Book notes: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho book summary review and key ideas.

Get the audiobook on Audible ๐Ÿ‘‡ (affiliate link)

The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho

Synopsis:

“Paulo Coelho’s enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an Alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a meditation on the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is art eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.” -Audible


~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or support this blog in one of several ways! ๐Ÿ“– ๐ŸŽ“

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Continue reading “Book notes: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho”

Book notes: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty

Think Like a Month by Jay Shetty book summary review and key ideas.

Get the audiobook on Audible ๐Ÿ‘‡ (affiliate link)

Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty

Synopsis:

Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the number one podcast On Purpose, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life.

When you think like a monk, youโ€™ll understand: 

  • How to overcome negativity
  • How to stop overthinking 
  • Why comparison kills love 
  • How to use your fear 
  • Why you canโ€™t find happiness by looking for it 
  • How to learn from everyone you meet 
  • Why you are not your thoughts 
  • How to find your purpose 
  • Why kindness is crucial to success 
  • And much more

Shetty grew up in a family where you could become one of three things – a doctor, a lawyer, or a failure. His family was convinced he had chosen option three: Instead of attending his college graduation ceremony, he headed to India to become a monk, to meditate every day for four to eight hours, and devote his life to helping others. 

After three years, one of his teachers told him that he would have more impact on the world if he left the monkโ€™s path to share his experience and wisdom with others. Heavily in debt, and with no recognizable skills on his rรฉsumรฉ, he moved back home in North London with his parents. Shetty reconnected with old school friends – many working for some of the worldโ€™s largest corporations – who were experiencing tremendous stress, pressure, and unhappiness, and they invited Shetty to coach them on well-being, purpose, and mindfulness.  

In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Combining ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits and access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us. He transforms abstract lessons into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve relationships, and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world. Shetty proves that everyone can – and should – think like a monk.” -Audible

Continue reading “Book notes: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty”

Book notes: Rage by Bob Woodward

Rage by Bob Woodward book summary review and key ideas.

Get the audiobook on Audible ๐Ÿ‘‡ (affiliate link)

Rage by Bob Woodward

Synopsis:

Bob Woodwardโ€™s new book, Rage, is an unprecedented and intimate tour de force of new reporting on the Trump presidency facing a global pandemic, economic disaster and racial unrest.

Woodward, the number one international best-selling author of Fear: Trump in the White House, has uncovered the precise moment the president was warned that the Covid-19 epidemic would be the biggest national security threat to his presidency. In dramatic detail, Woodward takes listeners into the Oval Office as Trumpโ€™s head pops up when he is told in January 2020 that the pandemic could reach the scale of the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed 675,000 Americans. 

In 17 on-the-record interviews with Woodward over seven volatile months – an utterly vivid window into Trumpโ€™s mind – the president provides a self-portrait that is part denial and part combative interchange mixed with surprising moments of doubt as he glimpses the perils in the presidency and what he calls the โ€œdynamite behind every door.โ€ 

At key decision points, Rage shows how Trumpโ€™s responses to the crises of 2020 were rooted in the instincts, habits and style he developed during his first three years as president. Revisiting the earliest days of the Trump presidency, Rage reveals how Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats struggled to keep the country safe as the president dismantled any semblance of collegial national security decision making. Rage draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand witnesses as well as participantsโ€™ notes, emails, diaries, calendars and confidential documents. 

Woodward obtained 25 never-seen personal letters exchanged between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a โ€œfantasy film.โ€ Trump insists to Woodward he will triumph over Covid-19 and the economic calamity. โ€œDonโ€™t worry about it, Bob. Okay?โ€ Trump told the author in July. โ€œDonโ€™t worry about it. Weโ€™ll get to do another book. Youโ€™ll find I was right.โ€” -Audible


~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or support this blog in one of several ways! ๐Ÿ“– ๐ŸŽ“

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Continue reading “Book notes: Rage by Bob Woodward”

Book notes: Relentless by Tim S. Grover

Relentless by Tim S. Grover book summary review and key ideas.

Get the audiobook on Audible ๐Ÿ‘‡ (affiliate link)

Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover

Synopsis:

“Direct, blunt, and brutally honest, Tim Grover breaks down what it takes to be unstoppable: You keep going when everyone else is giving up, you thrive under pressure, you never let your emotions make you weak. In “The Relentless 13”, he details the essential traits shared by the most intense competitors and achievers in sports, business, and all walks of life. Relentless shows you how to trust your instincts and get in the Zone; how to control and adapt to any situation; how to find your opponent’s weakness and attack. Grover gives you the same advice he gives his world-class clients – “don’t think” – and shows you that anything is possible.

Packed with previously untold stories and unparalleled insight into the psyches of the most successful and accomplished athletes of our time, Relentless shows you how even the best get better – and how you can too.” -Audible


~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or support this blog in one of several ways! ๐Ÿ“– ๐ŸŽ“

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Continue reading “Book notes: Relentless by Tim S. Grover”

Book notes: Make Change by Shaun King

Make Change by Shaun King book summary review and key ideas.

Get the audiobook on Audible ๐Ÿ‘‡

Make Change: How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future by Shaun King

Synopsis:

Activist and journalist Shaun King reflects on the events that made him one of the most prominent social justice leaders of our time and lays out a clear action plan for you to join the fight.

As a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement, Shaun King has become one of the most recognizable and powerful voices on the front lines of civil rights in our time. His commitment to reforming the justice system and making America a more equitable place has brought challenges and triumphs, soaring victories and crushing defeats. Throughout his wide-ranging activism, Kingโ€™s commentary remains rooted in both exhaustive research and abundant passion.

In Make Change, King offers an inspiring look at the moments that have shaped his life and considers the ways social movements can grow and evolve in this hyper-connected era. He shares stories from his efforts leading the Raise the Age campaign and his work fighting police brutality, while providing a road map for how to stay sane, safe, and motivated even in the worst of political climates. By turns infuriating, inspiring, and educational, Make Change will resonate with those who believe that America can – and must – do better.” -Audible


~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or become a recurring donor as a YBC Scholar! ๐Ÿ“– ๐ŸŽ“

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Continue reading “Book notes: Make Change by Shaun King”

Book notes: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell book summary review and key ideas.

Get the audiobook on Audible ๐Ÿ‘‡

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Synopsis:

The landmark book that has revolutionized the way we understand leadership and decision making – from number-one best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell.

In his landmark best seller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant, in the blink of an eye, that actually aren’t as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work, in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others? 

In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of “blink”: the election of Warren Harding; “New Coke”; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren’t those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of “thin-slicing”, filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables. 

Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology and displaying all of the brilliance that made The Tipping Point a classic, Blink changes the way you understand every decision you make. Never again will you think about thinking the same way.” -Audible


~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or become a recurring donor as a YBC Scholar! ๐Ÿ“– ๐ŸŽ“

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Continue reading “Book notes: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell”

Book notes: Ultralearning by Scott Young

Ultralearning by Scott Young book summary review and key ideas.

Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young

Synopsis:

Future-proof your career and maximize your competitive advantage by learning the skill necessary to stay relevant, reinvent yourself, and adapt to whatever the workplace throws your way in this essential guide that goes beyond the insights of popular works such as Extreme Productivity, Deep Work, Peak, and Make It Stick.

Faced with tumultuous economic times and rapid technological change, staying ahead in your career depends on continual learning – a lifelong mastery of new ideas, subjects, and skills. If you want to accomplish more and stand apart from everyone else, you need to become an ultralearner. 

Scott Young incorporates the latest research about the most effective learning methods and the stories of other ultralearners like himself – among them Ben Franklin, Judit Polgar, and Richard Feynman, as well as a host of others, such as little-known modern polymaths like Nigel Richards who won the World Championship of French Scrabble – without knowing French.

Young documents the methods he and others have used and shows that, far from being an obscure skill limited to aggressive autodidacts, ultralearning is a powerful tool anyone can use to improve their career, studies, and life. Ultralearning explores this fascinating subculture, shares the seven principles behind every successful ultralearning project, and offers insights into how you can organize and execute a plan to learn anything deeply and quickly, without teachers or budget-busting tuition costs.

Whether the goal is to be fluent in a language (or 10 languages), earn the equivalent of a college degree in a fraction of the time, or master multiple skills to build a product or business from the ground up, the principles in Ultralearning will guide you to success.” -Audible


~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link! (click the button below – no transaction fees) or become a recurring donor as a YBC Scholar! ๐Ÿ“– ๐ŸŽ“

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Continue reading “Book notes: Ultralearning by Scott Young”

Book notes: Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk

Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk book summary review and key ideas.

Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk

Executive Summary:

Join YBC Scholars to get access unlimited access to all Executive Summaries

Get the executive summary points when you subscribe today.

These include:

  • 1-2 line quick summary
  • Categories & themes
  • Best quotes
  • Most important key ideas
  • Action items & main takeaways

Synopsis:

“Do you have a hobby you wish you could indulge in all day? An obsession that keeps you up at night? Now is the perfect time to take that passion and make a living doing what you love. In Crush It! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion, Gary Vaynerchuk shows you how to use the power of the Internet to turn your real interests into real businesses. Gary spent years building his family business from a local wine shop into a national industry leader. Then one day he turned on a video camera, and by using the secrets revealed here, transformed his entire life and earning potential by building his personal brand.

By the end of this book, listeners will have learned how to harness the power of the Internet to make their entrepreneurial dreams come true. Step by step, Crush It! is the ultimate driver’s manual for modern business.” -Audible


~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link! (click the button below – no transaction fees) or become a recurring donor as a YBC Scholar! ๐Ÿ“– ๐ŸŽ“

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Continue reading “Book notes: Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk”