ICYMI: 📚 Letting Go of Nothing by Peter Russell 🧘🏻‍♀️, Bittersweet by Susan Cain 💧 & Mastery by Robert Greene 🏹 (+ the 21 Best Books of 2021) 🏆

"We may think we seek some external goal, but in truth we seek it hoping that, in one way or another, we will feel better inside." ​ — Peter Russell  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

​ ​ ​ The 4 Minute Read (ICYMI) Civil September ​Sep 30, 2023 || Read in browser​ Don't mind me, just casually, once again letting go... of nothing. Hello there! It's Nik with the last 4 Minute Read of Civil September. Just in case you missed it on Saturday! Last week, I worked some overtime to bring you a special resource. Let's get right into it! ​Letting Go of Nothing by Peter Russell (will help you find inner peace and calm in a repeatable way) ​Bittersweet by Susan Cain (will show you that sadness, longing, and sorrow are good emotions) ​Mastery by Robert Greene (is one of the best books to achieve flow, fulfillment, and excellence) ​The 21 Best Books of 2021 (offers you 10 great fiction & nonfiction books each in various genres) Ready to get smarter in 4 minutes or less? Let's do this! Hot Off The Press Letting Go of Nothing ​by Peter Russell One night, the wise fool Nasreddin is out looking for his key under a streetlamp. A stranger joins to help him. They both dig in the dirt, until the stranger asks, "Where did you lose it?" "In my house," Nasreddin says. "Then why are you looking for it out here?" "Because," Nasreddin goes, "there is more light out here." While it's fun to laugh at Nasreddin's silliness in this story, in Letting Go of Nothing, Peter Russell suggests we do the exact same thing with our happiness. Instead of looking within — the only place where we can really find peace, calm, and joy — we look without. We chase material success and social achievements when, actually, we should just learn to let go. In this amazing book, which I read in one go last weekend, Russell explains how. If you want to have true inner peace, enjoy every day, and not get so worked up about life, read this summary. Read the Summary » ​ ​ Quote of the Week "Will I feel better for it? Will I be happier, more content, more at ease? We may think we seek some external goal, but in truth we seek it hoping that, in one way or another, we will feel better inside." ​ — Peter Russell ​ The Big 3 From the Book 1. We struggle with letting go because we look at it as another to-do on our list. 2. There are 2 parts to letting go: letting in and letting be. 3. Emotions always come with stories, and we must let go of both to find peace. Master the Book in 4 Minutes » ​ A Book Brought to Life Susan Cain is known for her TED talk and accompanying bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts, which showed us that just because we're not the loudest in the room does not mean we can't be strong, brilliant, and inventive. She took the next 5 years to understand some emotions we all — but introverts in particular — struggle with. Feelings like sadness, sorrow, and longing. After diving into the research and conducting her own, Cain learned that all so-called "negative" emotions have a deep, meaningful purpose in our life. In Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, she explains those purposes, as well as how we can use those emotions to deal with grief, loss, and our own mortality. In today's video, you'll learn exactly how: Good and bad feelings always come in pairs. Reject one, and you'll reject both. Forced positivity is the result of dividing the world into winners and losers. Higher awareness of our mortality actually makes us happier. If you want to be able to better handle "bad feelings," watch this video. ​ ​ ​ The Freebie ​ 2021 was one hell of a year — often literally. Covid in full swing, a global supply chain crisis, inflation, crypto and NFT mania — the madness just wouldn't end. Thankfully, some great writers found the words to combat the year's craziness with soothing stories and wonderful ideas to live better, happier, and more fulfilled. To help you surface some of the best reads from that year, last week, we compiled for you the 21 best books of 2021. We've included... ​The 10 Best Fiction Books of 2021​ ​The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2021​ ​1 Bonus Book (From Yours Truly)​ ​5 Honorable Mentions (Fiction)​ ​5 Honorable Mentions (Nonfiction)​ For each book, we've picked or written... A 1-sentence summary Our favorite quote A few lines on why you might want to read it 3 key lessons from the book Links to listen to the audiobook, get a copy, read the summary on Four Minute Books, or watch a video summary on our Youtube channel 2021 was a great year for writing. We hope this list will help you find your next awesome read, and that you'll learn something already from just browsing our takeaways! Discover the Best Books of 2021 » ​ Dusty But Brilliant Mastery ​by Robert Greene This is my favorite Robert Greene book. Applying his usual beautiful style and deep research to the topic of chasing excellence, the result is an awesome template for walking the path of Mastery. Greene is a great example himself, having worked dozens of odd jobs over the course of 20 years before landing his first book hit! If you want to master an art, sport, or anything else, read this summary. Read the Summary » ​ The Big 3 From the Book 1. Trust your gut to find your discipline to master. 2. Take an apprenticeship and get paid to learn. 3. Once you complete your apprenticeship, challenge everything you learned. Master the Lessons in 4 Minutes » ​ The Meme Shelf Some things you can't just "Does it spark joy?" away, can you? Probably even Konmari makes exceptions, don't you think? 🤔 ​ Aaaaand that's a wrap for September! Open-Minded October, here we go! See you next time, and... Happy reading, -Nik PS: AI Tool Report* is like Four Minute Books for productivity. In just 5 minutes a day, you'll learn how to save time and earn more thanks to AI. Join 350,000+ free readers in 1 click here* »​ ​ What can we do to improve the next edition? Tell us here. Did someone forward you this email? If so, you can sign up here. ​​​​​​ Copyright © 2023 Four Minute Books Preferences | Josef-Obenhin-Str. 4, Munich, 80634 | *Affiliate link ​Privacy Policy | Advertise With Us​ ​Opt-out of preference-based advertising​ ​Unsubscribe​ ​