The World's Best Book Summaries
Do you often find yourself criticizing others? How does unvoiced criticism erode your relationships with people? Being hyper-critical of others is a toxic mental habit. When you criticize others—even if you don’t voice your criticism—you create unnecessary negativity in your interactions with people. Here’s how criticism damages your relationships and how to stop criticizing others.
Do you have a friend who always complains, judges, and sees things in a negative light? What’s the best way to deal with toxic people? Unconsciously, we adopt the beliefs and habits of people we spend time spend with. Being around toxic people—people who see the world through a negative lens—will make you more like them, no matter your resolve to stay positive. Here’s how to avoid toxic people, according to mind coach Vex King.
We often say we’re happy or sad, but what exactly is happiness? And what exactly is sadness? According to Brené Brown, happiness and sadness lie at the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. As basic emotions, they serve as the foundation of numerous others (e.g. happiness for joy and gratitude, and sadness—for hopelessness). Here’s how Brené Brown explains happiness and sadness.
What is the human gut microbiome? How does it influence our physical and mental health? We have huge populations of bacteria in the human gut microbiome. These bacteria play a vital role in digestion, and emerging science suggests that they also have other important effects. These include strengthening our immune system and possibly impacting our mental health. Keep reading to learn about the role of these bacteria populations, how we develop them, and how we can maintain a healthy gut.
What does it mean to live purposefully or intentionally? Do you think you’re living intentionally, or are you just floating through life without direction? According to psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden, when you live with intention, you don’t just react to what happens. You proactively decide what your goals are, create plans to achieve them, and then implement those plans. Here’s how to live with intention.
Do you want to take your business to the next level? What can you, as a business owner, do to increase your customer satisfaction and improve your company’s bottom line? With business—as with anything in life—there’s always room for improvement. Once your business starts turning profit, the next step is to identify ways you can improve so you can keep growing and adding value to your customers. Here are four strategic tips on how to improve your business’s bottom line.
What are the economic reasons behind empowering women? What benefits do women gain through basic human rights and education? In Development as Freedom, Amartya Sen claims that a bias against women is holding developing countries back from growing socially and economically. By giving women the freedom to pursue an education and have a job, they have the power to change communities or nations. Let’s look at the importance of women’s economic empowerment in any part of the world.
What are Americans like as a nation? How does the USA culture impact self-esteem? Americans have a complicated relationship with self-esteem. Specifically, USA culture includes values that support self-esteem and others that are harmful to self-esteem. According to psychotherapist and self-esteem expert Nathaniel Branden, the latter predominates today. Here’s how the American culture erodes the self-esteem of the nation.
What are the best Maid quotes by Stephanie Land? How can these quotes make you think differently about motherhood and poverty? Maid tells the inspirational story of Stephanie Land, a single mother who worked endlessly to support herself and her daughter through poverty. The book provides social commentary on the American work ethic and stereotypes about poor people. Here’s a selection of Maid quotes with context and explanations.
Why is a digital Zettelkasten better than a paper version? What are the benefits of going digital? Having a digital Zettelkasten is generally more convenient than a paper one. You can access a digital slip-box anywhere; you can only access a physical slip-box if you’re standing next to it. Having said that, paper slip-box is better for efficiency. Here’s why you should have a digital version of the reference system—no matter which slip-box version you pick.