Very Good Lives PDF Summary

The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

Very Good Lives is an illustrated and somewhat edited version of J. K. Rowling’s 2008 commencement speech at Harvard University.

And it’s profoundly moving, funny, and inspirational!

Read ahead to find out how in our summary.

Who Should Read “Very Good Lives”? And Why?

If you like inspirational commencement speeches such as David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water, then you’ll more than enjoy Very Good Lives.

The same holds true if you watch TED Talks to find meaning and direction in life; speaking of which, you can find large portions of this book in J. K. Rowling’s TED Talk, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure.”

About J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling is a British novelist, one of the bestselling authors in history.

She is best-known for her Harry Potter books, which have sold almost half a billion copies worldwide (that is not a mistake) and have been translated into no less than 80 languages.

Unsurprisingly, all of them have been turned into blockbuster movies, the last two of which were produced by Rowling herself.

Since completing the Harry Potter saga, Rowling has written five books for adult readers: The Casual Vacancy, The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, Career of Evil, and Lethal White. The last four have been published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, and form the Cormoran Strike series.

J. K. Rowling has received an OBE for services to children’s literature and supports many charities.

“Very Good Lives PDF Summary”

Very Good Lives is the book version of J. K. Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech, sharing her wisdom and knowledge on, mainly, two topics: “the benefits of failure” and “the crucial importance of imagination.”

J. K. Rowling’s Youth and the Realities of Poverty

“Looking back at the twenty-one-year-old that I was at graduation is a slightly uncomfortable experience for the forty-two-year-old that she has become,” says Rowling at the beginning of this book.

Why?

Because, as almost everybody knows, the 21-year-old J. K. Rowling was not at the right place in her life. And that is an understatement: as she says, by any conventional measure, she was an epic failure!

Now, how did that happen?

Difficult to say.

She was always interested in writing, but, since she came from a poor family, this was a career her parents hadn’t encouraged one bit, thinking that writing would never pay a mortgage or secure a pension. (“I know that the irony strikes with the force of a cartoon anvil now,” Rowling notes jokingly)

So, they didn’t allow Rowling to study English Literature, and, as a compromise to them, she chose Modern Languages. But, as she says, even before her parents’ car had rounded the corner at the end of the road, Rowling decided to “[ditch] German and [scuttle] off down the Classics corridor.”

Basically, this means that the compromise resulted in the worst decision imaginable (in the eyes of Rowling’s parents): choosing a subject even less useful than English Literature.

It didn’t matter that Rowling was a good student; simply put, nobody needed anyone to tell him the names of the Greek gods and nymphs.

Fast forward a few years and…

An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.

The Rock Bottom and The Benefits of Failure

Now, it is important to note that Rowling doesn’t blame her parents for trying to steer her in a different direction.

Poverty is not an ennobling experience, she says, and since her parents had been poor for most of their lives, they knew full well the realities of poverty.

“Poverty entails fear,” Rowling goes on, “and stress, and sometimes depression; it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships.”

Only fools would ever want to romanticize it.

However, even at her poorest, what Rowling feared the most wasn’t poverty, but failure. And then she realized that her epic failure – even though no fun by any measure – was the greatest thing that could ever happen to her.

Why?

Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me.
Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea.
And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

Failure gave Rowling “inner security” that she never attained before by passing examinations. It taught her things about herself that she could have learned no other way.

Among other things, Rowling discovered that she had “a strong will, and more discipline than [she] had suspected;” even more importantly, she also discovered that she had “friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies.”

Amnesty International and the Crucial Importance of Imagination

Looking back, Rowling realizes that her failures were great formative experiences; and the same holds true for one of her earliest day jobs as well.

Namely, in her 20s, Rowling worked as a bilingual secretary and researcher at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.

There, she worked with many ex-political prisoners, “people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments.”

And those were her co-workers!

What her job entailed was even worse:

There in my little office I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent to Amnesty by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. I opened handwritten, eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions, of kidnappings and rapes.

Why is this important?

Because Rowling had never experienced anything even remotely similar to this and, yet, she was able to empathize.

How?

Rousseau answered that question centuries ago: because of the power of the human imagination.

“Unlike any other creature on this planet,” Rowling reminds us, “humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s places.”

And that is an enormous power!

True, it can also sometimes be a burden, since, no matter how happy your life may seem to be, you can still suffer profoundly because of the pain people you don’t know are going through.

Even so, Rowling doesn’t envy the people who never employ their imaginative powers. They suffer from mental agoraphobia, she says; and they are often more afraid.

Ancient Quotes for the Modern Students

J. K. Rowling ends her speech by quoting two ancient authors and reminding the modern students how relevant their words still are.

The first is Plutarch, a Greek biographer and Platonist, who once wrote that “what we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”

“This is an astonishing statement,” notes Rowling, “and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives. It expresses, in part, our inescapable connection with the outside world, the fact that we touch other people’s lives simply by existing.”

How?

Well, first, you should remember that Very Good Lives is a book version of a commencement speech for the 2008 Harvard graduates.

And as Rowling explains to them, what Plutarch was trying to point out two millennia ago, was relatively simple.

Namely, being a Harvard graduate isn’t such a minor thing.

First of all, it means that you’re an American, citizen of the only remaining superpower in the world.

Secondly, it means that you’re either very wealthy or very smart – not everyone can afford to be a Harvard graduate or be awarded a Harvard scholarship.

And thirdly, it means that you’ve gotten the very best education an institution can offer.

So, in other words, some of the Harvard graduates of 2008 who listen to J. K. Rowling’s speech may one day become the people who decide whether the US should bomb another nation or help the refugees from a different one.

If Rowling’s speech touches them, they may make a more humane decision, and, thus, help the world in an exceptional way; and the reason for that: a single speech which changed them inwardly.

Rowling ends her speech with another quote, this one by Seneca: “As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.”

Key Lessons from “Very Good Lives”

1.      Your CV Doesn’t Define You
2.      Failure Strips Away the Inessential
3.      Imagination Is the Root of Empathy

Your CV Doesn’t Define You

“Given a Time Turner,” writes J. K. Rowling, “I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement.”

And she goes on: “Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two. Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone’s total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.”

And this comes from someone who was as poor as one can be without being homeless; and became the author of the bestselling book series in the history of mankind.

Failure Strips Away the Inessential

Failure is not a nice thing; however, it does have some benefits.

J. K. Rowling found out this the hard way: at the age of 30, she was a divorced mother of a three-year-old daughter with no job or money; and her mother had recently passed away; the future seemed more than bleak; she was, in her own words, an epic failure.

However, that’s where things started getting better.

Not because something magical happened, but because, simply put, nothing magical could have happened.

Bob Dylan sang that “when you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose” – and that’s the place J. K. Rowling was before Harry Potter made her so famous.

But, she says, she could only write it because her failures revealed to her that nothing else mattered. The worst had happened, and she was still alive.

If she had succeeded in anything, she implies, she would have probably never finished Harry Potter, because she would have always had something to rely on.

The same is probably true for each and every one of us.

We have dreams, but we stop short of turning them into reality because our lives are comfortable enough to make us forget that we are not immortal.

Imagination Is the Root of Empathy

Human beings are exceptional in more than one way; one of the least talked about ways, however, is their capability to simulate the effects of something that has never happened to them, merely through the imaginative powers of their brains.

Rowling says that these powers can save humanity; because empathy stems from them, from our capability to identify with people who suffer.

And because:

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

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“Very Good Lives Quotes”

As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters. I wish you all very good lives. Click To Tweet We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better. Click To Tweet You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Click To Tweet Unlike any other creature on this planet, human beings can learn and understand without having experienced. Click To Tweet Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

Even though Very Good Lives is a fairly short book, it’s undoubtedly one which can effectively change your life. And that’s not used in the usual cliched way, nor it is an exaggeration.

One of the all-time most inspirational speeches and, thus, one of the best graduation gift books ever.

What I Know for Sure PDF Summary

Oprah Winfrey is a living legend.

And her columns for the O, The Oprah Magazine have certainly contributed to that status.

In What I Know for Sure Oprah has collected the best of them, revised them, and updated some of them.

And we have the summary.

Who Should Read “What I Know for Sure”? And Why?

Oprah Winfrey is dubbed the Queen of All Media and the Most Influential Woman in the World for a reason. And What I Know for Sure is a collection of the best of her columns.

If these two sentences don’t spell a recommendation for you, we don’t know which will.

About Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host, actress, and media executive, best known for The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated TV program of its kind in history.

Born in poverty and out of wedlock to a teenage mother, Oprah lived through a tough childhood (including sexual abuse and pregnancy at 14) and landed a job in radio in her teens, becoming a co-anchor for the evening news by the age of 19.

Soon, she transferred to Chicago and became the host of AM Chicago, a low-rated half-hour morning talk show. After making it the highest-rated talk show in Chicago in just a few months, Oprah was persuaded by the movie critic Roger Ebert to sign a syndication deal with King World.

After Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award for her appearance in The Color Purple, AM Chicago was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and relaunched as an hour-long TV event; the rest is history.

Not that you don’t know already, but in case you need to, you can find out more at http://www.oprah.com/index.html.

“What I Know for Sure PDF Summary”

During an interview two decades ago (1998, to be precise), film critic Gene Siskel (one half of the famous Siskel and Ebert duo) asked Oprah a compelling question: “What do you know for sure?”

Oprah took the question pretty seriously: “Uhhhh, I know for sure… uhhh… I know for sure, I need time to think about that some more, Gene,” she replied.

And she did!

In fact, the question inspired Oprah to start writing the identically titled monthly column for O, the Oprah Magazine – for the next fourteen years!

These columns are collected, revised and updated in this book.

Not because most of them weren’t already famous enough, but because, as Oprah says in the “Introduction,” “when you know something, really know something, it tends to stand the test of time.”

In the book, the columns are organized in eight different sections – joy, resilience, connection, gratitude, possibility, awe, clarity, power – and we have the highlights of them all.

Joy Is the Ultimate Product of Resilience

Now in her 60s, Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest people in the world and undoubtedly one of the most influential women on this planet.

However, few – if anyone – would have predicted her even a modestly successful future four decades ago.

Born out of wedlock to a teenage mother, Oprah spent the first six years of childhood with her poor grandparents.

At the age of six, she moved back with her mother, who had too many problems of her own to look after her well enough.

Unfortunately, Oprah’s problems only got worse: from the age of ten to the age of thirteen, she was sexually abused by as much as three different people (her cousin, her uncle, and a family friend).

Owing to this abuse, at the age of 13, Oprah ran away from home, only to get pregnant the very next year; just like her mother, Oprah hid her pregnancy from everyone; her son was born prematurely and died just a few weeks after being born.

You can’t go any lower than this in life, can you?

So, how did Oprah find the strength to grow into a planetary star from being a poor and lonely family-less 14-year-old sexually abused girl with a prematurely born and deceased son?

According to her, she managed to make the leap precisely because of her suffering.

“What doesn’t kill me,” wrote once Friedrich Nietzsche, “makes me stronger.”

That’s something would most gladly sign.

Be resilient and endure, she says, and you’ll earn your happiness in the end:

There is one irrefutable law of the universe: We are each responsible for our own life. If you’re holding anyone else accountable for your happiness, you’re wasting your time. You must be fearless enough to give yourself the love you didn’t receive.

Be Grateful for the Little Things

One of the things Oprah learned during her life is to be grateful for all the beautiful little joys in life.

For example, for long years, she struggled with her body image and tried tons of different diets to make herself slimmer: “Beverly Hills, Atkins, Scarsdale, Cabbage Soup, and even the Banana, Hot Dog, and Egg diets.”

However, nothing worked.

And then, one day in 2001, she started suffering from heart problems at night; six months later, she finally had a life-affirming epiphany: she needed to help her heart beat for many more years, not deal with trivial matters such as body image.

“There is no need to struggle with your body,” she concluded, “when you can make a loving and grateful peace with it.”

And so she did.

Now she is grateful for it – as well as for at least fifteen different things she lists in one column:

1. Planting vegetables in my garden.

2. Making blueberry-lemon pancakes on Sunday morning for Stedman. Never fails
to delight him—like he’s 7 every time.

3. An off-leash romp on the front lawn with all my dogs.

4. A rainy day, a chill in the air, a blazing fire in the fireplace.

5. Picking vegetables from my garden.

6. A great book.

7. Reading in my favorite place on earth: under my oak trees.

8. Cooking vegetables from my garden.

9. Sleeping till my body wants to wake up.

10. Waking up to the real twitter: birds.

11. A workout so strong, my whole body
breathes.

12. Eating vegetables from my garden.

13. Being still.

14. Embracing silence.

15. The daily spiritual practice of gratitude. Every day I bless my life by
counting my blessings.

What are the things you’re grateful about?

Everything Is Possible If You Don’t Apologize for Yourself

“Beginning when we are girls, most of us are taught to deflect praise,” Oprah writes in one of her columns. “We apologize for our accomplishments. We try to level the field with our family and friends by downplaying our brilliance. We settle for the passenger’s seat when we long to drive.”

Oprah experienced this in the third grade, in, as she says, “one of the defining moments” in her life. After her book report earned the praise of her teacher, her classmates grudgingly started whispering to each other something along the lines of “She thinks she’s so smart.”

For years Oprah feared that people would see her as arrogant. In fact, she even thinks her weight was some sort of an apology on her part: “See,” her body seemed to her to be saying, “I really don’t think I’m better than you.”

But that’s not the way to go.

Too many of us are willing to hide our light as adults. Instead of being filled with passion and purpose, “we empty ourselves in an effort to silence our critics.”

The truth, according to Oprah, is “that the naysayers in your life can never be fully satisfied”:

Whether you hide or shine, they’ll always feel threatened because they don’t believe they are enough. So stop paying attention to them. Every time you suppress some part of yourself or allow others to play you small, you are ignoring the owner’s manual your Creator gave you. What I know for sure is this: You are built not to shrink down to less but to blossom into more. To be more splendid. To be more extraordinary. To use every moment to fill yourself up.

Key Lessons from “What I Know for Sure”

1.      Joy and Love Stem from Self-Sufficiency and Resilience
2.      The Power to Choose
3.      Saying No Is Also a Choice

Joy and Love Stem from Self-Sufficiency and Resilience

It’s an understatement to say that Oprah had a difficult childhood.

She was born out of wedlock, raised in harsh conditions, sexually abused for at least three years by three different people from her near family, ran away from home at 13, got pregnant at 14, her son died a few weeks after being prematurely born.

And yet – she became a global superstar!

How did she do it?

Well, by enduring and by learning to be self-sufficient.

Instead of looking outwardly, she learned to look inwardly. Instead of looking for validation for her actions in someone else (be that a parent or a lover), she decided to look for it in herself.

And if you want to be loved and successful, you should do it too!

Because, for one thing, you’ve endured a lot as well already.

“Think back for a moment on your own history,” Oprah writes at one place. “What were the moments along the way that wounded or scared you? Chances are, you’ve had a few. But here’s what’s remarkable: You are still here, still standing.”

Isn’t that a lot?

The Power to Choose

“After the hundreds of stories I’ve heard of atrocities around the globe, I know that if you’re a woman born in the United States, you’re one of the luckiest women in the world,” writes Oprah.

Andshe has a point.

Because, unlike millions and millions of women in the world, you’ve almost certainly been given an opportunity to live the life of your choice.

Why don’t you start using it:

Take your good fortune and lift your life to its highest calling. Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.

Saying No Is Also a Choice

It isn’t at all surprising that Oprah – being Oprah, aka the greatest black philanthropist in American history – was often overwhelmed by too many requests for help by too many needy people.

“Some would spend their last dime on a bus ticket to get to me,” she writes, “children would run away from home, abused women would leave their husbands and show up at the doorstep of my studio, all hoping I’d help.”

And, of course, she did!

After all, she had a difficult life and knew that many people needed help; however, after writing thousands of checks, she started feeling worn out.

More importantly, she started realizing that she wasn’t helping anymore because she thought that she could help, but because she was afraid that if she didn’t write a check, people would hate her.

“I was saying yes so people wouldn’t be angry with me, so they would think I was a nice person,” she concluded. “My intention was to make people feel I was the one they could call on, count on, last minute, no matter what.”

She was 40 years old when she realized that this was the wrong way to go in life.

And she started saying “no” – because that’s also a choice.

She still keeps the note she wrote that day on her desk

Never again will I do anything for anyone that I do not feel directly from my heart. I will not attend a meeting, make a phone call, write a letter, sponsor or participate in any activity in which every fiber of my being does not resound yes. I will act with the intent to be true to myself.

It’s time you started doing this yourself.

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“What I Know for Sure Quotes”

What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing. Click To Tweet If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘Thank you,’ it will be enough. (Via Meister Eckhart) Click To Tweet You can either waltz boldly onto the stage of life and live the way you know your spirit is nudging you to, or you can sit quietly by the wall, receding into the shadows of fear and self-doubt. Click To Tweet What I know for sure is that pleasure is energy reciprocated: What you put out comes back. Your base level of pleasure is determined by how you view your whole life. Click To Tweet Balance lives in the present. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

If you like Oprah, you’ll certainly like What I Know for Sure as well.

All of her trademarks are here: the confessional tone, the honesty, the clarity, the warmth, the wisdom gained through experience.

The perfect gift book for hurt women.

Rebel Talent PDF Summary

Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life

Sometimes, the practices and principles that look decent and worthy to follow are the ones you need to question.

In this book, Francesca wittingly propels the idea of inner revolution which breeds creativity and flair. It stands to reason, why the book is called “Rebel Talent.”

Without further ado, let’s get more precise about it.

Who Should Read “Rebel Talent”? And Why?

If you are on the fence about emerging talents, then this book will show you why every person has that enormous potential to seize the day.

It all rests on his/her shoulders to make something happen, and that’s not subjected to any alteration whatsoever. With that said, we wholeheartedly endorse the narrative presented in this book and believe that “Rebel Talent” is recommended for the broader audience.

We urge you to polish up your skills and think everything over.

About Francesca Gino

Francesca Gino is an Italian-American behavioral scientist, researcher, and author born in 1978. She currently works as a Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Prior to joining Harvard, Francesca taught at the University of North Carolina.

She’s been receiving many accolades for her amazing achievements and was even venerated as one of the top US professors under the age of 40.

Francesca’s work has been featured on CNN, the Economist, Financial Times, New York Times…

“Rebel Talent PDF Summary”

Rebels don’t create trouble, but trouble creates rebels.

This simple but powerful analogy illustrates the beginning of a revolution with regards to craftiness.

Chapter One – Napoleon and the Hoodie

Napoleon’s conquests in North Africa were predicated on the idea of challenging British dominance. With an intention to capture Cairo, French troops led by Napoleon had to defeat the Mamelukes whose rule wreaked terror on the locals.

Even though the French were outnumbered, Napoleon managed to protect his flanks by disposing his army in a circle-like formation. The Mamelukes’ cavalry notorious for its close-combat fighting, was wiped out.

Many interpretations follow this battle, but most believe that Egyptians were liberated from the brutality of the autocratic rulers.

Bonaparte was driven by a constant thirst for new military knowledge that could enhance his prowess as a commander and political leader. He was regarded as France’s new savior, and he derived some of his ideas from Pierre de Bourcet.

Bonaparte modified the justice system and enacted laws that applied to every citizen – the very pillar of democracy.

Chapter Two – The Dog Named “Hot”

In this chapter, Francesca tells us a story that revolves around novelty by every stretch of the imagination. Accompanied by her husband, she paid a visit to an unorthodox show which exhibited a new form of acting. A man pulled up a chair and sat in the center of a small stage.

He then started steering his imaginary wheel, while another woman “ascended” from the crowd and tapped her on the shoulder. It was at this moment that Francesca realized that this whole improvisation was part of the act, where one person starts the whole show and others merely jump on the bandwagon.

This is why “novelty” has a pivotal role in keeping that fire burning in the relationships. Francesca and Greg feared that routine is the biggest killer of marriages, therefore, injecting spontaneity could spice things up a bit.

In addition, Francesca speaks about her wedding day, and why she decided to follow traditions, unlike her siblings.

Chapter Three – The Vanishing Elephant

You all have probably heard stories about Harry Houdini whose stunts, illusions, and magic left the crowd speechless. He mastered in escaping from handcuffs, ropes, chains; you name it. Widely reputed as one of the top illusionists of the 20^th century, he was able to flare up the audience with ease.

Houdini’s extraordinary performances could not be fitted into one category. He did far more than just escaping while being locked up, as his remarkable accomplishments will continue to echo throughout the “illusionist” history.

For the sake of argument, please bear in mind that we know nothing about magic, so if we overestimate or underestimate some of his stunts, it’s simply a lack of knowledge.

He once managed to swallow a pack of needles, and twenty yards of thread helped only by a glass of water. The trickery commenced from an early age, whereas he as a child learned to unlock cabinets where his mom kept the pies and sweets.

In the vicinity of the Hippodrome, a noisy and intense drum sound filled the air and announced the act. The stage pistol gave the official go-ahead as the doors of the box at both ends opened simultaneously. The elephant was gone; knocking the socks off of everyone in the audience.

Chapter Four – The Hudson River Is a Runway

The name Chesley Sullenberger didn’t ring any bells up until that horrifying calamity that could have caused the deaths of hundreds of people.

On January 15^th, flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport, heading for Charlotte, North Carolina. A bird strike prevented them from continuing their journey, as Captain Sully tried to make it back toward LaGuardia and attempted Teterboro for an emergency landing, but none of that came to pass.

He was forced to land in the Hudson, with 150 souls on board. Despite the risk, every single person survived that day, with minor injuries. Harten testified that in the past decade, he never once failed to assist an airplane crew in making the right choice.

The control tower offered Sully runway 13^th as a potential option for an emergency landing, but he declined the proposition as impossible to pull out. He was then instructed to turn right toward Teterboro, but that option was also dismissed as too risky and out of the question.

Prior to landing in the Hudson, Capt. Sully made an announcement:

Brace for Impact

After the incident, many questioned Sully’s expertise and decision-making, but they found out that if he didn’t follow his instincts that day, the consequences would have been disastrous.

Chapter Five – Uncomfortable Truths

DuVernay came to prominence when she was nominated for Selma in 2014. At that time, Ava DuVernay had already caught the attention of movie elitists like Sean Bailey, president of Motion Pictures Production at Walt Disney Studios.

He started pondering about the possibility of giving DuVernay a shot to direct the adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. They even had a meeting, discussing a potential agreement.

Raised in a rough neighborhood, Ava had a tough time moving forward through life. Nonetheless, she doesn’t believe that this situation reflected some kind of disadvantage, but quite the opposite. It made her stronger, and independent to work hard and follow her dreams.

As a matter of fact, entering a male-dominant industry wasn’t a piece of cake.

Her leadership was always under scrutiny, but that didn’t stop her from crushing the stereotypes. As we mentioned, thanks to Selma – the story of the 1965 voting campaign spearheaded by Martin Luther King Jr. Ava became a renowned movie director.

The Disney pair caught a glimpse of her potential, and Ava was given full support to adapt A Wrinkle in Time. Her passion and skill emerged as some sort of a package deal.

Chapter Six – Coach Cheeks Sings the National Anthem

Back in 2003, Portland Trail Blazers were hosting the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Playoffs series – best of seven. Dallas had won the first two matches on their home court, but now it was the Blazers turn to show why they won thirteen of the last fifteen games against the Mavericks in Portland.

Prior to the match, thirteen-year-old girl Natalie Gilbert was invited to do the honors and sing the national anthem. Unfortunately, she caught a flu that morning and was unable to perform at its best. Nonetheless, she plucked up her courage and went on anyway.

On the second line, her voice suddenly switched off, and she wasn’t able to pull herself together. Coach Maurice Cheeks won the hearts of millions when he approached her and started to sing alongside her, giving Natalie the support to continue.

Later on, Natalie told the press that Maurice was her “guardian angel,” while Coach Cheeks remained humble in his words.

The Trail Blazers lost that night, even though they put up quite a fight. They won the next three games and tied the series, but the Mavericks managed to win the decisive Game 7.

Coach Cheeks told the press:

I never thought about doing it before I did it. I’m a father. I have two kids myself. I’d have wanted someone to help them if they could.

Chapter Seven – The Secret of Story

In this chapter, Francesca addresses a problem and explains how our decisions are sometimes irrational. She recalls a situation that helped her to see the big picture. One time, upon boarding the plane, she overhears the instructions laid out by the flight attendant and the rest of the crew.

In the meantime, Francesca prepares a group exercise for 40 people and doesn’t pay attention to the actual schooling in case of emergency.

Upon landing, she conducts the exercise and finds out that people’s mindset is often inspired to act in a given manner based on the group mood. This mindset conflicts with rationality and puts people’s position in jeopardy.

In addition, she also realizes that disengagement is very expensive because it hampers commitment, responsibility, and productivity overall. This short-attention span is proving to be a problem not just in the States but globally.

Catching people’s attention hangs in the balance and breaking the ice is harder than ever.

Chapter Eight – Become a Rebel Leader

Last but not least, we all wonder what it takes to develop into a true leader! So, here’s the 8-step process one must follow to accomplish just that:

Seek Out the New
Encourage Constructive Dissent
Open Conversations, Don’t Close Them
Reveal Yourself—and Reflect
Learn Everything—Then Forget Everything
Find Freedom in Constraints
Lead from the Trenches
Foster Happy Accidents

Key Lessons from “Rebel Talent”

1.      Embrace change and work your way through life
2.      Keep your hopes up
3.      Don’t let your guard down

Embrace change and work your way through life

How many times have we witnessed stories that belong in the same trilogy as “David & Goliath.” That serves as a proof that despite the odds, you have what it takes to come out as a winner on the other side.

Let this be a motivation, not a guide for you to circumvent a problem, but to face it and deal with it. It’s a wake-up call that could signify the start of a new day.

Keep your hopes up

Not everything goes according to the plan, and that’s fine. You shouldn’t be the one passing judgments, nor pointing those poisonous arrows at your heart.

Leave the interpretation to others, and you focus on the action!

Don’t let your guard down

Sometimes, the environment you excel in can be subjected to various influences that impede the process of evolvement.

Even in those kinds of circumstances, one must keep its eyes peeled and be on full alert for potential twists and turns.

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“Rebel Talent Quotes”

One of the biggest surprises in my research has been the discovery of how important, and meaningful, rebel talent can be in one’s personal life. Click To Tweet At their core, rebels are engaged. They have abundant energy and mental resilience, they invest in their work and in their personal relationships, and they persist even when the road gets tough. Click To Tweet As professional opportunities expanded, women weren’t the only ones who benefited. There were gains for the companies they joined and for the economy more broadly. Click To Tweet Even outside of work, when we think about self-improvement, we tend to focus on weaknesses. Click To Tweet In a crisis, when we think about what we should do, we focus on the most apparent courses of action, often those we relied on when making similar decisions in the past, whether we are following a checklist or not. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

Every chapter has its separate story, one that reveals people’s knack for all sorts of things. The ineptness in one thing can be compensated with a proclivity for something else.

In all honesty, we all have these tendencies and urges that are worth questioning. Hence, one can become aware of its talents, and build up from there.

With this in mind, you get the idea of why we think “Rebel Talent” would be an excellent addition on your bookshelf.

The Universe Has Your Back PDF Summary

Transform Fear to Faith

It’s anything but easy to tackle the self-imposed restrictions that your mind creates.

Nonetheless, Gabrielle tells us her story, and how she managed to come out victorious in this inner battle. It’s also a wake-up call for those that are still on the fence.

In this summary, we try to extract the key takeaways from this amazing life-altering book and present them in a digestible manner.

Let’s roll!

Who Should Read “The Universe Has Your Back”? And Why?

Over the course of thousands of years, human evolvement has led us to a point where most people are fed and have a roof over their heads, but we cannot find the formula for harmony and peace.

It seems as if worldly pleasures cannot complement for lack of spiritual maturity.

A world saturated with technology and opportunities doesn’t add up to this story. In contrast, “The Universe Has Your Back” answers this cry for help and outlines a couple of things we must do in order to get out of this meaningless life cycle.

About Gabrielle Bernstein

With regards to profession, Gabrielle Bernstein can be put into several different categories, but we believe the most accurate one would include: author, motivational speaker, and life coach.

She doesn’t shy away from telling her life-encounters and how one should act in various circumstances.

Gabrielle is the author of several other books:

Judgment Detox
MediDating
Miracles Now
Spirit Junkie
May Cause Miracles
Add More Ing to Your Life

“The Universe Has Your Back PDF Summary”

Well, it’s hard to imagine a system that caters to every whim of its subordinates. Moreover, if we look at the data, we’ll see that people’s well being is not proportionate to the global progress. It stands to reason why most Americans, struggle with depression regardless of their income or stature in society.

The same factual logic applies to the rest of the world, as well.

Gabrielle starts on the right foot by sharing the truth related to what has led her to write this book. In 2015, she had a life-altering experience during her yoga class. A sudden surge of restlessness, anxiety, and discomfort overwhelmed her and made the left side of her face go totally numb.

Within the next 24 hours, she visited a doctor who couldn’t find anything “physical” related to this phenomenon. After running a few tests, they diagnosed it as a panic attack.

Imagine the shock!

A successful, thriving, caring, and peaceful woman, mother, and spouse had this attack without any warnings or cues.

Let’s delve into it.

To understand why some of the people prefer not to get out of their state of discomfort, Sigmund Freud did a couple of tests.

Sigmund Freud realized that his patients weren’t getting any better and came to the conclusion that there’s some inner resistance that prevents them from transforming.

The universe or the universal power relates to the ability to catch a glimpse of this resistance and challenge the thought system. It’s a systematic safety-net that impedes our willingness to overcome this state of chaos.

Gabrielle recalls her struggle with depression since she was a teenage girl. Not knowing what exactly is causing this sense of perpetual fear, she took a trip with her boyfriend to a beach house.

Once there, she excused herself and walked into an isolated small room on the second floor to find her inner shelter. The dark cloud of thoughts was washed away, as she entered a blissful state of mind by connecting with the divine.

When this feeling of anxiety started to recede, Gabrielle became increasingly concerned with worldly pleasures.

Having a relationship, and thriving in a professional sense became the top priority.

She even started abusing drugs and alcohol, a decision that plunged her into the dark bottom. An instant slump, she feared is unrecoverable.

Gabrielle was ashamed of herself as if she betrayed the only real friend she has ever had.

However, it wasn’t too late to change the music, as her inner urge to overcome this anxious surge grew stronger by the day.

I began to recite, So, Ham, So, Ham, So, Ham – a mantra that helped her during those difficult moments.

The Universal Pull is the Source and Substance

In the next few chapters, Gabrielle emphasizes the significance of changing one’s perception. She conveys words of worry and hope to those who jump into conclusions without trying to shift their angle of view.

To prove a point, she even illustrates an example.

When you are at the movies, and the bad guy is waiting just around the corner, while the good person is passing by, we are all like “Don’t Go” “Be Careful” “Turn Back.”

This merely manifests our own habit to make the same old mistakes, but even that keeps us detained in a self-imposed prison. Whatever you perceive you conceive, therefore it’s of utmost significance to cast doubt on these mental tendencies.

The Universal Lesson #2 focuses on the three-step process for questioning the self-made world:

Step #1 – What is the fearful movie you’ve been playing?
Step #2 – What’s the positive movie you’ve been playing?
Step #3 – Reconnect to your power.

It goes without saying that a state of presence is the only genuine power. Some people refer to this absolute phenomenon as God, other as Universe or Awareness, and in the modern-day lexicon, you’ll find it as Universal Truth.

Whatever name you assign to it, it will serve an equal purpose.

Gabrielle tells us that real power lies in presence, which goes against conventional logic and crosses swords with the inner world you have created. The accumulation of events, thoughts, and sense of sense self compose the egoic reality.

The Universal Laws apply to every person, every conscious being who has decided to go deep into this divine connection.

Meditation and prayer are the two keys which can open up all the doors in the Universe
The presence of resentment and anxiety indicates that you lean too much on your mind
Your projection is your perception
Being in the present moment is the only genuine power
When you unintentionally break off this connection, just say a prayer and get back on track

If you have the guts to be responsible for what you see, then you’ll see an immediate shift in your state of mind. You cannot deny the connection between one’s inner world and its actual reality. For example, people living in wealthy and prosperous nations shouldn’t be having this difficult, but that’s just nonsense.

Regardless of your surroundings, and necessities, one should feast its eyes with love and compassion, case in point, Mahatma Gandhi.

Despite the appalling conditions, he was guided by a righteous cause that formed his perception.

An ignorant person wants to change the world; a smart person only wishes to transform itself. Don’t go running around, throwing your moral notions at someone’s face, and instead take on an inward journey to overcome your suffering.

In the next few chapters, Gabrielle explains to us how we can reap the benefits of being spiritually mature.

In addition, she calls upon all the humanity to wake up by doing the following:

Step #1 – Ask for guidance
Step #2 – Practice the holy instant
Step #3 – Fast comeback
Step #4 – Put out what you want to receive
Step #5 – Create a purpose statement
Step #6 – You are a dreamer of your dream

You might be thinking, that to avoid fear is the ultimate goal, but that’s not the case. You ought to identify your genuine teacher, which is the Universe, and abide by the rules of love and broader understanding.

The tricky part is finding the courage to detach from emotions and emotional baggage prior to strengthening your connection with the Divine.

To ensure that you receive the Universal love, it’s of utmost importance that you gear up with the right mentality for the task.

Get out of your comfort zone, and tackle the monkey mind at once. Very straightforward advice for those who might veer off course during the transition. It’s a powerful exercise that could help you when you are pushed into a corner and need some sort of a propeller to get the ball rolling.

By meditating, you’ll be able to calm your mind and put it in a position of total relaxation.

In this book, Gabrielle explains how practicing Kirtan Kriya for 12 minutes each day can lift your spirits and put you in a better mood. Also, it will help you understand your intentions which prompt you into taking certain actions and decisions.

Sometimes, you won’t feel like you are in the godly presence, but the Universe acts mysteriously even when you’re outraged at something.

Let go – is something you’ll hear quite often.

Even Gabrielle gives us a rundown on how our obsessive need to be in control can backfire on you and make you even more depressive.

In the last chapter, Gabrielle shares her obsession to get pregnant. She was so worried about the timing that she forgot about love itself. It was a process that was gaining momentum, making her dependent on the outcome, and not enjoying the present moment.

She even went as far as comparing herself to her friends, who just gave birth or conceived a baby.

As human beings who feel inclined to set goals, and make preparations for things to turn out in their favor, we rarely live in the “Now.” This process has the earmarks of a great plan that would keep us organized even in the most scatterbrained periods of our lives.

Nonetheless, nobody can spot the danger of remaining rigid. Why do you believe that your projections, your egoic predictions are the best-case scenario?

We are misled to believe that this little voice, is our best friend.

This arrogance and ignorance, keep us from seeing with the eyes of real wisdom which portrays life as uncertainty to its full extent.

The peace of love is shining in you now.

Key Lessons from “The Universe Has Your Back”

1.      Understand that you deserve to be happy
2.      Keep the fire on the other side
3.      The art of surrender

Understand that you deserve to be happy

Many people these days have given up on life, even though they are at their prime years. It’s a paradox that doesn’t seem to go away.

As a response, the author merely implies that “happiness” is a choice for those who want more.

It’s not a matter of materialism, but a matter of inner development and growth. It’s a state of mind and heart one should strive to achieve.

Keep the fire on the other side

If you believe that sheer will is all that separates you from a blissful experience, you better think again. The utility of applying an aggressive strategy in the workplace gives you the latitude to do whatever you want, but the same process is not on the same wavelength as the idea to reach genuine satisfaction.

So, it’s better to adjust your approach when dealing with mental tendencies.

The art of surrender

It’s against conventional wisdom not to lay down the law or be in the driver’s seat. To put it differently, people love to run the show, to hold the reins and reap the seeds of such actions.

However, in spirituality, you have to loosen up and take a break from all the restless striving to control the outcome.

Thus, the art of surrender will help you understand the big picture, and how going along with the flow could be the best decision.

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“The Universe Has Your Back Quotes”

Trust that your wounds are exactly as the Universe planned. They were divinely placed in your life in the perfect order so that you could show up for them with love and remember the light within. Click To Tweet In the midst of the darkness, grab a flashlight. Click To Tweet Thank you, spirit, for your guidance. We surrender this grievance to you, and we welcome you in to reorganize all limiting beliefs back to love. Click To Tweet I recognize that I have chosen wrongly, I forgive this thought, and I choose again. I choose love. Click To Tweet It's the journey that matters, not the destination. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

When a person relates to predicaments that he/she has been through, then you really don’t need to question its intentions.

We feel like that’s the case here.

Gabrielle struggled to keep depression out of her life but managed to subdue these negative urges through meditations and prayer.

As such, we find the book both practical and compelling.

In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It PDF Summary

Yeah, you shouldn’t worry about the temporary defeats, since all failures are needed for a person to marinate in itself.

But, when sadness takes the reins, it’s a different game.

Our optimism is punctured, as we try to prowl on and fight these currents.

In this summary, you’ll get introduced to a “worry-less” concept, and why you should capitalize on every situation.

Who Should Read “In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It”? And Why?

It seems as if Lauren weaves the biographical elements with a sense of self-development that manifest the struggle behind the scenes. It does a grand favor to those, who still struggle to find balance in today’s world.

With that said, we believe that “In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It” is astonishing for every person, since it covers aspects that most of us face on a daily basis.

Getting your hands onto it, will be advisable.

About Lauren Graham

Lauren Graham is an American actress and an author, mostly known for her appearance on Gilmore Girls.

In 2016, she also wrote Talking as Fast as I Can.

“In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It PDF Summary”

If Lauren continues to churn out bestsellers at an alarming speed, there’ll no more room left for the rest of the world. All joking aside, she really excels at wrapping up the primary hypothesis and deliver it in the most digestible way possible.

How would you feel if someone gives you the opportunity to address a big audience? – Well, it may turn out to be a surprise after all.

Anyway, Lauren recalls her graduation at Langley in 1984. No kid had a cell phone, Macintosh Computers were out on the market, for the very first time, and the greatest movie at the time was “Ghostbusters.”

In the Introduction, the author ponders about the idea of getting on a soapbox, no matter the price.

Will Ferrell’s speech was something to be admired because most people fell out of their chair in laughter while he was igniting the crowd. He was green from head to toe and said all this nonsense which the people found hilarious.

Lauren doesn’t remember much about the “gala performance” called Graduation. Her raspy white dress made her sweltering beneath the polyester material.

The hair products back then were also “unfitting” for various types of hair, which made hers poofy. With all of her friends scattered around the auditorium, she had to contend with the feeling of discomfort during the ceremony.

The whole process of receiving the diploma felt like a meaningless achievement. Moreover, Lauren obtained an empty pleather envelope, because her diploma was held due to library fines.

Back in High School, Lauren dreamed about the big stage as an actress. She intended to fulfill that dream by signing up for school auditions, and eventually, she was cast as Townsperson #3 in the spring musical, Li’l Abner.

In her Sophomore year, she got to play Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. But the big breakthrough emerged in her Junior year in Hello, Dolly, when she for the first time had a leading role and received a standing ovation.

The biggest challenge in High School surfaced during the audition for Once Upon a Mattress when she was a Senior. Prior to the audition, her teacher demanded that every actor and actress write down their preferences on the audition form (whether they would accept any role, or want only the leading one).

Fearful of being perceived as a pompous and arrogant brat, you guess what she did. As a response, she was cast as a lady in waiting – a character without a name.

It was one big slump, and Lauren feared that she could not recover from that. On the way to the show, Lauren’s car slid on ice and went off the road. She was brought in a police car and asked whether she is able to perform.

A young and ambitious girl named Jenny approached her. She shared her concerns regarding the crash and asked her whether she is able to do the show. Her eyes blazed with fire, as she said: I learned all your lines.

That was a signal that people just wait to rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity.

Lauren’s mindset changed in a flash, and she was okay and willing to crash the show. By looking into Jenny’s eyes, Lauren saw a reflection of herself – the girl she was a couple of months ago. That night, she ruminated on the purpose of life, and happiness.

Now, she can understand why “The Most” and “The Best” is not equivalent to happiness. Lauren had her ups and downs, had her successes and failures, but all of them were somehow intertwined to give life the full disclosure of joy.

Years after the high school graduation, Lauren pulled it off. She was cast to play Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. This was the break Lauren was hoping for; a real Broadway sensation.

Talented and experienced, she didn’t realize that the worst is yet to come. Every night prior to the rehearsal, her head was brimming with thoughts – questioning her capability as an actress, and whether she deserves the role in the first place.

She was in the spotlight, but the “click” was missing. She couldn’t find how to push through this overwhelming feeling of doubt, as though she was in High School once again.

After a couple of weeks, she finally pulled herself together, not worrying about who was in the crowd.

She reckoned that people came to have a good time and a few laughs. They didn’t come to see an actress who doesn’t feel like she can live up to the expectations.

Lauren’s mindset suddenly switched, as she performed with confidence and courage. A friend approached and asked her:

What happened to you?

She replied: I don’t know, but it sort of feels like…sailing.

Lauren feels lucky enough to have a job that resonates with her heart, but the path to it wasn’t straightforward. It was a series of ups and downs, which should not be misinterpreted as something that wasn’t necessary.

Back in 1984, when Lauren graduated from high-school, a random person could have picked three to four hundred people before her, to give the commencement speech. In 2017, you have another story to tell, which leads us to this – different people blossom at various stages of their life.

Don’t get upset if you still haven’t reached the level you were hoping for. It’s right there, just be patient and aggressive at the same time.

You may feel disheartened that some person got the thing you deserve more. During those difficult moments, you might demand sympathy from your family, and fall into melancholy but that’s not the way one should take.

Like clouds, the sky will eventually clear up, and those on the top of the mountain will have to descend – leaving you plenty of room to take what’s rightfully yours.

However, once the dream is at your fingertips, all the anxiety and doubt will disappear! You’ll be happy forever, and no one could impede that inner melting, right?

Well, not quite.

Reaching success is not something that will automatically boost your self-esteem without any further wavelike tendencies.

So, people believe that being an actor or in this case actress is all sunshine and rainbows. Although the acting career of Lauren is more than impressive, is without question a stressful one; from time to time. It’s all part of the beauty, and she has to work on herself on a daily basis.

Lauren mainly shares the whole excitement behind the scenes, the lights, the yelling, the cuts, the directions-giving, the rehearsals, the mediocre coffee…

It’s inevitable to do the off-stage things right, in order for the actors to put up their best performance.

When a person finally arrives at the desired destination, it’s often struck by the undistorted reality. Some achievements feel a lot better when you can share them with your loved ones. Don’t get this the wrong way, you should, by all means, pursue your dream job, but beware of false narratives that may impede the process.

Feedback is not something that you ought to base your stature and value. It’s a necessary ingredient that can help you absorb the entire perspective, but that’s all.

Whatever career you deem to be representable of your innate desires, must be complementary to your character. You must be happy while doing that in order to grow with each passing day, and that’s the beauty of it.

When Lauren went to the theater with her dad to see Hello, Dolly, she was engulfed by emotions and thoughts. Tears were falling like snow on Christmas Eve as the play triggered many high-school memories and feelings.

Lauren Graham implies:

DON’T wait until you’re on Broadway. Or until you reach the Olympics. Or until you’re CEO of a major company. Don’t wait until you’re the president of something, or for the day when your life looks perfect to you and everyone you know.

Don’t worry so much, just get the job done. That’s the essence of progress and growth and something you should strive to attain.

One cannot become a great achiever and a happy person without loving thyself. It’s not a cliché tip, because you seriously cannot ask from anyone to give you respect, without you doing that for yourself. It’s a two-way street that will help you to find a way through the rush hour.

If you wish to become triumphant, allowing mistakes to happen is the way. Those that accept and endorse risk-taking behavior get the big picture.

Give yourself the right to “blow it.” It will open doors for you to exploit in the upcoming period.

Even if you don’t do something extraordinary, don’t judge yourself by the behavior and metrics imposed upon you. Those big accomplishers may have one thing, but that’s not the end goal.

You are enough, just as you are. Cherish the little moments and enjoy life to the full extent.

Key Lessons from “In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It”

1.      Stand up straight
2.      Keep your composure all the time
3.      Understand the big picture

Stand up straight

This lesson can be construed in dozens of different ways, but we will address the one we deem most important. People these days struggle to face the fire when things get out of hand.

Lauren feels duty-bound to urge you to plug away at the key project, and never quit. Even if someone keeps haranguing you, just believe in yourself, and you’ll make it.

Keep your composure all the time

It sounds obvious not to burst into tears, but sometimes we can’t seem to maintain a cool head. It’s one of those things that are easier said than done.

In addition to this, the author implies that the best decisions are rarely the byproduct of obsessive thinking.

They are a direct consequence of rationality and endurance!

Understand the big picture

It goes without saying that short-sighted people rarely get to the top. And the less agreeable you are, the more likely you’ll have an aerial perspective on everything.

It’s not about short-term victories, but about keeping your morale up.

Such a mindset will prevent you from abandoning your dreams, and help you withstand external and internal attacks.

Like this summary? We’d Like to invite you to download our free 12 min app, for more amazing summaries and audiobooks.

“In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It Quotes”

Starring has nothing to do with how big your part is - it's a state of mind. Click To Tweet Satisfaction is not found in the big achievements. It’s not in winning. Starring has nothing to do with how big your part is—it’s a state of mind. Click To Tweet Don't be perfect, just be DONE! Click To Tweet Perform every job as if you're being well paid...Respect yourself and your work as if you're being paid to be the Boss. Click To Tweet Treat every day like you're starring in it. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

Lauren Graham has received many accolades for her acting and writing performances. We feel like this book has a lot of personal connotation embedded into it, and hence it facilitates the connection with the audience.

As a matter of fact, it covers what every ambitious person needs to know in order to surmount the external and self-inflicted difficulties.

It will help you make headway in your path to success and prosperity.

How Successful People Think PDF Summary

Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

You don’t need us, or any bestselling author to tell you that your own thoughts can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

You are not in need of someone who will tell you what to do, but someone who would suggest a change that could elevate you.

There’s not a single person in the whole wide world, who believes that change is meaningless. We all have our baggage, and we must fight to preserve that sense of motivation that seems to stifle with each passing encounter.

With that in mind, let’s dive deep into John Maxwell’s introduction of change.

Who Should Read “How Successful People Think”? And Why?

That is a great question that is often left answerless because not all are inclined to share their secret recipe.

In this book, John broached the idea of finding how these extraordinary individuals overcome the difficulties and circumvent a potential escalation. In the light of this revelation, we believe that “How Successful People Think” is best-suited for the broader audience, regardless of any other factor.

Keep reading, keep learning!

About John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell is hailed for his ideas to bring the best out of people. As the author of multiple bestselling books such as:

… he sure has a lot to offer.

“How Successful People Think PDF Summary”

John argues that despite the diversity present among successful people, they have one thing in common: their mindset or how they think.

This isn’t a metaphor but a literal interpretation of what predicts success not only in the workplace but overall. So, how to become a better thinker? Is it just one’s own innateness that determines the level of creativity or is it something one should fight to attain?

Albert Einstein on one occasion also implied that “thinking is hard” that’s why so few succeed.

There are a couple of things one must do in order to change its thinking habits:

Exposure to new ideas
Connect with extraordinary and smart people
Choose your path
Act upon the good thoughts swarming into your mind
Make your emotions in tune with your mindset
Rinse and Repeat

In all honesty, it’s okay if the process outlined here arouses suspicions regarding its applicability. Nonetheless, it’s your job not to put all your eggs into one basket, and keep plugging away despite the odds.

Finding the best spot for contemplation is one of the first things you should begin with. Some people prefer the shower, others in front of a big open fireplace. The bottom line is, regardless of your preferences, a person really needs to find that special place where he/she could dive deep into thinking.

In other words, the sacred place we were just talking about should help you shape your mindset. In the meantime, you’ll learn a thing or two about yourself, your urges and bad habits which keep you down.

According to John Maxwell, the shaping process embodies:

Humor: The thoughts which don’t seem to work, should be transformed into a comic interpretation
Humility: The beautiful moments of establishing a connection with the Divine
Excitement: It signifies the elation before a thought is put into action
Creativity: When you veer off course and indulge in adopting a visionary approach
Fulfillment: When the bond with God has reached a satisfactory level that yields fruits
Honesty: When an idea goes into the implementation phase, a person becomes aware of its genuine motives
Passion: When a thought storms into your mind, you get an aerial perspective of the mindset you wish to nurture
Change: The good stuff is a direct result of the changes made through life

John even presents a formula that acts as a proof of how crucial your environment is in the pursuit of prosperity:

The Right Thought plus the Right People
in the Right Environment at the Right Time
for the Right Reason = the Right Result

Should we discern the difference between “good thinkers” or is it just one thing? To some extent, this expression indicates that a person of high IQ, falls into this category, but according to others it might be a person capable of creative thinking.

Literally there are many interpretations, and none of these should be taken for granted.

Good thinking or productive thinking is similar to solving a puzzle. Even if you are a master, you cannot solve it without having all the missing pieces at your disposal. It’s impossible to act in your best interest if your abilities are limited.

John C. Maxwell points out in his book that those missing links, can be further exhibited through the 11-skillset program one should strive to possess:

Seeing the Wisdom of Big-Picture Thinking
Unleashing the Potential of Focused Thinking
Discovering the Joy of Creative Thinking
Recognizing the Importance of Realistic Thinking
Releasing the Power of Strategic Thinking
Feeling the Energy of Possibility Thinking
Embracing the Lessons of Reflective Thinking
Questioning the Acceptance of Popular Thinking
Encouraging the Participation of Shared Thinking
Experiencing the Satisfaction of Unselfish Thinking
Enjoying the Return of Bottom-Line Thinking

If you take a critical view of this methodology, you’ll come to the conclusion that the big picture, is more important than short-term achievement.

Big-time achievers are learning-machines, to say the least. They are never pleased with the knowledge they have, and they strive to learn as they go.

An extraordinary method of expanding your horizons is nurturing the habit of listening. If you plan on making strides towards excellence, you should really consider the fact that you don’t know everything. The expertise of others can be of particular use to you if you’re open-minded.

Big-picture thinkers recognize that they don’t know lots of things. They frequently ask penetrating questions to enlarge their understanding and thinking. If you want to become a better big-picture thinker, then become a good listener.

Intuitively, you probably recognize big-picture thinking as beneficial. Few people want to be closed-minded. A one sets out to be that way.

How should leaders behave?

Generally speaking, there are a handful of big-thinkers who are not labeled as leaders, and many leaders who don’t deserve to be marked as big-time players. In fact, a proficient leader is capable of doing several important things on behalf of the organization:

See the big picture before the people do
Take into account multiple factors and all variables
Have a sense of where the team should be heading
Understand how the future connects with the past
Gain momentum and seize the moment

With this in mind, many ponder about the possibility of absorbing the big picture. It sounds nice and everything, but the reality is a far cry from the actual truth.

The first element a big-thinker has or possess is that he/she embraces the whole risk-taking thing. Don’t get this the wrong way – it’s not cost-effective to gamble but to take calculated risks. They welcome diverse ideas and neglect certainty as a meaningless concept.

Next up, you have to be willing to give up on a lot of things in order to get to a certain point of success. You can’t do it on your own, and you have to accept diversity in terms of ideas and beliefs.

In doing so, you’ll probably fill in the gap for not being well-rounded with regards to having the expertise to do everything single-handedly.

Key Lessons from “How Successful People Think”

Become a successful thinker
Start listening; there are a lot of smart people out there
Read, read, and read some more

Become a successful thinker

Like most other things, that’s easier said than done, but it’s achievable if you understand the concepts presented here.

First and foremost, a person needs to be aware that change is inevitable. Afterward, you can try to set in motion the way of life you deem appropriate.

It’s a battle; everyone has to endure in order to get on the other side.

Start listening; there are a lot of smart people out there

As you may have guessed it, you are not the most knowledgeable person out there. Your prowess in a given area, must not become your limit.

You ought to adopt a broader approach, and practice “listening” as a way to incite growth and prosperity.

Even the most lucrative profession, is not going to make it up for lack of motivation.

Read, read and read some more

It comes as no surprise to anyone that successful people are masters at time-management. By making the most out of their time, they can focus on things which are essential to their cause.

Also, their ambition is backed by a constant thirst for more knowledge, which can never be quenched by no stretch of the imagination.

In so far as their methodology is put under scrutiny, most of them prefer daily reading.

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“How Successful People Think Quotes”

A person who knows how may always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be his boss. Click To Tweet Thinking is hard work; that’s why so few do it. Click To Tweet People with humility don’t think less of themselves; they just think of themselves less. Click To Tweet It is true: most people are more satisfied with old problems than committed to finding new solutions. Click To Tweet Instead of trying to be great, be part of something greater than yourself. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

Well, who doesn’t need a mentor? – We all do, and sometimes a book can help you pattern your life after a person that you admire or has the means to teach you something.

In relation to this philosophy, we can wholeheartedly endorse the message that the author is trying to convey through this amazing book.

To put it in a nutshell, John Maxwell is definitely worthy of your time.

The Five Thieves of Happiness PDF Summary

The Five Thieves of Happiness PDF Summary Feeling unhappy and sad?

Perhaps your problem is that you’re constantly being robbed of your happiness?

By whom, you ask?

John Izzo replies:

By the Five Thieves of Happiness.

Who Should Read “The Five Thieves of Happiness”? And Why?

If we are to believe Aristotle that everyone’s goal in life is to be happy, then any book written about happiness should be read by everybody. Even if it makes one person happier than he or she already is, the book has more than done an excellent job.

The same is correct about The Five Thieves of Happiness. You’ll lose nothing if you read it. And you can gain a lot.

About John Izzo

John Izzo is an American businessman, bestselling author and an advocate for sustainable living; he is a citizen of both the USA and Canada.

After graduating in Sociology and Journalism from Hofstra University, Izzo went on to earn an M.Div. from the McCormick Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Kent State University.

He has so far written seven books: Awakening Corporate Soul (and its Companion Workbook), Second Innocence, Values Shift, The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, Stepping Up, and the one we’re summarizing here, The Five Thieves of Happiness.

Izzo is currently an Adjunct Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.

“The Five Thieves of Happiness PDF Summary”

“We have been so trained to think that we have to seek, long for and work for happiness that it’s easy to forget that the contentment we seek is always there, waiting for us to access it.”

This is the central premise of John Izzo’s bestseller The Five Thieves of Happiness.

In other words: happiness is not something out there, but something within you. Consequently, you don’t need to go out of your way to find it; in fact, it’s quite the opposite: by going out of your way to find happiness, you’re, in fact, losing it.

But, then again, why aren’t you already happy if your happiness is inside you?

Well, that’s what this book is about!

The short answer is: the Five Thieves of Happiness have been stealing your joy for quite some time. And they’ll continue doing that unless you do something to stop them!

And by something we mean following Izzo’s NSR routine.

It consists of only three steps:

#1. Notice: identify the thieves and start being aware when they are present; catch them red-handed!
#2. Stop: once you know who they are and finally happen upon them – show them the door!
#3. Replace: substitute their presence with something else, something far more positive.

Sounds like something familiar?

Well, that’s because it is!

It’s Charles Duhigg’s habit cycle all over again!

If it works in the case of habits, why shouldn’t it work in the case of joy and laughter? Especially if Izzo is right and you’ve been robbed of it by the five thieves he’s talking about.

Speaking of which –

Of course you’ll be unable to catch your thieves rapid if you don’t know who they are and how they look like.

So, allow us to introduce them:

The 5C Brothers.

Key Lessons from “The Five Thieves of Happiness”

1.      The First Thief: Control
2.      The Second Thief: Conceit
3.      The Third Thief: Coveting
4.      The Fourth Thief: Consumption
5.      The Fifth Thief: Comfort

The First Thief: Control

The first thief of your happiness: your wish to control everything.

News flash:

At least ever since the Ancient Stoics and Buddha, we know that the key to happiness is, in fact, quite the opposite: going with the flow, surrendering yourself to the “what may come” of tomorrow and accepting the “whatever it was, it was” of yesterday.

“The chief task in life is simply this,” wrote Epictetus two millennia ago, “to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control.”

That’s the best lesson you’ll ever hear!

Simply put, it means that you can control only some of the things that are happening to you, and some others are out of your control no matter how much you try.

Think of it this way:

Regardless of your wishes, if the weather forecast says that it will rain on the day you are planning a picnic with your partner, it will probably rain.

If your happiness depends upon not raining that day, then you’ve just allowed the Powers Beyond You to rob you of your happiness.

Now, why would you do that?

Accept the fact that it might rain beforehand, and devise a Plan B. If it doesn’t – great; if it does – once again, great!

“Staying in the moment is not what brings happiness,” writes Izzo. “What brings inner peace is acceptance of whatever is happening in the present moment.”

In other words, the only thing you can control is the present moment; and even in that present moment, there are thousands of things you can’t control.

Want to make yourself miserable?

Start whining about your past mistakes.

Want to be happy?

Accept them.

It’s that easy.

The Second Thief: Conceit

The second thief of your happiness is your self-centeredness.

What do you mean you’re not conceited?

Let us give you an example:

Say you’re watching the Superbowl and your favorite team is losing.

In addition to saying “Why is this always happening to me?” you’re also trying to activate a superstition or two to help your team get back on the right track.

Because, of course, in the alternative universe where you are the center of the world, your team will inevitably score if you change your seat.

The problem?

There are about a million people doing the same at the very same moment, and half of them are rooting for the other team.

And you know what’s interesting: each and every one of you thinks that they are the only ones affected and the only ones who can help in some way.

But that’s not how the world works.

Moreover, it’s not how the world should work.

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny,” wrote smartly Martin Luther King Junior. “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

Life is about realizing this truth, known at least as early as the time of Marcus Aurelius (yes, another Stoic).

Because once you realize it, you’ll know that happiness never comes from focusing on your own desires and needs; it comes from helping others

Numerous studies have shown this, and the Dalai Lama endorses it: helping others makes us happier. Your whole being extends when you sacrifice some of your wishes and desires for others.

It’s a strange paradox, but it’s, nevertheless, true.

Conceit robs you of the possibility to become something more.

Show this thief the door the next time you notice him working behind your back.

You’ll be happier!

The Third Thief: Coveting

Let’s start with pointing the obvious: there’s a big difference between wants and desires on one side, and jealousy and envy on the other.

Coveting is a thief who uses the latter two as his tools.

Even though we explained you above that it’s paradoxically always better for your happiness (to quote Winnie-the-Pooh) to take a few steps back to make room for the happiness of others, a life without desires and wishes would be, undoubtedly, unbearable!

Ever since you were a child, you had dreams which usually included wanting to own something you didn’t have at the moment.

However, as you grew old, this wish transformed into something much darker: envy for the people who owned the things you didn’t.

And there’s the catch: what the others own is not something you can control; even less if they own something which you never will, no matter how badly you want it (say, a yacht or a movie studio).

So, what’s the point in envying them? Also: do you know that you’re also the subject of envy of other people? Why aren’t you comparing with them and, instead of being unhappy about what you don’t have, learn to be happy with what you have?

Of course, society can help.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau argues that comparisons between people stemmed from private property because that’s what caused inequality.

Case in point, numerous studies have shown that people are, by definition, happier in more equal societies – regardless of whether the societies were rich or poor.

In other words, strangely enough, you’ll be happy with your Nissan if nobody is driving a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce.

Even stranger, primitive societies or the people of the world in 1800 were probably just as happy as the wealthiest individuals of today.

Makes you wonder, ha?

The Fourth Thief: Consumption

OK, so let’s sum up what we’ve learned so far:

#1. Your wish to control everything robs you from happiness because you can’t control many things; you need to surrender;
#2. Your conceit makes you unhappy because the world doesn’t revolve around you; you need to learn to live with the others;
#3. Your coveting hinders your joy because you fail to see what you own; and, it will always do that, because, well, “there will always be a dog bigger than you or who has qualities you wish you had;” and because “our worth as a human being is not about how we compare with others but about truly living to our own best potential. We cannot control how we compare with others.”

Well, this last thing uncovers the face of Thief #4: Consumption.

Basically, the Consumption thief insists that happiness is not inside you but that it only comes from external acquisitions.

It constantly whispers to your ear: “You’ll be happy when you have this or that.” And the moment you acquire those things, it comes up with another great idea: “It’s better now, but you need to acquire this as well, and we’re done…”

But we’re never done.

Because we’ve chosen to think of happiness as something which is not inside us and which we can only attain through external things.

If that’s the case, then it means that you are not enough to yourself.

And that’s preposterous!

“We don’t need to seek happiness,” writes Izzo, “so much as we need to get out of its way.”

You want to be happy?

Just choose to be happy:

The idea that happiness is a choice, one that we can make at any moment, is so simple and radical that we often resist it.

The Fifth Thief: Comfort

If you’re like 90% of the people, you are living your life in your “comfort zone.”

True, there are some nice things about your “comfort zone”: you’re familiar with the environment, and you have just enough access to everything which will grant your survival.

But beware: Comfort is the fifth and perhaps the most sinister thief of your happiness!

Don’t believe us?

Let us remind you of two little men called Hem and Haw.

Remember how they were going about their days, following the same basic routine day in day out, pleased by the fact that they always had enough cheese to eat?

And then, one day, there was no more cheese; and the only way to get some was leaving the comfort zone as soon as possible.

The problem with the comfort zone is that it dulls our emotions and our rational capabilities. To our bodies and our minds, routines are basically the same as idleness is to us. They feel relaxed since they know that it’s autopilot time.

But, really, is that a way to live your life?

Is that what happiness really is?

Many people make the mistake of settling well in their comfort zones, contended with the fact that even if they are not too happy, at least they are not sad.

So, they never quit even though their jobs are not as fulfilling as they had once been; and some of them even marry because of the therapeutic effects of routine.

Don’t do that!

Comfort is great at first, but, over time, it becomes toxic to your happiness and spiritual health.

Counter it by accepting that change is usually good and that the world is moved forward through a process of creative destructions.

Why should you, as an individual, be any different?

Disrupt yourself!

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“The Five Thieves of Happiness Quotes”

Happiness and contentment are products of the mind. Click To Tweet

Gratitude boosts your immune system and happiness. Click To Tweet

Happiness is not in what is happening; it is in how I process what is happening. Click To Tweet

Coveting takes away our capacity to be grateful. Click To Tweet

The future cannot be controlled, only experienced. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

John Izzo discovered the Five Thieves of Happiness during an eight-month sabbatical spent in Spain and in the Andes of Peru.

And some pages of the book really feel as if written by someone who has managed to isolate himself from the whirlwind of stress and the barriers and conventions of society.

If he can do it, why shouldn’t you be able to do the same?

Hopefully, this book can help you.

Jesus Is Risen PDF Summary

Paul and the Early Church

Want to learn how the Christian Church was established?

David Limbaugh tells it all, from Paul’s Conversion to the Gospel of Love.

It’s his fourth Christian-themed book:

Jesus Is Risen.

Who Should Read “Jesus Is Risen”? And Why?

In a nutshell, Jesus Is Risen is a chronological retelling of six books of The New Testament (Galatians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Romans), all concerning Paul’s early attempts to establish a Christian Church.

Of course, Limbaugh provides the reader with many notes and commentaries, some of which should probably interest even experienced readers of the Bible.

But, as a rule of thumb, if you can navigate yourself around the New Testament, then think of Jesus Is Risen as complementary material: something which can certainly help you, but also something you can do without.

If, however, you are having trouble finding yourself around the many names, events, and toponyms of Paul’s New Testament books, then there aren’t many better books to get started than Limbaugh’s Jesus Is Risen.

About David Limbaugh

David Limbaugh is an American author and conservative Christian political commentator.

Born in 1952, Limbaugh graduated cum laude with a B.A. in political science from the University of Missouri; he received his J.D. from the same university in 1978.

Afterward, he went on to teach business law at Southeast Missouri State University, in addition to practicing law at the Limbaugh Firm.

He has written numerous columns for many different publications, as well as nine non-fiction books, primarily dealing with religion and politics.

Some of them are explicitly aimed at the style of governing by Democrats, such as Absolute Power: The Legacy of Corruption in the Clinton-Reno Justice Department, Bankrupt: The Intellectual and Moral Bankruptcy of Today’s Democratic Party, or his two books criticizing Obama: Crimes Against Liberty: An Indictment of President Barack Obama and The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama’s War on the Republic.

Since 2014, Limbaugh is dedicated to writing books which concentrate on his personal religious conversion and the merits of the Bible. He has so far written four of them: Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel, The Emmaus Code: Finding Jesus in the Old Testament, The True Jesus: Uncovering the Divinity of Christ in the Gospels and Jesus is Risen: Paul and the Early Church.

“Jesus Is Risen PDF Summary”

As he explains himself in the “Introduction,” Jesus Is Risen is David Limbaugh’s “fourth Christian-themed book.”

His first one was Jesus On Trial in which Limbaugh recounts his “personal faith journey from skeptic to believer” and lays out the reasons because of which he came “to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and gave His life for the redemption of all who put their trust in Him.”

The Emmaus Code followed, in which Limbaugh details “the countless ways the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ.”

His third book was The True Jesus in which he presents the Gospels “in one unified narrative in chronological order.”

His initial idea, he explains, was to summarize the whole New Testament, but this ambitious plan seemed more fit for several books.

Well, Jesus Is Risen is a sort of a sequel to The True Jesus, summarizing – once again in a chronological order – Saint “Paul’s six so-called missionary epistles: Galatians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Romans, which are believed to have been written before his other seven epistles.”

Paul is David Limbaugh’s favorite biblical figure and writer, something which he makes apparent basically on every single page of this book.

Chapter 1: How a Trip to Damascus Changed the World

“By all appearances,” Limbaugh writes, “Paul is the least likely person to become Christianity’s premiere evangelist.”

A Jew born by the name of Saul, he was raised and educated in Jerusalem under a highly respected Rabbi named Gamaliel.

And he grew to become “a Pharisee of Pharisees,” who “intensely persecuted” the followers of Jesus.

It was precisely on a mission to seek out and arrest Christians in Damascus that Paul’s worldview was changed to its very core.

As told in Acts 9:3–9, this is what happened:

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’
‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked.
‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’

“The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless,” the text goes on. Apparently, “they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So, they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”

On the fourth day, Ananias of Damascus restores Saul’s sight.

Saul is baptized, and before too long becomes Paul, “the apostle of grace,” and the most important figure in Christianity after Jesus Christ.

Truly miraculous.

Chapters 2–5: The Acts of the Apostles

In chapters 2 to 5, Limbaugh retells the Acts of the Apostles, the 51^st book of the Bible and a sort of a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. In fact, it is believed that its author is none other than Luke himself and that it was originally written sometime around 60 A.D.

Chapter 2: Acts 1-7: A Church Is Born

The first seven chapters of the Acts tell the story of the very infancy of the church. One of the central events recounted here is Apostle Peter’s sermon to the Jews gathered for the Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks.

Supposedly, the Holy Spirit descended upon the 12 apostles from heaven “with a sound like a mighty rushing wind” and manifesting itself in “tongues of fire.”

The Holy Spirit in them, the apostles start speaking in languages they don’t understand and are consequently ridiculed by the Jews as drunkards.

But Apostle Peter counters this by embarking on a bold sermon which results with the conversion of 3000 new believers.

“The arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,” notes Limbaugh, “is considered the birth of the Christian Church. As such, it’s interesting that Jesus was also conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35).”

Chapter 3: Acts 8-13: An Equal Opportunity Faith

The next few chapters of the Acts describe various aspects of the evangelism of the apostles.

Here you can read all about the false accusation and stoning of Stephen, the religious conversion of Paul, as well as the first attempts by the Apostles to impart Christianity upon the Gentiles.

Speaking of which, in these chapters you can find the very first use of the term “Christians” in the history of the written word.

Chapter 4: Acts 14-20: Suffering and Success While Spreading the Word

Next, we move geographically to the outskirts of Jerusalem and outside of the holy city.

Saul changes his name to Paul so that he can be better accepted by the Gentiles (the former is Hebrew, the latter Greek).

In the fifteenth chapter, the Jerusalem Council takes place, and the spreading of the gospel message among Gentile nations is authorized.

Lydia, a female seller of purple fabric, becomes the first European woman to accept Christianity.

Chapter 5: Acts 21-28: Arrest of an Apostle

After some time, Paul travels to Jerusalem where he is arrested; he is sent to Rome to be put on trial. There he is imprisoned, but we learn little what happens next since the Acts abruptly end here.

“It’s generally agreed,” writes Limbaugh, “that Paul was martyred in Rome, probably by sword, though the precise date is uncertain. Many scholars place his death around 62 AD, at the close of his two-year house arrest in Rome, while others say it could have been in 64 AD, and still others as late as 66 AD after a second arrest.”

“Of course,” Limbaugh goes on, “Paul’s influence did not end with his death, since he did more than anyone besides Jesus to expound and clarify the Gospel.”

Most of which he did through a series of letters, and these are the ones Limbaugh summarizes in the rest of his book.

Chapter 6: Galatians: Freedom in Christ

The book of Galatians is, arguably, the first of Paul’s epistles (letters) sent to local Christian churches.

In this letter he explains how he had been chosen by Jesus himself to preach his gospel, and that “if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

Next, he explicates how living a religious life is difficult; and how, since, nobody is capable of obeying the ten commandments from the cradle to the grave, the only salvation one can attain is through Jesus Christ.

Hence the title of this chapter: Freedom in Christ.

Chapter 7: 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians: Christ’s Return and the Day of the Lord

In the first of the two letters written to strengthen and encourage the Christian church in Thessalonica, Greece, Paul writes mostly about the Second Coming of the Grace, aka, The Day of the Lord.

Let’s be realistic: if you need some strength, nothing can give you more of it than someone telling you that you’ll eventually be rewarded for your effort, no questions asked.

In the second letters to the Thessalonians, Paul reemphasizes these feelings commending the receivers of his words on their perseverance and cheering them to persist some more.

Jesus, writes Paul, will deal out “retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

Chapters 8-10: 1 & 2 Corinthians

Chapter 8: 1 Corinthians 1–8: A Call for Unity in the Church

In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains the reason for writing it in the first place: “there are quarrels among you,” he writes, and I need to remind you of your calling.

And that calling is pretty simple: to live in accordance with the Gospel, for “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Chapter 9: 1 Corinthians 9–16: The Primacy of Love, and a Spiritual Gift for Every Believer

These are some of the most famous pages in the Bible, dealing with the primacy of love – even over faith (13:1-3):

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Here Paul says that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a topic “of first importance” since it is the foundation of the Christian faith.

Chapter 10: 2 Corinthians: Strength in Weakness

In the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes the essential traits of an Apostle.

One of them is, interestingly, the capability to endure suffering.

Because, as Paul says right away, some fifty years of earthly pain should mean nothing to a real Christian, because they will lead him to an “eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”

Those who cannot endure suffering, basically, are no Christians at all.

Chapter 11-12: Romans

Chapter 11: Romans 1–7: Righteousness through Faith

In the epistle to the Romans, you can read all about the power of the Gospel to counteract the guilt present in all humans, which is why this chapter is titled “Righteousness through Faith.”

Try as you might, you’ll never be a righteous person through your deeds only; however, you can be one through your faith in Jesus Christ.

“For the wages of sin is death,” writes Paul, “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Chapter 12: Romans 8–16: Christ: The Hope of Jews and Gentiles

If God is with you, who can be against you, asks Paul here and goes on to explain how the faith in Christ gives him the power to go back to God even after sinning.

Here Paul also shares his plans to reach Rome, which he eventually will – but we know how that ended from the Acts.

Key Lessons from “Jesus Is Risen”

1.      A Trip to Damascus of a Hebrew Prosecutor Named Saul Changed the World
2.      Love Is More Important Than Faith… Until It Is Not
3.      The Resurrection of Christ is the Foundation of the Christian Faith

A Trip to Damascus of a Hebrew Prosecutor Named Saul Changed the World

Saul was a Hebrew, “a Pharisee of Pharisees,” whose main obsession in life was prosecuting Christians.

However, on a trip to Damascus (of course, with a mission to arrest some Christians) Jesus appeared to him, and Saul’s worldview suddenly changed.

OK, that’s a bit of a stretch since he was first blinded for about three days, so his worldview was in complete darkness.

But after his sight was restored by a Christian, he became one.

Or, to be more precise, the One.

Paul did for Christianity more than just about anyone save for Jesus.

There are billions of Christians nowadays mostly because of his relentless efforts to share the Gospel.

Love Is More Important Than Faith… Until It Is Not

Blame us for being ignorant, but we have trouble understanding the very essence of Paul’s words.

Namely, his main message is that one can only redeem himself from his sins (of which he is guilty either way) through his faith in Christ and His resurrection.

However, in 1 Corinthians 13, he claims that love is more important than faith and that even if you have faith that moves mountains, without love, you’re nothing and you’ll gain nothing.

So, our question is quite simple: if one does have love in him and lives his life in accordance with it, but doesn’t believe in Jesus, is he entitled to salvation?

Or is he just guilty enough beforehand and nothing he ever does will grant him redemption from the fires of Hell?

The Resurrection of Christ is the Foundation of the Christian Faith

If we follow Paul and Limbaugh, the answer to the question above is straightforward: you can’t be a Christian if you don’t believe in Christ and you can’t go to Heaven if you’re not a Christian.

In fact, this is how the Gospel of Jesus looks like, according to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, a few of the most important New Testament verses ever written:

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Apparently, as David Limbaugh says, “Paul echoes Jesus’ teaching that we are saved not by our works and not by adherence to the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.”

There you have it.

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“Jesus Is Risen Quotes”

Paul, probably even more than Peter, is the prominent leader of the early Christian Church. The central figure in the Book of Acts, Paul writes more New Testament books than any other apostle, though Luke’s books contain more words and… Click To Tweet

The better we understand the darkness of (Paul’s) past, the more we will understand his gratitude for grace. (Via Chuck Swindoll) Click To Tweet

To love God and one’s neighbor is the sum of the commandments. Click To Tweet

While works don’t earn us salvation, we will reflect our saving faith and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit through our works. Click To Tweet

The more we study the Book of Acts and Paul’s letters, the more fully we comprehend God’s plan for our lives and His offer of free grace for our salvation through faith in Christ. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

“My humble wish,” writes David Limbaugh at the end of Jesus Is Risen, “is that you have learned or re-learned important basics about the Book of Acts and these six Pauline epistles and are excited to get back into the Bible, read these books and meditate on their message.”

To be perfectly frank, this book didn’t have that effect on us.

But, truth be told, it is written in a manner which makes us believe that it should have such effect on many people.

The Giving Tree PDF Summary

The Giving Tree PDF Summary Well, the softness of this book made it a mark for critics and admirers alike to share their viewpoints.

We don’t prefer the term “book” since we believe it is more of a story which tries to put a broader perspective of inter-relationships into the spotlight.

It is also embellished with illustrations which paint an accurate image of how the plot intensifies.

Who Should Read “The Giving Tree”? And Why?

Firstly published in 1964, “The Giving Tree” rose to prominence due to its original motives. It remained Silverstein’s best work which was translated into numerous languages.

With that being said, we without any equivocation endorse this story and recommend it to the wider audience despite the generational differences.

About Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein was an American-born cartoonist, poet and a writer born at the height of the Great Depression in 1930.

His work will always remain etched into the hearts of his faithful audience.

“The Giving Tree PDF Summary”

When written, the book didn’t receive many admirations, since it was rejected due to various reasons. One editor at Simon & Schuster even claimed that the book is not cheerful for the kids, and simply not substantial for the grown-ups.

It wasn’t the flying start Shel had been hoping for.

Upon publishing, The Giving Tree received mixed recognitions, praises and often times – critics. Apparently, the main context had aroused controversy in terms of the interpretation of the storyline.

The narrative commences with a simple introduction of the main characters, but the emphasis falls on the relationship between a female tree and a boy.

The boy would come along and gather the leaves, make crowns and imagine of being a king of the dense forest. He would also play with the tree by climbing up and hanging on the branches.

The story continues by expressing the boy’s desires of eating the fruits (apples) from the tree. And when the boy got tired, he simply decided to rest in the shade.

Once the boy had its sleep, he would play hide-and-seek with the tree as they spend much of the time together.

The culmination of the plot rises to the surface as the boy grows older. The boy no more shares that innate desire to pick up leaves and eat apples; he is in need of things.

The tree gives him a proposition, to pick up the apples from the ground and those on the tree and sell them to make money.

And the boy started gathering the apples and putting them in a basket with an intention to sell them later.

The tree felt abandoned as the boy continued his routine.

One day, the tree asked the boy to climb up the trunk and swing a little bit, just like in the old days.

The boy replied that he is in need of a house to keep him warm. The tree allowed the boy to cut off some of the branches and build a beautiful house. And that will eventually make him happy.

So the boy did like he was told!

The next time the tree laid eyes upon the boy, it felt immense happiness. The boy, however, felt no urge to play with the tree and wanted a boat to sail away.

The tree told the boy to cut off its trunk and build a boat, that will make him happy. After a long time, the boy returned and saw the heartbroken tree with nothing left to give.

My apples are gone
My teeth are too weak for apples – said the boy
My branches are gone, you cannot swing on them
I am too old to swing on branches – said the boy.
My trunk is gone, you cannot climb
I am too tired to climb – said the boy.

I just want a place to sit and rest. The tree invited the boy to rest, and it was happy.

Key Lessons from “The Giving Tree”

1. The power of gratitude
2. Break out from the bubble of greed
3. Be careful what you wish for

The power of gratitude

Every now and then, people are not happy with the life they have, and they are in full pursuit for more. It is almost a global phenomenon that keeps us miserable for the entire life-span.

Some people have never once expressed glimpses of thankfulness, and that is why gratitude must emerge.

Break out from the bubble of greed

It comes as no surprise that is not easy to tackle that unquenchable hunger. We are taught that people must always struggle in order to battle through due to lack of money or status.

For precisely that reason, one must figure out a way to shift its mindset and adopt a more open approach.

Be careful what you wish for

Sometimes the things you crave so deeply, are the things that are going to bring you a lot of suffering. Take lottery-winners, for example; there are many suicidal cases which are a direct consequence of winning the lottery.

Stay with both feet on your ground and ponder about your decisions!

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Our Critical Review

We can say that this is one of the most thought-provoking and mindful stories we have ever bump into. It truly reflects people’s attitude toward life and unravels the exact causes leading to suffering.

It stands to reason why we believe it will benefit you regardless of your age or position.

The Law of Success PDF Summary

Most of us prefer system over tips.

Why?

Because, unlike tips – a well-designed system guides you from one stage to the next, and helps you put all pieces together.

One of Napoleon’s best works surely delivers an all-encompassing scheme for one to follow.

Who Should Read “The Law of Success”? And Why?

Most of you do know that “The Law of Success” traces from the pre-Great depression America, or to be more precise – 1925.

According to modern-day readers and book critics, this book is one of the few evergreen pieces of written art. As such, we find it entirely absurd to divide the audience in one way or the other.

Inasmuch as we want to do it, it goes without saying that this book will benefit the entire world.

About Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill was a renowned figure of the 20th century and managed to preserve his authority long after his death.

He was born on October 26th, 1883 and passed away at the age of 87 (in 1970) while leaving a legacy of astonishing classics – including “Think and Grow Rich.”

“The Law of Success PDF Summary”

One can say with absolute confidence that Napoleon Hill is one of the founders of motivational and self-development rhetoric. His works are a treasure trove of ideas which continue to inspire almost a century after they first have been published.

That being said, Napoleon in his classics emphasizes a person’ inner aura. By putting it into words, he maintains a good vantage point to evaluate the effectiveness of one’s actions.

The number of people who weren’t cagey to share their secret recipe with the rest of the world can be counted on one’s fingers. Napoleon Hill is surely among them!

If you prefer not to be led astray, then you have to take into account several key factors. Amongst them, one must comprehend the inconsistencies in every environment and adjusting to them means that you are flexible to achieve success.

In the business world, building, for instance, iron-clad strategies at scale is tougher due to increased competition. Even in the digital age one must adopt an open-minded approach and ponder about the decisions made on a day-to-day basis.

Evidently, it’s incongruous to ask for advice from someone who hasn’t tested the road.

Therefore, we wholeheartedly endorse the previously defined formula for success which consists of harmonious but battling attitude. It keeps you sharp between the ears, and your eyes peeled for a potential entanglement.

Is it as straightforward as it sounds?

Of course not, because the research conducted by Napoleon Hill and those after him add a layer of doubt regarding the achievability of this process.

It stands to reason why such a small fraction of the population managed to climb the ladder. It also lays the fundamentals of understanding the external forces that may hamper or accelerate your ascension. It’s needless to say that you’ll need to tackle excuses and focus on day-to-day improvement.

It’s not about succeeding in everything you attempt to accomplish, but having the audacity not to point fingers at anyone!

Before embarking on this perilous but adventurous quest, Napoleon Hill cast doubts on the cultivated habits fueled by traditional, religious and cultural patterns.

Does this herald a great change?

Probably yes, because whether we like it or not, the promises you make to yourself must be integrated into your broad outlook on life.

To prove a point, the author zooms in on historical individuals whose proclivity for success boosted their societal position. You should also get to know the potential restriction that may occur at some point during this process.

Everything necessary is contained in the 15 Laws!

According to Napoleon Hill, the path leading to success is exclusively prescribed for people who are burning inside, who are flared up to a certain point from which you can’t go back.

If you are on the fence, such an attitude will take a toll on the probability to meet your goals.

Don’t let your plans fizzle out, because you are not serious to utilize all means at your disposal. Dedicate time to pursue your dreams otherwise; this will be a total waste of time. First off, one must identify its weaknesses prior to proceeding with exploiting the strengths.

It’s just common sense, getting to know yourself before you get analytical.

As stated in this book, there are certain factors which curtail the chances of achieving success in the long run. Amongst them, you’ll find greed, aimlessness, egoism, spending more than you earn, etc. One must dive deep into its character and find those weak points which are in need of full eradication or alteration.

If you defeat these symptoms, you’ll pass the most critical phase which is, in fact, the idea of overcoming your shallowness. Any person with common sense and logic can understand that to achieve success you must move beyond mediocrity, and that’s Napoleon’s central premise in this classic.

In addition, let’s take a closer at Napoleon’s Laws of Success that can elevate you to the top of the heap:

Definite Chief Aim

As the name implies, this law revolves around the idea of finding your axis! In other words, it helps you tackle procrastination and aimlessness and save time, energy and resources.

It also helps you make the first steps in materializing your plan by following a well-defined system.

Self-Confidence

This law is based on overcoming the six fears:

The fear of Poverty
The fear of Old Age
The fear of Criticism
The fear of Loss of Love of Someone.
The fear of Ill Health
The fear of Death.

Just to clear up the confusion, you should bear in mind that Napoleon Hill didn’t assert that everyone has these tendencies buried deep within them.

It’s all a matter of cultural, hereditary, societal, or self-imposed patterns which vary from person to person.

Habit of Saving

Most of the laws are self-explanatory, and this one stresses out the importance of managing your finance and distributing your income.

It’s a skill most people don’t have and show no passion for mastering it.

As a rule of thumb, you should heed how fast/slow the income is accumulated and then, enact the right measures.

Initiative & Leadership

You have to build authority in your field of interest in order to rise to prominence. You should be a solid representative of your agenda and initially promote your views.

Understand your role in delivering something that your industry is deprived of and take the necessary steps.

Imagination

The fifth law hinges on creativity and the very instigator of it. It helps you learn the ropes of your mind, and the cultivated habits engrained in it.

It also provides a plan for how to rebuild the thinking mechanism and place strong foundations for future endeavors.

Imagination conquers everything.

Enthusiasm

This life lesson is in line with the idea of getting into the right frame of mind. Such behavior will help you when establishing contacts with strangers and laying out your plans.

Enthusiasm is vital when forming that bond, which could be the start to something lucrative and mutually prosperous.

Influence others by being energetic and persistent.

Self-Control

Without the right control, all of the previous laws will bear no meaning.

So, it’s of utmost importance that you have some self-discipline and rationality. Overwhelming enthusiasm is not good either, so you better have that handbrake close by your side.

Self-control = Master of your own destiny.

Habit of Doing More Than Paid For

The highest ROI is when you do more than assigned to. People love when you are engrossed in the thing you plan to achieve and are more than willing to reward you for the passion you bring to the job.

If you can rise to the occasion fueled by that intense desire to get the job done, you’ll definitely stand out from the crowd.

No leader can be a good leader, by focusing on equality of output. For every $1 you give, (figuratively speaking) you have to expect $0.5 in return.

This is not in reference to financial distribution but a more metaphorical proposition.

Pleasing Personality

Welcoming personality is the epitome of success.

I would rather begin at the bottom and climb to the top than to start at the top and have to remain there.

An attractive personality knows the essence of drawing people to itself – it has that magnetism that can make all the difference.

If you bring that personality into line with your intelligence, no obstacle will be insurmountable.

Accurate Thought

In a world filled with misinformation and fake news, it’s not easy to separate facts from opinions. Anyways, it’s the basis for becoming a sharp thinker who acts upon data not emotions.

It also instructs you to subdivide the facts into:

Important & Relevant
Unimportant & Irrelevant

Concentration

Fixating your attention at one thing is one of the critical elements paving the way to prosperity.

If you transform your scatterbrained attempt to get multiple things done at the same time into a single powerful thrust – you’ll sense the proficiency in a certain field.

Leave the multitasking bullsh*t aside for now.

Cooperation

And yes – you can’t do it alone. Your team will do most of the work, and you should support each other by opting for environmental freedom.

Coordinate your actions with the ones of other and build that synergy.

Profiting by Failure

If you think that you are ready to map out a plan of action, you must draw positive from past encounters.

The try-fail mechanism is a proven method for excelling at something.

Making mistakes is, in fact, a blessing in disguise – something that most people don’t see. Remember: A lost battle is not a lost war!

Tolerance

This law affects the people whose minds are poisoned with prejudices and hatred. They occasionally stir up ethical, cultural, racial and nationalistic tensions and are unable to get out of this mindset.

Think again and ask yourself – What is the good in remaining narrow-minded?

You’ll find nothing to cling onto!

The Golden Rule

NO man could possibly read the Law of Success philosophy, even once, without becoming, thereby, better prepared to succeed in any calling.

This lesson is a real intellectual lodestar in terms of its constructive narrative. It is, in fact, the test that you need to take after running through the previous lessons.

Key Lessons from “The Law of Success”

1. The effects of knowingness
2. Discipline is the essence
3. Question your actions

The effects of knowingness

Yeah yeah….

We heard it a million times that knowledge conquers the world (From parents and teachers alike).

Anyway, when we are talking about real knowledge, we mostly refer to life-experience and daily encounters.

Lean on the try-fail cycle, not what other people have said. If you abide by this law, you’ll definitely speed up the entire process and tip the balance in your favor.

Discipline is the essence

I am starting next Monday!

Sounds familiar? – I bet it does.

As much as we are all aware of what’s needs to be done and why you need to put up your best-work, the human mind is prone to “freeze-mode.”

It’s basically the thing that is keeping you stuck in the same boring job, or life and acting as a stranglehold around your neck.

Break those chains of laziness and grab the world at first light!

Question your actions

In entrepreneurial waters, there is one term growing in popularity – Pivot.

It literally means when things go “South” you need to pivot and head over North.

In layman’s terms, you have to be flexible and willing to experiment until you find the life-altering formula.

Learn on the go, remain open-minded.

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“The Law of Success Quotes”

No man has a chance to enjoy permanent success until he begins to look in a mirror for the real cause of all his mistakes. Click To Tweet

Far from being a disadvantage, struggle is a decided advantage, because it develops those qualities which would forever lie dormant without it. Click To Tweet

ASK any wise man what he most desires and he will, more than likely, say - more wisdom. Click To Tweet

Imagination is a faculty of the mind which can be cultivated, developed, extended and broadened by use. Click To Tweet

Success is the development of the power with which to get whatever one wants in life without interfering with the rights of others. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

Can someone put a blemish on Napoleon Hill?

Well, it’s really tough to find unexplored and weak spots in his books, and we didn’t succeed either.

This indicates that you should dive right into the essence of this classic and be ready for significant changes.

Take notes, and learn as you progress!