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Book Summary  Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order  Ray Dalio

Download or read book Summary Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order Ray Dalio written by Quick Savant and published by QUICK SAVANT. This book was released on 2022-06-20 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This lengthy summary begins with a Ray Dalio synopsis of Principles of Dealing with Changing World Order. A full analysis of his chapters on China follows. This book and the audiobook are meant to complement as study aids, not to replace the irreplaceable Ray Dalio’s work. “A provocative read...Few tomes coherently map such broad economic histories as well as Mr. Dalio’s. Perhaps more unusually, Mr. Dalio has managed to identify metrics from that history that can be applied to understand today.” —Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times From legendary investor Ray Dalio, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Principles, who has spent half a century studying global economies and markets, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order examines history’s most turbulent economic and political periods to reveal why the times ahead will likely be radically different from those we’ve experienced in our lifetimes—and to offer practical advice on how to navigate them well. Ray Dalio recognized a combination of political and economic situations that he had not seen before a few years ago. Huge debts and near-zero interest rates led to massive money printing in the world's three major reserve currencies; major political and social conflicts within countries, particularly the United States, due to the largest wealth, political, and values disparities in more than a century; and the rise of a world power to challenge the existing world order. Between 1930 and 1945, this confluence happened for the final time. Dalio was inspired by this discovery to look for the recurring patterns and cause-and-effect correlations that underpin all significant shifts in wealth and power over the previous 500 years. Dalio takes readers on a tour of the world's major empires, including the Dutch, British, and American empires, in this remarkable and timely addition to his Principles series, putting the "Big Cycle" that has driven the successes and failures of all the world's major countries throughout history into perspective. He unveils the timeless and universal forces for what is ahead. Humans are more likely to commit evil than good under legalism because they are only driven by self-interest and need rigorous regulations to restrain their urges.

Book World Order

    Book Details:
  • Author : Henry Kissinger
  • Publisher : Penguin
  • Release : 2014-09-09
  • ISBN : 0698165721
  • Pages : 434 pages

Download or read book World Order written by Henry Kissinger and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-09-09 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Dazzling and instructive . . . [a] magisterial new book.” —Walter Isaacson, Time "An astute analysis that illuminates many of today's critical international issues." —Kirkus Reviews Henry Kissinger offers in World Order a deep meditation on the roots of international harmony and global disorder. Drawing on his experience as one of the foremost statesmen of the modern era—advising presidents, traveling the world, observing and shaping the central foreign policy events of recent decades—Kissinger now reveals his analysis of the ultimate challenge for the twenty-first century: how to build a shared international order in a world of divergent historical perspectives, violent conflict, proliferating technology, and ideological extremism. There has never been a true “world order,” Kissinger observes. For most of history, civilizations defined their own concepts of order. Each considered itself the center of the world and envisioned its distinct principles as universally relevant. China conceived of a global cultural hierarchy with the emperor at its pinnacle. In Europe, Rome imagined itself surrounded by barbarians; when Rome fragmented, European peoples refined a concept of an equilibrium of sovereign states and sought to export it across the world. Islam, in its early centuries, considered itself the world’s sole legitimate political unit, destined to expand indefinitely until the world was brought into harmony by religious principles. The United States was born of a conviction about the universal applicability of democracy—a conviction that has guided its policies ever since. Now international affairs take place on a global basis, and these historical concepts of world order are meeting. Every region participates in questions of high policy in every other, often instantaneously. Yet there is no consensus among the major actors about the rules and limits guiding this process or its ultimate destination. The result is mounting tension. Grounded in Kissinger’s deep study of history and his experience as national security advisor and secretary of state, World Order guides readers through crucial episodes in recent world history. Kissinger offers a unique glimpse into the inner deliberations of the Nixon administration’s negotiations with Hanoi over the end of the Vietnam War, as well as Ronald Reagan’s tense debates with Soviet Premier Gorbachev in Reykjavík. He offers compelling insights into the future of U.S.–China relations and the evolution of the European Union, and he examines lessons of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Taking readers from his analysis of nuclear negotiations with Iran through the West’s response to the Arab Spring and tensions with Russia over Ukraine, World Order anchors Kissinger’s historical analysis in the decisive events of our time. Provocative and articulate, blending historical insight with geopolitical prognostication, World Order is a unique work that could come only from a lifelong policy maker and diplomat. Kissinger is also the author of On China.

Book Principles

    Book Details:
  • Author : Ray Dalio
  • Publisher : Simon and Schuster
  • Release : 2018-08-07
  • ISBN : 1982112387
  • Pages : 560 pages

Download or read book Principles written by Ray Dalio and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-08-07 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 New York Times Bestseller “Significant...The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving.” —The New York Times Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he’s developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business—and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals. In 1975, Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Forty years later, Bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in history and grown into the fifth most important private company in the United States, according to Fortune magazine. Dalio himself has been named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Along the way, Dalio discovered a set of unique principles that have led to Bridgewater’s exceptionally effective culture, which he describes as “an idea meritocracy that strives to achieve meaningful work and meaningful relationships through radical transparency.” It is these principles, and not anything special about Dalio—who grew up an ordinary kid in a middle-class Long Island neighborhood—that he believes are the reason behind his success. In Principles, Dalio shares what he’s learned over the course of his remarkable career. He argues that life, management, economics, and investing can all be systemized into rules and understood like machines. The book’s hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency,” include Dalio laying out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions, approach challenges, and build strong teams. He also describes the innovative tools the firm uses to bring an idea meritocracy to life, such as creating “baseball cards” for all employees that distill their strengths and weaknesses, and employing computerized decision-making systems to make believability-weighted decisions. While the book brims with novel ideas for organizations and institutions, Principles also offers a clear, straightforward approach to decision-making that Dalio believes anyone can apply, no matter what they’re seeking to achieve. Here, from a man who has been called both “the Steve Jobs of investing” and “the philosopher king of the financial universe” (CIO magazine), is a rare opportunity to gain proven advice unlike anything you’ll find in the conventional business press.

Book Principles for Success

Download or read book Principles for Success written by Ray Dalio and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-11-26 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An entertaining, illustrated adaptation of Ray Dalio’s Principles, the #1 New York Times bestseller that has sold more than two million copies worldwide. Principles for Success distills Ray Dalio’s 600-page bestseller, Principles: Life & Work, down to an easy-to-read and entertaining format that’s acces­sible to readers of all ages. It contains the key elements of the unconven­tional principles that helped Dalio become one of the world’s most suc­cessful people—and that have now been read and shared by millions worldwide—including how to set goals, learn from mistakes, and collaborate with others to produce exceptional results. Whether you’re already a fan of the ideas in Princi­ples or are discovering them for the first time, this illustrated guide will help you achieve success in having the life that you want to have.

Book Why Nations Fail

Download or read book Why Nations Fail written by Daron Acemoglu and published by Currency. This book was released on 2013-09-17 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine? Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are? Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence? Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories. Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including: - China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West? - Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority? - What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions? Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.

Book How Asia Works

Download or read book How Asia Works written by Joe Studwell and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2013-07-02 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A good read for anyone who wants to understand what actually determines whether a developing economy will succeed.” —Bill Gates, “Top 5 Books of the Year” An Economist Best Book of the Year from a reporter who has spent two decades in the region, and who the Financial Times said “should be named chief myth-buster for Asian business.” In How Asia Works, Joe Studwell distills his extensive research into the economies of nine countries—Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China—into an accessible, readable narrative that debunks Western misconceptions, shows what really happened in Asia and why, and for once makes clear why some countries have boomed while others have languished. Studwell’s in-depth analysis focuses on three main areas: land policy, manufacturing, and finance. Land reform has been essential to the success of Asian economies, giving a kick-start to development by utilizing a large workforce and providing capital for growth. With manufacturing, industrial development alone is not sufficient, Studwell argues. Instead, countries need “export discipline,” a government that forces companies to compete on the global scale. And in finance, effective regulation is essential for fostering, and sustaining growth. To explore all of these subjects, Studwell journeys far and wide, drawing on fascinating examples from a Philippine sugar baron’s stifling of reform to the explosive growth at a Korean steel mill. “Provocative . . . How Asia Works is a striking and enlightening book . . . A lively mix of scholarship, reporting and polemic.” —The Economist

Book Financial Founding Fathers

Download or read book Financial Founding Fathers written by Robert E. Wright and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2006-05 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors chronicle how a different group of nine founding fathers forged the wealth and institutions necessary to transform the American colonies from a diffuse alliance of contending business interests into one cohesive economic superpower.

Book This Time Is Different

Download or read book This Time Is Different written by Carmen M. Reinhart and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-07 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An empirical investigation of financial crises during the last 800 years.

Book Sea Power

    Book Details:
  • Author : Admiral James Stavridis, USN
  • Publisher : Penguin
  • Release : 2018-06-05
  • ISBN : 0735220611
  • Pages : 386 pages

Download or read book Sea Power written by Admiral James Stavridis, USN and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From one of the most admired admirals of his generation—and the only admiral to serve as Supreme Allied Commander at NATO—comes a remarkable voyage through all of the world’s most important bodies of water, providing the story of naval power as a driver of human history and a crucial element in our current geopolitical path. From the time of the Greeks and the Persians clashing in the Mediterranean, sea power has determined world power. To an extent that is often underappreciated, it still does. No one understands this better than Admiral Jim Stavridis. In Sea Power, Admiral Stavridis takes us with him on a tour of the world’s oceans from the admiral’s chair, showing us how the geography of the oceans has shaped the destiny of nations, and how naval power has in a real sense made the world we live in today, and will shape the world we live in tomorrow. Not least, Sea Power is marvelous naval history, giving us fresh insight into great naval engagements from the battles of Salamis and Lepanto through to Trafalgar, the Battle of the Atlantic, and submarine conflicts of the Cold War. It is also a keen-eyed reckoning with the likely sites of our next major naval conflicts, particularly the Arctic Ocean, Eastern Mediterranean, and the South China Sea. Finally, Sea Power steps back to take a holistic view of the plagues to our oceans that are best seen that way, from piracy to pollution. When most of us look at a globe, we focus on the shape of the of the seven continents. Admiral Stavridis sees the shapes of the seven seas. After reading Sea Power, you will too. Not since Alfred Thayer Mahan’s legendary The Influence of Sea Power upon History have we had such a powerful reckoning with this vital subject.

Book China s Gilded Age

Download or read book China s Gilded Age written by Yuen Yuen Ang and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-05-28 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why has China grown so fast for so long despite vast corruption? In China's Gilded Age, Yuen Yuen Ang maintains that all corruption is harmful, but not all types of corruption hurt growth. Ang unbundles corruption into four varieties: petty theft, grand theft, speed money, and access money. While the first three types impede growth, access money - elite exchanges of power and profit - cuts both ways: it stimulates investment and growth but produces serious risks for the economy and political system. Since market opening, corruption in China has evolved toward access money. Using a range of data sources, the author explains the evolution of Chinese corruption, how it differs from the West and other developing countries, and how Xi's anti-corruption campaign could affect growth and governance. In this formidable yet accessible book, Ang challenges one-dimensional measures of corruption. By unbundling the problem and adopting a comparative-historical lens, she reveals that the rise of capitalism was not accompanied by the eradication of corruption, but rather by its evolution from thuggery and theft to access money. In doing so, she changes the way we think about corruption and capitalism, not only in China but around the world.

Book The Unfair Advantage

Download or read book The Unfair Advantage written by Ash Ali and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The winner of the UK's Business Book of the Year Award for 2021, this is a groundbreaking exposé of the myths behind startup success and a blueprint for harnessing the things that really matter. What is the difference between a startup that makes it, and one that crashes and burns? Behind every story of success is an unfair advantage. But an Unfair Advantage is not just about your parents' wealth or who you know: anyone can have one. An Unfair Advantage is the element that gives you an edge over your competition. This groundbreaking book shows how to identify your own Unfair Advantages and apply them to any project. Drawing on over two decades of hands-on experience, Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba offer a unique framework for assessing your external circumstances in addition to your internal strengths. Hard work and grit aren't enough, so they explore the importance of money, intelligence, location, education, expertise, status, and luck in the journey to success. From starting your company, to gaining traction, raising funds, and growth hacking, The Unfair Advantage helps you look at yourself and find the ingredients you didn't realize you already had, to succeed in the cut-throat world of business.

Book The Buddha and the Badass

Download or read book The Buddha and the Badass written by Vishen Lakhiani and published by Rodale Books. This book was released on 2020-06-09 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND #1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER • Forget hustling. This book, from the author of The Code of the Extraordinary Mind, will disrupt your deeply held beliefs about work, success, and, indeed, life. If you’re the average person in the developed world, you spend 70 percent of your waking hours at work. And if you’re the average person, you’re miserable for most of those hours. This is simply not an acceptable state of affairs for your one shot at life. No matter your station, you possess incredible unique powers. It’s a modern myth that hard work and hustle are the paths to success. Inside you is a soul. And once you unleash it fully into the domain of work, magic happens. Awakening the Buddha and the Badass inside you is a process that will disrupt the way you work altogether. You’ll gain access to tools that bend the very rules of reality. • The Buddha is the archetype of the spiritual master. The person who can live in this world but also move with an ease, grace, and flow that comes from inner awareness and alignment. • The Badass is the archetype of the changemaker. This is the person who is out there creating change, building, coding, writing, inventing, leading. The badass represents the benevolent disruptor—the person challenging the norms so we can be better as a species. Once you integrate the skill sets of both archetypes, you will experience life at a different level from most people. You will operate from a space of bliss, ease, inspiration, and abundance. The Buddha and the Badass: The Secret Spiritual Art of Succeeding at Work will show you how. Author of the New York Times bestseller The Code of the Extraordinary Mind and founder of Mindvalley, Vishen Lakhiani has turned his own life and company into his research lab. He’s codified everything he’s learned into the how-to steps in this book. The Buddha and the Badass teaches you how to master your work and your life.

Book Great Leaders Have No Rules

Download or read book Great Leaders Have No Rules written by Kevin Kruse and published by Rodale Books. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a serial entrepreneur, Kevin Kruse has seen time and again that the leadership practices that actually work are the opposite of what is commonly taught and implemented. Close Your Open Door Policy shows how a contrarian approach can be a better, faster, and easier way to succeed as a leader. Chapter by chapter, Kruse focuses on a piece of popular wisdom, then shows with real-world case studies and quantitative research that the opposite approach will lead to better results, encouraging leaders to play favorites, stay out of meetings, and, of course, close their open doors.

Book The Long View

    Book Details:
  • Author : Brian Fetherstonhaugh
  • Publisher : Diversion Books
  • Release : 2016-09-06
  • ISBN : 168230292X
  • Pages : 231 pages

Download or read book The Long View written by Brian Fetherstonhaugh and published by Diversion Books. This book was released on 2016-09-06 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Chairman & CEO of OgilvyOne Worldwide and career advisor extraordinaire, Brian Fetherstonhaugh, outlines the three stages of a long, successful work life and offers guidance to plan ahead and get the most out of each phase. The world of careers is vastly different than it was just five years ago—more choices, more competition, and relentless change in how we define work-life. It can be difficult to understand our options and plan for a prosperous future. Where can you go for answers? Colleges may teach us academic and technical skills, and there are places to look for tips on how to write a resume or prep for a job interview. But is it enough? Brian Fetherstonhaugh, CEO of OgilvyOne Worldwide, understands this dilemma and how to navigate it. He believes we need more than tactics—we need robust, road-tested strategies that combine old-school wisdom with new-school context so that we can flourish in the new professional reality. In The Long View, Fetherstonhaugh shows us the three distinct but interconnected stages of a career, and how we build ‘fuel’ at every step along the way to create long-term success. The Long View teaches us new ways of finding jobs, new methods to build careers that last, and a new definition of “work” that embraces life-satisfaction and happiness. The Long View offers highly practical exercises that challenge you to rethink how to assess your skills, invest your time and expand your personal network, and provides a framework for facing tough job decisions. With insights drawn from interviews with a variety of professionals—who share both success stories and cautionary tales—The Long View will help you establish your own path for overcoming obstacles and making the best choices for a long, accomplished, and rewarding career. “THE LONG VIEW is one of the most practical and comprehensive guides to a meaningful career that I have read. Whether you are just starting your search for a job or trying to get a career back on track, start by reading The Long View.”—Tom Rath, best-selling author of ARE YOU FULLY CHARGED?, EAT, MOVE, SLEEP, and STRENGTHSFINDER 2.0 “THE LONG VIEW is the career guide you’ve been looking for—forward-thinking advice from a seasoned business leader. Brian Fetherstonhaugh offers practical exercises, useful advice—and deep insights into what a meaningful career looks and feels like.”—Susan Cain, co-founder of Quiet Revolution and New York Times bestselling author of QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Book This Could be Our Future

Download or read book This Could be Our Future written by Yancey Strickler and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the cofounder of Kickstarter comes a vision for building a society that looks beyond money and toward maximizing the values that make life worth living. Hopeful but firmly grounded, full of concrete solutions and bursting with creativity, this work brilliantly dissects the world we live in and shows us a road map to the world we are capable of making.

Book The Making of a Leader

Download or read book The Making of a Leader written by Tom Young and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2020-07-30 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From polar explorers and politicians to CEOs and sports coaches, we are fascinated with the makeup of leaders. How do they thrive under pressure and inspire others to do the same? How do they establish a culture of long-term success? Performance psychologist Tom Young has worked closely with teams and individuals at the highest level of professional sport. He has seen how leaders in these high-pressure environments communicate, how they maintain focus and respond to challenges. In The Making of a Leader, Young shares the practical principles of sustained elite performance and shows how any individual can add value to their own business or organisation by applying these insights. You will learn how to develop a leadership philosophy that is true to your values, effectively manage and get results from individuals and teams, establish a high-performance culture and bring value to your organisation - in short, the ingredients that make a leader. These lessons are based on interviews with: - Stuart Lancaster, current Leinster coach and former Head Coach of the England national RFU team - Ashley Giles, ECB Director of Cricket during England's 2019 World Cup win - Gary Kirsten, record-breaking former international batsman and World Cup-winning coach of the Indian national team - Dan Quinn, Head Coach of Atlanta Falcons and a Super Bowl winner with Seattle Seahawks - Roberto Martinez, FA Cup-winner and Belgium national team manager - Sean Dyche, Burnley FC manager - Michael Maguire, Head Coach of the New Zealand national rugby league team The Making of a Leader is a unique, inspiring guide to leadership that can inspire positive results in any context, based on interviews and experiences from the cutting edge of elite sport. --- 'Offers fascinating insight into man management and the attributes needed to be an effective leader, which is incredibly useful and relevant to me ahead of captaining the 2020 European Ryder Cup team' - Pádraig Harrington, three-time Major champion and captain of the 2020 European Ryder Cup team 'Although elite athletes understand the keys to excellence, you rarely have the chance to get inside their heads. You're in luck: Tom Young has solved that problem. As a performance psychologist, he's worked closely with some of the world's best in both individual and team sports. In this fascinating book, he shares his rich experiences and his keen insights on the science - and the practice - of achieving and sustaining success' - Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the chart-topping TED podcast WorkLife 'I am always looking to learn from other sports and this book gives a unique insight into what it takes to navigate the challenges of high performance' - Tommy Fleetwood, professional golfer 'This book shows that in the world of professional sport these proven and renowned leaders all have their own rules of strategy, which have brought continued success and recognition' - Alastair Campbell, bestselling author, strategist, broadcaster and lifelong fan of Burnley FC 'Full of important lessons that you learn as a leader in sport that are as applicable to business environments as they are to elite sports' - Sir Bill Beaumont, chairman of World Rugby and former England and British & Irish Lions captain 'The Making of a Leader provides a unique insight into the inner workings of established leaders' minds. Well worth a read to gain useful leadership intel' - Rebecca Symes, sports psychologist, The FA and England Lionesses

Book The Eureka Factor

    Book Details:
  • Author : John Kounios
  • Publisher : Random House
  • Release : 2015-04-14
  • ISBN : 0679645292
  • Pages : 290 pages

Download or read book The Eureka Factor written by John Kounios and published by Random House. This book was released on 2015-04-14 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a book perfect for readers of Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, David Eagleman’s Incognito, and Leonard Mlodinow’s Subliminal, the cognitive neuroscientists who discovered how the brain has aha moments—sudden creative insights—explain how they happen, when we need them, and how we can have more of them to enrich our lives and empower personal and professional success. Eureka or aha moments are sudden realizations that expand our understanding of the world and ourselves, conferring both personal growth and practical advantage. Such creative insights, as psychological scientists call them, were what conveyed an important discovery in the science of genetics to Nobel laureate Barbara McClintock, the melody of a Beatles ballad to Paul McCartney, and an understanding of the cause of human suffering to the Buddha. But these moments of clarity are not given only to the famous. Anyone can have them. In The Eureka Factor, John Kounios and Mark Beeman explain how insights arise and what the scientific research says about stimulating more of them. They discuss how various conditions affect the likelihood of your having an insight, when insight is helpful and when deliberate methodical thought is better suited to a task, what the relationship is between insight and intuition, and how the brain’s right hemisphere contributes to creative thought. Written in a lively, engaging style, this book goes beyond scientific principles to offer productive techniques for realizing your creative potential—at home and at work. The authors provide compelling anecdotes to illustrate how eureka experiences can be a key factor in your life. Attend a dinner party with Christopher Columbus to learn why we need insights. Go to a baseball game with the director of a classic Disney Pixar movie to learn about one important type of aha moment. Observe the behind-the-scenes arrangements for an Elvis Presley concert to learn why the timing of insights is crucial. Accessible and compelling, The Eureka Factor is a fascinating look at the human brain and its seemingly infinite capacity to surprise us. Praise for The Eureka Factor “Delicious . . . In The Eureka Factor, neuroscientists John Kounios and Mark Beeman give many other examples of [a] kind of lightning bolt of insight, but back this up with the latest brain-imaging research.”—Newsweek “An incredible accomplishment . . . [The Eureka Factor] is not just a chronicle of the journey that numerous scientists (including the authors) have taken to examine insight but is also a fascinating guide to how advances in science are made in general. Messrs. Kounios and Beeman examine how a parade of clever experiments can be designed to answer specific questions and rule out alternative possibilities. . . . Wonderful ideas appear as if out of nowhere—and we are delighted.”—The Wall Street Journal “An excellent title for those interested in neuroscience or creativity . . . The writing is engaging and readable, mixing stories of famous perceptions with explanations of how such revelations happen.”—Library Journal (starred review) “A lively and accessible ‘brain’ book with wide appeal.”—Booklist “[An] ingenious, thoughtful update on how the mind works.”—Kirkus Reviews “The Eureka Factor presents a fascinating and illuminating account of the creative process and how to foster it.”—James J. Heckman, Nobel laureate in economics