Shortform Books

Follow Your Own Path: Tips From Larry King & Warren Buffett

Is it a good idea to try to copy someone else’s journey to success? What can you do that will leverage your particular strengths, skills, and circumstances? Alex Banayan interviewed several highly-successful people to learn how they made it to the top. One lesson that he repeatedly came across was that, even if you copy everything someone else has done, you can’t expect to replicate their success. Continue reading to learn why you should follow your own path and get advice on how to do it.

The First Party System: Federalism vs. Republicanism

How Exclusionary Zoning Perpetuated Racial Inequality

What was the first party system in the US like? What did each party advocate for? According to Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the politician of the same name played an important role in the forming of the first American political parties. These parties are known as the Federalist and Republican parties. Discover more about the first party system and their beliefs.

The 4 Stages of Product Development: An Idea Comes to Life

Do you want to stand out against competitors in the market? How much customer feedback is enough to test your product? The product development process can be a rough journey. It’s not as simple as coming up with a brilliant idea and selling it immediately. To take action, you need to follow four steps that include every detail that goes into creating a product that will sell. Let’s look at the four stages of product development that can set up your product for success.

Why Do We Get Distracted? The Mind’s Vulnerability

Why do we get distracted so easily? What are the limitations of cognitive control? In The Distracted Mind, Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen define the distracted mind as an ingrained vulnerability to distractions and interruptions. They then discuss how this vulnerability arose because our higher-level goals outstripped our cognitive control. Here’s why the brain can become an easy victim to distractions.

6 Blue Mind Quotes From Wallace J. Nichols (With Context)

Why do you feel so serene sitting on the beach, looking out at the ocean? Why does the mere sound of waves calm you down? This is the Blue Mind experience. In the book Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols argues that water has a profound impact on our well-being and health because it induces a calming, meditative state. Read on for six Blue Mind quotes that will help you appreciate this fascinating book.

Jill Bolte Taylor’s Whole Brain Living: Book Overview

What is Jill Bolte Taylor’s Whole Brain Living about? How do the different parts of our brains work together like a team? When neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor suffered a stroke on the left side of her brain, her life as she knew it dissolved as she lost access to basic cognitive functions. Taylor’s key insight from her experience is that we can choose to access different parts of our brains. Read below for an overview of Whole Brain Living and how to improve your emotional well-being.

How to Reframe Self-Limiting Thoughts to Become Rich

Do you want to become rich and financially stable? Why do you need to adjust your self-limiting thoughts? You may not realize it, but you’re the number one reason why you’re not making more money. This is because you have negative beliefs about yourself and money that are setting you back. Below we’ve listed steps on how to reframe self-limiting thoughts, according to Rachel Rodgers’ book We Should All Be Millionaires.

How to Analyze a Business Model Like Warren Buffett: 3 Metrics

How does Warren Buffett choose his investments? What does he look for in a business model? Investment professional Robert G. Hagstrom lays out Warren Buffett’s investment strategies in his book The Warren Buffett Way. One of the steps in Buffett’s process is to evaluate a company’s business model. He looks for three things: simplicity, predictability, and a competitive edge that will last. Read more to learn how to analyze a business model like Warren Buffett does.

The 4 Characteristics of a Good Business Idea (John List)

How can you know your idea will scale? What should you look for, and what should you avoid? Economist and professor John A. List says that a viable business idea has four characteristics. It has a scalable audience, it’s not dependent on talented individuals, it anticipates spillover effects, and it keeps costs under control. Read on to learn about these four characteristics of a good business idea.

How to Reduce Political Polarization Individually & Together

Do you recognize efforts to sow division between you and your fellow citizens? If so, how do you respond? In Why We’re Polarized, progressive journalist, political commentator, and podcaster Ezra Klein explores the history and roots of polarization in America and its impact on the two major political parties. Then, he discusses how to reduce political polarization through institutional and individual actions. Keep reading to find out how Americans might be able to stem the tide of polarization.