Shortform Books

Why You Should Prioritize Long-Term Business Goals

Why is it important to set long-term goals for your organization? How does focusing on short-term goals stifle your progress? Many leaders don’t even think about their long-term business goals, focusing on short-term profits instead. According to management theorist Simon Sinek, short-term focus impedes progress because it stifles oxytocin and empathy. Instead of focusing on your company’s profits for this year, plan how you’ll impact the market for the next five. This puts your decisions in the context of causing lasting positive change, rather than immediate, temporary success. Here’s how short-term focus stifles progress and why you should prioritize long-term

What Makes Someone Great? According to Tim Grover

Is being great the best you can be? What makes someone great? According to motivational speaker Tim Grover in his book Relentless, being someone great still isn’t good enough. In fact, he encourages everyone to be unstoppable. Nonetheless, he identifies with makes someone just “great.” Let’s look at Grover’s definition of a great person, and learn what makes someone great.

Empowering Relationship Advice for Women

Are you trying to improve your relationship? What’s the best relationship advice for women to take to heart? Relationships can be difficult, especially when men don’t always express what they want or need. There are also high societal expectations for the role women should fill in a relationship. These issues can be solved by following the best relationship advice for women who want to satisfy both themselves and their partners. Let’s look at relationship advice for women that promotes a happy, healthy relationship.

Why Is It So Difficult to Be in the Present Moment?

Apotheosis—The Hero's Journey Leads to Nirvana

Why is it so hard to simply be in the present moment? Why do we always seek to drown the present in thinking and activity? If you’ve ever tried to meditate, you should know how hard it is to simply be in the present moment. When you have nothing to do, the mind begins to invent all kinds of scenarios, which rarely lead anywhere good. According to spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, we resist the present because we are caught up in the endless cycle of wanting—no matter what we have, we will always want more. Here’s why the mind wants

Leil Lowndes: How to Get People to Talk to You

Do you find it easy to strike up a conversation with a new person? What is the key to getting people to talk to you? According to Leil Lowndes, the author of How to Talk to Anyone, people need to know you like them to want to talk to you. However, many people struggle to show others they like them because they focus on making others like them. The solution is simple—stop trying so hard to get liked, and instead, show others how much you like them. Here’s how to get people to talk to you, according to communications expert

Shortform Reads: Framing the World Through Fantasy

What book did Mya judge by its cover and end up loving? Why does she hate books that include love triangles? Mya is from New Jersey and is a book guide writer at Shortform. She’s always been passionate about reading anything she could get her hands on. This week, we interviewed Mya to learn a little bit more about her reading interests and habits.

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek: Book Overview

What is Simon Sinek’s Leaders Eat Last about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In Leaders Eat Last, author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek argues that a leader’s primary responsibility is to prioritize her subordinates’ needs above her own. In business, this usually manifests as a manager prioritizing her employees’ personal needs above immediate profit. Ultimately, this helps the company—and its leader—to be more successful. Below is a brief overview of Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.

How to Be Unstoppable in Life: 6 Tips From Tim Grover

Do you want to be unstoppable in life? Do you want to be better than just “good” or “great?” Settling to be average won’t push you to achieve more in life. In Relentless, Tim Grover discusses the two main qualities that you need to be unstoppable: the need to succeed and the ability to direct your instincts. Within those two qualities are six strategies to help you along the way. Here’s how to be unstoppable in life, according to Grover.

Eckhart Tolle: Thought Is at the Root of All Evil

How do thoughts affect behavior? How does overidentifying with thought cause suffering and dysfunction? According to Eckhart Tolle, thought is at the root of human dysfunction. In his book A New Earth, he explains that our thought elements shape how we interact with the world and lead to two forms of dysfunction: 1) inauthentic relationships, and 2) polarization and violence. Here’s why identifying with our thought elements is harmful to both ourselves and others around us.

How to Show Attraction: Eye Contact Is Key

How do you show someone you’re attracted to them? How does eye contact communicate attraction? If you’re attracted to someone, instead of playing coy, hold their gaze for as long as possible. That doesn’t mean staring though. If you want to show attraction, eye contact should be intermittent—let your eyes bounce between your recipient and back. Here’s how prolonged eye contact encourages attraction.