The World's Best Book Summaries
Are you in charge of your fate? How do you create your own destiny? Be Your Future Self Now by Benjamin Hardy walks you through the many steps of connecting with your higher self to become the best person you can be. His last step is to believe that you create your own destiny, which is imperative in trusting yourself and your gut. Discover how believing you’re in charge of your future can do wonders for your self-esteem.
What does it mean to love yourself? How do you cultivate self-love? To love yourself is to believe that you’re worthy and capable of achieving anything you want in life. When you truly love yourself, you act in your best interests, no matter how hard it is, and in return, the Universe gives you what you want. Here’s what it means to love yourself, and some tips on how to develop self-love.
What are the benefits of connecting with your higher self? What is the most crucial element for success? Your higher self is the person you aspire to be. According to Benjamin Hardy’s book Be Your Future Self Now, when you stay in touch with your higher self you become a more productive person with ambition and drive. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of connecting with your higher self.
Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? How does practicing spirituality improve one’s health and well-being? People who practice some form of spirituality are happier, healthier, and more resilient. That said, you don’t have to be religious to be spiritual. According to Lissa Rankin, the author of Mind Over Medicine, spirituality is simply finding and honoring what’s sacred for you. Here are some tips for cultivating spirituality.
What is self-transcendence? What are the key characteristics? What are transcendent experiences? According to Abraham Maslow, some people can transcend self-actualization. In Scott Barry Kaufman’s book Transcend, he explains how people can reach this state of self-transcendence by losing themselves to a bigger cause and being motivated by values that go beyond the self. Read on to learn about what self-transcendence is and how to reach it, according to Maslow and Kaufman.
What’s the Western concept of self? Was Plato right about the soul? Are some of us just fooling ourselves about our true nature as humans? Many people in the West internalize the idea that each of us is an individual—an entity separate from others and our surroundings. This basic understanding of identity is so foundational to Western society that most people never question it. But, British philosopher Alan Watts questions it in The Book. Keep reading to learn why Watts thinks the idea is misguided and what he believes our true nature is instead.
Is everything relative? If so, what does that mean for our identity as humans? Philosopher Alan Watts believes that each of us is the Cosmic Being. What we think of as “I” is just one expression of the Cosmic Being in a particular time and place. Our real identity is the entire collection of beings and their environments and their relationships with one another. Continue reading for an intriguing discussion of relationalism as Watts sees it.
Are you trapped by religious dogma? Do you think more in terms of “I” than “we”? How often do you do things just for fun? Philosopher Alan Watts argues that the ego illusion—the false sense of being an individual separate from everyone and everything else—causes destruction and hardship in Western society. He provides recommendations for how people can escape from the ego illusion and achieve cosmic unity. Continue reading to learn how to become one with the universe, according to Watts.
What is mindfulness, according to Jon Kabat-Zinn? What does the practice of mindfulness require you to do? Mindfulness is the subject of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book Wherever You Go, There You Are. In the book, he claims that practicing mindfulness will improve your life and help you stay in the moment. Keep reading to learn more about why Jon Kabat-Zinn thinks mindfulness is important.
How does the language people use reflect and impact the way they see themselves? Is there an inherent flaw in Western science? According to Alan Watts, the ego is the culprit behind the ills of Western society. In The Book, he argues that Western society perpetuates “the ego illusion” through the language people use, the expectations they place on each other, and even the way they approach science. Continue reading to understand Watts’s argument regarding ego in the West.