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The Excellence Habit - How Small Changes In Our Mindset Can Make A Big Difference In Our Lives: For All Who Feel Stuck
Because you, being your best you, and living your best life, matters!
The Excellence Habit is a reminder that you are the owner of your success. There are no magic formulas, shortcuts, or secret sauce. The 7-rules, or 3 steps, or 12 laws that promise to change your life - they won’t help, unless you do the work. You will learn from many, yet the most important steps, you need to take on your own. Over the course of your adult life it is always you, who has the most power. You will not always be in control and nobody is. But you can choose to maximize your effect on this planet, on your loved ones and on your personal fulfillment by building an Excellence Habit.
The Excellence Habit also examines the distinction between success and excellence. Success is achieving high goals. Excellence is doing the right thing, even when not driving towards any goal. It is a small mindset shift, which will produce big results. Excellence can and will lead to success. Success, on the other hand, can be the biggest enemy of excellence. More often than not success is measured in social influence, recognition and wealth. For those practicing it faithfully - excellence is its own biggest reward.
The Excellence Habit is a reminder that you are the owner of your success. There are no magic formulas, shortcuts, or secret sauce. The 7-rules, or 3 steps, or 12 laws that promise to change your life - they won’t help, unless you do the work. You will learn from many, yet the most important steps, you need to take on your own. Over the course of your adult life it is always you, who has the most power. You will not always be in control and nobody is. But you can choose to maximize your effect on this planet, on your loved ones and on your personal fulfillment by building an Excellence Habit.
The Excellence Habit also examines the distinction between success and excellence. Success is achieving high goals. Excellence is doing the right thing, even when not driving towards any goal. It is a small mindset shift, which will produce big results. Excellence can and will lead to success. Success, on the other hand, can be the biggest enemy of excellence. More often than not success is measured in social influence, recognition and wealth. For those practicing it faithfully - excellence is its own biggest reward.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2015
77 people are currently reading
818 people want to read
About the author
Vlad Zachary
1 book26 followersFirst-time author Vlad Zachary, grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria. During his college years, he built a name as a journalist for pro-democracy periodicals. As a student, Vlad also made his way onto the national TV scene in Bulgaria, where he anchored a leading, live news show. A few years later, he came to the United States, earned a Babson College MBA, and made a career in e-commerce, software, and marketing. Along the way, Vlad produced the Mastering The Job Interview DVD, and wrote The Excellence Habit.
The Excellence Habit, was launched in January, 2016 and became an instant Amazon best-seller in Business & Money, Applied Psychology, and Leadership. Next Generation Indie Book Awards, named it a 2016 Winner in the Motivational books category. The book was also named finalist for non-fiction by the Eric Hoffer Award.
For best price on The Excellence Habit paperback, and to make sure you are buying the original, go to: https://www.createspace.com/5861605
Stop by and say "hello" at http://www.vladzachary.com/
The Excellence Habit, was launched in January, 2016 and became an instant Amazon best-seller in Business & Money, Applied Psychology, and Leadership. Next Generation Indie Book Awards, named it a 2016 Winner in the Motivational books category. The book was also named finalist for non-fiction by the Eric Hoffer Award.
For best price on The Excellence Habit paperback, and to make sure you are buying the original, go to: https://www.createspace.com/5861605
Stop by and say "hello" at http://www.vladzachary.com/
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 22 reviews
November 30, 2015
Motivated
What a great book! I like the stories throughout the book. It grabs your attention right away. I love Amy Cuddy's story talk about overcoming obstacles and never giving up. She is a true testament to not giving up! What gets me motivated is reading about what someone went through to overcome obstacles. There are some amazing examples in this book. And you still get the Authors own life experience which is a really nice touch. He also shows us how we can utilize these best practices. This book stays in my Kindle!
What a great book! I like the stories throughout the book. It grabs your attention right away. I love Amy Cuddy's story talk about overcoming obstacles and never giving up. She is a true testament to not giving up! What gets me motivated is reading about what someone went through to overcome obstacles. There are some amazing examples in this book. And you still get the Authors own life experience which is a really nice touch. He also shows us how we can utilize these best practices. This book stays in my Kindle!
December 17, 2019
Jednostavna knjiga za čitanje ali jako korisna. Govori se o tome kako nitko ne vidi onaj posao koji se odradi da bi došlo do uspjeha, tu je napravio usporedbu sa santom leda koja je puno veća ispod površine, što se ne vidi. Ne možeš nikada prestati učiti i napredovati. Biti odrastao ne znači da si se sad riješio nekih stvari kao što su rad i učenje. Konstantna tema kroz sve knjige koje čitam je ta tzv. zona komfora koju moramo napustiti što prije. Moramo se izlagati stvarima kojih se bojimo ili odgađamo. Ukratko, knjiga nam govori da budemo hrabri, da glumimo ako nismo koristeći govor tijela koji nam može promijeniti misli i pomoći da budemo jači, da ne odustajemo nikad, da dajemo sve od sebe uvijek jer jedino tako nam neće biti teško ako nešto ne uspije jer ćemo biti mirni što smo dali sve, nikad se nemoj zadovoljiti s minimalnim rezultatima jer ni Edison nije bio zadovoljan s lampom koja svijetli kratko nego je stremio da svijetli više od 1000 sati i uspio je u tom a mogao je biti zvijezda i da to nije napravio, diži ruku i javljaj se jer čak je i Shakespeare na početku svoje karijere morao nuditi svoja dijela dok nije postao slavan.
"Part of the problem is this: We believe that as adults we are entitled to comfort. We have completed all tests and exams and school is out forever. We graduated, and it is now time to live. We can relax, get a regular paycheck, and get to enjoy life for a change. It is good to be comfortable. This includes avoiding conflict or rejection as much as possible. This means giving in to our internal resistance or accepting our circumstances."
"We succeed by learning to use uncomfortable and live with it, not by avoiding it."
"Findings from dozens of scientists around the world point to the inevitable conclusion that our minds, despite their powerful analytical capabilities, are also deeply flawed. We have evolved to make our brains happy."
"The notion of excellence is essentially the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to our full potential."
"By accepting the idea that we could achieve anything, we have increased the pressure on ourselves to do it. Paradoxically, this makes it more difficult to reach our goals."
"This is why we say that great people create their circumstances. It is not because they have some magical powers to influence the world around us in a secret way. It is because they have built the habit to work and excel while others are just comfortable with the status quo."
"The Iceberg Principle simply says that the majority of our efforts are invisible to the eye. Just as the majority of the ice mass of an iceberg is underwater, so is the majority of hard work it takes to build lasting excellence habits."
"As Steve Jobs used to say: you can only connect the dots looking backward."
"When we feel inpatient, it is often because of the fear that we are missing out. The fear that if we are not achieving anything today, then we are paying a high opportunity cost. The world will pass us by. A part of us knows that this is not true, but it is hard to overcome the feeling."
"As Seth Godin put it: we need to show up everyday with our best work and not hold back."
"Edison did not compromise with a forty-hour bulb. He kept going till his product could last at least twelve hundred hours. This is an example of the principle I call the Law of Not Selling Out."
“Even if I fail, and fail very publicly, I don’t take it very personally. As long as I have put forward my best effort, and as long as I believe in what I was doing, then I am not very concerned about public judgment.”
"However, when we accept that each stage in our life is a necessary part of our journey, then we would be able to seek and find meaning and benefit in everything we do."
"All too often we fail to stop and think before being too hard on ourselves as well as others. And once we judge a behavior, it is that much easier to move to the next step and judge people. We fail to appreciate that as with many things in life, the tennis ball of what we do will bounce off the net of circumstances and fly up in the air. Whether we score, or have an unforced error, is often beyond our immediate control."
"The variables that we can control the most are our thoughts, emotions, and actions."
"If you feel like a fraud, then fake it. Accept yourself for who you believe you are and go do your job."
"There is a direct correlation between how we feel and the kind of nonverbal behavior we exhibit."
"So, it turns out there are small changes that we can make, which will help us move our cheese in a big way. Just two minutes of posing before an important meeting, presentation or interview is really not much effort. Stage actors routinely practice similar techniques before show time. It is like using your body to speak your positive mantra and get yourself in the mode, which helps you communicate with presence, and in a confident, authentic manner."
"“Part of the game is being able to stay functional long enough to allow for your lucky break to come. I personally believe that luck is part of every success story. Talent is important, but if you are at the wrong time, at the wrong place, things won’t happen.”
"And when we do fail, we should accept, take pride in what we learned, acknowledge our hard work, and celebrate the fact that we tried."
"The majority of new companies fail. So if, as an entrepreneur, you find yourself in this situation, I just want to repeat Taffy Williams’ advice—make sure it was not for lack of trying"
"We need to be brutally honest with ourselves and to leave our comfort zones. This means doing things we are not very good at. Or, not good at, yet. And, this means doing them now. There is no better time than now. We will never be ready."
"We resist raising our hand. Our work should speak for itself. Well, even Shakespeare had to raise his hand and promote his first works to get noticed."
"The seven major elements that influence people’s perception are Cultural, Personality, Friends and Family, Regional Background, Gender, Race and Religion, and Social Skills."
"“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and this is not being talked about.”– Oscar Wilde"
"Part of the problem is this: We believe that as adults we are entitled to comfort. We have completed all tests and exams and school is out forever. We graduated, and it is now time to live. We can relax, get a regular paycheck, and get to enjoy life for a change. It is good to be comfortable. This includes avoiding conflict or rejection as much as possible. This means giving in to our internal resistance or accepting our circumstances."
"We succeed by learning to use uncomfortable and live with it, not by avoiding it."
"Findings from dozens of scientists around the world point to the inevitable conclusion that our minds, despite their powerful analytical capabilities, are also deeply flawed. We have evolved to make our brains happy."
"The notion of excellence is essentially the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to our full potential."
"By accepting the idea that we could achieve anything, we have increased the pressure on ourselves to do it. Paradoxically, this makes it more difficult to reach our goals."
"This is why we say that great people create their circumstances. It is not because they have some magical powers to influence the world around us in a secret way. It is because they have built the habit to work and excel while others are just comfortable with the status quo."
"The Iceberg Principle simply says that the majority of our efforts are invisible to the eye. Just as the majority of the ice mass of an iceberg is underwater, so is the majority of hard work it takes to build lasting excellence habits."
"As Steve Jobs used to say: you can only connect the dots looking backward."
"When we feel inpatient, it is often because of the fear that we are missing out. The fear that if we are not achieving anything today, then we are paying a high opportunity cost. The world will pass us by. A part of us knows that this is not true, but it is hard to overcome the feeling."
"As Seth Godin put it: we need to show up everyday with our best work and not hold back."
"Edison did not compromise with a forty-hour bulb. He kept going till his product could last at least twelve hundred hours. This is an example of the principle I call the Law of Not Selling Out."
“Even if I fail, and fail very publicly, I don’t take it very personally. As long as I have put forward my best effort, and as long as I believe in what I was doing, then I am not very concerned about public judgment.”
"However, when we accept that each stage in our life is a necessary part of our journey, then we would be able to seek and find meaning and benefit in everything we do."
"All too often we fail to stop and think before being too hard on ourselves as well as others. And once we judge a behavior, it is that much easier to move to the next step and judge people. We fail to appreciate that as with many things in life, the tennis ball of what we do will bounce off the net of circumstances and fly up in the air. Whether we score, or have an unforced error, is often beyond our immediate control."
"The variables that we can control the most are our thoughts, emotions, and actions."
"If you feel like a fraud, then fake it. Accept yourself for who you believe you are and go do your job."
"There is a direct correlation between how we feel and the kind of nonverbal behavior we exhibit."
"So, it turns out there are small changes that we can make, which will help us move our cheese in a big way. Just two minutes of posing before an important meeting, presentation or interview is really not much effort. Stage actors routinely practice similar techniques before show time. It is like using your body to speak your positive mantra and get yourself in the mode, which helps you communicate with presence, and in a confident, authentic manner."
"“Part of the game is being able to stay functional long enough to allow for your lucky break to come. I personally believe that luck is part of every success story. Talent is important, but if you are at the wrong time, at the wrong place, things won’t happen.”
"And when we do fail, we should accept, take pride in what we learned, acknowledge our hard work, and celebrate the fact that we tried."
"The majority of new companies fail. So if, as an entrepreneur, you find yourself in this situation, I just want to repeat Taffy Williams’ advice—make sure it was not for lack of trying"
"We need to be brutally honest with ourselves and to leave our comfort zones. This means doing things we are not very good at. Or, not good at, yet. And, this means doing them now. There is no better time than now. We will never be ready."
"We resist raising our hand. Our work should speak for itself. Well, even Shakespeare had to raise his hand and promote his first works to get noticed."
"The seven major elements that influence people’s perception are Cultural, Personality, Friends and Family, Regional Background, Gender, Race and Religion, and Social Skills."
"“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and this is not being talked about.”– Oscar Wilde"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2016
A Good Reads Giveaway. Overall not as informative as I had hoped and while chock full of academic studies not as oriented with how-to examples as I would have preferred. The author walked through the basic principals at a very elementary level which just wasn't 'meaty' enough for me. On a positive note, the last chapter entitled 'The "I could have been somebody" regret' was the one that spoke to me most clearly hitting on some painful aha's that I'll focus on turning into opportunity areas. All in all worth finishing. Like the inclusion of a career tools section vs. an appendix as well.
December 12, 2017
While the book contains some good ideas and I do find the key idea useful, as a book it falls short. The structure is not very organized, the references are mostly to books I (and most other readers, I suppose) have already read -- and that say the same thing in a better way...
In all, I suggest checking out some other book instead. Something like Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle is the Way, for example.
In all, I suggest checking out some other book instead. Something like Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle is the Way, for example.
April 1, 2016
This self help book had a lot of self, but not a lot of help. The writer misinterpreted some key psychological concepts. His interpretation of others, particularly in the not-an-appendix, were insightful. His assumption that we know what this "move your cheese" stuff means is annoying. I looked that book up- corporate propaganda. A couple of the other books he mentions do seem worthy of interest.
July 30, 2018
Received a a Goodreads giveaway. A lot of re-hashed research and other people's stories.
January 27, 2025
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
"it is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"
sources of success is to get uncomfortable and live to use it, not to refuse it, large part of excellence depends on internal factors such as grit, determination, sheer commitment, practice, & to challenge our irrational beliefs
"it is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"
sources of success is to get uncomfortable and live to use it, not to refuse it, large part of excellence depends on internal factors such as grit, determination, sheer commitment, practice, & to challenge our irrational beliefs
July 29, 2017
Okay and containing some helpful thoughts and reminders. Generally, rather thin intellectually and on advice, filling space with questionable content. The kind of book that advises you to not fear the storm, but to be the storm. What wet with a chance of rainbows later?
October 27, 2018
I'm still not excellent though..
May 22, 2017
Solid
A quick read with good examples that were also interesting. I'd love to see a one-page review of the main points.
A quick read with good examples that were also interesting. I'd love to see a one-page review of the main points.
April 25, 2016
I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
This book is about being the best you can be and living your best life.
The book was pretty good, but I didn’t feel like it was the best it could be.
It expounds on the idea of Excellence and proposes that Success and Excellence are not the same. Success is often defined and measured against a set of goals.
And while Success is about results, Excellence is about process and how you do the work.
Success happens on the outside, while Excellence always happens on the inside first.
The book discusses how we build Excellence into our lives by practicing what we want to do. While practicing and repeating our thing over and over, we need to be present and aware of how things are going. We need to create a feedback loop and constantly be improving what we’re doing.
The author introduces his 3 rules of Excellence…
The Iceberg Principle – The majority of our efforts are invisible to the eye.
Do the work. Focus on Improving. Practice, practice, practice.
The Law of Not selling out – Don’t compromise when it comes to your core values, principles and beliefs. Even as your goals may change, stick to your principles.
Stay true to your vision and don’t sell out.
The Journey Mindset – Each stage in our life is a necessary part of our journey.
The editing and progression of thoughts seems a bit off to me. The chapter on Not Selling out is only two pages, then in the next chapter for The Journey Mindset it goes back to expounding on the Iceberg Principle and the Law of Not Selling out.
It has some good thoughts you may have heard before:
Small changes in our environment, mindset and the way we practice can have a big impact on the results we get.
Imagine and think of what you want, then go for it.
Take Action. Keep trying. Press on through failure.
Moving forward is always better than doing nothing.
Learn and move on.
Be Present.
It also draws from and explains the concept of Resistance from Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art, and has a few quotes from Seth Godin.
The Excellence Habit contains some good advice and helpful life tips.
Overall, I’d say the book is good but not excellent.
This book is about being the best you can be and living your best life.
The book was pretty good, but I didn’t feel like it was the best it could be.
It expounds on the idea of Excellence and proposes that Success and Excellence are not the same. Success is often defined and measured against a set of goals.
And while Success is about results, Excellence is about process and how you do the work.
Success happens on the outside, while Excellence always happens on the inside first.
The book discusses how we build Excellence into our lives by practicing what we want to do. While practicing and repeating our thing over and over, we need to be present and aware of how things are going. We need to create a feedback loop and constantly be improving what we’re doing.
The author introduces his 3 rules of Excellence…
The Iceberg Principle – The majority of our efforts are invisible to the eye.
Do the work. Focus on Improving. Practice, practice, practice.
The Law of Not selling out – Don’t compromise when it comes to your core values, principles and beliefs. Even as your goals may change, stick to your principles.
Stay true to your vision and don’t sell out.
The Journey Mindset – Each stage in our life is a necessary part of our journey.
The editing and progression of thoughts seems a bit off to me. The chapter on Not Selling out is only two pages, then in the next chapter for The Journey Mindset it goes back to expounding on the Iceberg Principle and the Law of Not Selling out.
It has some good thoughts you may have heard before:
Small changes in our environment, mindset and the way we practice can have a big impact on the results we get.
Imagine and think of what you want, then go for it.
Take Action. Keep trying. Press on through failure.
Moving forward is always better than doing nothing.
Learn and move on.
Be Present.
It also draws from and explains the concept of Resistance from Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art, and has a few quotes from Seth Godin.
The Excellence Habit contains some good advice and helpful life tips.
Overall, I’d say the book is good but not excellent.
March 23, 2016
Well feeling absolutely motivational after reading this book.Some real introspection i did while i was sifting through the pages and was actually trying to connect dots backward from the point where i am standing now and believe me it actually worked.It helped me to look things in different perspective. I will always try to hold three principals like " The iceberg","Never sell out "and "the journey mindset " close to my chest throughout my life and its really a great learning experience for me. Perceptions are always very important in life and sets tone for one.The book is worth reading and will give a new perception the way one look into life.
November 23, 2021
Most folks would say that they would like excellence in their lives. However, understanding what excellence is and how to get more of it seem to be a challenge. In The Excellence Habit: How Small Changes in Our Mindset Can Make a Big Difference in Our Lives for All Who Feel Stuck, Vlad Zachary shares how he sees the struggle to not just desire more excellence but to actually develop it.
Click here to read the full review
Click here to read the full review
July 7, 2016
Liked it - would read it again
I don't normally give books a 2nd read but I would be willing to with this one.
It's not because it's earth shattering. It's just honest, respectful thoughts to help you improve, written so that it's an easy read with some interesting tidbits for thought.
There are many resources referenced in this book, so the end is not the end.
I don't normally give books a 2nd read but I would be willing to with this one.
It's not because it's earth shattering. It's just honest, respectful thoughts to help you improve, written so that it's an easy read with some interesting tidbits for thought.
There are many resources referenced in this book, so the end is not the end.
May 25, 2016
Great follow up to Raise your Line
Great follow up to my previously read book. As business and careers morph, it is important to refocus on us and adjust our habits accordingly.
It's less about success as much as its about continuous improvement.
Great follow up to my previously read book. As business and careers morph, it is important to refocus on us and adjust our habits accordingly.
It's less about success as much as its about continuous improvement.
December 26, 2016
Good information, Well thought out recommendations
Mr. Zachary has provided solid insights on how to become better at what we do. This book summed up the information quite well. I look forward to future offerings.
Mr. Zachary has provided solid insights on how to become better at what we do. This book summed up the information quite well. I look forward to future offerings.
March 1, 2016
Great insights on excellence
I really enjoyed parts of this book. It tends to drift a little bit towards the end but overall had some great thoughts about excellence.
I really enjoyed parts of this book. It tends to drift a little bit towards the end but overall had some great thoughts about excellence.
March 10, 2016
I enjoyed the book. I like the idea of different stories. There was some valuable information in the book. Thank you.
April 12, 2016
Helpful
Helped me to see my desire for change isn't flighty but instead a pursuit of excellence. I love the call to paint over our mental graffiti.
Helped me to see my desire for change isn't flighty but instead a pursuit of excellence. I love the call to paint over our mental graffiti.
May 9, 2016
The iceberg principle reminds you that most
of your hard work will be underwater and invisible.
of your hard work will be underwater and invisible.
March 9, 2016
This book offers compelling ideas about how to be your best self. A Goodreads Giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 22 reviews