52 in 52 Book Summaries

Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom by Rick Hanson

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    Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson Print The Essence Considering traditional Buddhist philosophy and the latest findings in Neuroscience, Rick Hanson provides insight into the neural mechanisms that underlay the great contemplative practices of the Eastern tradition. The brains power of neuroplasticity gives solace to our mind’s capacities to change the connections in the brain using meditative exercises. Meditative practice cultivates happiness, resilience, and positivity and science has finally gathered empirical evidence to prove it. Buddha’s Brain Journal Entry Notes: This […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker

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  How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker Print The Essence Combining the theories of natural selection and computational theory of mind, evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker shares how the mind thought of as a system of organs, designed over long periods of time, functions to solve the problems of a species within the ecological niche such as the Homo Sapiens. Our ancestral environment had obstacles, and the Homos capacities for seeing, social living, throwing things, and cooking food helped us overcome them. Pinker posits that the mind is what the […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoffrey Colvin

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Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoffrey Colvin Print The Essence The title says it all; Talent is overrated. Dispose of the idea that top performance comes from anything but a methodical process of development. Our most prized prodigies are really the product of practice. And not just any practice, Deliberate practice. It’s not that a select population of people is somehow predisposed to greatness, people just prescribe to being mediocre. A tendency to seek automation of the hard things in life stigmatize hard […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh

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The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh Print The Essence Meditation Master Thich Nhat Hanh redefines how we think about power. Power thought as fame, fortune, success, or strength limits our understanding of the concept. A greater power is available to each of us, and that is the power to be here now in the present moment. We can be free from anger, hatred, addiction, and ignorance if we accept and cultivate mindfulness into our lives. The quality of our lives can be transformed by incorporating the Five Spiritual […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

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The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Print The Essence Robert Greene searches across history to uncover the ironclad laws of influence, respect, and domination; power holds many forms. As he systematically observes each of the characteristics of power, Greene recounts the most powerful figures in histories observations and transgression of the laws of power. Now this book summary will be a little different. Since the 48 laws contain so much valuable information, I chose to review 10 laws I found to paramount to avoid being dominated by powers […]

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Book Summary: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

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The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Print The Essence Benjamin Franklin’s international bestselling Autobiography distills the method of living a better life from one of history’s greatest. From Scheduling methodology to his desire to achieve moral perfection, Franklin’s drive for personal accountability is a timeless tale of human ambition. What is most apparent when recounting Benjamin Franklin’s life is that life’s achievements have no expiration date; his age had no limits on his capabilities to astound the world. After much success in a variety of industries and disciplines, he goes on […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

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Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth Print The Essence An in-depth look at the psychology of talent, effort, and achievement. Psychologist Angela Duckworth examines what characteristics are correlated with achievement. Her findings observe that it is not just being talented that counts, but a blend of passion and perseverance; what she calls Grit. Talent tends to be a distraction from more informative variables when considering goal attainment. Overtime, it is consistently accomplishing micro-goals that are strategically related to larger goals that drive us forward. Grit Journal […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

Art of Living by Epictetus

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The Art of Living: The Classical Mannual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness by Epictetus and Sharon Lebell Print The Essence Philosopher Epictetus’s classic text on Stoicism resurges through the voice of writer Sharon Lebell. A manual to widen the accessibility of some of the greatest ideas in western thought. The Art of Living reminds us the harness the powers of our minds to navigate the internal and external landscapes that exert forces upon each of our daily decisions. Gradually, we can refine ourselves to cultivate states that promote a virtuous, happy, […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

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Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Print The Essence Practical philosophy as written from the private writings of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. As prescribed by the timeless lessons of Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations are applied writings in his day to day life as literal king of the world. They are reminders of living in accordance to nature; to accept what you cannot control. We all have the tools reappraise what is out of control and the powers we have over our minds to shape every obstacle that may arise in our […]

52 in 52 Book Summaries

Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

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Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool Print The Essence An expert in expertise, Anders Ericsson distills 30-years of research on how people become top performers. Peak revels that top performance is not preordained to a select few; it’s open to everyone. So long as we have a deep intrinsic interest to discipline and motivate ourselves, excellence is no question open to all. The secret sauce is all in the type of practice that one engages in to gain expertise; it’s Deliberate practice […]