Shortform Books

It’s Time to Stop Blaming Others for Your Problems

Do you take responsibility for your mistakes and problems? Or do you point the finger at someone else? According to Joyce Meyer, Satan tries to keep you in a negative mindset by impeding your self-awareness. He does this by convincing you to blame other people or difficult circumstances for your flaws and bad decisions. When you accept responsibility, not only do you cultivate a positive mindset, you unleash God’s forgiveness. Keep reading to learn more about why it’s important to stop blaming others for your problems.

How Your Accountability to God Unleashes His Plan

Are you living the life God planned for you? Have you taken responsibility for your part in living out that life? If you lack a sense of responsibility for your life, you probably also lack a sense of accountability to God. That’s the position of Joyce Meyer, who argues that God has a life planned for you—and that you have a responsibility to use what God has given you to live out that life. Keep reading to learn more about why it’s important to consider yourself accountable to God.

Should You Be Passionate About a Career? Yes and No

Is passion the deal-breaker when you’re looking for a job? Do people need to be passionate about careers? The general advice that most successful people give to new people in the workforce is to follow your passion. While research shows that is true most of the time, being passionate about a career isn’t necessarily important. Read more to determine if you should strive to be passionate about your career, according to former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.

Brain Rules: 12 Book Principles to Know

What is the book Brain Rules about? What are the 12 rules Dr. John Medina describes in his book? In the Brain Rules book, Medina lists his 12 rules that help fulfill three core brain functions: solve problems, function in an unpredictable environment, and operate in near-constant motion. These rules can help you understand how brains work so you can improve your learning and thinking. Here’s a brief overview of the Brain Rules book and its principles.

Stop Looking for Happiness Outside Yourself

Can true happiness be found externally? Why do they say that “happiness comes from within”? Basing happiness on circumstances prevents you from feeling happy. Life’s full of problems and challenges—circumstances are rarely exactly how you want them to be, no matter how hard you try to force them into place. Therefore, there’s always an excuse not to be happy. But unwanted experiences aren’t to blame for your misery—looking for happiness outside of yourself is. Here’s why relying on external circumstances won’t make you happy.

Receiving Patience From God: A Key to Happiness

How patient are you? Do you wait with contentment—or do you fret with anxiety? In Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer argues that the devil uses an impatient attitude to sap positivity from our lives. We should be content while we wait—rather than delay joy until we have what we’re waiting for. This positive attitude comes from God, who can use times of hardship to cultivate patience in us. Read more to learn the importance of receiving patience from God.

Worldly vs. Eternal Perspective: What Do You See?

Do you see through natural eyes or spiritual eyes? Do you have a worldly perspective or an eternal perspective? In Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer writes that Satan can trap us in a negative mindset if he can convince us that a better future is impossible. Satan can do this by prompting us to have a worldly perspective—to see the world through what Meyer calls our “natural eyes,” which focus on the physical world. The alternative is an eternal perspective. Keep reading to understand these concepts better.

What Is Great Customer Service? The 2 Key Elements

What is great customer service? What should you do to encourage effective customer service in your business? A customer’s emotional experience can determine whether or not they will return to your business. In Delivering Happiness, Zappos’s former CEO Tony Hsieh describes the importance of great customer service and how his employees achieved it. Learn more about what great customer service is and the steps you can take to ensure your customer will have a positive experience.

How to Improve Learning: The Top 4 Methods

Are you struggling to learn new ideas and skills? Do you want to know how to improve learning? In his book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina explains there are many reasons for learning to be hindered, such as stress or lack of sleep. However, he also provides four tips on how to improve learning: visual aids, music, exercise, and multisensory learning. Here’s how to improve learning with Medina’s four tips.

Neil Pasricha: The Key to Happiness Is Positivity

What is the key to happiness? Can you train yourself to be happier? The first key to feeling happier is training yourself to think more positively and feel happy regardless of your circumstances. In his book The Happiness Equation, Neil Pasricha suggests training yourself to be happier with six methods: 1) get active, 2) do good deeds, 3) switch off, 4) engage fully, 5) practice meditation, and 6) be thankful. Here’s how you can stop external circumstances from dictating your mood and train yourself to be happier.