The World's Best Book Summaries
Are you an illusion? In what way does Sam Harris believe you are? According to Sam Harris, the self isn’t real. In his book Waking Up, Harris argues that consciousness and feelings of individual selfhood are two separate aspects of experience. While consciousness is real, your sense of self is an illusion. Read more to understand Harris’s argument and how he arrives at this belief.
Where do you go for advice? What if you had a tribe of mentors to consult about your life and career? In Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferriss distills advice from more than 130 world-class experts such as actor Ben Stiller, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, and media mogul Ariana Huffington. Ferriss reached out to these experts and compiled their advice when he was seeking direction in his own life. Continue reading for an overview of this book that can help you, too, find direction.
Do you find a lot of advertising intrusive? Do you want to market your product or service without annoying prospective customers? Often, disruptive advertisements can feel more obnoxious than persuasive. In Permission Marketing, Seth Godin says there’s a better way for brands to get the attention of potential customers. Keep reading for an overview of Permission Marketing, which shows you how to create marketing that customers actually ask to see.
What should (and shouldn’t) you eat before a presentation? How should you prepare the stage? If you have a presentation coming up, you know you must figure out what to say and how to say it. But, that’s not the only preparation you should do. Dale Carnegie suggests that, in the hours and moments leading up to your talk, you must turn your attention to several external and last-minute elements. Read more to learn what to do before a presentation, according to Carnegie’s classic book Public Speaking for Success.
Have you ever experienced Zen? Where’s the place to start? How is the Zen practice of meditation different from other methods? Alan Watts says that there’s more to Zen than just a set of philosophical principles or a chronology of religious movements that you can understand on an intellectual level. Zen is also something that you can practice in your own life, at the level of your embodied experiences in the world. Continue reading to learn how to practice Zen Buddhism according to The Way of Zen.
What do billboards and TV commercials have in common? How much are you annoyed by their intrusion? Even if you haven’t heard the specific term before, “Interruption Marketing” probably sounds familiar. You’ve had your experience disrupted by ads that you don’t expect or want. You certainly didn’t ask for them. Seth Godin explains why this type of marketing had its heyday—but it’s finally time to move on. Read more to learn three reasons why Interruption Marketing is no longer as effective as it used to be.
What is the goal of meditation? Can meditation be practiced, and its goal achieved, outside of religion? Sam Harris explains that seeking transcendental states of mind has historically been the domain of religion. But, he argues, the contemplative aspects of faith traditions can be practiced in a secular context. Thus, the contentment that results can be enjoyed by anyone. Continue reading to learn what meditation and spiritual enlightenment look like from Harris’s secular worldview.
Where’s that sweet spot between pushing yourself to achieve and being too hard on yourself? How might you bring more lightheartedness into your self-discipline? In Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferriss shares advice from scores of experts in various fields on how to identify what matters most to you, how to navigate non-traditional career paths, how to appreciate failure, and more. Some of the counsel is about being kind to yourself in the process of pursuing your goals. Read more for advice on how to go easy on yourself and stop worrying that you’re not smashing all expectations perfectly.
Is your mind always “on”? How often does it get a chance to rest and repair? How can you invite such opportunities? In Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols explains that water—looking at it, being near it, and being in it—reduces stress and allows the mind to heal. He discusses the theory of directed attention fatigue and shows how water can give your mind a break and a chance to rejuvenate. Keep reading to learn how to rest your mind by engaging with water.
Why do humans have stress responses? When do these responses cross the line from being helpful to being harmful? What impact does chronic stress have on our minds and bodies? In Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols advocates the Blue Mind state—a serene experience that we sometimes have when we’re around water. The opposite is the Red Mind state, and he explains what happens when we’re in that state on an ongoing basis. Read more to learn about the effects of chronic stress.