How to Look at the Bigger Picture: A Novel Approach

How to Look at the Bigger Picture: A Novel Approach

As you go through life, how clearly are you seeing things? Are you seeing them in their true and full context? You’ll stand the best chance of success if you have an accurate view of the world. Unfortunately, because each of us has a limited perspective, sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture—and easy to misinterpret some situations as a result. The Great Mental Models Volume 3 argues that understanding distributions—a model drawn from mathematics—can help us see the big picture more clearly. The basic idea is that, by thinking statistically, you’ll have a clearer context for the things

How Passive People Are at Risk From the Devil

How Passive People Are at Risk From the Devil

Are you just drifting through life? How much are you in danger of being under the devil’s influence? In the book Outwitting the Devil, Napoleon Hill writes that the devil distinguishes between two types of people: those under his control, whom he claims to make up nearly 98% of all people on Earth; and those who have escaped his influence. What separates these two groups is that those under his influence take a fundamentally passive role in their own lives, while those who have resisted take a more active role. Much of Hill’s advice to the reader encourages them to

How to Pay Less in Taxes: Tips to Minimize Your Tax Bill

How to Pay Less in Taxes: Tips to Minimize Your Tax Bill

What kind of investments provide tax breaks? Should you hire a tax consultant? What kind of loan can lower your tax burden? You might be paying more taxes than you need to. In The Wealthy Barber, David Chilton discusses ways to save money. Minimizing your tax bill is one of them. He shares recommendations for reducing how much you pay in taxes each year. Keep reading for advice on how to pay less in taxes.

How to Think Long-Term: 2 Novel Ways to Plan Ahead

How to Think Long-Term: 2 Novel Ways to Plan Ahead

Do you tend to live in the moment only to neglect the future? How might you make better choices today that will pay off in the future? The book The Great Mental Models Volume 3 by Rhiannon Beaubien and Rosie Leizrowice provides some fresh approaches to long-term thinking. They draw from models in economics and science to show us how we can make life investments today that will bring us rewards in the future. Continue reading for some unconventional advice on how to think long-term.

How the Devil Works Against You: Napoleon Hill’s View

How the Devil Works Against You: Napoleon Hill’s View

How does the devil operate? How does he seek to manipulate you? According to Napoleon Hill, author of Outwitting the Devil, the devil is a threat to you now, not after you die. In the book, Hill argues that you can outmaneuver the devil if you go to work against him in the right way. First, you must understand how he operates. Hill asserts that the devil seeks to rob you of success and fulfillment by manipulating your desires and fears. Continue reading to learn more about this view of how the devil works.

The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton: Book Overview

The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton: Book Overview

How is The Wealthy Barber different from other personal finance books? Who’s the barber, and what does he teach? The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton is a bestselling guide to becoming financially successful by following a handful of simple, easy-to-understand principles. These principles are illustrated using a fictional story about a teacher, an auto plant worker, and a small business owner who seek financial guidance from a barber who’s become wealthy by following the lessons he imparts. Here’s our overview of the book.

3 Types of Group Dynamics (The Great Mental Models)

3 Types of Group Dynamics (The Great Mental Models)

What makes social networking apps and job search websites valuable? What’s needed for societal change? How does churn affect a group? In the third volume in The Great Mental Models series, Rhiannon Beaubien and Rosie Leizrowice borrow models from systems science and mathematics to build a framework for understanding human behavior and viewing the world more objectively. They discuss three types of group dynamics—network effects, critical mass, and churn—that help us understand how groups create value based on their size, how social change works, and how turnover can both help and hurt a system. Keep reading to learn how certain

Cultural Leadership Lessons From Toussaint Louverture

Cultural Leadership Lessons From Toussaint Louverture

Are you trying to change the culture of your organization? What can you learn from Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture about this kind of leadership? Toussaint Louverture led the military and diplomatic campaign that liberated enslaved people in Haiti and set the stage for its independence from France. In What You Do Is Who You Are, Ben Horowitz draws cultural leadership insights from Louverture. Read on to learn more about Louverture and his leadership.

The Great Mental Models Volume 3: Book Overview

The Great Mental Models Volume 3: Book Overview

Would you like to sharpen your thinking and decision-making? What practical lessons can you learn from models such as critical mass, algorithms, and randomness? The Great Mental Models Volume 3: Systems and Mathematics is the third in a series of books designed to improve your thinking by giving you a set of models that you can use to better understand the world. The premise of the series is that the world operates according to specific rules and patterns (“models”) that occur again and again in many different contexts. Volume 3 draws its models from systems science and mathematics—fields rich in

What Is the New Thought Movement?

What Is the New Thought Movement?

What is the New Thought movement? What are the main beliefs? Is the movement still alive today? If you’ve read a self-help book, most likely you’ve been exposed to ideas from the New Thought movement. The 19th-century spiritual movement has even found its way into the secular literature of the 21st century—with tenets such as positive thinking and the law of attraction. Read more for an introduction to the New Thought movement and its ideas.