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Your Year of Wonders: Embrace Change. Grow Faster. Win Bigger.
Embracing change is easier than leaders think.
In this fun and fascinating airplane read, Nick Tasler—organizational psychology expert and Harvard Business Review columnist—inspires busy leaders to embrace change sooner so their teams can grow faster and achieve greater success. Tasler's evidence-based advice is enlivened by tales of real leaders from Big Tech to Big Chocolate, from 17th-century physicists to Nick's ping-pong-playing exploits. You'll discover how to turn a plateau into a launchpad, why agile optimism is more effective than positive thinking, why burning platforms make people want to jump ship, and much more. Before your plane touches ground, you'll be ready to transform any period of change into a Year of Wonders.
In this fun and fascinating airplane read, Nick Tasler—organizational psychology expert and Harvard Business Review columnist—inspires busy leaders to embrace change sooner so their teams can grow faster and achieve greater success. Tasler's evidence-based advice is enlivened by tales of real leaders from Big Tech to Big Chocolate, from 17th-century physicists to Nick's ping-pong-playing exploits. You'll discover how to turn a plateau into a launchpad, why agile optimism is more effective than positive thinking, why burning platforms make people want to jump ship, and much more. Before your plane touches ground, you'll be ready to transform any period of change into a Year of Wonders.
104 pages, Paperback
Published January 7, 2025
2 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Nick Tasler
9 books6 followersNick Tasler is an internationally acclaimed thought leader and—
Sorry for the interruption. My “official” bio continues below and, fear not, it is chock-full of the requisite self-aggrandizement and third-person references to my many, many accolades. But before I attempt to convince you that I am the Batman of business thought leaders, let me tell you who I am in real life. I’m a dad, a husband, and a total geek about the science of human nature. My dream is to spend every working moment writing and speaking about the latest and greatest insights that help us turn unpredictable changes into meaningful and exciting adventures. So, yeah, I guess I’m living my dream. Maybe my dream and your dilemma should hook up sometime and…ya know, grab a coffee and a gluten-free bagel or something?
Now back to our regularly scheduled list of things I would never ever say to someone I just met…
Nick Tasler is an internationally acclaimed thought leader, organizational psychologist, and the #1 best-selling author of four counter-intuitive books on the art and science of making decisions and leading change. He is also an expert writer for the Harvard Business Review and his work has been covered by The New York Times, Bloomberg Business Week, The Atlantic, Inc., U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times, Fox Business, and Forbes; as well as NPR, the BBC, NBC, ABC, and CBS.
Nick’s original insights and dynamic style have benefited the world’s most respected organizations ranging from General Electric, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Novo Nordisk, Wells Fargo, the Royal Bank of Canada, and UnitedHealth Group to the Wharton School, Yale University, and many more.Nomadic by nature, Nick and his wife and their four kids live in…lots of places. Sometimes Minnesota. Sometimes Florida. Currently Puerto Rico.
Sorry for the interruption. My “official” bio continues below and, fear not, it is chock-full of the requisite self-aggrandizement and third-person references to my many, many accolades. But before I attempt to convince you that I am the Batman of business thought leaders, let me tell you who I am in real life. I’m a dad, a husband, and a total geek about the science of human nature. My dream is to spend every working moment writing and speaking about the latest and greatest insights that help us turn unpredictable changes into meaningful and exciting adventures. So, yeah, I guess I’m living my dream. Maybe my dream and your dilemma should hook up sometime and…ya know, grab a coffee and a gluten-free bagel or something?
Now back to our regularly scheduled list of things I would never ever say to someone I just met…
Nick Tasler is an internationally acclaimed thought leader, organizational psychologist, and the #1 best-selling author of four counter-intuitive books on the art and science of making decisions and leading change. He is also an expert writer for the Harvard Business Review and his work has been covered by The New York Times, Bloomberg Business Week, The Atlantic, Inc., U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times, Fox Business, and Forbes; as well as NPR, the BBC, NBC, ABC, and CBS.
Nick’s original insights and dynamic style have benefited the world’s most respected organizations ranging from General Electric, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Novo Nordisk, Wells Fargo, the Royal Bank of Canada, and UnitedHealth Group to the Wharton School, Yale University, and many more.Nomadic by nature, Nick and his wife and their four kids live in…lots of places. Sometimes Minnesota. Sometimes Florida. Currently Puerto Rico.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 7, 2025
This is a quick read (or as the author says, "an airplane read"), with no bullet point action steps, but all the stories in the book have one thing in common...people didn't allow themselves to get stuck in place. Specific action steps aren't needed because everyone's story and situation is different. I appreciated Tasler's clarification of when the use of fear is good, and when it's a hindrance (actually, food for thought for parents too). Great little read to tuck in your January books to kick off your "Year of Wonders."
January 25, 2025
I have been excitedly awaiting the release of this book, because I loved Tasler's previous book "Ricochet." "Your Year of Wonders" did not disappoint!
The title is a reference to the life of Isaac Newton, who discovered gravity when he was 23 years old in what Newton later described as his "year of wonders" but which we now call the "Great Plague of London." You see, Newton had been sent home from his studies at Cambridge due to an outbreak of the plague that caused the university to cancel classes and shut its doors. And there, back at home with time on his hands, Newton wandered through the apple orchard as he had done hundreds of times before, and saw an apple fall from a tree, which he had done hundreds of times before. But this time, in the midst of the fear and frustration and confusion of his present circumstances, Newton saw things differently.
It turns out that "strange and unexpected events around us act like an alarm clock that wakes up creative superpowers in our brain," as Tasler writes. Tasler calls these events that feel like disruptions but are actually opportunities "falling apple moments." He talks about the difference between fragile optimism and agile optimism, and some strategies for making space in our brains to work through fear and frustration in order to see ourselves in a growth stage instead of feeling stuck.
I love the way Tasler writes. It's clear and direct and friendly, with simple, actionable steps to pursue. Tasler is an organizational psychologist by trade and does a lot of work with leadership for major companies. And some of his writing does most directly apply to those in positions of leadership who want to help their teams embrace change. But almost every single point he makes can also be applied to the lives of individuals as well, which is why I still find that his books resonate so much with me.
Mostly, I love how hopeful I feel when I finish one of Tasler's books. They make me feel like I'm not alone or crazy in feeling scared or stuck or overwhelmed, but also that I'm not doomed to stay there. He challenges me to accept that "sometimes the change happening around us is an invitation to grow something inside us." As a nation and as a world, we need books like Tasler's more than ever. Books that give us hope for a better and a brighter future. Books that make us see the same old, broken world with new eyes. Books that turn falling apples into opportunities for wonders.
The title is a reference to the life of Isaac Newton, who discovered gravity when he was 23 years old in what Newton later described as his "year of wonders" but which we now call the "Great Plague of London." You see, Newton had been sent home from his studies at Cambridge due to an outbreak of the plague that caused the university to cancel classes and shut its doors. And there, back at home with time on his hands, Newton wandered through the apple orchard as he had done hundreds of times before, and saw an apple fall from a tree, which he had done hundreds of times before. But this time, in the midst of the fear and frustration and confusion of his present circumstances, Newton saw things differently.
It turns out that "strange and unexpected events around us act like an alarm clock that wakes up creative superpowers in our brain," as Tasler writes. Tasler calls these events that feel like disruptions but are actually opportunities "falling apple moments." He talks about the difference between fragile optimism and agile optimism, and some strategies for making space in our brains to work through fear and frustration in order to see ourselves in a growth stage instead of feeling stuck.
I love the way Tasler writes. It's clear and direct and friendly, with simple, actionable steps to pursue. Tasler is an organizational psychologist by trade and does a lot of work with leadership for major companies. And some of his writing does most directly apply to those in positions of leadership who want to help their teams embrace change. But almost every single point he makes can also be applied to the lives of individuals as well, which is why I still find that his books resonate so much with me.
Mostly, I love how hopeful I feel when I finish one of Tasler's books. They make me feel like I'm not alone or crazy in feeling scared or stuck or overwhelmed, but also that I'm not doomed to stay there. He challenges me to accept that "sometimes the change happening around us is an invitation to grow something inside us." As a nation and as a world, we need books like Tasler's more than ever. Books that give us hope for a better and a brighter future. Books that make us see the same old, broken world with new eyes. Books that turn falling apples into opportunities for wonders.
January 9, 2025
Awesome! I read it in one sitting. Nick can make a simple concept apply clearly to any audience. It helped mainstream my cloudy ideas and indecision. I got excited to step forward with courage into life decisions that felt heavy and new. I totally recommend to read it and pass it along to others!
December 27, 2025
As someone who struggles with change, I found this book encouraging and challenging. A thin book with bite sized chapters is a perfect way to approach an uncomfortable topic.
January 26, 2025
Today’s rapid rate of change has everyone looking for solutions. Check out the book Your Years of Wonder by Nike Tasler. Nick Tasler invites you to find falling apple moments, embracing change to invite wonder into your life. Read the book to figure out your falling apples and make a way through innovation and creative to embracing change.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews