Books to Read

  Amplify Your Influence Transform How You Communicate and Lead René Rodriguez Do you want to improve your communication skills and positively affect others’ actions? Do you want to become a more persuasive presenter? If so, you may benefit from the communication strategies René Rodriguez offers in  Amplify Your Influence . Rodriguez explores numerous ways you can connect with people, help them reach their goals, and help them change their behavior for the better. He argues that we’re all capable of guiding and shaping others’ actions, as long as we have the right tools. In this guide, we’ll cover Rodriguez’s basics of persuasion, including how to use four of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals to connect with any audience and how to apply the author’s three essential steps for effective communication. Then, we’ll dive deeper into Rodriguez’s strategies for one type of communication: presenting successfully. In our commentary, we’ll touch on communication strategies from other voic...

  Dopamine Detox A Short Guide to Remove Distractions and Get Your Brain to Do Hard Things Thibaut Meurisse Do you check your phone first thing when you wake up? Are you regularly pulled into the black hole of YouTube or Instagram in the middle of your workday? Do you often feel scattered and distracted? If so, it might be time for a dopamine detox. In  Dopamine Detox , Thibaut Meurisse argues that all of us suffer from a constant state of sensory overload that robs us of our focus. The culprit: the neurotransmitter dopamine. Meurisse explains that by detoxing from activities that trigger dopamine, you can reclaim your capacity for the deep focus necessary to accomplish your long-term goals. In this guide, we’ll explore the science of dopamine, outline what causes sensory overload, and explain how to go about a dopamine detox. We’ll supplement Meurisse’s advice with research on the effectiveness of detoxes and offer strategies from other productivity experts on how to improve ...

  Stories That Stick How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business Kindra Hall Never underestimate the power of a good story. In  Stories That Stick , brand strategist Kindra Hall explains why stories are probably the answer to most of your business problems—from building a brand, to connecting with customers, or creating long-lasting impact. Whether you're an entrepreneur, marketer, or creative professional, this book will inspire you to harness the power of storytelling to communicate more effectively and bridge the gap between you and your audience. Drawing from examples of successful brands, Hall explains how storytelling can transform your marketing strategy and your business. In this guide, we’ll discuss why stories are so powerful, explain what makes a good story, and introduce four core story models you can start using right away. We’ll also include prompts to help you build a stockpile of compelling stories. We’ll cite exam...

  Upstream The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen Dan Heath Do you ever feel like there are endless fires to put out—in your personal life, at work, and in society as a whole? What if you could work at the root of the problem instead, preventing crises from happening altogether? In  Upstream , business writer Dan Heath explains a strategy for focusing energy on proactive, long-term solutions:  upstream  problem-solving. Heath concedes that the concept of working on the root causes of problems is not always the easiest route, but it does offer the potential for improving flawed systems and reducing harm on a broader scale. He describes guidelines for implementing upstream action that you can apply to many different contexts ranging from combating climate change to improving your business strategy. Heath also identifies some of the common roadblocks to avoid as you tackle complex problems through upstream intervention. Throughout this guide, we’ll also include ...

  Everything Is F*cked A Book About Hope Mark Manson Although our living conditions are generally better than they’ve ever been, statistics show that people are getting steadily unhappier. According to self-help author Mark Manson, this is due to an epidemic of  hopelessness : People no longer feel like they can help create a better future. The solution to this problem is complicated—Manson argues that the hope that makes us feel fulfilled also leads us to harm ourselves and others. Thus, we must learn to live a fulfilling life  without  hope for a better future. In this guide, we’ll describe how both hopelessness and hope itself have caused many of the world’s worst problems, and we’ll explain how you can progress toward a fulfilling life without hope. In our commentary, we’ll provide supplementary information from relevant books that preceded  Everything Is F*cked , including  Man’s Search for Meaning  and  Learned Optimism . We’ll also provide ...

  The Law of Success Napoleon Hill In  The Law of Success , Napoleon Hill—best-selling author of  Think and Grow Rich —demystifies what it takes to achieve success. Hill’s advice in the book, published in 1928, is based on one key premise:  Your subconscious mind  creates  your life experiences according to your recurrent thoughts.  These habitual thoughts train your subconscious mind to either work in  alignment  with your goals (creating successful experiences) or in  opposition  to them (creating unsuccessful experiences). Therefore, the only way to achieve success is to align your habitual thoughts with what you want to achieve and  retrain  your subconscious mind to work in your favor. This guide explores Hill’s thoughts on how your subconscious mind influences your success. You’ll come away: Understanding how your subconscious mind influences all of your thoughts, behaviors, and experiences—determining your ability t...

  Between the most aggressive rate hike campaign in history and an easing pace of inflation, it looks the Fed Funds rate is finally in neutral territory.     Like Goldilocks’ porridge, when you subtract inflation of 4.96% (the latest year-over-year increase for the PCE deflator – the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge) from the Fed Funds rate, the Federal Open Market Committee seems to have landed at not too hot and not too cold. And while the Fed takes a wait-and-see approach, the question becomes how soon before fighting recession becomes the priority. Job Openings have tumbled…     The housing continues to contract with construction down…     Fewer new homes being constructed…     And plans for new homes on the decline…     Bank sector credit tightening is also taking a bite.  Consumer credit has turned lower…     And industrial loans have turned lower, as well…     For the better part of 2 years, retail sal...

  Ten Types of Innovation The Discipline of Building Breakthroughs Larry Keeley, Helen Walters, Ryan Pikkel, and Brian Quinn Why do the overwhelming majority of innovation projects fail? And more importantly, what can you do to innovate successfully? In  Ten Types of Innovation , Larry Keeley and his co-authors argue that the key to success often lies in knowing which types of innovation would most help a given project succeed, as well as how many types you need to apply to your project. He explains that there are ten fundamental types of innovation. Understanding these ten types and the importance of combining them correctly can help you understand why most innovation projects fail and how to make your projects succeed. In this guide, we’ll also compare the authors’ perspective to insights from Geoffrey Moore’s  Crossing the Chasm , Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne’s  Blue Ocean Strategy , and Vijay Kumar’s  101 Design Methods,  among others.

  Set Boundaries, Find Peace A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself Nedra Glover Tawwab In  Set Boundaries, Find Peace , therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab details how you can transform your relationships by learning to set healthy boundaries, which are standards for how you’d like to be treated. Tawwab explains where your boundaries come from and offers strategies for identifying and communicating your boundaries in a variety of situations. In our guide, we’ll first focus on defining what healthy boundaries look like. Then, we’ll offer a step-by-step process you can follow to identify, communicate, and reinforce your boundaries. We’ll focus on a few types of relationships in which many people struggle to set boundaries. Finally, we’ll discuss the ways others may violate your boundaries, offering suggestions for how you can respond when violations occur. We’ll also compare Tawwab’s work to other psychological approaches to relationships, as well as offer more tools you can use to set healt...

  The 50th Law 50 Cent and Robert Greene In  The 50th Law,  rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) and author Robert Greene argue that the biggest factor holding us back in life is  fear —of what others think of us, what we’ll lose, the future, and so on. This natural fearfulness developed to help us survive in ancient times, but in modern times, we rarely face life-threatening situations where it’s warranted. As a result, our fearfulness only holds us back from gaining power and success. Jackson and Greene argue that you must become  fearless  to truly thrive. In this guide, we’ll start by explaining how Jackson’s fearlessness helped him overcome his hardships and achieve power and success. Next, we’ll discuss the rules Jackson and Greene say are necessary to follow to become fearless and principles that’ll help you follow each one. In our commentary, we’ll supplement Jackson and Greene’s advice with recommendations from other experts on success, like Daniel Walt...

  The Power of Regret How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward Daniel Pink Is there something in your life you wish you could undo? Everyone has regrets, but in  The Power of Regret,  Daniel Pink explains why that might actually be a good thing. According to Pink, you can grow from your regrets and use them to improve your life. In our guide to  The Power of Regret , you'll learn about the process of forming regrets, the types of things people regret most, and how to analyze your regrets for life-changing lessons. You'll even learn which types of regret feel less intense with time—and  which ones feel   more . Throughout the guide, our commentary will extend Pink's advice with actionables and insights from other authors. We'll also explore some of the psychological research underpinning his ideas.