Transform The Way You Think About Success

One of the things I have observed about successful people I have met or worked with, is that they have good habits. They are invariably structured in the way they think and approach their daily life and this discipline leads to their success.

Several years ago I spent several enjoyable days in the company of blogger and content guru Jeff Bullas at a Matt Church program. Since then I have followed his advice and progress and here reproduce his recent post recommending 3 books that will transform your thinking on success habits. I can also highly recommend the first by Charles Duhigg and l am looking forward to reading the other two.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business

The nurturing of good habits is something that will transform your life. In the past it was an art. Today we have discovered and are developing insights into the science of habits. In this book Charles Duhigg reveals research that will surprise you. He delves into the habits of individuals, organisations and societies and exposes the golden rule of habit change and why transformation occurs.

There is one quote in the book that resonated with me.

“Small wins not combine in a neat, linear, serial form to reach your goals…..small wins are scattered”

That reality has been proven in my life where what seems a random combination of micro-habits merge to make life the successful adventure we aspire to.

If you want to transform your life then this book about the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed is worth reading.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Less is more is what this book by Greg McKeon is all about; that saying yes too often to other people and tasks that are not important are always threatening to turn our lives into manic activity. They stop us from being effective and productive and threaten our well being.

According to the introduction on Amazon:

“The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.

By forcing us to apply a more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy – instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.

Essentialism is not one more thing – it’s a whole new way of doing everything”.

One of my biggest life battles is the daily priority of making life simpler but still successful. That is the core message of essentialism.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to create success habits with proven tactics.

Principles: Life and Work

Life and work are not separate. But sometimes we like to put them in boxes. Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates in 1975, 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. So his message has some powerful social proof.

In this book he distills decades of learning and experience into his secret potion of principles.

One of the most insightful concepts was his principle of systematizing decision-making. Using algorithms to make sense of the massive amounts of data that confront us every day.

Ray has taken the art of living to a whole new level. He has developed his own method, which is his science of success. Not as an academic but as a practitioner.

View Jeff's article

Paul Lyons is an experienced CEO who coaches leaders to improve their performance and wellbeing by developing their mental toughness.

View our range of workshops and coaching packages

To learn more contact Paul or Mental Toughness Partners

View my daily posts

Subscribe to receive regular updates of Mental Toughness.