less likely to succeed. We’ll look at two main aspects of the right mindset Ali and Kubba describe: first, believing that both hard work and luck matter, and, second, knowing your purpose. Keep reading to learn more about the optimal startup mindset.
What’s the goal of life? Did Aristotle get it right? Aristotle spent a lot of time thinking about life and its ultimate goal. He considered what we do and why we do it. He concluded that a good life is a happy life—and a happy life is a good life. Read more to better understand Aristotle’s view.
Is disappointment or boredom getting you off track in life? What does it mean to “gamify your life,” and how can it motivate you toward your goals? You might have experienced how gamification can help you stick to an exercise plan or a project at work. You can apply the same model to your life. Peak performance expert Eric Barker shows you how, discussing four features that your game must have if you want to stay motivated in life. Keep reading to learn how to gamify your life’s journey.
What can networking do for you and your business? What’s particularly powerful about networks of three? In Tribal Leadership, authors Dave Logan, Halee Fischer-Wright, and John King explain how tribes develop through stages. At Stage 4, a tribal leader deliberately cultivates relationships with potential tribe members. The authors discuss three-part relationships (triads) in particular, identifying three main benefits: They’re stable, they’re easily expanded, and they enable creativity. Keep reading to learn about the importance of networking in business, the Tribal Leadership way.