Shortform Books

The Doctor-Patient Relationship: Paul Kalanithi’s Approach

Paul Kalanithi studied both biology and literature, and felt deeply that language was the path to connectivity. Paul’s specific approach to the doctor-patient relationship was one where he tried to understand the person as a whole, and their identity. He called this method human relationality. He applied human relationality as a doctor, and experienced it as a patient with Dr. Emma Hayward. Below, Paul explains how he came back to his view on the doctor-patient relationship after years of overlooking it in favor of statistics and numbers, and how holding onto this philosophy later helped him as a patient.

EGFR Mutation of Lung Cancer—One Patient’s Hope

What is an EGFR mutation of lung cancer? How does it affect diagnosis and treatment? Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with lung cancer May 2013. A Stanford educated neurosurgeon, Paul understood a lot of the medical technicalities in his diagnosis. During his diagnosis, Paul finds out he has what’s called an EGFR mutation of lung cancer. The EGFR mutation of lung cancer can increase life expectancy, and Paul found that this bit of good news was enough to give him some hope for the future.

Shift Your Paradigm, Change Your Behavior—Steps to a Better You

At the root of your beliefs and actions are a collection of paradigms. To Stephen Covey, paradigms are lenses through which you see the world. You must start with your paradigms in order to truly implement the 7 Habits and make lasting, significant improvements to your life. But what exactly is a paradigm, and can you learn how to use it to change your behavior?

What is Chemotherapy Like? Paul Kalanithi’s Experience

What is chemotherapy like? While this experience differs from person to person and depends on the illness and treatment a person is receiving, reading about firsthand experiences can be valuable. Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in 2013. Chemotherapy is a common treatment for many types of cancer. Though it was not the initial course of treatment for Paul, he did undergo chemotherapy later in treatment. In this section, Paul describes what chemo is like for him.

Big Goals? Use Affirmation and Visualization Like a High Achiever

Each side of the brain is responsible for different functions: The right side of the brain is creative, abstract. The left side of the brain deals with logic and language. You need to be both creative and logical as you take a holistic approach to growth and change. This is where Affirmation and Visualization come in. Affirmation and Visualization are part of a system that works together to help you achieve your goals. Affirmations are written or verbal reminders that you create to help you remember your goals, and Visualizations can help you use both sides of your brain to

Free Will vs Determinism: When Can You Make Proactive Choices?

Humans have free will to decide how they will respond in any situation- also known as free will. But many people believe that they are bound to their past or their circumstances. This is called determinism. How does understanding free will vs determinism help us to make proactive decisions? Understanding the space between stimulus and response can slow down decision making, and enable you to choose how you respond to any situation.

The P/PC Balance: How to Achieve Maximum Productivity

The 7 Habits are meant to create maximum effectiveness in your life by focusing on core principles to produce the best long-term results. The P/PC Balance is one of those core principles. P/PC Balance is a way to use your time as effectively as possible. “P” stands for “production” and “PC” stands for “production capability,” and if you want to keep producing, or getting results, you have to keep investing in your production capability, the thing that gets you those results. Part of this balance is the ability to get results, and manage your output. You don’t want to be

What are the Six Paradigms of Human Interaction? Which is Best?

All interactions between people constantly include some sort of negotiation, big or small: Where are we going to dinner? What movie are we going to watch? How much will you sell your product for? How much will you buy it for? How do you reach a resolution? There are six paradigms of human interaction. The six paradigms of human interaction are win/win, win/lose, lose/win, lose/lose, win, and win/win or no deal. These were identified by Stephen Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. While we know that we want to achieve the Win/Win paradigm in most situations,

Autobiographical Listening Hurts Relationships—Here’s Why

While we ideally want to work toward empathic listening methods, we also need to understand some of undesirable listening habits, to make sure we don’t use them in our relationship. Autobiographical Listening is one type of listening we want to learn to avoid. But what is Autobiographical Listening? Autobiographical Listening is any attempt by the listener to make the conversation about them. This is detrimental to relationships. Read more to find out about how to listen and avoid Autobiographical Listening.

Roles and Goals: To Be Successful, Know Who You Are

You have many roles in your life. Some of them are in your personal life and some are in your professional life, but chances are, you can name those roles and what they mean to you. The roles and goals you have for those roles are defined by you and your principles. By creating a mission statement and setting your goals, you can define these roles and goals in your life and give them a greater meaning and purpose.