The Synopsis Team Timbre

According to author Stephen Covey, a paradigm is the way, each one of us perceives and understands the world.

In the iconic book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he explains that our paradigms are at the core of our characters. And shifting these paradigms is the key to our transformation. 

Distinguishing between that which is important and that which is urgent, Covey helps us find a balance that makes us more effective in our own life. 

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari is one of the most popular books of the last 10 years.

It celebrates human achievement and the rapid scientific advancements we’re making. But a larger question has always fascinated us:
how did Homo sapiens come to dominate the planet?
And what does the future hold for us?

In this episode of The Synopsis, we look at Harari’s main observations in Sapiens as he attempted to trace the history, and predict the future, of Homo sapiens. 

What do confirmation bias, the halo effect, heuristics, prospect theory, duration neglect have in common?

Thinking Fast and Slow by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman examines our decision-making and the traps we fall into when trying to reach what we believe is a wise decision. 

Kahneman says our behavior is determined by two different systems – one fast, and the other slow. The first is impulsive, automatic, intuitive and the second is thoughtful, deliberate, and calculating. 

And the conflict between the two determines our decisions.

‘What can I do to turn the obstacle into an advantage?’ 


In the 2014 book, The Obstacle Is The Way author Ryan Holiday explains how we can use stoicism to tackle obstacles and then use them to our advantage.

Holiday says obstacles can help us move ahead in our life’s journey. In this episode of The Synopsis, we take a quick look at the main lessons from The Obstacle is the Way.

Okinawa in Japan has the highest number of people who live 100 years or more. Even the oldest Okinawans are considered healthy, blessed with the emotional, physical, and intellectual capacity to live and function independently.

Hector Garcia and Francesc Moralles examined their way of life to glean life lessons from the people and culture of Okinawa and shared these important tips in their book Ikigai. 

While factors like diet, climate, and simple outdoor lives certainly play a part in their good health, the authors found that Ikigai determines their contentment and longevity. 

Check out our book summary to find out how Ikigai could change your life. 

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari explains seven virtues that we all can practice to remove negativity from our minds and accomplish our life’s purpose. 

Author Robin Sharma’s 1996 self-help classic explains that the world teaches us to compete in an unending rat race. Sharma says we must instead turn inwards to find our unique paths towards success and fulfillment. 

In this summary, we highlight the main lessons from this influential book.