The Ten Pillars of Success: Secret Strategies of High Achievers

by Josephine Perry

Sport psychologist Dr Josephine Perry spends her life working with exceptional performers. She has identified ten psychological pillars that the ultra-successful have ingrained within their approach. And the good news is that we can all learn these mental building blocks. In this book you’ll hear those who have excelled in their field discussing their route to success and learn how you can emulate them. A sense of belonging, mastery, autonomy, purpose, confidence, process, courage, optimism, internal insight or gratitude – all these skills can be vital in helping us overcome setbacks that can stand in the way of achieving our goals. From the double Olympic champion who is passionate about collaboration, to the James Bond Stuntman who has cultivated courage, to the Ironman athlete who harnessed the power of gratitude, each case study demonstrates how we can turn a pillar into a superpower. Illuminating and inspiring, The Ten Pillars of Success will give every listener a roadmap to reach their full potential.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 21

Reviews

[Avani ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ten Pillars of Success by Dr. Josephine Perry, a very well known Sports Psychologist has identified ten pillars that few achievers have ingrained in their lifestyle.

From the importance of belonging somewhere to the practice of performing gratitude around you, author says it all in this book along with some examples and paths of well known personalities.

A very interesting thing that I personally learned from this book was the concept of developing mastery. Mastery is not a destination, but the journey. It is elusive in nature but also requires alot of repeated trial and error.

The book also acts as a workbook since we have some small activites to perform and write down your thoughts at the end of the chapters mentioned in this book. I think the book could have been shorter since there is a lot of unnecessary explanation in few parts.

[Atul Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝘿𝙧 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮

🪜Success is clearly something that many of us crave and yet achieving it is so difficult. To try, we often look to learn from others. We are told to surround ourselves with those we want to be like, in order for their skills and approaches to rub off on us.

🪜 According to the author these successful people share some ingrained psychological 'pillars'. They have, purposely or inadvertently, developed an understanding of what success looks like in their world and use the benefits which come from those pillars to move towards it.

🪜These pillars are not innate personality traits. Some of us may be lucky enough to be born with one or more, but anyone can learn them. And when we have all ten, we possess the building blocks that help to shape and maintain a successful life.

📌Stating this, she has briefly described these 'pillars', in the book as well as provided the best possible exercises and routines to build these throughout the time.

📌A dedicated toolkit for each and every aspect has been provided withing the book in order to help readers understand and develop the psychology of these aspects. It's around 300 pages with a average size making it bulky but it's comprehensive at the same time.

📌I really like the concept of toolkits, it really makes the books significant and effective. If you're looking to develop a good psychology of aspects that Sucessful people possess and work on these, then this might be a perfect fit for you.

[Wulan Suci Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contrary to many reviews, I found this book incredibly inspiring and motivating. It’s the perfect way to kick off the year, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to elevate their mindset and achieve success in 2025.

The author introduces 10 powerful pillars of success: belonging, mastery, autonomy, purpose, confidence, process-driven focus, courage, pragmatic optimism, internal insight, and most importantly, gratitude. These pillars serve as a framework for personal and professional growth, with actionable strategies to implement in daily life.

I completely agree with the author’s perspective on gratitude being the glue that holds the other pillars together. Gratitude helps us appreciate what we have, focus on what truly matters, and embrace the journey.

One standout takeaway for me this year is the idea of “aiming for and celebrating failure and rejection”—an empowering approach that shifts our perspective and allows us to enjoy the success that naturally follows.

This book is an excellent read to set the tone for a super successful 2025. Don’t miss out!

[Morrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good news is the ten pillars are pretty good topics. At least for those unfamiliar with them. It's an alright springboard into motivation, discipline or gratitude.

Bad news is it's an absolute word salad of a slog. Filled with uninspiring interviews and anecdotes.
Far longer than it needed to be.
Don't be afraid to skip from heading to heading.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible. The guest speakers voices were much lower than the main speakers. I had to frequently adjust the volume, which was kind of annoying.

I did think the chimp concept and identifying negative self talk was a nice take away.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

not big on self help books...