Shortform Books

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: Review & Reception

Is Nathaniel Branden’s The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem worth reading? How did readers rate the book? In The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden challenges the prevailing assumption that self-esteem is unconditional love for yourself. Instead, he argues that your self-esteem depends on your behavior—and that only by behaving according to certain tenets, or pillars, can you improve your self-esteem. He also examines the role external influences play on your self-esteem and how you can influence others’ self-esteem with the right behaviors. Keep reading for The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem review and commentary.

“Pull Yourself Up by the Bootstraps” Saying Explained

What does “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mean? Why is Stephanie Land so critical of it? Stephanie Land, the author of the memoir Maid, criticizes the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality in America. The saying insinuates that people in poverty are lazy and make bad choices. Read more about why this mentality is outdated and offensive to people living in poverty.

Assessing the Market: Why It’s Important for Business

What does assessing the market mean? How can you tell how profitable your intended market is? By assessing the market, you can determine how much profit you can potentially make from selling your product. In The Marketing Plan, marketing expert William M. Luther explains how to conduct a full market assessment by defining your market size and share. Let’s walk through why assessing the market is important and how to do it.

Identity Cues: Meaning and Examples

What are identity cues? How does the Stanford Prison Experiment show how identity cues can change your morals? Psychologist Philip Zimbardo says it’s normal to adapt our identity to our environment. However, he says that certain identity cues can influence us to do things that aren’t rational or morally good. Read more about identity cues, as explained in The Lucifer Effect.

Scrum by Jeff Sutherland: Key Book Takeaways

What can you learn from Scrum by Jeff Sutherland? Why does the Scrum method work better than traditional management systems? According to software developer and management expert Jeff Sutherland, the methods most companies use to build products are misguided and lead to inefficiency. Too much time is spent planning, too much energy is wasted on unimportant tasks, and not enough emphasis is placed on flexibility. That’s why he came up with the Scrum method. Here’s a brief overview of Jeff Sutherland’s Scrum.

Customer Empathy: How to Understand the Customer

What is customer empathy? How can you understand how your customer is feeling? In Secrets of Closing the Sale, Zig Ziglar emphasizes the importance of putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. Even if you don’t share their feelings, you can understand how to cater your pitch to their specific needs. Read more on the importance of customer empathy when pitching a product.

Noise vs. Bias: What’s the Difference?

What’s the difference between noise vs. bias? Which one is a worse issue when it comes to making decisions? Noise and bias are the two main errors that occur when humans make a judgment. They are often confused, but the authors of the book Noise make a clear distinction between the two ideas. Here’s how to understand the difference between noise and bias.

Richard Koch: How to Stop Wasting Your Life

Do you feel like you’re wasting your life? How can you stop wasting your time on things that don’t contribute to your happiness? Most of us waste tremendous energy and effort on things that don’t ultimately matter. According to Richard Koch, the 80/20 principle can help clear out the waste in your life and devote your energy to the people and activities that bring you joy and success. Here’s how to stop wasting your life by applying the 80/20 principle.

Human Overpopulation Concerns Are Overblown

How many people can the Earth accommodate? Is our planet in danger of overpopulation? According to biologist David Sinclair, there’s no evidence that there is a limit to how much population the Earth can support. In his book Lifespan, he discusses the implications of increased longevity for the planet, coming to the conclusion that planet overpopulation is not something we should be worried about. Here’s why human overpopulation concerns are overblown, according to David Sinclair.

Psychosomatic Disease Is Subconscious Self-Sabotage

What causes psychosomatic disease? How can a mental problem manifest physically? According to Gay Hendricks, psychosomatic ailments often ensue following very positive or pleasurable experiences. For example, if you get sick on your honeymoon, this may be a psychosomatic effect of nearing what he calls “the Upper Limit Problem.” If this is the case, it may be your mind affecting your body as a means of self-sabotage, or self-punishment. Here’s how your mind makes you sick, according to Hendricks.