
## Summary of main ideas

Perhaps the most important character in Misbehaving is not a person but an
invented species. ‘Homo economicus’ - affectionately shortened to ‘Econ’ - is
like a real human in every respect, except for being perfectly rational,
self-interested and capable of making optimal decisions.

As Thaler puts it: “The purely economic man is indeed close to being a social
moron. Economic theory has been much preoccupied with this rational fool.”

Economists have traditionally based their theories on the assumption that human
beings are completely rational agents, compelling critics to coin the Econ term.
As a graduate student in the 1970s Thaler began to keep a note of his regular
observations of human behaviour differing substantially from the behaviour
expected by economists.

One example. Early in his teaching career, Thaler set a particularly difficult
exam for his students in order to separate the extremely capable from the rest.
This led to an average score of 72 out of 100 and caused “uproar” among his
students who complained the exam was too hard.

Because the score was graded on a curve, the average score did not actually
affect the distribution of the grades, but this failed to appease the angry
students. Thaler’s solution was to tweak the next exam to make the total number
of available points 137 instead of 100. The next exam was even harder but,
because the average score was 97, the students were happy.

If humans really were perfectly rational beings, then they should not have cared
about the points available. And if humans didn’t behave rationally in the way
that economists believed, could these theories be flawed?

Other people were asking the same questions. Throughout Misbehaving, Thaler
introduces us to a stellar cast of Behavioral Economics thinkers including
Daniel Kahneman (author of
[Thinking Fast and Slow](https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=3SUR578P9VIAO&dchild=1&keywords=thinking+fast+and+slow&qid=1598538920&s=books&sprefix=thinking,stripbooks-intl-ship,244&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=81f08259cabe6428ce6d37042df7ec78&language=en_US)),
Amon Taversky (Kahneman’s long-time collaborator), Cass Sunstein (co-author of
[Nudge](https://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598538855&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=b5aeaf9a3345c3a4faae97d002f1684c&language=en_US)
along with Thaler) and many more who led the fight against a powerful opposition
in the form of traditional economists, wedded to their theories.

Thaler also introduces a series of concepts that demonstrate the difference
between Econs and real humans. A few (but certainly not all) of these include:

**Prospect Theory**

Prospect Theory was formulated by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman and is
regarded as one of the founding pillars of Behavioral Economics. Designed to
describe the behaviour of actual people, the theory demonstrates how individuals
consider loss and gain in an asymmetrical way.

For example, consider options for gaining
$100. For the first option, you are given $200 initially and then you lose
$100. For the second option you just are just given $100. Econs would not care
about which option happened to them because the ultimate
[‘utility’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility) is the same in both cases.
But, real people prefer the second option because they feel losses more strongly
than gains.

For a good overview of Prospect Theory,
[check out this article on Investopedia](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/prospecttheory.asp).

**The Endowment Effect**

Coined by Thaler in 1980, the Endowment Effect can be seen as an extension of
Prospect Theory because it builds on the concept of loss aversion. It also
relates to the Mere Ownership Paradigm, which is based on the idea that people
give higher valuations to items they own compared to valuations of the same
items made by people who do not own them.

A real world application of the Endowment Effect can be seen in marketing, where
tactics such as free trials and test drives are used to give potential customers
a sense of ownership of a product or service that they don’t yet own.

This video gives a good short overview of the Endowment Effect using the famous
example of an experiment in which a group of people were given a coffee mug and
asked how much they would be willing to sell the mug for while taking another
group of people, not giving them the same mug, but asking them how much they
would be willing to pay for one. The results showed that the mug owners valued
the mugs almost double compared to the non-owners’ valuations.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bvjoIAhaIxI"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

**Transactional Utility**

Transactional Utility is one of several Mental Accounting concepts introduced by
Thaler in Misbehaving. It relates to the perceived value of getting a good deal
based on the difference between what an individual pays and their reference
price for the item.

This video provides a good example of Transactional Utility at work.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hcv02NCdVjk"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## How this book can help you

Misbehaving is an ideal entry point for people who are interested in learning
about Behavioral Economics. Thaler’s clear and humorous explanations make the
subject matter accessible and relevant to real world scenarios. By structuring
Misbehaving as an (almost) chronological history, Thaler does a great job of
placing the emergence of Behavioral Economics into a wider context of a changing
real and academic world.

More generally, I think that building an understanding of this topic is
important because it relates to so many areas of life, from understanding our
own tendencies to make bad or illogical decisions, through to how we can relate
to and influence other people. It’s not always easy, and I’m sure there are
concepts and ideas that I will need to revisit (and this is after having already
read Thinking Fast and Slow twice!) but, as one Audible reviewer put it very
succinctly, “this book made me smarter.”

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch Richard Thaler in conversation with Google’s Chief Economist Hal Varian.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/42qbHeFxdzE"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

As well as Thinking Fast and Slow, I also recommend reading Michael Lewis'
[The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds](https://www.amazon.com/Undoing-Project-Friendship-Changed-Minds/dp/0393354776/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=The+Undoing+Project&qid=1598538978&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=0e5b3ff7e3e178514d0e6a2a4b765f9d&language=en_US)
which tells the story of the birth of Behavioral Economics through the prism of
Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky's friendship and
[The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307954803/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=the+victory+lab&qid=1598539009&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=21b4c3ed4f762587dc89d7ce947d6c50&language=en_US)
by Sasha Issenberg, which takes you into the world of politics and shows the
gradual impact of behavioral economics and data on the science of winning
elections.

## Where to get it

[Get Misbehaving on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039335279X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=acd11aa72a5b763f39bac1fc07ae2361&language=en_US)

[Get the audiobook version of Misbehaving.](https://www.amazon.com/Misbehaving-Richard-Thaler-audiobook/dp/B00VQTALSA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=6a502d170cff2498b7af96716eae7074&language=en_US)

## About the author

Richard Thaler is an American theorist in Behavioral Economics. In 2017, he was
awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and in 2018, he was
elected a member in the National Academy of Sciences. He has published six books
including
[Nudge](https://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598538855&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=b5aeaf9a3345c3a4faae97d002f1684c&language=en_US),
which he co-authored with Cass Sunstein.

### Published by

W. W. Norton & Company

### Publication Date:

May 7, 2015


Read Misbehaving by Richard Thaler for an introduction to the exciting world of Behavioral Economics and learn about how human decision-making is usually anything but rational.

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics


## In a nutshell description

He wrote this book over a period when he was training for the New York Marathon
and it ends up being a memoir of his life and the role running has played in it.
He recalls specific moments during his life with running being a major theme
throughout. He didn’t start running until in his thirties and started mainly due
to practical reasons - he was a writer and spent a good portion of his time
sitting so wanted to do something so he wouldn’t gain weight and become
unhealthy. He chose running.

He then dips selectively into his past and recollects various episodes such as
when he ran from Athens to Marathon (the original marathon route except
backwards!!), the time he ran his first ultramarathon - 100km around Lake Saroma
in Hokkaido, Japan and his life before he became an author and how that
transition came about.

This book would probably be classified as a biography or memoir and Haruki does
a fantastic job of interweaving the story of his life through the lens of his
dedication to running.

> “People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any
> length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run.
> Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want
> to live life to the fullest.”

## Why I love this book

Haruki is an amazing story teller and that can be seen in his wealth of
fictional work. A writer does not become as popular as Haruki has without
possessing an intinctive talent for telling stories. In this book there is a
fascinating story with the added benefit of seeing a little behind the curtain
of the man himself. I am a big Haruki Murakami fan already so the chance to find
out a bit more about the man himself really had me intrigued.

I am also into running (although my dedication is not on a par with Harukis) so
this was a further reason why this book called out to me. I listened to this
book and it was one of those books that was always calling me back. Haruki’s way
of depicting a scene captivates my imagination and I am always yearning for
more.

## Quotes to make you think

_“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”_

_“So the fact that I’m me and no one else is one of my greatest assets._
_Emotional hurt is the price a person has to pay in order to be independent.”_

_“I’m the kind of person who likes to be by himself. To put a finer point on it,
I’m the type of person who doesn’t find it painful to be alone. I find spending
an hour or two every day running alone, not speaking to anyone, as well as four
or five hours alone at my desk.”_

_“People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any
length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most
runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live
life to the fullest.”_

## Read this book if…

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding how to work on
and build their craft. Obviously Haruki’s way isn’t the only way but it is an
intriguing journey that he took and there are many lessons one can learn from
reading this book.

Dedication and hard work are vital to any pursuit of mastery in one’s craft.
Haruki’s offers us a glimpse into the reality of his world and how he goes about
his craft and the parallels that this has with running. He learns about running
through his writing and he learns about writing through his running.

> “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Great short video to find out about Haruki:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QIkEc653_lw"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

If you have never read any Haruki Murakami then this is a video about which
books you could read first:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tNLApHnHRLo"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307389839/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=paperbacktrav-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0307389839&linkId=8ef60bcbce11c92821e627ba33cc0b87"
/>

## About the author

Haruki Murakami is an author of several very well know Fiction Books -
[1Q84](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307476464/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=paperbacktrav-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0307476464&linkId=cd203adfcdd80eebae836f54f377d1c6),
[Norwegian Wood](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375704027/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=paperbacktrav-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0375704027&linkId=8ccb39881cc0f361f42d861f48ca5a4f),
[The Wind-up Bird Chronicles](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679775439/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=paperbacktrav-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0679775439&linkId=7a271d4c8eaa6410bd014aa59edb8c08)
to name a few - and lives near Tokyo. He was born in Kyoto in 1949 and started
writing seriously in his thirties. His style is heavily influenced by Western
Culture which distinguishes his writing from other Japanese writers. He is also
an experienced marathon runner and has even taken part in an ultramarathon which
is a 100km running race.

### Publication Date:

August 11, 2009


Haruki Murakami is a very popular writer of fiction books. In this book - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Haruki presents his memoirs using running as the vehicle for his story.

What I Talk about when I talk about running: A Memoir


## In a nutshell description

The Lean Product Playbook provides a framework to approaching product
development, building on the core values established in Eric Ries’
groundbreaking work:
[The Lean Startup](https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1605815293&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=7bd5e9305bcc6a35fa15fb273bb6ca73&language=en_US).

Author Dan Olsen repeatedly emphasises the importance of finding product-market
fit quickly and efficiently.

In particular, Olsen’s
[Product-Market Fit Pyramid and six-step Lean Product Process](<https://leanstartup.co/a-playbook-for-achieving-product-market-fit/#:~:text=The%20Product%2DMarket%20Fit%20Pyramid%20is%20an%20actionable%20model%20that,fit%20using%20five%20key%20components.&text=From%20bottom%20to%20top%2C%20the,your%20user%20experience%20(UX)>)
provide actionable guidelines with which to approach building a product that
will delight customers. Finding and solving customer problems underpins
everything in this book, with the need for rapid feedback and iteration also a
constant theme.

> “The main reason products fail is because they don't meet customer needs in a
> way that is better than other alternatives.” - Dan Olsen

## Quotes to make you think

“A good product is designed with focus on the set of needs that are important
and that make sense to address together.”

“Focus is critical when defining a new product.”

“The real-world manifestation of software products that customers see and use is
the user experience (UX), which is the top layer of the Product-Market Fit
Pyramid. Beyond software, this is also true for any product with which the
customer interacts. The UX is what brings a product's functionality to life for
the user.”

“The main reason products fail is because they don't meet customer needs in a
way that is better than other alternatives.”

“Usability answers the question, “Can customers use your product?” Delight
answers the question, “Do customers enjoy using your product?”

## Why I love this book

I read The Lean Product Playbook at the right time, just as I began to spend a
large part of my working life building products.

I loved how clearly Olsen set out a process towards building products with tools
that I could take away and apply to my own work.

It turns out that it’s more difficult in practice to stick to the Lean Product
Process than I had expected, and I’ve learnt the hard way about the risks of
pressing ahead without user feedback. The experience has made me even more
convinced that everyone involved in product development should read this book
(if ever there has been a book that I wish I could force colleagues to read,
this is it!).

## Read this book if…

You are involved with developing products at any level. The obvious use case
relates to products designed for consumers, but the underlying philosophy
applies to a much wider range of scenarios at work. For example, if you are
tasked with creating reports for management, the principles and tools in The
Lean Product Playbook will help you deliver it successfully.

## What others say about it

"Dan's playbook is the missing manual on how to apply Lean Startup principles.
This comprehensive, straightforward book guides you through everything you need
to know to build a winning product." — **Sean Ellis, CEO of Qualaroo and
GrowthHackers.com**

"A great, detailed guide on how to find product-market fit and make things
people will love. This book should be required reading for everybody building
products." — **Laura Klein, Author of UX for Lean Startups**

"Dan's product expertise was incredibly helpful in the early days of building
and growing Box. I found his advice incredibly valuable — and if you want to
build a successful product, you will too." — **Aaron Levie, CEO, Box**

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch this presentation by Dan Olsen about how to reach product-market fit.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_c-B_MrxQU"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Product-Playbook-Innovate-Products/dp/1118960874/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=3AW8WQWIE3JBN&dchild=1&keywords=the+lean+product+playbook&qid=1605813679&sprefix=the+lean+produ,aps,252&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=17b22bb2c787272cd598441fb5a659f9&language=en_US"
/>{' '}

## About the author

Dan Olsen is an entrepreneur, consultant, author, speaker, and expert in product
management and Lean Startup. He began his career building nuclear-powered
submarines and now, as founder of Olsen Solutions, he works with CEOs and
product leaders to help them build great products and strong product teams,
often as interim VP of Product. Find out more about where we copied most of this
bio from on [Dan’s website](https://dan-olsen.com).

### Publication Date

May 21, 2015


Read The Lean Product Playbook for a step-by-step approach to designing products that will delight customers.

The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback


## Summary of main ideas

The EOS system comprises six core components, which Wickman explores with
chapters dedicated to each.

**Vision:** This section is about establishing the focus of your organisation
and getting everyone onboard. Wickman outlines eight questions that form the
basis for creating a coherent vision. This is the starting point for everything
else.

**People:** Wickman frequently emphasises the importance of getting “the right
people in the right seats” and why achieving one out of the two doesn’t work.

**Data:** This is not simply a call to adopt a data-driven approach, but
recommends identifying a small group of metrics that enable leadership to truly
understand how the business is performing. The most important metrics can change
over time as the context evolves.

**Issues:** This component accepts that all businesses encounter issues and that
successful businesses need to be very competent and proactive problem solving
machines. This requires systems for identifying and addressing issues while
cultivating a culture that encourages people to come forward with issues without
fear of punishment.

**Process:** How to actually build the systems that will drive a successful
business, from process documentation to ensuring that people follow them.

**Traction:** This component relates to the execution of the system. In this
section, Wickman goes into depth about the use of ‘Rocks’ - the three to seven
most important things to accomplish in the next 90 days - and the ‘Meeting
Pulse’ - highly structured weekly meetings that are designed to ensure the
company is constantly moving in the right direction.

Within each of the core components, Wickman introduces a series of tools and
tactics that he has employed throughout his career of helping businesses to
implement the EOS system. The end result is an intuitive playbook for
transforming a reactive or lacklustre business into a coherent, efficient and
ultimately successful organisation.

> Wickman frequently emphasises the importance of getting “the right people in
> the right seats” and why achieving one out of the two doesn’t work.

## How this book can help you

Traction offers a set of steps that are easy to understand, intuitive and
straight-forward to implement (with a lot of time and energy). I think it’s the
ideal starting point for new business owners as well as experienced
entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses. But it’s not just for business
owners. The concepts described in this book can be applied to all kinds of
contexts. You could use rocks as a tool to laser focus your individual goals in
a corporate job or find the most important metrics to keep track of your health.

I can completely understand why Traction has been an inspiration to many of its
readers, every concept and tool makes sense and it feels like a genuinely
overarching solution (although with the caveat that this book doesn’t offer deep
guidance on how to acquire and keep customers or the best approach to product
development etc). However, it’s important to note that just reading the book is
not sufficient! Applying the concepts will take a lot of work, with trial and
error to discover what works for you and what doesn’t.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

[Here’s an account of how a business user employed EOS on his own business.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AURv58LHTrI)

[And here’s a great interview with Gino from Dan and Ian of the Tropical MBA.](https://www.tropicalmba.com/entrepreneurial-leap-gino-wickman/)

## Where to get it

[Get Traction on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=traction&qid=1598695288&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=25af00b233f1fa418a9a1436bc7e857b&language=en_US)

[Get Traction as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Gino-Wickman-audiobook/dp/B00A9Z973M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598695288&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=86e45fe03429301d3e7ea5cc1200078e&language=en_US)

## About the author

Gino Wickman is the founder of EOS Worldwide and the Entrepreneurial Operating
System (EOS)® system. He has written several books aside from Traction,
including
[Get A Grip: How to Get Everything You Want from Your Entrepreneurial Business](https://www.amazon.com/Get-Grip-Everything-Entrepreneurial-Business/dp/1939529824/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Get+A+Grip:+How+to+Get+Everything+You+Want+from+Your+Entrepreneurial+Business&qid=1598695372&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=e12607355fa516da196759e3e7664594&language=en_US)
and
[Entrepreneurial Leap: Do You Have What it Takes to Become an Entrepreneur?](https://www.amazon.com/Leap-Have-Takes-Become-Entrepreneur/dp/1948836815/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Entrepreneurial+Leap&qid=1598695407&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=ad50ec74fbaaac508d3044144e588933&language=en_US)

### Published by

BenBella Books

### Publication Date:

December 17, 2014


Read Traction by Gino Wickman for a simple yet proven playbook for building and growing a business by employing a systematic approach.

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business 


## Summary of main ideas

In many ways, Shoe Dog is a typical biography in the sense that Knight takes the
reader on a chronological journey through his life.

Phil Knight was born in 1938 and grew up in Portland. He developed a love for
athletics, competing as a middle-distance runner for the University of Oregan.
While still a student, he wrote a paper on a potential business opportunity for
selling Japanese shoes in the United States, having witnessed the impact of
Japanese cars on the American automotive industry.

After college, while traveling around the world, Knight decided on an impulse to
set up a meeting with a shoe manufacturing company called Onitsuka when he
visited Japan. Believing he represented an established American company, the
Japanese agreed to the meeting and agreed to let Knight distribute their shoes
in America as they were keen to enter the market.

From placing his first order for a few thousand pairs of shoes, Knight’s
company - originally called Blue Ribbon - grew into what became Nike.

However, the journey was rarely plain sailing. Knight describes how he leaned on
the support of his running coach and eventual business partner Bill Bowerman as
the company struggled early on to develop running shoes that were better than
their competitors'. Problems arose as these competitors searched for ways to
eliminate this young rival, even resorting to using the US Government as an
almost insurmountable obstacle.

As Nike grew into a global powerhouse, the challenges remained in different
forms. Knight describes some of the key milestones in the company’s early
history, from struggling to get enough credit to grow the company to the
thinking behind the famous deal to sign basketball legend Michael Jordan in 1984
as well as the story behind the creation of the famous Nike logo.

But Shoe Dog is more than just a typical biography. Several themes emerge
throughout the book that serve as valuable insights into how to run a business
and build your life around a passion.

**Throw yourself in at the deep end** Knight started as he meant to go on when
he walked into that first meeting in Japan. He wasn’t ready but he saw an
opportunity and made it work. He took this attitude and applied it to building
his company, always finding a way to overcome the many significant obstacles in
his way.

**Find great people and then leave them alone to do great things** In Knight’s
own words: “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let
them surprise you with their results.”

**Perseverance is incredibly powerful** Another quote from the book: “So that
morning in 1962 I told myself: Let everyone else call your idea crazy . . . just
keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and
don’t give much thought to where “there” is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.”

**Build and maintain great relationships** The importance Knight places on
relationships with his colleagues as well as the many sports stars affiliated
with Nike is apparent throughout Shoe Dog. Having remained friends with almost
everyone who helped him start the business, he is at pains to demonstrate the
importance the contributions of others had in the growth of Nike, a direct
consequence of his emphasis on treating people well.

> "Just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get
> there, and don’t give much thought to where “there” is. Whatever comes, just
> don’t stop."

## How this book can help you

Shoe Dog surprised me because I was expecting an interesting story about Nike
but the book turned out to be much more than that. For a start, it was enjoyable
to read thanks to Phil Knight’s entertaining and humble storytelling style.

This is certainly a particularly relevant book for business leaders and aspiring
entrepreneurs. I would go further to suggest that anyone aiming to improve their
career or find a way to turn their passion into their daily life will benefit
from reading this. Especially in relation to the bravery and (some might say)
cheek that Knight showed when getting his business off the ground by arranging a
meeting that he was not qualified for. He saw an opportunity, made something out
of it and then became increasingly successful by sheer force of will.

I wish this book had existed twenty years ago!

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch Phil Knight’s Stanford Graduate School of Business Graduation Remarks
from 2014.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nRN9FwWQY8w"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

[Get Shoe Dog on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike/dp/1501135929/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Shoe+Dog&qid=1598695478&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=16121cfee992001ffb2140f326ae6935&language=en_US)

[Get Shoe Dog as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Phil-Knight-audiobook/dp/B01CRJA470/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598695478&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=37366d1df7adb1f35a363f6d5743dfe6&language=en_US)

## About the author

Phil Knight was born in 1938 and grew up in Portland. He founded a shoe company
called Blue Ribbon in 1962, later changing the name to Nike. With Knight as CEO
and Chairman, Nike grew to become the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes
and apparel, making him a billionaire in the process. He published his memoir
Shoe Dog in 2016.

### Published by

Simon & Schuster

### Publication Date:

April 26, 2016


Read Shoe Dog by Phil Knight to learn how Nike started out as an opportunistic meeting in Japan and grew into an internationally-famous sportswear brand.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike


## In a nutshell description

The Bezos Letters is an interesting concept. Steve Anderson has mined each of
Jeff Bezos’ annual shareholder (shareowner) letters since the first one in 1997
to come up with a list of 14 Growth Principles that Bezos has employed in
growing Amazon into the most valuable company in the world.

Anderson, an experienced expert in strategic risk and business growth, argues
that these principles can be applied to any business and lead to positive
results.

The Growth Principles are divided into four distinct ‘Growth Cycles’ as follows:

**Test:**

1. Encourage “Successful Failure”
2. Bet on Big Ideas
3. Practice Dynamic Invention and Innovation

**Build:**

4. Obsess Over Customers
5. Apply Long-Term Thinking
6. Understand Your Flywheel

**Accelerate:**

7. Generate High-Velocity Decisions
8. Make Complexity Simple
9. Accelerate Time WIth Technology
10. Promote Ownership

**Scale:**

11. Maintain Your Culture
12. Focus On High Standards
13. Measure What Matters, Question What’s Measured and Trust Your Gut
14. Believe It’s Always “Day 1”

> “Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful
> decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always Day 1.” - Jeff Bezos

## Quotes to make you think

“Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful
decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always Day 1.” **from Jeff
Bezos’ 2016 letter letter to shareholders**

As a company grows, everything needs to scale, including the size of your failed
experiments. If the size of your failures isn’t growing, you’re not going to be
inventing at a size that can actually move the needle. Amazon will be
experimenting at the right scale for a company of our size if we occasionally
have multibillion-dollar failures. Of course, we won’t undertake such
experiments cavalierly.

We will work hard to make them good bets, but not all good bets will ultimately
pay out. This kind of large-scale risk taking is part of the service we as a
large company can provide to our customers and to society. The good news for
shareowners is that a single big winning bet can more than cover the cost of
many losers.” **from Jeff Bezos’ 2019 letter to shareholders**

## Why I love this book

I’ve been fascinated by Jeff Bezos and the growth of Amazon for a while now. I
loved
[The Everything Store](https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Store-Jeff-Bezos-Amazon/dp/0316219282/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=2CFNRE9TFFAOB&dchild=1&keywords=the+everything+store&qid=1603797245&sprefix=the+everything+s,aps,249&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=bd740d714b5004c557a4d1830bbf05ca&language=en_US)
and I approached The Bezos Letters primarily from the perspective that I was
interested to learn more about how Bezos has deliberately grown Amazon into a
giant.

Anderson certainly provides this insight but it goes much further than that. The
14 Growth Principles seem so obvious in many ways but if they were so obvious,
every business would be following them. I love how clearly Anderson has
expressed the principles in a way that encourages the reader to consider how
they can apply these principles to their own business, job or personal life.

I particularly enjoyed the parts related to decision making in which Anderson
shows how Bezos divides decisions into Types 1 and 2. Type 1 Decisions “are
consequential and irreversible or nearly irreversible - one-way doors - and
these decisions must be made methodically, carefully, slowly, with great
deliberation and consultation.”

On the other hand, Type 2 Decisions account for the majority of cases, they “are
changeable, reversible - they’re two-way doors.” Which means they can be made
fast and reversed if needed. I had never thought about decision making this way
and it has definitely changed my outlook.

## Read this book if…

You are interested in how elite businesses grow as a result of deliberate,
coherent and intelligent risk-taking. Especially if you would benefit from
learning a framework to grow your own business.

## What others say about it

"In a world filled with success hype, this book shines with credibility and
authenticity. Each of these letters contains principles that are the result of
years of courageous testing, lessons learned through failure, and discoveries
that have led to what Amazon is today.” — **Ken Davis**

"What if Jeff Bezos simply handed you the formula to Amazon’s stratospheric
growth so you could do the same? He did, in his shareholder letters. In this
remarkable book, Steve Anderson decrypts the 14 Growth Principles you can use to
have your own ‘Amazon-ing’ success!" — **Mike Michalowicz**

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch an interview with Steve Anderson in which he talks about The Bezos
Letters.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sn_Z1IG8_zk"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

And here is a
[Q&A with Steve Anderson](https://www.chisel.ai/blog/interview-with-steve-anderson).

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/Bezos-Letters-Principles-Business-Amazon/dp/1642793329/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=the+bezos+letter&qid=1603790301&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=251c727bdb2ef89504457029308f0593&language=en_US"
/>{' '}

## About the authors

Steve Anderson is an expert in strategic risk and business growth. Drawing on
decades of experience in the insurance industry, he wrote The Bezos Letters: 14
Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon, which has become a Wall Street
Journal, USA Today, and international bestseller. With hundreds of thousands of
followers, Steve has been handpicked by LinkedIn as one of the world’s most
influential thought leaders.

Karen Anderson is an author, publisher, and direct response marketer whose
fingerprints are all over New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling
books. For the past 30+ years, she’s helped entrepreneurs and businesses clarify
and communicate their messages, grow their businesses, and increase their reach
using the power of a book. She grew up as an “insurance brat” and spent weekends
with her dad looking behind buildings and parking lots checking for potential
risks.

### Publication Date

July 23, 2019


Read The Bezos Letters to get an insight into how Amazon grew to become the most valuable company in the world, and how you can apply the same approach to you own life and business.

The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business like Amazon


## Summary of main ideas

Here is an overview of the key lessons:

**Understand the context** When presenting an analysis based on data, it is
essential to consider who your audience is and what you want them to do. This
information will affect the format, the length, the calls to action and more.

**Choose an appropriate visual display** An important takeaway from Storytelling
With Data is the realisation that there aren’t really that many different types
of chart. Choosing the appropriate chart for each specific use case can be
learned by following some key principles. To put it in over-simple terms: you
can rarely go wrong with a bar chart and you will almost always go wrong with a
pie chart!

**Eliminate clutter** One important data visualisation best practice is to keep
the data-ink ratio high as possible. In other words, remove as many elements as
possible that are not adding information to a visualisation.

**Focus attention where you want it** Consider where you want your audience to
pay attention and then do things on purpose to make that happen. Concepts such
as Preattentive Attributes and Gestalt Principles are key here because they can
be used as tools that take advantage of how the brain processes information to
draw attention to specific elements or groups.

**Think like a designer** Take advantage of traditional design concepts such as
[affordances](https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/affordances)
and accessibility to further improve your audience’s experience of a
visualisation.

**Tell a story** Never simply show data. It is much easier to understand and
remember a data analysis when it is presented as part of a story.

> It is essential to consider who your audience is and what you want them to do.

## How this book can help you

The importance of presenting information to people you need to influence or
please is growing by the year, affecting pretty much anyone working in an office
or ‘knowledge worker’ role.

But, most people have no understanding of how to effectively communicate with
data. They place pie charts side-by-side to show a yearly increase in sales by
category or they drown a budget request figure in oceans of unneeded data points
and colours.

A complete data visualisation beginner reading Storytelling With Data will
dramatically improve the quality of their analyses and presentations,
practically overnight, by applying the best practices and concepts laid out by
Nussbaumer Knaflic.

That is not to say it’s a book for beginners only. Individual chapters serve as
great reference points and I’ve already reread the whole thing a few times.

I also love that Storytelling With Data is essentially tool-agnostic. While
there are some great tool-specific resources out there - and these are important
too - there is always a risk of becoming technically brilliant at Tableau or
Excel (or any other data viz tool) and still confusing your audiences with
parrot-coloured pie charts without understanding why.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic talk about Storytelling With Data at Google.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8EMW7io4rSI"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

[Get Storytelling With Data on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Storytelling-Data-Visualization-Business-Professionals/dp/1119002257/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=storytelling+with+data&qid=1598696127&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=30446e437ab74e93bc75afdf527712e4&language=en_US)

## About the author

Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic is an expert at effectively communicating data having
worked in analytical roles in banking, private equity and at Google, where she
was a manager on the People Analytics team. Since leaving Google in 2009 to set
up her own
[Data Visualisation Consultancy](http://www.storytellingwithdata.com/), she has
traveled the world helping thousands to improve their data literacy as well as
publishing
[Storytelling With Data](https://www.amazon.com/Storytelling-Data-Visualization-Business-Professionals/dp/1119002257/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=storytelling+with+data&qid=1598696127&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=30446e437ab74e93bc75afdf527712e4&language=en_US)
in 2015, followed in 2019 by
[Storytelling With Data: Let’s Practice!](https://www.amazon.com/Storytelling-Data-Cole-Nussbaumer-Knaflic/dp/1119621496/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Storytelling+With+Data:+Let%E2%80%99s+Practice!&qid=1598696204&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=eddb2c0766d9fe25e3682d81944a0650&language=en_US)

### Published by

Wiley

### Publication Date

November 2, 2015


Read Storytelling With Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic to revolutionsie the way you work and communicate with data based on leveraging visual perception and simplicity.

Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals


## Summary of main ideas

Factfulness identifies ten ‘instincts’ that most humans have about the world
which distort our understanding of reality:

**The Gap Instinct:** People typically divide the world into two groups: The
“developed” world and the “developing” world. Factfulness argues that there are
really four levels of income. People in Level 1 survive on
$ a day. This goes up to $4 a day for Level 2 and Level 3 is
$16 a day. Level 4 starts at $64 a day. Viewed through this lens, the progress
of entire populations moving upwards from the very poorest levels is striking.

**The Negativity Instinct:** Information about bad events is much more likely to
reach us and so we should expect bad news. Gradual progress is also happening
but that is not news.

**The Straight Line Instinct:** We assume that things will continue to happen in
straight lines. In reality, lines curve. An exaggerated example, the line
representing a child’s growth curves and goes flat as they approach adulthood.

**The Fear Instinct:** How frightened we are about something is not directly
related to how dangerous it is. Frightening things get our attention.

**The Size Instinct:** We often see a large number without the context of other
numbers. Comparing or dividing numbers enables us to put things in proportion.

**The Generalization Instinct:** It is very easy to assume that every member of
a group is the same. In reality our understanding of the world is often
distorted by failure to see that groups are made up of sometimes very different
smaller groups. For example, countries in Asia range from very poor to very
rich, so it makes no sense to simply label Asia as poor.

**The Destiny Instinct:** “The destiny instinct is the idea that innate
characteristics determine the destinies of people, countries, religions, or
cultures.“ In reality, some things just change very slowly. Rosling suggests
talking to your grandparents about their values to see how they differ from
yours.

**The Single Perspective Instinct:** “We find simple ideas very attractive.” In
reality, the world is complex so we need to be prepared to consider opinions and
ideas that don’t snugly fit into a simple worldview.

**The Blame Instinct:** It is common to look for a scapegoat when something goes
wrong. As a result, we often ignore the real cause of a problem and forget that
bad things sometimes just happen without anyone meaning for it to.

**The Urgency Instinct:** Even if something seems urgent, it rarely is. Acting
too quickly reduces our ability to think clearly, leading to unintended
consequences.

> Information about bad events is much more likely to reach us and so we should
> expect bad news. Gradual progress is also happening but that is not news.

## How this book can help you

Read this book if you want to develop a more nuanced understanding of the world
and challenge your existing assumptions (which are probably incorrect!). You
might expect a book devoted to telling its readers they are wrong would come
across as preachy, but Rosling and his co-authors had a gift for conveying ideas
with humility, humour and simple common sense.

Factfulness is also a good starting point for anyone looking to understand the
power of using data to explore ideas and share them in a persuasive way.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

[Watch this fantastic TED talk by Hans Rosling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVimVzgtD6w).

## Where to get it

[Get Factfulness on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250123828/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=2HEZ16KKIZWSG&dchild=1&keywords=factfulness&qid=1598696287&s=books&sprefix=factuf,stripbooks-intl-ship,266&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=0012a1c9184b4614cfc70751c162d8b4&language=en_US)

## About the author

Hans Rosling was a professor of International Health at Karolinska Institutet in
Sweden and co-founded the [Gapminder Foundation](https://www.gapminder.org/)
along with the co-authors of this book, his son Ola and daughter-in-law Anna
(see below). Rosling lived and worked for extended spells in Asia and Africa,
where he discovered a previously unrecognized paralytic disease that his
research team named Konzo. Rosling died in 2017 before the publication of
Factfulness.

Ola Rosling is President & Co-Founder of Gapminder Foundation. He spent time at
Google following the tech giant’s acquisition of Gapminder’s Trendalyser
software in 2007. He returned to Gapminder in 2011, coining the term Factfulness
in 2014.

Anna Rosling Rönnlund founded the Gapminder Foundation in 2005 along with Hans
and Ola, having previously earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology and a
Bachelor’s Degree in Photography. She also spent time at Google following the
acquisition of Trendalyser before returning to Gapminder where she is now Vice
President and Head of Design & User Experience.

### Published by

Flatiron Books

### Publication Date

April 3, 2018


Read Factfulness by Hans Rosling to learn about why the world is not as bad as you thought it was why and humans get things wrong more often than chimpanzees.

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think


## Summary of main ideas

You can breathe in as many different ways as different foods you can eat however
it is estimated that around 90% are breathing either incorrectly or not
efficiently. There are many modern day maladies that stem from not breathing
properly ranging from asthma, anxiety, sleep apnea, snoring, ADHD and even
cardiovascular diseases.

James embarks on his own journey by participating in a 20 day experiment with a
quirky and enthusiastic Swedish scientist named Anders Olsson. Anders is
obsessed with breathing and spent a decade studying the difference between mouth
breathing and nose breathing.

The idea of the experiment was to spend the first 10 days mouth breathing only
and the next 10 days nose breathing. Many tests were done during these
experiments to gain insight into the effects of boths methods of breathing. The
results were alarming and it led James on a world wide tour to rediscover the
art of breathing that certain ancient civilisations practised.

James breaks down the methods he discovered into 7 steps that you can
incorporate into your daily life.

**Step 1: Shut Your Mouth**

James’s experiment breathing 10 days just through his mouth and then 10 days
just through his nose showed just how bad for you breathing through your mouth
is. Stress hormones spiked, he acquired a bacterial bug in his nose, blood
pressure was through the roof and heart rate variability plummeted.

Ander’s and his snoring increased at night and they both suffered from bouts of
sleep apnea. Certain blood markers however stayed the same which would explain
why many people are chronic mouth breathers but don’t notice anything seriously
wrong. It seems to be more of a very slow killer that decreases quality of life
along the way but to a level that people accept as normal.

**Step 2: Breath through your nose**

When they did breath through their noses both James’s and Olsen’s blood
pressures, heart rates and carbon dioxide levels normalised. Snoring decreased
from several hours to mins each night. James practised taping his mouth shut
every night to force himself to breath through his nose when he was asleep and
reported feeling much better afterwards. There are now clinical trials happening
investigating this practise and the benefits it could bring.

**Step 3: Exhale**

[Carl Stough](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Stough) spent his lifetime
teaching people how to get stale air out of their bodies so they could get more
fresh air in. He trained his clients to exhale longer and this had miraculous
effects on emphysema patients, Opera singers and professional athletes. Most of
us only use a small percentage of our lung capacity but the first stages of
healthy breathing is to extend these breaths and get the diaphragm working.

**Step 4: Chew**

James on his worldly travels investigated skulls from different periods to see
what differences he could find. He found that pre-industrial skulls have three
main features - huge sinus cavities, straight teeth and strong jaws. These three
features would have helped our ancestors breath much easier than we do today.
The reason our ancestors had these features comes down to a few reasons but one
main one is the food they ate. They used to spend hours chewing.

They lived before our food became processed and mushy and therefore had to chew
their food properly in order to digest it. The bones in our face can continually
grow throughout our lives. Your diet should consist of food that requires much
time chewing. And when not chewing your lips should remain together, your teeth
slightly touching and your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

**Step 5: Breath More on Occasion**

Practise something like
[Tummo Breathing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XtDgQZbiFc),
[Wim Hof breathing method](https://www.wimhofmethod.com/) and
[vigorous pranayamas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVchZ8D15Ec) on occasion.
They stress the body and snap it out of its funk so it can properly function for
the other 23.5 hours of the day. Conscious breathing teaches us to be the pilots
of our bodies.

**Step 6. Hold Your Breath**

[Doctor Donald Klein](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/science/donald-klein-dead.html)
studied links between chemoreceptor flexibility, carbon dioxide and anxiety. His
research has led to discoveries linking certain parts of the brain to breathing
and how breathing can be used to treat certain fears and anxieties.

**Step 7: How we Breathe Matters**

The perfect breath is this: Breathe in for 5.5 seconds. Breathe out for 5.5
seconds. That’s 5.5 breaths a minute and 5.5 litres of air. You can practise
this method of breathing for a few minutes or a few hours. It is also (through
no coincidence) the length of time that many prayers or religious chants take.

It seems the body responds very well to this way of breathing and this has been
discovered over and over again throughout the ages.

## What can you get out of this book

30 lbs of air that pass through our lungs everyday and the way we breathe is
just as important as the food we eat or the exercise we do. James has broken
down the art of breathing into very simple and doable steps.

These steps can be incorporated into your daily life very simply and that is why
I like this book so much. Simply by shutting your mouth when not talking can
have wondrous effects on your long term well being. Chewing your food properly
when eating can actually change physical bone structures in your face. By
practising certain breathing exercises you can take charge of your body.

With levels of depression and anxiety apparently at an all time high I think it
is time as a species we looked at the most basic functions of our lives such as
breathing. If we can focus on this and do this well then I firmly believe we can
build a solid foundation on which we can live healthy happy lives.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch an in depth interview with James Nestor on the infamous Joe Rogan Show:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U5o9b2RVC2E"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

Also listen to James discussing his book with breathe expert
[Patrick McKeown](https://oxygenadvantage.com/patrick-mckeown-m-a-tcd/):

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wl4J2LMXcx8"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

James also introduces Wim Hof in his book and his modern day take on
[tummo breathing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tummo). If you haven’t heard of
Wim Hof you can get a great introduction to him here on the Rich Roll podcast:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i3d3bwzQFgk"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

Buy [Breath](https://amzn.to/3hKwaeR) on Amazon

Listen to [Breath](https://amzn.to/3hMyoKL) on Audible

Buy [Breath](https://www.bookdepository.com/Breath-James-Nestor/9780735213616)
on Book Depository

## About the author

James Nestor is an American journalist and author who has written several books
and also written for many popular publications including The New York Times and
The Atlantic. His latest book Breath had his travelling the world to figure out
what went wrong with the way society breaths and what we can do to correct it.

### Published by

Riverhead/Penguin Random House

### Publication Date

26 May 2020


Journalist James Nestor dives into the past to discover the lost art of breathing in his book - Breath. You can breathe in as many different ways as different foods you can eat and in this book James Nestor explains all

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art


Discover the foods and recipes that are right for you, natural remedies for a
variety of common ailments, and the power of yoga, meditation, and massage with
Practical Ayurveda. - _Amazon Product Description_

## In a nutshell description

This is a practical book explaining what Ayurveda is and how to bring it into
your life. Ayurveda is the Science of long living and a healthy life.

**Ayuhu** = longevity, span of life. **Veda** = branch of knowledge.

The book starts off by explaining about the four aspects of the body (Doshas,
Agni, Dhatus, Malas). It leads you through to discover what kind of body
constitution you have and then dives more into detail about each body type. It
then goes into Lifestyle talking about daily routines and looking after your
body.

It then goes quite deeply into the food and diet aspect of Ayurveda and how
different diets suit different body constitutions and how the seasons play a
very important role in how our bodies are.

Next it brings exercises and focuses predominantly on Yoga. It lays out
different Asanas and an explanation on the benefits each one brings. It
introduces breathing exercises too and how incredibly important the breath is to
a healthy organism.

Finally it comes to the mind and how to introduce positive thinking and
meditation into your life. This is another type of Yoga (raja Yoga) and how it
can bring balance and harmony into our lives.

There is so much information packed into this book and it is filled with
wonderful illustrations. It’s a book that really justifies having the hard copy.

## Quotes to make you think

Life is meant for service and not for self-seeking. Hold your life of the
service of others. The more energy you expend in elevating others, the more
universal energy will flow into you.

## Why I love this book

I really like this book because the approach of Ayurveda just makes so much
sense to me. This isn’t a one size fits all approach, it’s about understanding
yourself and your body and then applying the specific suggestions to what works
for you. It made me aware of so many aspects of myself that I somehow knew but
never formulated into specific thoughts.

The part about the different body types and the energies within the body and how
everyone has different combinations of these was a revelation to me. It really
made me look at people around me differently, I saw them all in a new light.

There is also a section I really liked - ‘Looking after your body’ which lists
ten practises you can do in the morning. Things like clearing your nasal
passage, cleaning your tongue, inhaling aromas… simple practises but when
combined together over a period of time they really made a difference in how I
generally felt.

I still have much to learn from this book and about Ayurveda but this book gives
such a great introduction and really opened my eyes about many aspects of life.

> Life is meant for service and not for self-seeking. Hold your life of the
> service of others. The more energy you expend in elevating others, the more
> universal energy will flow into you.

## Read this book if…

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain a deeper insight into
themselves and their mind and bodies. Personally I think this will be helpful
for anyone but I also understand you have to be in a certain place in life to
really absorb and appreciate what is written here.

There is a great deal of information in this book so it’s definitely a book you
can keep coming back to. However, even just reading a section at a time can
really have an influence on how you see yourself.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

This is a long but great introduction in Ayurveda if you are interested. It is a
lecture given by Jason Milne:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EV7B5-6qQQc"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

This is a great intro video into the different Ayurvedic body types:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lx07nvPloes "
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1465468498/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1465468498&linkCode=as2&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=ac688edbb89ed376e1dfcef29e724588 "
/>

## About the author

The Sivanada Yoga Vedanta Centre was established in 1957 by Swami
Vishnudevanada. It is a nonprofit organisation which focuses on the teaching of
classical Yoga and vedanta philosophy for the physical, mental and spiritual
well being of humans. More than 25,000 Yoga teachers aev graduated from
international Sivanada teachers since 1969.

### Publication Date

5 June 2018


Practical Ayurveda from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre allows you to discover the foods and recipes that are right for you, natural remedies for a variety of common ailments, and the power of yoga, meditation and massage.

Practical Ayurveda


## In a nutshell description

Albert Speer: His Battle With Truth is a detailed journey into the life and
morality of Albert Speer, the German architect who famously rose within Nazi
Germany to become Hitler’s Minister of Armaments and Munitions as well as an
initmate member of his inner circle.

Late author Gitta Sereny meticulously maps out Speer’s ascent from his early
beginnings to his ascent to the highest echelons of the Third Reich before a
post-war life in which he portrayed himself as ‘the good Nazi’.

And this is where the book is particularly interesting. Speer - especially after
the completion of his 20 year imprisonment at Spandau prison - presented himself
as an articulate, educated and apologetic victim of circumstance. Crucially, he
claimed to having not known anything about the very worst Nazi crimes, including
the systematic killing of over six million Jewish people during what became
known as The Holocaust.

As part of her research, Sereny came to know Speer personally and admitted to
liking him. But was he really telling the truth when insisting that he didn’t
know anything about the Final Solution? Sereny’s conclusion is almost reluctant
but firm: He did know and history should judge him accordingly.

> “If one wanted to gain real understanding of Speer, one had to realize first
> that almost everything he did–though, as shown by some of our talks, not quite
> everything–had a purpose, generally directed towards his own benefit.” - Gitta
> Sereny

## Quotes to make you think

“Most Hitler biographers are dismissive of his emotional capacities. The general
trend has been to see him as cold and incapable of compassion. But while this
certainly applies to his political self, more recent research suggests that he
was neither cold nor indifferent towards those closest to him, and this
certainly included Speer.”

“If one wanted to gain real understanding of Speer, one had to realize first
that almost everything he did–though, as shown by some of our talks, not quite
everything–had a purpose, generally directed towards his own benefit.”

“What Hitler taught us–to an extent greater than anyone else in history, though
we would become aware of it again in Vietnam–is that a licence to kill creates a
momentum which defies moral sensibility and discernment and destroys the
capacity of the individual to distinguish between good and evil or, and this is
perhaps even worse, to act against a recognized wrong.”

## Why I love this book

I read Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth more than a decade ago. Having
studied Nazi Germany in some depth throughout school and university, this was
the first time I had actively sought out and purchased a book on the subject for
the sake of wanting to learn more rather than with an exam or essay at the back
of my mind. I took my time and immersed myself in the details.

Sereny’s forensic investigation of events, descriptions of the Nazi context and
exploration of Speer’s character captivated me from the beginning and compelled
me to try to empahise with his experiences on a human level. It was perhaps the
first time I had considered the famous Nazi protagonists as real people rather
than evil caricatures.

I almost found myself hoping Sereny would reach the conclusion that Speer really
was just a normal person who was unfortunate to have been born in the wrong
place at the wrong time. Her assertion that Speer had known about the
extermination of the Jews felt even more powerful as a result.

## Read this book if…

You are interested by the history of Nazi Germany and want to learn more about
that period of time (partly) while contemplating the ambiguous nature of good
and evil.

## What others say about it

“Arguably the most important and certainly the most fascinating book about the
Nazi era published in the last ten years” — **Robert Harris** (note, Albert
Speer: His Battle With Truth was published in 1995)

“A masterpiece of historical and inquisitorial technique, enables us to
understand the ablest, most articulate, and most ambiguous of Hitler’s
ministers” — **Hugh Trevor-Roper**

[“Relentlessly and repeatedly, Sereny shows that Speer must have known more about the fate of the Jews, the realities of the concentration camps, and the treatment of foreign workers than he ever admitted. Yet she shows a kind of overall indulgence and tells us that she saw in Speer's battle with himself…”](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/1996-03-01/albert-speer-his-battle-truth) -
**Stanley Hoffman**

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch Gitta Sereny talking about Albert Speer.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m3dD_Bka_kc"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

Watch 'Albert Speer The Nazi Who Said Sorry'.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/al3gsNlZa1U"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/Albert-Speer-His-Battle-Truth/dp/0679768122/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=199ERX3KQCLRM&dchild=1&keywords=albert+speer+his+battle+with+truth&qid=1602933550&sprefix=albert+speer+h,aps,226&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=ef595529a3636e5ad6124579272606e5&language=en_US"
/>

## About the author

Gitta Sereny was an Austrian-British biographer, historian, and investigative
journalist who came to be known for her interviews and profiles of infamous
figures such as Mary Bell, Franz Strangl and Albert Speer. She wrote five books
in total and worked extensively as a journalist, most notably for The Daily
Telegraph Magazine. Sereny died in June 2012 at the age of 91.

### Publication Date

September 19, 1995


Read this epic account of the life of Albert Speer by Gitta Sereny in which she explores whether he really was the Good Nazi he portrayed himself to be.

Albert Speer: His Battle With Truth


## Summary of main ideas

Khalidi focuses on six key events, or ‘declarations of war’, to lay out his
argument that the history of Palestine and Israel since the start of the 20th
century amounts to a “colonial war waged against the indigenous population, by a
variety of parties, to force them to relinquish their homeland to another people
against their will.”

This “variety of parties” includes the Israelis, the Palestinians, the British
and the Americans. Throughout, Khalidi shows how the mistakes and failings of
these stakeholders both created and perpetuated the conflict.

**The First Declaration Of War: 1917-1939**

In The First Declaration Of War, Khalidi describes how conditions were set for
the eventual establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. In the
[Balfour Declaration of 1917](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl1d4WyleY4),
Britain had committed to supporting the establishment of a "national home for
the Jewish people” in Palestine, even though the Arab population made up 94% of
the total population of Palestine at the time.

The consequences were disastrous. The
[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936%E2%80%931939_Arab_revolt_in_Palestine)
against increased Jewish immigration was disorganised, unsavoury (with the
[Grand Mufti of Jerusalem pursuing an alliance with Nazi Germany](https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-official-record-what-the-mufti-said-to-hitler/))
and ultimately unsuccessful.

**The Second Declaration Of War: 1947-1948**

This section focuses on the
[United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine#:~:text=The%20United%20Nations%20Partition%20Plan,as%20Resolution%20181%20(II).>)
which was adopted as Resolution 181 and recommended the creation of independent
Arab and Jewish States.

This led to civil war followed by the declaration of the establishment of the
state of Israel leading to the surrounding Arab states launching an unsuccessful
invasion. By the end of the war, 700,000 Palestinian Arabs had either fled from
their homes or were expelled from the area that became Israel, starting a
refugee crisis that has never been resolved.

**The Third Declaration Of War: 1967**

In The Third Declaration Of War, Khalidi explores the
[Six-Day War of 1967](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHqJ6pgdE-c) and
especially the
[UN Security Council (SC) Resolution 242](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_242)
which, partly due to some linguistic ambiguity between the French and English
versions, did not force Israel to withdraw from newly occupied territories. As
with Resolution 181, Resolution 242 made no reference to Palistinians (referring
only to the ‘refugee problem’).

This is a theme to which Khalidi frequenntly returns: he argues that the
Palestinian people have been repeatedly ignored as stakeholders in the
Arab-Israeli conflict putting the rights and welfare of the Palestinian people
at a continual disadvantage.

**The Fourth Declaration Of War: 1982**

This section centers on the
[Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Lebanon_War)
which, Khalidi argues, represented a joint Israeli-American operation. The
invasion sought to wipe out Palestinian nationalism in the occupied West Bank
and Gaza.

15,000 - 20,000 people were killed, of which a high proportion were civilians.
The emergence of the United States as Israel’s partner in “helping to repress
the Palestinians by force in service of Zionist ends,” is another key theme that
Khalidi addresses in detail in this section.

**The Fifth Declaration Of War: 1987-1995**

[The First Palestinian Intifada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Intifada),
which began in 1987, saw an outbreak of Palestinian protests and riots against
the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The Israeli response was
widely seen as disproportionate in its brutality, which led to a rise in
sympathy for the Palestinian cause around the world.

Khalidi explores the subsequent self-inflicted damage caused by the Palestinian
Liberation Organisation (PLO) leadership in squandering this public support and
then accepting a flawed outcome at the
[Oslo Accords](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_I_Accord) of 1993 (which was
at least partly a result of naive and inexperienced PLO negotiation).

**The Sixth Declaration Of War: 2000-2014**

The final declaration identified by Khalidi spans fourteen years and encompasses
[the Second Palestinian Intifada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Aqsa_Intifada)
and Israel’s aggressive response to it as well as the three Israeli Defence
Forces (IDF) assaults on the Gaza Strip in 2008, 2012 and 2014.

Khalidi examines the nature of this response, in particular its impact on
Palestinian civilians. He argues that these extreme measures can be considered
“crimes against humanity” and, once more, highlights the influence of the United
States in providing weapons and machinery.

## How this book can help you

I think The Hundred Years' War on Palestine essential reading for anyone hoping
to developing a foundational understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Here’s
why...

I studied the conflict at school and was immediately entranced, although I
realised even then that I had only scratched the surface of the subject. Since
then, I’ve learnt more about the Middle East and come to understand that so many
global events can be traced back to the establishment of Israel and the fight
for Palestine.

The more I learnt, the more conscious I became of a gap in my knowledge
concerning the origins of the conflict. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
provided an ideal step towards building a greater understanding because Khalidi
thoroughly describes the key events while also providing commentary based on a
well of knowledge and personal experience.

I expect some people will consider Khalidi’s work biased in favour of the
Palestinian version of events. I don’t feel qualified to judge at this point but
his writing has certainly inspired me to learn more on the subject.

Khalidi has said that he intended this book to serve as a counterpoint to the
popular mythology made famous by Leon Uris’ epic
[Exodus](https://www.amazon.com/Exodus-Novel-Israel-Leon-Uris/dp/0553258478/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Exodus&qid=1601310175&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=534b1b4f959d2a50238c3859dcbfac65&language=en_US)
(which I enjoyed reading but clearly represents a very biased point of view). I
would argue the major takeaway for an audience that isn’t steeped in the history
of the Arab-Israeli conflict is the understanding that there isn’t a clear
history of good vs evil here, but rather a desperately sad story of innocent
human suffering stemming at least partly from decisions taken more than a
century ago.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch Rashid Khalidi giving a keynote talk about The Hundred Years' War on
Palestine.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yp1hxZMocS4"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

[Get The Hundred Years' War on Palestine on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Years-War-Palestine-Resistance/dp/1627798552/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=1HG52GAT9EHTN&dchild=1&keywords=the+100+years+war+on+palestine&qid=1601307976&sprefix=the+100+years+wa,aps,229&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=182fffdfe9317b7a86389a4a777130f7&language=en_US)

## About the author

Rashid Khalidi is a Palestinian American historian of the Middle East. He is
currently the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia
University and Co-editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies. He has published over ten books about the
history of the Middle East, of which his most well-known is
[Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness](https://www.amazon.com/Palestinian-Identity-Construction-National-Consciousness/dp/023115075X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Palestinian+Identity:+The+Construction+of+Modern+National+Consciousness&qid=1601308256&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=eef21ff53086dba47fbad1336a1ab8d1&language=en_US).

### Published by

Macmillan

### Publication Date:

January 28, 2020


Read The Hundred Years War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi to get a comprehensive understanding of how the Arab-Israeli conflict originated and was then perpetuated for more than a century.

The Hundred Years War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917--2017


## Summary of main ideas

**Optimism:** “If you walk up and down the hall constantly telling people ‘The
sky is falling,’ a sense of doom and gloom will, over time, permeate the
company. You can’t communicate pessimism to the people around you. It’s ruinous
to morale.”

**Courage:** “If you want innovation, you need to grant permission to fail.”

**Focus:** “Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil. You
may become the greatest trombone oil manufacturer in the world, but in the end
the world only consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year.” (quoting Iger’s
former boss Dan Berg).

**Decisiveness:** “There is never 100% certainty.”

**Curiosity:** “The path to innovation begins with curiosity.”

**Fairness:** “This doesn’t mean that you lower your expectations... it means
you create an environment where people know you will hear them out... and that
they will be given second chances for honest mistakes.”

**Thoughtfulness:** “Long shots aren’t normally as long as they seem.”

**Authenticity:** “A little respect goes a long way and the absence of it can be
costly.”

**Relentless Pursuit of Perfectionism:** “It’s a mindset...it’s not about
perfectionism at all costs, it’s about creating an environment in which people
refuse to accept mediocrity.”

**Integrity:** “True integrity, a sense of knowing who you are and being guided
by your own clear sense of right and wrong is a kind of secret leadership
weapon. If you trust your own instincts and treat people with respect, the
company will come to represent the values you live by.”

Particularly fascinating insights come through his descriptions of handling
important relationships.

For example, he devotes a lot of time to describing the influence of the
legendary head of ABC’s Sports and News departments Roone Arledge who served as
a demanding mentor before ultimately working for Iger, who had risen rapidly
through the ranks to increasingly senior positions. Iger’s description of how he
coaxed a last great project from an initially reluctant Arledge (ABC’s Millenium
coverage) through a combination of firmness and sensitivity is a superb insight
into the importance of emotional intelligence when leading others.

Other highlights include descriptions of Iger’s close relationship with Steve
Jobs and his exploration of the complexities involved with being acquired by and
then later acquiring other companies.

> “True integrity, a sense of knowing who you are and being guided by your own
> clear sense of right and wrong is a kind of secret leadership weapon.”

## How this book can help you

The ten principles of leadership are a great framework for anyone who finds
themselves responsible for other people. But the underlying takeaway comes from
Iger’s emphasis on the importance of consistently doing the ‘right thing’, even
when the short term consequence is negative. By following his principles, acting
with humility and treating those around him with respect, Iger was able to build
a hugely successful career while maintaining a clear conscience. Iger also
identified and executed on three core focus areas as he became CEO of Disney:

1. Increase the amount of high-quality branded content
2. Advance technologically
3. Grow globally His explanation about how he landed on this approach provides a
   great lesson in the power of taking the time to create a thoughtful strategy
   and then sticking to it, rather than constantly reacting to events.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

[An interview with Rober Iger by Oprah Winfrey.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS4y0giPVaE)

## Where to get it

[Get The Ride of a Lifetime on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Ride-Lifetime-Lessons-Learned-Company/dp/0399592091/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=The+Ride+of+a+Lifetime&qid=1598696367&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=9cdf077f8a2c6ecb4cc05fc407acdca9&language=en_US)

[Get The Ride of a Lifetime as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/The-Ride-of-Lifetime-Robert-Iger-audiobook/dp/B07XZMNP27/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=The+Ride+of+a+Lifetime&qid=1598696422&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=bcabe7cb342a3629b022367f208f2162&language=en_US)

## About the author

Robert Iger enjoyed a long and successful career working for ABC Group and Walt
Disney Corporation, culminating in a 15-year stint as Chairman and CEO. In his
time at Disney, Iger oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and
21st Century Fox. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in
January 2020.

### Published by

Penguin Random House LLC

### Publication Date:

September 23, 2019


Read The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger for an insight into the leadership skills required to lead Disney for over a decade

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

## In a nutshell description

Hacking Growth provides a detailed breakdown of how companies are creating
dedicated, multi-talented teams who harness data, rapid experimentation and
technical know-how to drive huge growth, often with little marketing spend.

Authors Sean Ellis and Morgan use mutltiple case studies to demonstrate the
fundamental principles of growth hacking, including their personal experiences
such as helping to grow Dropbox's users from 100,000 to 4 million by rewarding
users with extra storage for inviting friends to use the service.

They go on to demonstrate how growth hacking strategies can be used to drive
growth at all stages of the customer experience, from initial acquisition to
activation, monetization and then retention. They go into detail about
high-level concepts such as the philosophy of building growth innovations
directly into a product's design (such as Adobe gameifying their tutorials -
leading to a 400% increase in users upgrading to a paid version), rather than
treating marketing as a seperate function tasked with selling an already-built
product.

And then there are deep dives into specific tactics used by successful growth
teams such as how to run successful weekly meetings and how to approach choosing
the most suitable metrics on which to focus.

## Why I love this book

I work in data and have a background in marketing, so Hacking Growth referenced
a lot of ideas and techniques I was already familiar with but it presented them
in such understandable and actionable ways that I found myself bursting with new
ideas and really excited by possibilities I hadn't previously considered.

I had always previously assumed growth 'hacking' meant taking short cuts and
favouring quick wins over long-term, sustainable growth. I was wrong. I am now
convinced that being part of a growth team must be one of the most exciting
roles to take on within an organisation due to the opportunity to combine
creativty with a highly systematic approach, and an opportunity to make a clear
impact on the bottom line.

## Quotes to make you think

_“There is no question that stalled growth is one of the most pernicious and
pressing problems for today’s businesses, and that’s not just true for
start-ups, but for just about any business, large or small, in just about any
industry you can think of.”_

_“To determine your value metric, Campbell recommends asking yourself three
questions: Does the value metric align with where your customer perceives value?
Does the metric scale as the customer uses the product more? Is it easy to
understand?”_

_“Remember that a core tenet of growth hacking is experimentation all through
the customer experience funnel: not just customer awareness and acquisition but
also activation, retention, revenue, and referral.”_

_“One of the cardinal rules of growth hacking is that you must not move into the
high-tempo growth experimentation push until you know your product is must-have,
why it’s must-have, and to whom it is a must-have: in other words, what is its
core value, to which customers, and why.”_

## Read this book if…

You have any interest in marketing, data, product development or business in
general.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening



<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jsdLHXBScNc"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it



<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Growth-Fastest-Growing-Companies-Breakout/dp/045149721X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=hacking+growth&qid=1616013882&sr=8-1"
/>

## About the Authors

Sean Ellis coined the term 'Growth Hacking'. He is the founder and CEO of
[GrowthHackers](https://growthhackers.com/), has directly led growth at Dropbox,
LogMeIn, Lookout, and Eventbrite and has also provided coaching and workshops to
some of the world’s fastest growing companies.

Morgan Brown is a growth product manager at Facebook and a startup marketing
veteran with more than 15 years helping early stage companies find traction and
breakout growth.

### Publication Date:



April 18, 2017

Check out our short summary of Hacking Growth by Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown.

Hacking Growth


## Summary of main ideas

That’s a worthy goal. To get there, you need to take control of your financial
life. If you don’t know much, or anything, about personal finance. This book is
the place to start.

Sethi lays out a six-week gameplan. In reality, you don’t need to follow each
step in succession, but each stage builds on the previous one to take you on a
journey from free-spending financial illiterate to disciplined (and relaxed)
investor on the path to building wealth while enjoying life along the way.

Among other things, you will learn how to do the following (and why)

- **Optimize Your Credit Cards** - While many people get into financial trouble
  because of costly late payment fees, credit cards can actually be put to work
  in your favour to build up your credit score and earn points towards travel.
- **Adopt a Conscious Spending Plan** - Sethi argues that trying to stick to a
  budget is unrealistic for most people, who may start with good intentions but
  will eventually give up. He proposes an approach where you automatically
  deduct fixed costs and savings and then use the remainder for guilt-free
  spending.
- **Automate Everything** - An important concept that runs throughout the book:
  The less you actually have to do to manage your finances, the more chance that
  your finances will be managed!
- **Start Investing** - For anybody who hasn’t heard of Compound Interest or the
  concept of managed vs non-managed investment funds, this section is essential
  reading. Or, more simply: “Spend extravagantly on the things you love. Cut
  costs mercilessly on the things you don’t.”

> While many people get into financial trouble because of costly late payment
> fees, credit cards can actually be put to work in your favour to build up your
> credit score and earn points towards travel.

## How this book can help you

There are many great books about personal finance but I Will Teach You to be
Rich is the one I wish I could go back in time and force my teenage self to
read. It changed my financial life as an early thirty-something, mainly because
it revolutionised my understanding of money.

Early on in my adult life, I saw money as a means of paying bills and buying
stuff with anything left over. I hated talking (or being talked to) about money,
it felt like a hugely complicated subject, especially as my bank account had a
magical ability to stay at a similar level for years on end. I was squeamish
about negotiating salaries and I assumed buying property would be a great idea,
if only I could somehow afford it (I’m not saying it isn’t, but it depends).

Sethi made me realise money is simply a resource that can enable you to spend
time doing what you love. With that perspective, time can be considered just
as - if not more - valuable, and money’s greatest value is often that it buys
you time. He also made me understand that the basics to getting your finances
under control are really quite simple.

I will always be grateful to this book for pushing me to automate as much of my
financial life as possible, helping me understand the importance of getting paid
fairly, and introducing me to the concepts of compound interest and index fund
investing. Less specifically, I think I can attribute some credit to I Will
Teach You to Be Rich to helping me develop a Growth Mindset, although there are
many books that have helped with that particular journey!

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

[Watch Ramit Sethi talk at Google.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmAwa1nnB6w)

## Where to get it

[Get the most recent edition of I Will Teach You to Be Rich on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Will-Teach-You-Rich-Second/dp/1523505745/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=36F47VA66OQH3&dchild=1&keywords=i+will+teach+you+to+be+rich&qid=1598696504&sprefix=I+will+te,audible,244&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=10c646df7b536a02d7274a44341f8f30&language=en_US)

[Get I Will Teach You to Be Rich as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QR7GYF7/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598696504&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=f9976bf95522d04088fbcd1cd5cbde22&language=en_US)

## About the author

Ramit Sethi started a personal finance blog called
[I Will Teach You To Be Rich](https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com) while still
an undergraduate at Stanford University in the early 2000s. He first published
Will Teach You to Be Rich in 2009, with an updated version released in 2019. He
is also the founder of GrowthLab.com and owner and a co-founder of PBworks, a
commercial wiki website.

### Published by

Penguin Random House LLC

### Publication Date:

March 23, 2009


Read I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi for a straightforward and actionable crash course on the fundamentals of personal finance.

I Will Teach You to Be Rich


He spent 25 years researching over forty millionaires to find out what habits
and traits they possessed that brought about success and riches. He states that
‘thoughts are things’ and whatever you can conceive of and believe in your mind
you can manifest into reality.

The book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ breaks down the steps needed in order to achieve
riches. This book was written around the time of the
[Great Depression](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression) which
explains why the book is mainly focused on how you can manifest money riches
into your life.

## Summary of main ideas

Napoleon breaks down his method to attain riches into thirteen steps. He is very
adamant that each step must be taken and each step must be done properly in
order for the combination of all the steps to have the desired effect. The
thirteen steps are as follows:

**1. Desire: The starting point for all achievement.**

Napoleon states that all success starts from having a burning desire. It can
still take a long time for the riches to manifest but there has to be a burning
desire otherwise it will not happen. He states there are six steps to transmute
desire into its financial equivalent:

- First: Decide exactly how much money you wish to attain.

- Second: Decide what you intend to give in return.

- Third: Establish a definite date.

- Fourth: Create a definite plan.

- Fifth: Write these things down.

- Sixth: Read your statement aloud twice daily, once in the morning and once in
  the evening.

These steps are very important in attaining riches as it lays the platform for
you becoming ‘money conscious’ and this is needed in order to become successful.

**2. Faith: Visualization Of, and Belief in Attainment of Desire**

Faith is the head chemist of the mind. Napoleon writes that thoughts are not
enough in and of themselves. They need to be combined with emotion. Only then
can they start manifesting into reality.

Faith, love and Sex are the most powerful emotions. All thoughts that have given
feelings and then mixed with faith will immediately translate themselves into
their physical equivalent.

> A man’s imagination is very important in creating riches. It is the place
> where plans and desires are formed. Without an imagination it will be very
> difficult to create any kind of wealth.

**3. Auto-Suggestion: The Medium for Influencing the SubConscious Mind**

Auto-suggestion applies to all suggestions and stimuli that reach the mind via
the five senses. The dominating thoughts in one’s mind, whether they are
positive or negative, cannot enter the subconscious mind without the aid of the
principle of auto-suggestion. So any impressions received from the senses are
stopped by the conscious thinking mind and may be allowed to be rejected or to
pass to the subconscious mind. The conscious mind acts as an outer-guard.

So by following the six steps laid out in the First Step and attaching emotion
to the words you read out every morning and night you can slowly move these
thoughts into your subconscious mind.

**4. Specialized Knowledge: Personal Experiences or Observations**

There are two types of knowledge. General and Specialized. General knowledge is
of little use when it comes to amassing wealth. In order to make riches you must
have specialized knowledge in the area in which you want to make wealth. Become
a master of your trade.

**5. Imagination: The Workshop of the Mind**

A man’s imagination is very important in creating riches. It is the place where
plans and desires are formed. Without an imagination it will be very difficult
to create any kind of wealth.

There are two types of imagination according to Napoleon - Synthetic and
Creative.

**Synthetic** - Through this one can arrange old ideas, concepts, plans into new
combinations. However nothing is created by this type of imagination.

**Creative** - Through this type of imagination man has direct communication
with ‘Infinite Intelligence’. It is the faculty through which ‘hunches’ and
‘inspiration’ are received. It is a muscle and like all muscles it can be
trained.

**6. Organised Planning: The Crystallization of Desire into Action**

There are four steps that can be utilized in order to build your plans:

- Ally yourself with a ‘Master Mind’ group. This is a group of specialized
  individuals who can help you achieve your goals.

- Decide beforehand what you can offer each person of this ‘Master Mind’ group
  as no one will work for free.

- Arrange to meet with the group at least twice a week until you have
  constructed the necessary plan.

- Maintain good relations with each member of the group.

You must have a plan in order to succeed and you will need other people’s
experience, education and native abilities in order to create this plan and make
sure it succeeds. You cannot do this alone.

**7. Decision: The mastery of Procrastination**

You will need to get good at making decisions. This is a skill and can be
improved over time with practise and experience. A good leader makes decisions
promptly and changes these decisions rarely and if so then slowly. People that
fail to accumulate money make decisions, if at all, very slowly, and change
these decisions quickly and often.

The opposite of decisions is Procrastination and this is a common enemy that
every man must conquer.

**8. Persistence: The Sustained Effort Necessary to Induce Faith**

This is probably one of the most important steps and the most overlooked as it’s
not very ‘sexy’. So many people begin projects with exuberance and excitement
but soon give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune.

People that succeed in their endeavours do so utilising their power of will.
They follow through with all of their plans. They carry on despite all the
opposition and they attain their goals.

Napoleon outlines 4 steps which lead to the habit of persistence:

- A definite purpose backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment.

- A definite plan, expressed in continuous action.

- A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences.

- A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow
  through with both plan and purpose.

> A good leader makes decisions promptly and changes these decisions rarely and
> if so then slowly. People that fail to accumulate money make decisions, if at
> all, very slowly, and change these decisions quickly and often.

**9. Power of the Master Mind: The Driving Force**

Power is an essential ingredient in the accumulation of money. Without it your
plans are useless according to Napoleon. Power is defined as ‘organised and
intelligently directed knowledge’. There are three sources of knowledge:

- Infinite intelligence.

- Accumulated experience.

- Experiment and research.

This knowledge may be converted into power by organizing it into definite plans
and then expressing these plans in terms of action. This is where the knowledge
of the ‘Master Mind’ group is crucial as you will require knowledge of others in
order to succeed. An individual will have real difficulties if he relies upon
his efforts alone.

**10. The Mystery of Sex: Transmutation**

‘Transmute’ in this context means the transfer of one form of energy into
another. The emotion of sex brings into being a state of mind.

Sex desire is the most powerful of human desires and when driven by this desire
men can accomplish great feats. Their whole keenness of imagination, will-power,
courage, persistence and creative abilities are all enhanced when driven by this
sex desire.

Napoleon states a transmuted sex desire can result in amazing creative
abilities. This creative imagination is a human’s six sense. A link between the
finite mind of man and Infinite intelligence. It is labelled as ‘intuition’,
‘hunch’ or the ‘small voice inside us’ and in order to succeed this creative
imagination must be developed and utilized.

**11. The Subconscious Mind: The Connecting Link**

There is still relatively little known about the subconscious mind. Napoleon
suggests it is the link between man's thinking mind and Infinite Intelligence.
However there are certain tried and tested ways you can use the subconscious
mind to your advantage.

The subconscious mind works day and night. You can hand plans, problems and
desires over to it and it will mull over them and very often give you an answer.
Combining thoughts with emotions and making this a daily habit will cultivate
your subconscious mind. By doing this consistently you can begin to bring about
your goals into physical reality.

**12. The Brain: A Broadcasting and Receiving Station for Thought**

The brain is both a broadcasting and receiving station for the vibration of
thought. These vibrations need to be of an exceedingly high rate though. These
thoughts can be stepped up by combining them with major emotions.

The emotion of sex is at the top of this list. By utilizing sex transmutation
you can increase the rate of vibration of thoughts and then the Creative
Imagination becomes highly receptive to ideas.

**13. The Sixth Sense: The Door to the Temple of Wisdom**

Once you have mastered the first twelve steps can the connection with Infinite
Intelligence be opened. It will communicate with you voluntarily without any
effort from you. It is also known as ‘flashes of inspiration’ or ‘hunches’.

It can communicate ideas as well as dangers that may lurk ahead. You can avoid
potential problems ahead by having this line of communication open. However you
have to follow each step in this book in order to get your mind in a suitable
place to receive these communications

### How to Outwit the Six Ghosts of Fear

There are six fears which are the cause of all discouragement, timidity,
indifference, procrastination, indecision and lack of enthusiasm. Napoleon calls
these the _Six Ghosts of Fear_ and advises that by having an understanding of
them will give you the means to overcome them. The Six Basic Fears are:

- The fear of poverty

- The fear of criticism

- The fear of ill health

- The fear of loss of love of someone

- The fear of old age

- The fear of death

## How this book can help you

This book is one of the first ‘Self-Help’ books and really helped kick off a
whole genre which has exploded into the huge business it is today. The book's
main premise is around the mind and how important it is to have your mind in
order if you want to succeed at anything.

It reminds me a lot about the
[Law of Attraction](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction_(New_Thought)>)
and how cultivating a positive mindset will bring about a positive life.

Napoleon really breaks down the steps you can take in order to create riches in
your life. This is very helpful for anyone who is lost or not sure what to do to
get out of a rut. There does seem to be an element of faith needed in order for
these steps to pay off though so any amount of skepticism going in could hold
you back.

One thing it does show though is how much can be done with the mind if you are
willing to. The cultivation of the mind is essential if you wish to bring about
any success in your life. The steps about creating a ‘Master Mind’ group, having
persistence and organised planning really stood out for me.

If you are starting a new endeavour, or find yourself in a lull then this book
is definitely worth a read.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

In this video you can listen to Napolean Hill give a lecture on ‘The Laws of
Success’:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nZ5CXiMgOCw"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>{' '}

and this is where I discovered this book in the first place:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sm9pNiYpiDY"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>{' '}

## Where to get it

Read on paperback [Think and Grow Rich from Amazon](https://amzn.to/34KynUv)

Listen to
[Think and Grow Rich](https://www.audible.com/pd/Think-and-Grow-Rich-Audiobook/B002V5D950)
on Audible

## About the author

Oliver Napolean Hill was an American Self-Help author. He was certainly an
interesting character and there is some controversy surrounding his life and you
can read more of it
[here](https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/the-untold-story-of-napoleon-hill-the-greatest-self-he-1789385645).
One thing for certain though is his book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ is among the top
10 best selling self-help books of all time.

### Published by

TarcherPerigee; Revised & enlarged edition

### Publication Date:

August 18, 2005


Book Summary of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. 13 Principles laid out for you to achieve success and riches in your life.

Think and Grow Rich


## Summary of main ideas

So what exactly is deep work and why is it important? In a world of limitless
distractions, ranging from incoming emails and colleagues interrupting you at
your desk (admittedly more so pre-Covid!) to the temptations of jumping down the
rabbit hole of Youtube and the rest of the internet, it’s easy to find yourself
working in a ‘shallow’ way.

Newport argues that we are able to produce work of greater quality and quantity
when we succeed in reaching a state of deep concentration. You might recognise
this as ‘getting into the zone’ when working on a difficult task that requires
all of your focus. It’s a cliché that computer programmers work much more
effectively when they reach this state, but try interrupting a room full of
focused developers and you will quickly realise the cliché reflects reality!

The key takeaway from this book is that everyone can benefit from learning to
work deeply and it is important to deliberately create the conditions to make it
possible. Suggestions include breaking your day into slots on your calendar,
building routines into your daily life that force you to spend time alone with
just your thoughts for company (Newport uses long walks) and taking steps to
eliminate distractions such as social media.

> The key takeaway from this book is that everyone can benefit from learning to
> work deeply and it is important to deliberately create the conditions to make
> it possible.

## How this book can help you

Deep work is one of the most actionable books I have read. I already had a good
intuition that working in a focused way was better than getting distracted
regularly, but this really crystallised the concept and helped me understand its
importance. Personally, this was the biggest help.

Having read the book, I’ve worked in a far more focused way, which has benefited
every aspect of my life. I tested the specific tactics outlined in the book and
eventually found my own system for deep work by working in 25-minute
highly-focused ‘pomodoros'.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

[This piece on Medium provides a good overview of how to apply the learnings in Deep Work to your life.](https://medium.com/@nina.semczuk/5-practices-from-deep-work-by-cal-newport-thatll-change-your-life-303847ec5f3c)

[This animated video gives a great summary of the main concepts.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD7dXfdDPfg)

## Where to get it

[Get Deep Work on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=2LW3BVW4FDFB8&dchild=1&keywords=deep+work&qid=1598696611&sprefix=deep+work,audible,250&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=e5447985a78037d4b67a33a58189675a&language=en_US)

[Get Deep Work as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Cal-Newport-audiobook/dp/B01CYKUC9C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=2LW3BVW4FDFB8&keywords=deep+work&qid=1598696650&sprefix=deep+work,audible,250&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=6f7896cd4cc58499e7142f7d5611f802&language=en_US)

## About the author

Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown university who writes
about “the intersection of digital technology and culture.” He’s written six
books, most notably the excellent
[So Good They Can’t Ignore You](https://www.amazon.com/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/1455509124/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=So+Good+They+Can%E2%80%99t+Ignore+You&qid=1598696697&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=e3cb08fd71aad4113b46d949c47b8735&language=en_US)
and
[Digital Minimalism](https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Minimalism-Choosing-Focused-Noisy/dp/0525536515/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Digital+Minimalism&qid=1598696728&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=b98f553a11a54a98669d119dd3e8520b&language=en_US)
You can read more from Cal [on his blog](https://www.calnewport.com/blog/).

### Published by

Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group

### Publication Date:

January 5, 2016


Read Deep Work by Cal Newport to learn about the power of reaching a state of flow and how to apply this to your own life.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

## In a nutshell description

Daily Rituals is a wonderful collection of the daily routines of a broad spectrum of creative people over several hundred years
lovingly compiled by former design-magazine editor Mason Currey. What started out as a side project [blog](https://dailyroutines.typepad.com/)
grew steadily in popularity, captivating thousands of visitors and leading directly to the publication of this book.

The format is simple. Each chapter recounts the daily routine of a famous (or at least notable) creator. When did they get up? What did they have for breakfast? 
When did they start work in the morning/afternoon/night and for how long? Where did they go to find inpsiration? Did they wait for inspiration to strike or did they have to force it?

Readers will recognise many of the names included in Daily Rituals but they probably won't have considered how Agatha Christie worked without a desk, 
how Beethoven relied on 60-bean cups of coffee for breakfast or how Anthony Trollope made sure to write three thousand words each morning before going to his day job.

Ultimately this book demistifies some of the magic behind great art. The people documented here have been responsible for creating works of art that are celebrated and enjoyed to this day.
It turns out their lives were quite ordinary (if endearingly eccentric in some cases), but they all carved out time almost every day to work on their crafts and (mostly) refused to give up to the 
temptations of procrastination. 

## Why I love this book

I read Daily Rituals at a point in my life where I was obsessed with making electronic music and it gave me some really useful perspective. 
I think that most creative processes are quite similar in that coming up with something new is really difficult and 
there are a million ways to distract yourself when you're struggling for ideas.

There is also a common perception that great art is purely a matter of inspiration. Although inspiration is hugely important, I think it's a common misconception that inspiration is something
that you wait for rather than actively seek out. For anyone making their way with a creative endavour, this can turn into yet another excuse to avoid the difficulties of putting one foot in front of the other towards whatever piece of art you are working on.  

Reading about how truly succesful artists, writers and musicians have been putting in the time for centuries, using sweat and tears to force inspiration and make the most of their talents was, in itself,
inspiring to me and it's a lesson I have never forgotten. Also, I'm naturally nosy and I loved getting a peak into the daily lives of such an interesting group of people!

## Quotes to make you think

_“It is a danger to wait around for an idea to occur to you. You have to find the idea.”_

_“One can be very fertile without having to work too much. Three hours in the morning. Three hours in the evening. This is my only rule. - Jean-Paul Sartre”_

_“to sustain these true moments of insight one has to be highly disciplined, lead a disciplined life.”_

_“(Stephen) King writes every day of the year, including his birthday and holidays, and he almost never lets himself quit before he reaches his daily quota of two thousand words.”_


## Read this book if…

You are fascinated by how our day-to-day lives compare to those of people from different time periods and especially if you are a creative person who wants to understand some of the common behaviours of the world's greatest creators.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening



<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pOvRF1hFp2M"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it



<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Rituals-How-Artists-Work/dp/0307273601/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Daily+Rituals&qid=1617641025&sr=8-1"
/>

## About the Author

Mason Currey is a freelance writer and editor whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Slate. In 2019, he published a follow-up
to Daily Rituals called [Daily Rituals: Women at Work](amazon.com/Daily-Rituals-Women-at-Work/dp/1524732958/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Daily+Rituals%3A+Women+at+Work%2C&qid=1617644647&sr=8-1).

### Publication Date:



April 23, 2013

Read our short summary of Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey, a glimpse into the daily lives of brilliant and successful creators across multiple centuries.

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

## In a nutshell description

In this little book about Caffeine (only available on Audible currently) Michael
Pollan looks into one of the most widely used psychoactive stimulants in today’s
society. Michael gives the history of this seemingly innocent plant and how it
made it’s way over to the western world and the surprisingly major impact it had
on the shaping of western society and continues to have today. What’s more, the
author shows that the Industrial Revolution would have been impossible without
it.

Through the course of writing this book Michael actually gives up any form of
caffeine for a period of 3 months because he was advised that this was the only
way he would truly understand his relationship with the drug. He then vividly
describes the day’s event when he is allowed once more to administer some
caffeine once again - in the form of a flat white from one of his favorite
coffee haunts - the euphoria he felt and then how this almost immediately
impacted his behaviour and resulting day.

## Why I love this book

I am a big fan of coffee and I am always surprised by the lack of wonder around
this drug. I literally feel euphoric at times when I consume it and I am deeply
intrigued by the effect consumption of caffeine has on my life.

To find out caffeine’s impact on Western society and how deep a role it seemed
to have played in the current makeup of our society was really eye opening. I
knew it was addictive but to see the extent to which it determines so much of
people’s behaviour is truly fascinating.

## Quote to make you think

_“​​Caffeine constitutes the largest and longest unsupervised drug experiment
ever conducted on humans"_

## Read this book if…

You consume caffeine in any form then I think you should understand the history
and the facts behind it. I still believe caffeine can very much be part of a
healthy lifestyle but I also think its power over us should not be
underestimated. I also believe the more you understand something the more you
can be aware of its potential impact over you.

Be careful though, you may think twice about your next cup of coffee or even go
as far as to give us caffeine for good!

> “​​Caffeine constitutes the largest and longest unsupervised drug experiment
> ever conducted on humans"

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

This is a great little teaser from Michael on Youtube speaking to Joe Rogan
about his first taste of coffee about a three month hiatus:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mAPG18zNtXk"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

This is an official interview about the audiobook and the recording of it:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M_BNmD1IEac"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it



<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/Caffeine-How-Created-Modern-World/dp/B083MYJXZT"
/>

## About the author

Michael Pollan is an American author and journalist. He has written many well
known books such as ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’, ‘In Defense of Food’ and ‘How to
Change Your Mind’ which is a book about the history and future of psychedelics.
He has also contributed writings for the ‘New York Times’ magazine and has one
numerous writing awards.

### Publication Date:



January 30, 2020

Read our short summary of Caffeine - How coffee and tea created the modern world where Michael Pollan introduces the history of how caffeine entered into the western world and the effect that has taken place because of it.

Caffeine - How coffee and tea created the modern world


## Summary of main ideas

Never Split The Difference is an entertaining and practical insight into the art
of negotiation based on the experiences of former FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris
Voss who has since put his skills to work in the world of business.

Going against some of accepted best practices of negotiation that form the basis
of other books about negotiation - such as
[Getting to Yes](https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Yes-Negotiating-Agreement-Without/dp/0143118757/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=getting+to+yes&qid=1598696918&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=07c2d353b1c8e7bac6446d1c32dea060&language=en_US)
by Roger Fisher - Voss puts great importance on empathising with the person on
the other side of a negotiation.

In doing so, he lays out the tactics that have served him so well throughout his
career, providing examples and explanations along the way. These include
concepts such as:

**Active Listening:** Listening provides an inexpensive way of granting a
concession to the other party, demonstrating that you are taking their needs
seriously and genuinely want to understand their perspective. It requires 100%
focus on what the other person is saying and the discipline to repress any
thoughts related to your existing assumptions and worldview.

As well as building trust, active listening helps to build a sense of the other
person’s perspective, which provides a negotiation advantage.

**Mirroring:** Voss describes mirroring as a “magical technique” that
facilitates bonding with the other person. By repeating somebody’s words back to
them you can harness the power of similarity while gently inducing them to
elaborate and provide more information, which is perhaps the most crucial aspect
of any negotiation.

**Labeling:** Giving someone’s emotion a name reduces the negativity of that
emotion or reinforces the positivity. Using phrases such as “it seems like
you...” or “it looks like you...” demonstrates that you understand and care
about the other person’s feelings. By acknowledging these emotions, you remove
their explosive power and open a channel to address them.

**Leveraging ‘no’:** Voss argues that getting a ‘no’ out of the other person
early on in a negotiation is crucial because it allows him or her to feel a
sense of control within the situation. It is also a much more trustworthy answer
than ‘yes’, which will often not be truthful. ‘No’ provides a platform from
which to start the real negotiation by asking solution-based questions such as
“How do we move forward from here?”

**Getting to ‘that’s right’:** When there is an impasse (or the risk of one) in
a negotiation, getting the other person to say “that’s right” is key to moving
things along. In Voss’ own words: “That's right is what we say when we feel
completely heard, and there's a chemical change that takes place in our brain —
it is a subtle epiphany. And when you feel an epiphany, you feel better, you
just don't know where it came from.”

The best way of leading the other person in the negotiation to a “that’s right”
is to summarise their arguments and feelings (labels!) so well that “that’s
right” becomes the only logical response.

**Finding the Black Swan:** Black swans are hidden pieces of information with
the power to dramatically change the course of a negotiation, because they are
“leverage multipliers.” Voss argues that great negotiators are skilled at
uncovering this black swan if it exists. It requires a deep level of empathy to
connect with your counterpart to understand their worldview and emotions. This
is where the black swan is most likely to be found.

The book is full of very specific tactics and insights that the reader can
quickly begin to apply in their own life. Voss also introduces concepts such as:

- The three types of voice tone a negotiator should adopt

  - The late night FM dj voice
  - The positive/playful voice
  - The direct or assertive voice

- The three types of leverage

  - Positive
  - Negative
  - Normative

- The three kinds of yes
  - Counterfeit
  - Confirmation
  - Commitment

But the book’s overarching takeaway is quite simple. Deploy deep empathy to
build trust and gain valuable information to help you achieve the best possible
outcome in a negotiation.

> When there is an impasse (or the risk of one) in a negotiation, getting the
> other person to say “that’s right” is key to moving things along.

## How this book can help you

You don’t need to work in hostage negotiation to get a lot of value from Never
Split the Difference. The tactics and examples used by Voss are so specific and
well-explained that anyone who routinely finds themselves in some kind of
negotiation with colleagues, customers, relatives or friends (so everyone,
really) can begin applying them to real life situations

For sure, people facing typical negotiation scenarios such as asking for a raise
will gain a lot from this book. It breaks down situations that are often
intimidating and awkward and provides proven tools for getting an edge
(especially when the person on the other side of the table hasn’t been trained
in negotiation skills!).

But it’s also a valuable toolkit for dealing with non-confrontational contexts
as well. Learning how to listen actively will help anyone build better
relationships and trying to understand the emotions and perspectives of other
people is a crucial skill that will lead to success not only in business but
also in life.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

[Watch Chris Voss discussing Never Split the Difference in his talk at Google.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guZa7mQV1l0&list=PL1iIAT1Ag4inYWyvkGWoBbUFWMA89awaz&index=25)

## Where to get it

[Get Never Split the Difference on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=3RYS2XLAZS50E&dchild=1&keywords=never+split+the+difference&qid=1598696835&sprefix=never+,aps,261&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=16252b5cba1013648a7c04fa34801526&language=en_US)

[Get Never Split the Difference as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-audiobook/dp/B07T93LW94/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=3RYS2XLAZS50E&keywords=never+split+the+difference&qid=1598696887&sprefix=never+,aps,261&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=3414be501e49243cfd833694deb7468d&language=en_US)

## About the authors

Chris Voss is a former FBI hostage negotiator who, since leaving law
enforcement, has applied his extensive knowledge and experience of resolving
high-stakes negotiation situations to the world of business. He founded
[The Black Swan Group Ltd](https://www.blackswanltd.com/home) and has taught
business negotiation at prestigious universities including Harvard and
Georgetown.

Tahl Raz is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author who has written
about business, technology and the social sciences for a wide range of
publications. He is the co-author of
[Never Eat Alone](https://www.amazon.com/Never-Eat-Alone-Expanded-Updated/dp/0385346654/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=1SYVDBI3LLVJ&dchild=1&keywords=never+eat+alone&qid=1598696950&s=books&sprefix=never+eat+al,stripbooks-intl-ship,242&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=4e8faeabef29aba77bcdacbe0170953e&language=en_US).

### Published by

Harper Business

### Publication Date

May 17, 2016


Read Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss for a masterclass on the principles of negotiation recounted by a former FBI Hostage Negotiator

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It


## Summary of main ideas

**1. “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”**

Jordan introduces lobsters to the reader in this chapter and it’s a fantastic
analogy for getting across his first rule. You may wonder how lobsters' social
hierarchy relates to humans but there are many similarities.

In any hierarchical system (and humans definitely exist in one!) there are
conflicts and a lobster with low serotonin levels and high octopamine levels
does not do well in conflicts. Their body language is scrunched up and negative
to make themselves look small and they cower away from more dominant lobsters.
Therefore they don’t get the prime real estate, best hunting ground or the prime
lobster mate. Their chances for survival and bearing offspring are lowered and
this is not good.

In humans it has been shown that adopting a dominant body posture can actually
affect your levels of testostorone and serotonin,
[watch this video](https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are?language=en).
Therefore Jordan proposes that standing up straight with your shoulders back
will not only influence your posture but also influence your position in life.
It will enable you to take on the responsibility of life face on and transform
the potential chaos around you into habitable order.

**2. “Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.”**

In this second rule Jordan proposes that people are not the best carers of
themselves and it’s been proven that people will look after others around them
far better than they would themselves. This was proven to me when doing an
exercise in a meditation course and recording how we would speak to a friend
about a situation and then how we would talk to ourselves in our heads in the
same situation. The difference is scary!

However when you are responsible for someone else or something else the whole
dynamic changes and humans are naturally inclined to shoulder that
responsibility and do what they can to take it on. So why can’t we make the
subject of our responsibility ourselves? Jordan’s second rule suggests we do
exactly that.

> If there was a person who you wouldn’t recommend to your sister, brother,
> father to be their friend why would you choose them to be your friend?

**3. “Make friends with people who want the best for you.”**

If there was a person who you wouldn’t recommend to your sister, brother, father
to be their friend why would you choose them to be your friend? This is a
difficult one for many because a sense of loyalty runs deep towards certain
people in their lives even if they are fully aware that the relationship is a
toxic one. But this rule is imperative in your life if you want to move
forwards. It’s about making good decisions about the people you surround
yourself with and sometimes the best decision is the toughest decision.

**4. “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is
today.”**

Whatever you do in life and no matter how well you do it, there will always be
someone out there in the world who can do it better than you. If you constantly
compare yourself to someone else your own measure of progress will consistently
be distorted. Only by measuring yourself against your yesterday’s self can you
measure your progress in life.

**5. “Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.”**

Jordan gives an example from his own personal life for this rule. He was out for
dinner and his children were very well behaved and other customers in the
restaurant gave praise and smiled favourably upon the children. He suggests that
well behaved kids get more positive attention and are more likely to be included
in social gatherings and this overall gives them an advantage in life.

He also talks about taking immediate and appropriate action when your child
misbehaves. Sometimes a stare is enough to let the child know they have crossed
a line but sometimes it takes a little more. If immediate action is not taken
then this can lead to problems down the road. For example resentment can build
up and this can be very dangerous because you never know when it will spring its
ugly head. An overreaction beckons and this will only confuse your child.

Parents have a duty to act as proxies for the real world and if the proxy is
inconsistent and unreliable what will happen to the child when he has to go out
into the real world?

**6. “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”**

It's all too easy to look around at everyone else and find fault. It’s all too
easy to sit with a close friend and put someone else down to make yourselves
feel better. What isn’t easy is looking in your own backyard and seeing the mess
that is there and doing something about it. Taking care of your own business
requires some humility, awareness and some real effort to get things in order.

No matter how small there are always areas in your life that can be improved.
There are certain things you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing so now is the
time to stop doing these things. Today. Right now. Don’t waste anymore time
carrying these feelings of guilt around with you. Start changing even the
smallest of things and take control back of your life.

**7. “Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).”**

Jordan relates throughout the book to passages in the bible. From the story of
Cain and Abel through to the story of Christ himself. Christ’s 40 days and 40
nights in the desert tempted constantly by the devil and how this story is the
archetypal story of pursuing what is meaningful. It is better to sacrifice now
so you can gain later. Jordan also states that doing what is expedient now can
lead to serious consequences, including what happened in the Gulag in the Soviet
Union and also the prisoner of war camps in Auschwitz.

Carl Jung explained it beautifully: ‘No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven
unless its roots reach down to hell. ‘

> Carl Jung explained it beautifully: ‘No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven
> unless its roots reach down to hell. ‘

**8. “Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie.”**

By learning to tell the truth you will learn to understand yourself. You will be
able to communicate this in a more direct and wholesome way and you will attract
like minded people into your life. Life will become easier because there are no
alternate realities you have to hold in your head.

**9. “Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you
don’t.”**

Most people don’t listen. Really listen I mean. When you really listen to
someone, they will generally tell you everything they are thinking and with very
little deceit. People will tell you about the most absurd things and Jordan
gives some examples from his therapy sessions he held with some of his patients.
Listening is part of having a genuine conversation. Listening is paying
attention.

**10. “Be precise in your speech.”**

How many arguments are caused by imprecise articulation? How many relationships
break down because people fail to portray their real feelings? How many people
remain confused because they don’t take the time to articulate how they really
feel?

Putting something into words that has been in your head floating around as
thoughts can be very tricky. It can take multiple attempts to convey what you
really want to say. Jordan argues though that it is very important. Precision of
speech plays an integral role in the way we communicate in our relationships and
relationships play an integral role in our life.

**11. “Do not bother children when they are skateboarding.”**

Boys are naturally more opposed to authority. Girls are more agreeable. Children
like to push the boundaries to see where the edge is. How else can they learn to
behave and function in a society? Society however is teaching boys to behave
more agreeably like the girls and this is leading to problems Jordan argues.

When a child is deeply involved in something, concentrating and putting
themselves out there, exposing themselves to risk they are developing and
growing as a person. This is fundamental for their development and their self
confidence. By interfering and reducing the risk we are reducing their
development and thus making a worse future for them and society. Risk is needed
in life, it allows the species to progress and without progress there is only
decline.

> Boys are naturally more opposed to authority. Girls are more agreeable.

**12. “Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.”**

Enjoy the small things in life. Life can be terrible and life can be suffering
so when a cat crosses your path and lays on its back, stroke its belly because
it’s part of being too. If you don’t take a moment to enjoy these little things
in life you will be drowned by the seriousness of it all.

## How this book can help you

Jordan has a
[channel on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/user/JordanPetersonVideos) and
there you can find plenty of videos of lectures and interviews. There is an
underlying theme to everything he speaks about. He sees in the world and culture
many lost souls and his basic answer to this is ‘pick up a load and carry it’.
Take on a responsibility. Shoulder a burden and upon that you will find meaning.

With meaning you will find direction and when you have a direction you have
somewhere to aim at, a direction to move towards, a purpose. Jordan frequently
speaks about a large percentage of his viewership on Youtube being males. Around
85% to 90% and he is very intrigued by that. Afterall he is a psychologist by
trade and in universities this subject and others in the humanities have a
higher female attendance (around 60%).

So why are so many males, particularly young males, are watching his videos and
attending his speaking engagements?

Jordan is striking a chord. He is blunt in his speech and direct. He has strong
opinions but they are well thought out based on years of observation, learnings
and deep thought. He is considered in his approach but you can tell he has
thought deeply about every word he utters.

I
[listened to this book](https://www.audible.com/pd/12-Rules-for-Life-Audiobook/B078Y9D9Q9)
instead of reading it and it was read by Jordan himself. This man captivates you
with his speech and shows the true power of the human voice and spoken word and
I urge anyone who wishes to read this book to also listen to it because I think
Jordan’s voice carries across even more of the soul of what he is saying.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Jordan has a wealth of material on Youtube and I suggest to anyone interested in
finding out more about Jordan to check out some of his videos. Some of my
particular favourites include:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NX2ep5fCJZ8"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

He has also appeared on Joe Rogan’s Podcast multiple times which are much more
long form but well worth setting aside some time as these discussions allow for
much more in depth conversations and explorations of certain topics:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Xc7DN-noAc"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

[Get 12 Rules for Life on Amazon.](https://amzn.to/3jmfYBJ)

## About the author

Jordan Bernt Peterson (born 12 June 1962) is a Canadian clinical psychologist
and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. You can find out
more about him at his [website](https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/) or on his
[Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/JordanPetersonVideos).

### Published by

Random House Canada

### Publication Date

Feb 05, 2018


Read 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Canadian clinical psychologist and psychology professor Jordan Peterson to bring structure and order to your life.

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos


It is about appreciating all the small things in life. The sunlight coming
through the window in the morning, the smell of fresh coffee or a child’s laugh.
It also applies to much deeper convictions such as finding true friendships,
life-long mastery of one’s skill or a balanced health.

## Summary of main ideas

In his book Ken explains that there are five pillars to Ikigai:

**Pillar 1: Starting small**

The Japanese word Kodawari is key to Ikigai. It means ‘taking care of the small
details’. Start by appreciating the small things. By doing this you can get
fully involved in the process. Approach what you are doing with a youthfulness
of mind and have commitment and passion for what you are doing. These are key to
finding your Ikigai.

**Pillar 2: Releasing yourself**

Ikigai is about getting into a state of flow. You can get so involved in the
process you forget about yourself and time and you become truly at one with what
you are doing.

**Pillar 3: Harmony and sustainability**

When in a state of Ikigai you have fully accepted yourself and your purpose in
life. You are at peace and live in sustained harmony with your environment. You
are living in harmony with the community around you. As Marcus Aurelius put it -
‘He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world’.

**Pillar 4: The joy of little things**

If you are focused on the reward or the goal of what you are doing then you are
not in a state of Ikigai. Ken gives many examples throughout his book of people
who are said to be in the state of Ikigai.

One example is a man who sources Tuna for the finest sushi restaurants in Tokyo.
He rises very early every morning to get to the fish market so he can inspect
the latest fish. For some this would be a real chore but this man enjoys all the
little things of this process. The fresh morning air, speaking with people at
the market, inspecting the color of the fish, the smell in the market.

The little things in the process are where you will find the joy once you are in
a state of Ikigai.

**Pillar 5: Being in the here and now**

Immerse yourself in the here and now without asking for any immediate reward or
recognition is an integral part of the concept of Ikigai. You paint a picture
which no one will see, make music that no one will hear or write a story no one
will read. If you do these things being in the here and now and enjoying the
process you are said to be in a state of Ikigai.

## Key Takeaways

Ikigai can appear in many different places in your life. When you are cleaning
your house, walking with a friend or honing your craft.

Whatever you end up doing in life it's becoming more and more apparent that
enjoying the process is key to a fulfilled life. If you are putting all your
efforts into something just for the reward at the end it will be very difficult
and probably won’t last long. If you are focused only on the peak of the
mountain you will miss all the beauty along the way.

Starting small is also key. I think if you approach this with the question ‘What
is my Ikigai?’ then you will become overwhelmed. By starting small and becoming
aware and mindful of when you are doing something during your day that brings
about a state of flow, you will start along the path of discovering what is your
Ikigai.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Ken Mogi has presented a variety of TEDx Talks. This one is Ken’s view on
Artificial Intelligence

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nXUx0yd9QkU"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

Buy
[The Little Book of Ikigai](https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Little-Book-of-Ikigai/9781787470279)
from Book Depository

Buy [The Little Book of Ikigai](https://amzn.to/3hxYphC) from Amazon

Listen to
[The Little Book of Ikigai](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Little-Book-of-Ikigai-Audiobook/B0741DCWW7)
on Audible

## About the author

Ken Mogi is a Japanese Scientist. He is currently a senior researcher at the
Sony Computer Science Laboratories. His mission in life is to solve the
‘so-called mind-brain problem’. You can read more on his
[personal blog](http://qualiajournal.blogspot.com/) where ge records his
activities and musings.

### Published by

Quercus Publishing

### Publication Date

September 20 2018


Read The Little Book of Ikigai by Ken Mogi to find out about the essential Japanese way to finding your purpose in life.

The Little Book of Ikigai: The essential Japanese way to finding your purpose in life.


## Summary of main ideas

In 2011, IARPA, a US intelligence agency launched a forecasting tournament with
the aim of discovering methods of prediction that would help them to increase
the accuracy of their own forecasts.

The agency had learnt the hard way that the consequences of making bad
predictions could be catastrophic, the decision to go to war in Iraq based on
flimsy evidence being a case in point.

The Good Judgement Project, led by Philip Tetlock (the co-author of this book)
and Barbara Mellers, was one of the organisations invited to compete.
"Harnessing the wisdom of the crowd to forecast world events," the Good Judgment
Project recruited volunteers and set them a series of questions.

Four years later, the volunteers had collectively worked on 500 questions
(typically questions like "Will the president of Tunisia go into exile in the
next month?" or "Will the Euro fall below $1.20 in the next twelve months?")
and over a million forecasts. As well as emerging as the clear tournament
winner, Tetlock noticed an interesting trend among these seemingly ordinary
volunteers.

A subset of them were consistently achieving remarkable results, producing
forecasts whose accuracy outperformed intelligence analysts with access to
classified data.

What was it about these ‘superforecasters’ that made them different?

At this point, it’s worth taking a step back and mentioning Tetlock’s
background. He previously authored
[Expert Political Judgment](https://www.amazon.com/Expert-Political-Judgment-Good-Know/dp/0691175977/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Expert+Political+Judgment&qid=1598697171&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=e8f4190172f6285205901a9819d8c3af&language=en_US),
which demonstrated that so-called experts were often wrong with their
predictions and then not held accountable. He famously concluded that dart
throwing chimpanzees would have achieved a higher success rate at predicting
future events.

Superforecasting therefore builds on the foundations of Tetlock’s previous work
to show that, while forecasting is an extremely difficult activity, there is an
art and a science to doing it well.

Superforecasters, although not out of the ordinary, share certain traits
and approaches that lower performers do not. In other words, they are
intelligent people but don’t need to be geniuses and ‘super’ forecasting skills
can be learned.

So what are the main characteristics of superforecasters?

**They are in ‘Perpetual Beta’**

Superforecasters work in constant feedback loops. They are hungry for new
information and use this information to regularly update their forecasts. They
understand that practice is essential to improving their forecasts.

**They are foxes rather than hedgehogs**

Related to the Perpetual Beta point, Tetlock categorises forecasters into two
groups (although like everything else in Superforecasting, this is not binary
but a continuum):

Hedgehogs are people who have a solid world-view which they reflect in their
forecasts.

Foxes are people who do not base their forecasts on one big central idea.
Instead, they aggregate many different perspectives and question their
assumptions. Superforecasters mainly come from this group

> Superforecasters understand that practice is essential to improving their
> forecasts.

**They are extremely specific**

Whereas most people would answer a question about a future event with either a
binary “yes” or “no” response, or perhaps with a “maybe” if uncertain,
superforecasters typically make their forecasts to percentage point levels of
granularity.

For example, I currently believe there is a 57% chance that Biden will beat
Trump in the 2020 election because I have seen
[predictions of 60% from sources I respect](https://www.gjopen.com/questions/1496-who-will-win-the-2020-united-states-presidential-election)
and I am naturally paranoid (and I am in no way a superforecaster!). 

*Note from the future: with hindsight I feel good about that prediction....

**They are humble**

Superforecasters are acutely aware that the human brain is prone to making
errors and they take measures to combat it. Tetlock discusses the concept of
Systems One and Two, the two modes of thought popularised in Daniel Kahneman’s
[Thinking Fast and Slow](https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Thinking+Fast+and+Slow&qid=1598697219&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=f4e600cf5a91febfee488e4e95cd7e0d&language=en_US).

System One represents the unconscious part of the brain which makes decisions
quickly and intuitively.

System Two represents conscious and deliberate thought. Both are important but
System Two needs to be engaged when forecasting. However, System Two requires
more effort and the brain has a cunning habit of performing a “bait-and-switch”,
swapping a hard question for an easier one.

Tetlock uses the example of an experiment in which his colleague asked one group
of ‘regular’ forecasters “How likely is it that the Assad regime will fall in
the next three months?” and another group “How likely is it that the Assad
regime will fall in the next six months?”

As Tetlock explains: “Unconsciously, they would do a bait and switch, ducking
the hard question that requires calibrating the probability to the time frame
and tackling the easier question about the relative weight of the arguments for
and against the regime’s downfall.”

**They take a base value using an outside view and then adjust with the inside
view**

This means using external information as a starting point, such as considering
how long it will take to complete a project based on the time taken to finish
similar projects in the past, rather than calculating based on how long you
think it will take to complete each individual task.

Only once the superforecaster has used the outside view to find a rough anchor
value will they dive into the inside view to adjust their prediction upwards or
downwards.

**They systematically unpack questions into smaller components**

Tetlock refers to this as “Fermi-izing” which is named after the Italian
engineer Enrico Fermi. He developed a method of estimating that is often
described as a ‘back-of-the-envelope’ calculation that can get surprisingly
close to the real answer.

Fermi-izing is designed for the types of questions that cannot be solved by
common mathematical or scientific information. Tetlock uses an example: “How
many piano tuners are there in Chicago?” At first it seems ridiculous, but
Tetlock walks through how this can be broken down into smaller questions.

To know how many piano tuners there are in Chicago, we need to have an idea of
how many pianos. To get to a rough estimate of that number we can take the
population of Chicago and then consider what percentage of the population owns a
piano.

From there, how often does a piano likely need tuning and how long does it take?
For a detailed breakdown of this example,
[read this](https://www.wired.com/2014/08/how-to-solve-crazy-open-ended-google-interview-questions/#:~:text=8.,58%20piano%20tuners%20in%20Chicago)
(this type of puzzle is often used in interviews for roles at tech companies).

Superforecasters think this way, enabling them to reach a comprehensive
understanding of what they know and what they do not know.

## How this book can help you

There’s much more that I haven’t even attempted to go into in the section above,
such as the use of
[Brier Scores](https://www.wired.com/2014/08/how-to-solve-crazy-open-ended-google-interview-questions/#:~:text=8.,58%20piano%20tuners%20in%20Chicago)
to measure performance and Tetlock’s discoveries that combining the forecasts of
superforecasters led to even better prediction accuracy.

At its core, Superforecasting will lead you to perform an audit of your own
decision making skills. Decisions are based on predictions about the future so
the better you are at framing predictions more specifically and then forecasting
accurately, the better your decisions will be.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch Predicting the future: A lecture by Philip Tetlock

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xBXDTQdmNyw"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

[Get Superforecasting on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Superforecasting-Science-Prediction-Philip-Tetlock/dp/0804136718/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=MT7FFPFUDJIE&dchild=1&keywords=superforecasting+the+art+and+science+of+prediction&qid=1598697260&s=books&sprefix=superf,stripbooks-intl-ship,234&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=ad1d7da6cdf11d65d43eb786516a22fc&language=en_US)

[Get Superforecasting as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/Superforecasting-audiobook/dp/B0131HGPQQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=MT7FFPFUDJIE&dchild=1&keywords=superforecasting+the+art+and+science+of+prediction&qid=1598697260&s=books&sprefix=superf,stripbooks-intl-ship,234&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=02e3eafc72281f9ff602da607039e7e3&language=en_US)

## About the author

Philip E. Tetlock is a Canadian-American political science writer. He is
currently the Annenberg University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
He co-founded the Good Judgement Project and has published multiple books
including
[Expert Political Judgment](https://www.amazon.com/Expert-Political-Judgment-Good-Know/dp/0691175977/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Expert+Political+Judgment&qid=1596720299&sr=8-1)
and
[Superforecasting](https://www.amazon.com/Superforecasting-Science-Prediction-Philip-Tetlock/dp/0804136718/ref=sr_1_1?crid=180KY5024QQ9K&dchild=1&keywords=superforecasting&qid=1596720151&sprefix=superfore%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-1).

Dan Gardner is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and
freelance writer/editor. Gardner’s books have been published in 25 countries and
19 languages. He holds a law degree and a masters in modern history. He is
currently a senior fellow with the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of
Public Policy and International Affairs.

### Published by

Crown Publishers

### Publication Date

September 24, 2015


Read Superforecasting by Philip Tetlock to learn about the oridinary people who can predict the future.

Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction


## In a nutshell description

Algorithms to Live By humanises the world of computer science by introducing
some of the core concepts to non-programmers while applying them to real world
examples. At the same time this book shows how human decision making can be
deconstructed into common problems with reliable and ‘objectively’ better
solutions.

A good example is an introduction to the concept of the
[Optimal Stopping Problem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gURXCEaQXO8) - a
maths-based approach to finding the optimum time to stop doing something due to
diminishing returns - by applying it to the ‘problem’ of choosing a spouse
(Spend the first 37 percent of your search meeting people and then be ready to
propose to the first person who is better than anyone you have met so far).

It’s a really clever concept for a book. To get the most out of it, my advice is
to read it rather than listen (as I did) so you can really get your head around
the concepts described and reread the more complicated parts when necessary.

> “To try and fail is at least to learn; to fail to try is to suffer the
> inestimable loss of what might have been.” - Brian Christian

## Quotes to make you think

“Don’t always consider all your options. Don’t necessarily go for the outcome
that seems best every time. Make a mess on occasion. Travel light. Let things
wait. Trust your instincts and don’t think too long. Relax. Toss a coin.
Forgive, but don’t forget. To thine own self be true.”

“To try and fail is at least to learn; to fail to try is to suffer the
inestimable loss of what might have been.”

“Sorting something that you will never search is a complete waste; searching
something you never sorted is merely inefficient.”

## Why I love this book

I love Algorithms To Live By on two levels. As someone who works with data, I
use programming languages without considering myself a programmer. Therefore,
there are many gaps in my conceptual knowledge. This book introduced me to
ideas, such as sorting theories, that have given me a better foundation to
develop my technical skills.

On another level, I love the idea of building habits based on rules to take some
of the cognitive pressure of deciding what to do next. Algorithms To Live By
offers an intelligent, thought-provoking and humorous way to look at how you
live your life and how to improve it.

## Read this book if…

You are a non-technical person interested in the core principles of computer
science, or a technical person who wants to geek out about computer science
concepts applied to non-typical (aka real life) settings.

## What others say about it

“Compelling and entertaining, Algorithms to Live By is packed with practical
advice about how to use time, space, and effort more efficiently. And it’s a
fascinating exploration of the workings of computer science and the human mind.
Whether you want to optimize your to-do list, organize your closet, or
understand human memory, this is a great read.” — **Charles Duhigg**

“In this remarkably lucid, fascinating, and compulsively readable book,
Christian and Griffiths show how much we can learn from computers. We’ve all
heard about the power of algorithms―but Algorithms to Live By actually explains,
brilliantly, how they work, and how we can take advantage of them to make better
decisions in our own lives.” — **Alison Gopnik**

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

Watch co-author Tom Griffiths speaking at TEDxSydney.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lOhL-XUQPFE"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

Watch authors Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths talking at Google.

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OwKj-wgXteo"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Live-Computer-Science-Decisions-dp-1250118360/dp/1250118360/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1603635162&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=1cb4a9b3407831c252af3976c05842da&language=en_US"
/>

## About the authors

As well as co-authoring Algorithms to Live By, Brian Christian is the author of
[The Most Human Human](https://www.amazon.com/Most-Human-Artificial-Intelligence-Teaches/dp/0307476707/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=The+Most+Human+Human&qid=1603638659&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=be3551beef476751a309a838f6bb423e&language=en_US),
which was named a Wall Street Journal bestseller, a New York Times Editors’
Choice, and a New Yorker favorite book of the year. On writing this, I learned
he has a book out this month (October 2020) called
[The Alignment Problem](https://www.amazon.com/Alignment-Problem-Machine-Learning-Values/dp/0393635821/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1603638694&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=962817cce2b07af1610ca1ce0c93f051&language=en_US)
which we completely missed when compiling our list of
[five new books to read in October](https://paperbacktravels.com/articles/five-new-books-to-read-in-october-2020)!

Tom Griffiths is a professor of psychology and cognitive science at Princeton
University, where he directs the Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences. He
has published more than 150 scientific papers on topics ranging from cognitive
psychology to cultural evolution, and has received awards from the National
Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, the American Psychological
Association, and the Psychonomic Society, among others.

### Publication Date

April 19, 2016


Read Algorithms To Live By to learn about the foundations of computer science applied to real world situations.

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions


## Summary of main ideas

The main concept that I took away from reading this book was that through
certain practises and adopting certain ways of thinking we can, over some time,
create a future self of us that is beyond all current expectations.

As humans, due to the way we are wired we very easily fall into certain habits.
These habits can be quite detrimental to our health and overall well-being.
Couple that with everyday stresses and trials and tribulations that life throws
at you, you can quite easily become ill or defeated or just stuck in a rut.

However by adopting certain **meditation techniques**, concentrating on **energy
centres** within the body and releasing trapped energies, feeling the emotion of
your future self and doing all these things repetitively and consistently can
lead to amazing ‘supernatural’ results. I particularly liked his in-depth
explanation about the
[**pineal gland**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0VPDd0JwCE) and how you can
do certain exercises and meditations to stimulate it into action. The apparent
result can range from anything from visions to out of body experiences to
fractal patterns to some kind of life-changing mystical experience. He also
explained about becoming more wave and less particle. He incorporated
explanations from Quantum physics and talked about the unified field of
everything. The explanations about the earth’s magnetic field and how it affects
us and other phenomenon such as solar flares was also super interesting.

> He also explained about becoming more wave and less particle. He incorporated
> explanations from Quantum physics and talked about the unified field of
> everything.

I have to say the main reason for my reading this book was when watching his
interview his enthusiasm for what he was explaining really shined through. For
someone to become that excited about what he was doing I thought there had to be
something in it. I admit I got a little lost when he was talking about the
quantum unified field and how we use that to create our future selves and
feeling that emotion can have some effect on our genes switching certain ones on
and others off. The theory made sense but it can be a little tricky to follow.

Overall I really liked the book. It had quite a few practical examples in it and
also explained the more science aspects in pretty simple language. There were
elements or ideas that Joe repeated throughout the book which towards the end
became a little tedious but I genuinely think he was just trying to really
impress his core ideas.

## How this book can help you

I would urge anyone that reads this book to go into it with an open mind. I
think if nothing else this book can help you understand that there are many
energies and forces in play around us everyday and if we aren't aware of them we
can end up in physically and mentally difficult positions. Energies can get
trapped in certain energy centres and this leads to certain negative behaviours
manifesting.

This book also provides real practical advise and practises that you can (with a
bit of self discipline) implement into your day to day life and will have real
lasting impact. There are plenty of pictures and diagrams giving further visual
explanations to certain concepts. I imagine different people will be drawn to
different parts of this book but Joe does a very good job of giving context and
background on why things are the way they are and what you can do about it.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

This is a nice interview on London Real which gives you a taste of Joe's energy
and enthusiam for what he does:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i4Wirfsow8w"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

[Get Becoming Supernatural on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3gFgE3k)

## About the author

Joe Dispenza is a chiropractor, researcher, author, educator, lecturer, maybe
even a mystic. Joe has released other popular books in the self-help field
including
[Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself](https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Habit-Being-Yourself-Create/dp/1401938094/)
and
[You are the Placebo](https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Placebo-Making-Matter/dp/1401944590/).
You can find out more about Joe [on his website](https://drjoedispenza.com/).

### Published by

Hay House Inc.

### Publication Date:

October 31, 2017


Joe Dispenza is a chiropractor, researcher, author, educator, lecturer, maybe even a mystic. He has released a book called — Becoming Supernatural. It outlines different practices and methodologies that common people can adopt to achieve supernatural transformations and experiences.

Becoming Supernatural


## In a nutshell description

In this book Rupert outlines seven different spiritual practices that are shown
to bring many benefits to the individual practicing them. For each practice he
dives into great detail offering insight into the origins of these practices and
then scientific research which confirms the benefits derived from them.

Rupert explains this list of seven is merely a selection of practices and by no
means is this list exhaustive. The seven practices are:

1. **Meditation**
2. **Gratitude**
3. **Connecting with Nature**
4. **Relating to Plants**
5. **Rituals**
6. **Singing and Chanting**
7. **Pilgrimages and Holy Places**

Rupert practices all of these seven and provides great insight into each
practice. For example he tells a story of how he gave his godson a birthday
present once which was an experience and not a material gift. The experience was
to walk the last ten miles of a traditional pilgrimage to Canterbury and then
walk around the cathedral clockwise before going in. They lit candles and said
prayers and then had cream tea and sang in the choral evensong. Since then they
have repeated the pilgrimage every year.

> “I cannot pretend that I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of
> gratitude. I have loved and been loved. I have been given much and I have
> given something in return . . . Above all, I have been a sentient being on
> this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and
> adventure.” ― Rupert Sheldrake

## Why I love this book

There are a couple of reasons why I really liked this book. Firstly, all of
these seven practices are pretty accessible and Rupert even gives good
suggestions at the end of each chapter.

One particular practice that stood out for me was connecting with nature and
more specifically finding a ‘sitting place’ in nature. This is somewhere in
nature where you can go and just sit and be. He advises to sit there at least
once a week throughout the year and to just be present. To become aware of the
constant change, become aware of the noises, the animals and trees. He then goes
on to explain the scientific studies that show the enormous benefits of spending
time in nature such as elevated mood levels, less anxiousness and less worry.
This example is just one of many very simple examples.

This is the basic premise of this book. By incorporating simple spiritual
practices into your life you can greatly enhance the richness of it and there is
science to back this all up.

## Quotes to make you think

“I cannot pretend that I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of
gratitude. I have loved and been loved. I have been given much and I have given
something in return . . . Above all, I have been a sentient being on this
beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and
adventure.” ― Rupert Sheldrake

## Read this book if…

If you are tired of the relentless pursuit for more and more in your life and
you have tried to be more and more ‘productive’ then this book could well be for
you. This book is more about nourishing one’s soul and this is something that is
greatly needed in our society at the moment.

If you are feeling some sort of disconnect or lack of something in your life
then these seven practices could well help you fulfill some of this lack. The
beauty of these practices too is that you can start very small. If you live near
a forest you can simply go for a short walk through there. If you live near a
church you can go and sit in on an evensong. If you live in a city then you can
visit a park and just sit next to a tree for a while and just be present with
the tree.

Also if you think these things are a bit too ‘out there’ you can just
concentrate on the science. The research is there that shows these things are
surprisingly good for the human condition and it’s no coincidence that these
things have been practiced throughout our ancestry.

## What others say about it

"I have personally adopted many of the practices Rupert Sheldrake describes in
his book and experienced more love, joy, empathy, gratitude, and equanimity as a
result." ― **Deepak Chopra, MD**

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

This is a very interesting discussion between Russell Brand and Rupert
Sheldrake:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dAS-QzWvj8g"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1640092641/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1640092641&linkCode=as2&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=06caf4ea1301b2cc6ba3b6ee9bd99725 "
/>

## About the author

Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis
of
[morphic resonance](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ruperts-resonance/#:~:text=Morphic%20resonance%2C%20Sheldrake%20says%2C%20is,someone%20is%20staring%20at%20them).
He studied natural sciences at Cambridge University, where he was a Scholar of
Clare College, took a double first class honours degree and was awarded the
University Botany Prize (1963). He spent quite a few years research abroad
including as principal plant physiologist at the International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India until 1978. He has authored a
number of books many around his hypothesis of morphic resonance.

### Publication Date:

October 8, 2019


Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. Science and Spiritual Practices is his latest book looking into scientific research on the effects of these spiritual practices.

Science and Spiritual Practices: Transformative Experiences and Their Effects on Our Bodies, Brains, and Health


## In a nutshell description

In his book Inner Engineering Sadhguru speaks about his own life and his own
awakening on a mountaintop in South India. He then goes on to explain about the
system of Yoga (not just the physical aspect you see in most gyms these days)
and how it can help shine a light on the path to spiritual growth.

His book is all about turning inwards and working on whats inside instead of
focusing on the outside world and blaming all your problems on everyone and
everything else.

He also introduces the reader to the different dimensions of life beyond the
physical and mental. He explains how there are different kinds of intelligences
and different kinds of energies within our body and all around us. He introduces
us to powerful tools and practises that the reader can utilise to help
themselves along their own spiritual paths.

Sadhguru would like everyone to live a life of joy and this book is one way he
is helping humanity achieve that.

> ‘Yoga is not about being superhuman; it is about realizing that being human is
> super” - Sadhguru

## Quotes to make you think

“The sign of intelligence is that you are constantly wondering. Idiots are
always dead sure about every damn thing they are doing in their life.” ―
**Sadhguru**

‘Yoga is not about being superhuman; it is about realizing that being human is
super” - **Sadhguru**

## Why I love this book

I first discovered Sadhguru on Youtube and many concepts he explained really
made sense to me. He has a way of looking and explaining about certain aspects
of life that is very refreshing for me. He manages to bring clarity to concepts
that usually remain quite mysterious.

This book is a guide for looking at certain aspects of your life as well as
providing some practical activities you can do. He explains about certain
dimensions of life that are seldom talked about in the Western world and it
really connected with me. Through reading this book I realised there were
certain dimensions to this existence that you generally don’t notice until you
start to pay attention. Very subtle things within your body that once you start
to pay attention you begin to notice and you realise the complexity of the human
system.

Sadhguru is a very good teacher on a very tricky subject and I really like his
explanations and stories more than anything. This book is also something you can
keep coming back to. You can open at any page and read some passage and so far I
have always gained something from it.

## Read this book if…

You would like to start turning inwards and learn more about the nature of
yourself. Sadhguru has a way of explaining very abstract topics that brings
clarity and a new perspective on how you look at the world. He also offers
practical steps you can take that can help you on your spiritual path.

## What others day about it

“Inner Engineering is a fascinating read of Sadhguru’s insights and his
teachings. If you are ready, it is a tool to help awaken your own inner
intelligence, the ultimate and supreme genius that mirrors the wisdom of the
cosmos.” — **Deepak Chopra**

“Contrarian and consistent, ancient and contemporary, Inner Engineering is a
loving invitation to live our best lives and a profound reassurance of why and
how we can.” — **Sir Ken Robinson,**

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

There are many videos of Sadhguru on Youtube so below I am recommending a couple
of my personal favourites:

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cxoQdEhHaT8"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

<br />
<iframe
  width="100%"
  height="320px"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qMryd4gurQk"
  frameBorder="0"
  allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
  allowFullScreen
></iframe>

Also if this is of interest to you I highly recommend you check out Sadhguru’s
[Inner Engineering Online Course](https://www.innerengineering.com/). It’s a
deeper dive into the themes introduced in his book.

## Where to get it

<AmazonCta
  bookSummary
  link="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812997794/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812997794&linkCode=as2&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=d59086c1d5ec87c575a5d8cf33b8c496"
/>

## About the author

He founded the [Isha Foundation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isha_Foundation)
is Southern India and it acts as a non-profit spiritual centre and has over 9
million volunteers. He speaks regularly around the work at high profile events
and you can get a taste of his speaking on his
[Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/sadhguru). I highly recommend it!

### Publication Date:

October 3, 2016


In his book Inner Engineering Sadhguru speaks about his own life and his own awakening on a mountaintop in South India. He then goes on to explain about the system of Yoga  and how turning inwards shines a light on the path of spiritual growth.

Inner Engineering: A Yogis Guide To Joy


## Summary of main ideas

Lost and Founder is a jarringly candid account of building and running a quite
successful startup. Rand Fishkin co-founded [Moz](https://moz.com/) with his
mother in 2001 as a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consultancy before moving
into creating SEO products.

At the time of publishing the book, he was already a well-known figure in the
world of marketing, having based the Moz business model on producing a steady
stream of practical content to teach marketers about SEO, many of whom would go
on to pay for the company’s suite of SEO tools. For a while Moz was the
preeminent software company in the SEO space.

With Lost and Founder, Fishkin turns the spotlight on himself and his
experiences as a founder, from the exhilaration of seeing his company grow and
provide value to its customers, to the crushing lows of having to let people go
following bad business decisions, navigating the harsh world of venture capital
and dealing with depression.

It is an exceptional book, mainly for the absolute transparency and humility
with which Fishkin describes his experiences. He uses these as a backdrop for
giving specific advice that may not always fit with the conventional wisdom of
the startup world (his nuanced explanations of why the Minimum Viable Product
approach can damage a business is a good example).

And, he makes a point of explaining the nuts and bolts of how things work, such
as explaining how the interests of venture capitalists are likely to be very
different to those of a startup founder. A particularly interesting section
dealt with Fishkin’s decision to turn down an acquisition offer from Hubspot
that would have made him a multi-millionaire. He explains that, at the time, he
felt the valuation was too low and assumed the opportunity would arise again.
Ultimately it did not.

Lost and Founder is certainly not a warning against founding a business. If
anything it’s a love letter to entrepreneurship, from someone who has been in
love, had their heart broken and allowed themselves to fall in love again.

> He felt the valuation was too low and assumed the opportunity would arise
> again. Ultimately it did not.

## How this book can help you

Lost and Founder should be essential reading to anyone who either runs their own
business or plans to, but it is also a valuable read to anyone working at a
startup in any capacity because it provides a clear roadmap to building good
practices in areas such as recruitment, building a company culture and
approaching product development decisions.

Aside from the strategic and tactical perspective, it’s an enjoyable read
whoever you are. Fishkin is such an engaging character who has written this book
as a human first and business leader second.

## Some good further reading/watching/listening

[Watch 7 Lessons That Will Make You a Better Entrepreneur from INBOUND 2018.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8_aQXEErww).

## Where to get it

[Get Lost and Founder on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Founder-Painfully-Honest-Startup/dp/0735213321/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=lost+and+founder&qid=1598697376&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=ce4d1900b7a5b9a1725b0d01b0e3c60d&language=en_US)

[Get Lost and Founder as an audiobook.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D8ZZF62/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598697376&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=paperbacktrav-20&linkId=672ede9859abc6c1cf922af9b941ab61&language=en_US)

## About the author

Rand Fishkin is an authority in the world of marketing and startups having
co-founded MOZ (previously SEO Moz) and, more recently,
[SparkToro](https://sparktoro.com/). As well as being a prolific content creator
through blogging and videos, he is also a frequent keynote speaker at marketing
and startup events around the world.

### Published by

Penguin Books

### Publication Date

February 26, 2018


Read Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin for a candid insight into the ups and downs of founding and leading SEO software company Moz from startup to industry leader.

Book Summary Categories