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How to Consciously Design Your Ideal Future
Animals are the direct product of their environment. They reactively evolve over time based on external circumstances. The process of their evolution is slow and random. Human beings are the indirect product of their environment. Although the environment is the medium through which humans adapt and evolve, our choices determine our environments. This is the fundamental difference. We get to decide the course and intensity of our personal evolution by intelligently designing our environments. By purposefully embracing difficult environments, and by cultivating highly conscious habits, you will actualize as a human being and experience complete freedom over the direction of your life.
MP3 CD
Published January 31, 2017
210 people are currently reading
1170 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin P. Hardy
14 books486 followersDr. Benjamin P Hardy is an organizational psychologist with a Ph.D. from Clemson University, and a father of six. He currently lives in Windermere, Florida
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 17, 2019
For someone who’s read hundreds of success articles over the last decade, I’ve enjoyed Benjamin Hardy’s refreshing style of writing. The level of detail in his self-published books are also welcoming, particularly in a niche where free books are not usually as well written or edited as traditionally published books.
To me, there are three types of books in the non-fiction self-improvement category. There are books that can make your mind explode with new information (which you then attempt to apply), or there are the books that bring together ideas together in a novel way so that you create your own insights, and then there’s the kind of books that do both.
For me, I would say this book leans more towards the second type of book because it helped me reexamine certain parts of my life. Often, different ways of looking at things that we may already know, through the method of reading an author’s unique style of interpreting and expressing reality; can allow us to produce new fascinating ideas that change our behaviour for the better.
Benjamin in the book mentions that: “if you’re not a meticulous accountant of the important details of your life, then you aren’t responsible enough to have what you say you want.”
Tracking my daily, weekly, and monthly habits is something I've been doing for the last three years. Reading this passage reaffirmed to me that I’m doing the right thing. It also importantly pushed me to inspect what other meaningful metrics I could track. That passage was further emphasised by the sentiment that: “It’s really easy to get off-course in life. Like airplanes, we constantly need to make course-corrections”
Somehow, through reading this book, I’ve now also stopped seeing the present day as the most important day in my life. It may sound counter-intuitive, but I now realise that the most important day was the first day of my life, due to the power of compound effect (which you can more about in Darren Hardy’s book – The Compound Effect).
The older I become, the lower value each day is when it comes to the context of building things that last – whether that’s in relationships, income, or impact. Paradoxically, knowing that each future day is in lower value in respect to the present day, means that I execute more each day and see the day as more important.
I wouldn’t have had that insight had I not read this book.
Journaling is a great habit to have, but I’ve not been as consistent as I would have liked to be with it this year. Benjamin in the book mentions that: “when you spend large portions of time every day in deep reflection mode, luck strikes. Stuff happens that is completely outside of your control for your benefit.” This immediately forced me to make sure my journaling happened more regularly.
Below you’ll find some of my favorite quotes from this book:
While it’s popular to say the past doesn’t matter, that simply is not true. Today is tomorrow’s yesterday. What we do today will either enhance or diminish our future-present moments.
If you’re not tracking the key areas of your life, than you’re probably more off-course than you think. If you were to be honest with yourself, you’d be stunned how out-of-control things have become.
Before you know it, you’ll be old and withered, wondering where all that time went.
Achieving goals is a science. There’s no confusion or ambiguity to it. If you follow a simple pattern, you can accomplish all of your goals, no matter how big they are.
There is no objective reality. Instead, we live in perceived realities and are thus responsible for the worldview we adopt.
“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” — Greg McKeown Almost everything is a distraction from what really matters.
“If you have more than three priorities, then you don’t have any.” —Jim Collins
Foolishly, people approach their lives like a workout without rest breaks.
When you wake up and put yourself, not other people first, you position yourself to win before you ever begin playing.
I too use this method in my writing. I design writing sessions for the sole purpose of creating outlines. With a pile of outlines already structured, I can often return and write several articles in a single session. Without the outlines, I can often lose motivation and focus after just one.
We live in the most distracted era of human history.
Taking the time to spontaneously—as well as planned—helping other people is one of the greatest joys in life.
When I tell people I love them, it not only changes them, but it changes me.
It’s exciting placing kind and loving notes in random places for your loved ones to find.
Humility, gratitude, and recognition of your blessings keeps your success in proper perspective. You couldn’t do what you’ve without the help of countless other people.
If there’s anything lacking in today’s society, its wisdom, which people in their later years have spent a lifetime refining.
Many of the wealthiest people in the world attribute their healthy financial life and abundance to giving some of it away.
When we die, we don’t take our money with us. So why hoard it?
An entrepreneur is someone who works for a few years like no one will so they can live the rest of their life like no one else can.
Wherever it is you want to go, there is a long and conventional path; and there are shorter, less conventional approaches.
In spare seconds, we hop on Facebook and check the newsfeed. We’ve become addicted to input. Or in other words, we’ve become addicted to reactively being guided by other people’s agendas.
Detach from the addiction to numb your mind and escape reality. Instead, get lost in the creative projects you’ve always wanted to do.
There is no objective reality. All people perceive reality as they selectively attend to things that are meaningful to them. Hence, some people notice the good while others notice the bad.
If you courageously confront fear for 20 seconds every single day, before you know it, you’ll be in a different socio-economic and social situation.
One Audacious Request Per Week
you have every advantage in the world to succeed. And by believing this in your bones, you’ll feel an enormous weight of responsibility to yourself and the world. You’ve been put in a perfect position to succeed. Everything in the universe has brought you to this point so you can now shine and change the world. The world is your oyster.
Instead of trying to compete with other people or businesses, it’s better to do something completely novel or to focus on a tightly defined niche. Once you’ve established yourself as an authority over something, you can set your own terms
Don’t Seek Praise. Seek Criticism.
Instead of wishing things were different, why not cultivate what’s right in front of you?
In a similar vein, trying to create a particular outcome while showing affection to loved ones can pull you from the now and comes off as inauthentic. People can sense phoniness, especially when it comes to love.
Seth Godin has said, “A generous gift comes with no transaction foreseen or anticipated.”
Expect optimal performance from yourself and let the chips fall where they may.
To make flow a regular and fluid experience in your life, let go of your attachments to specific outcomes. This does not mean you don’t have goals or ambitions. Rather, these ambitions don’t define you. And more importantly, they don’t consume your mind while you perform.
Flow is also facilitated by accepting fully who you are, and the work you feel inspired to do.
To me, there are three types of books in the non-fiction self-improvement category. There are books that can make your mind explode with new information (which you then attempt to apply), or there are the books that bring together ideas together in a novel way so that you create your own insights, and then there’s the kind of books that do both.
For me, I would say this book leans more towards the second type of book because it helped me reexamine certain parts of my life. Often, different ways of looking at things that we may already know, through the method of reading an author’s unique style of interpreting and expressing reality; can allow us to produce new fascinating ideas that change our behaviour for the better.
Benjamin in the book mentions that: “if you’re not a meticulous accountant of the important details of your life, then you aren’t responsible enough to have what you say you want.”
Tracking my daily, weekly, and monthly habits is something I've been doing for the last three years. Reading this passage reaffirmed to me that I’m doing the right thing. It also importantly pushed me to inspect what other meaningful metrics I could track. That passage was further emphasised by the sentiment that: “It’s really easy to get off-course in life. Like airplanes, we constantly need to make course-corrections”
Somehow, through reading this book, I’ve now also stopped seeing the present day as the most important day in my life. It may sound counter-intuitive, but I now realise that the most important day was the first day of my life, due to the power of compound effect (which you can more about in Darren Hardy’s book – The Compound Effect).
The older I become, the lower value each day is when it comes to the context of building things that last – whether that’s in relationships, income, or impact. Paradoxically, knowing that each future day is in lower value in respect to the present day, means that I execute more each day and see the day as more important.
I wouldn’t have had that insight had I not read this book.
Journaling is a great habit to have, but I’ve not been as consistent as I would have liked to be with it this year. Benjamin in the book mentions that: “when you spend large portions of time every day in deep reflection mode, luck strikes. Stuff happens that is completely outside of your control for your benefit.” This immediately forced me to make sure my journaling happened more regularly.
Below you’ll find some of my favorite quotes from this book:
While it’s popular to say the past doesn’t matter, that simply is not true. Today is tomorrow’s yesterday. What we do today will either enhance or diminish our future-present moments.
If you’re not tracking the key areas of your life, than you’re probably more off-course than you think. If you were to be honest with yourself, you’d be stunned how out-of-control things have become.
Before you know it, you’ll be old and withered, wondering where all that time went.
Achieving goals is a science. There’s no confusion or ambiguity to it. If you follow a simple pattern, you can accomplish all of your goals, no matter how big they are.
There is no objective reality. Instead, we live in perceived realities and are thus responsible for the worldview we adopt.
“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” — Greg McKeown Almost everything is a distraction from what really matters.
“If you have more than three priorities, then you don’t have any.” —Jim Collins
Foolishly, people approach their lives like a workout without rest breaks.
When you wake up and put yourself, not other people first, you position yourself to win before you ever begin playing.
I too use this method in my writing. I design writing sessions for the sole purpose of creating outlines. With a pile of outlines already structured, I can often return and write several articles in a single session. Without the outlines, I can often lose motivation and focus after just one.
We live in the most distracted era of human history.
Taking the time to spontaneously—as well as planned—helping other people is one of the greatest joys in life.
When I tell people I love them, it not only changes them, but it changes me.
It’s exciting placing kind and loving notes in random places for your loved ones to find.
Humility, gratitude, and recognition of your blessings keeps your success in proper perspective. You couldn’t do what you’ve without the help of countless other people.
If there’s anything lacking in today’s society, its wisdom, which people in their later years have spent a lifetime refining.
Many of the wealthiest people in the world attribute their healthy financial life and abundance to giving some of it away.
When we die, we don’t take our money with us. So why hoard it?
An entrepreneur is someone who works for a few years like no one will so they can live the rest of their life like no one else can.
Wherever it is you want to go, there is a long and conventional path; and there are shorter, less conventional approaches.
In spare seconds, we hop on Facebook and check the newsfeed. We’ve become addicted to input. Or in other words, we’ve become addicted to reactively being guided by other people’s agendas.
Detach from the addiction to numb your mind and escape reality. Instead, get lost in the creative projects you’ve always wanted to do.
There is no objective reality. All people perceive reality as they selectively attend to things that are meaningful to them. Hence, some people notice the good while others notice the bad.
If you courageously confront fear for 20 seconds every single day, before you know it, you’ll be in a different socio-economic and social situation.
One Audacious Request Per Week
you have every advantage in the world to succeed. And by believing this in your bones, you’ll feel an enormous weight of responsibility to yourself and the world. You’ve been put in a perfect position to succeed. Everything in the universe has brought you to this point so you can now shine and change the world. The world is your oyster.
Instead of trying to compete with other people or businesses, it’s better to do something completely novel or to focus on a tightly defined niche. Once you’ve established yourself as an authority over something, you can set your own terms
Don’t Seek Praise. Seek Criticism.
Instead of wishing things were different, why not cultivate what’s right in front of you?
In a similar vein, trying to create a particular outcome while showing affection to loved ones can pull you from the now and comes off as inauthentic. People can sense phoniness, especially when it comes to love.
Seth Godin has said, “A generous gift comes with no transaction foreseen or anticipated.”
Expect optimal performance from yourself and let the chips fall where they may.
To make flow a regular and fluid experience in your life, let go of your attachments to specific outcomes. This does not mean you don’t have goals or ambitions. Rather, these ambitions don’t define you. And more importantly, they don’t consume your mind while you perform.
Flow is also facilitated by accepting fully who you are, and the work you feel inspired to do.
March 27, 2018
I didn't realize this was a compilation of blog posts. It's possible it worked better on paper, but I listened to it on audible and it was disjointed. It felt like a number of random points strung together, which I'm sure it was. Some of the points were interesting enough, but they were covered with the depth of a blog post; in other words, not much. It felt like a bunch of teasers for concepts that are covered in much greater depth in other books by other authors. Some of the advice is repeated again and again, word for word. Perhaps if it was the first book on productivity that I'd read, I'd find it inspiring, but as stands I don't think I'll remember much about it. Except that now, every time I shower, I wonder if I could handle taking a cold shower instead. So there's that.
March 16, 2021
Solid compilation of articles on success and flow.
Benjamin P. Hardy does an excellent job of compiling all the best information.
There's tons of actionable advice within this short book.
If you are performing or creating your own work online, his insights are invaluable.
Some sections feature commonly used content. I appreciate the repetition. I forget things often. The repeated lessons help concepts stick.
However, if you're looking for something wildly new and different, this won't be it.
Benjamin P. Hardy does an excellent job of compiling all the best information.
There's tons of actionable advice within this short book.
If you are performing or creating your own work online, his insights are invaluable.
Some sections feature commonly used content. I appreciate the repetition. I forget things often. The repeated lessons help concepts stick.
However, if you're looking for something wildly new and different, this won't be it.
December 22, 2020
If you don't think your not making the best use of your time spend some time with this book.
What my 👂 heard ⤵️
I could no longer wait until tomorrow to pursue my dreams
if you're not being challenged and growing chances are your stagnating and declining
no 1 cares about your success more than you do
if you're not a meticulous accountant about the important details of your life then you aren't responsible enough to have what you say you want
does your environment drain or improve your energy?
are you making as much money as you'd like to be?
do you have unnecessary debt?
do you know how many dollars you spend each month?
do you know how many dollars you make each month?
what's holding you back from creating more value in other people's lives?
over consuming stimulants AKA drinking too much damn caffeine
do you have a sense of purpose in life?
have you come to terms with life and death in a way you resonate with?
how much power do you have in designing your future?
how much of your time do feel your complete control of?
are you spending most of your time furthering your agenda or someone else's?
how much time do you waste each day?
what would your ideal day look like?
what activities should you remove from your life?
before wanting more more more take care of what you already have
before you hustle get organized
you pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find your left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterday's
far too late in our mad rush do we realize that we were pursuing someone else's goals instead of our own
most of us are like butter scraped over too much bread unfortunately the bread isn't even our own but someone else's
indecision is a bad decision
if you don't care about your body every other aspect of your life will suffer
because we are holistic beings
inch towards your dreams
every Pebble of thought no matter how inconsequential creates endless ripples of consequence
ordinary people seek entertainment extradioary people seek education
hanging out and partying are run but too many people get stuck in this phase
you should never exchange something priceless for a price
today is tommorws yesterday
decide where you'll be in five years and get there in two
a once in a lifetime opportunity is irrelevant if it is the wrong opportunity
like money the internet is neutral
focus is today's new iq
to be everywhere is to be nowhere
do something kind for someone else daily
if we are too busy to help other people, we have missed the mark
not getting paid hourly challenges you to take more responsibility for every minute and every dollar
the world gives to the givers and takes from the takers
the best way to predict your future is to crrate it
you always slightly feel like a fraud to yourself
reduce scatter in your life
gratitude makes you less self centered
gratitude makes your memories happier
gratitude increase your productivity and goal achievement
if you want to become a writer one day start with journaling
every time you hit a target the target moves
until you appreciate what you already have more won't make your life better
how you set up the game is more important than the game itself
a person success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have
the anticipation of the event is far more painful than the event itself
when you don't ask you lose by default what's the worst that could happen
start making bold and audacious asks
aim beyond what you are capable of
when you change the way you see things what you see changes
if I fail more than you do I win
care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner
What my 👂 heard ⤵️
I could no longer wait until tomorrow to pursue my dreams
if you're not being challenged and growing chances are your stagnating and declining
no 1 cares about your success more than you do
if you're not a meticulous accountant about the important details of your life then you aren't responsible enough to have what you say you want
does your environment drain or improve your energy?
are you making as much money as you'd like to be?
do you have unnecessary debt?
do you know how many dollars you spend each month?
do you know how many dollars you make each month?
what's holding you back from creating more value in other people's lives?
over consuming stimulants AKA drinking too much damn caffeine
do you have a sense of purpose in life?
have you come to terms with life and death in a way you resonate with?
how much power do you have in designing your future?
how much of your time do feel your complete control of?
are you spending most of your time furthering your agenda or someone else's?
how much time do you waste each day?
what would your ideal day look like?
what activities should you remove from your life?
before wanting more more more take care of what you already have
before you hustle get organized
you pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find your left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterday's
far too late in our mad rush do we realize that we were pursuing someone else's goals instead of our own
most of us are like butter scraped over too much bread unfortunately the bread isn't even our own but someone else's
indecision is a bad decision
if you don't care about your body every other aspect of your life will suffer
because we are holistic beings
inch towards your dreams
every Pebble of thought no matter how inconsequential creates endless ripples of consequence
ordinary people seek entertainment extradioary people seek education
hanging out and partying are run but too many people get stuck in this phase
you should never exchange something priceless for a price
today is tommorws yesterday
decide where you'll be in five years and get there in two
a once in a lifetime opportunity is irrelevant if it is the wrong opportunity
like money the internet is neutral
focus is today's new iq
to be everywhere is to be nowhere
do something kind for someone else daily
if we are too busy to help other people, we have missed the mark
not getting paid hourly challenges you to take more responsibility for every minute and every dollar
the world gives to the givers and takes from the takers
the best way to predict your future is to crrate it
you always slightly feel like a fraud to yourself
reduce scatter in your life
gratitude makes you less self centered
gratitude makes your memories happier
gratitude increase your productivity and goal achievement
if you want to become a writer one day start with journaling
every time you hit a target the target moves
until you appreciate what you already have more won't make your life better
how you set up the game is more important than the game itself
a person success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have
the anticipation of the event is far more painful than the event itself
when you don't ask you lose by default what's the worst that could happen
start making bold and audacious asks
aim beyond what you are capable of
when you change the way you see things what you see changes
if I fail more than you do I win
care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner
March 20, 2018
A collection of articles, no original content but good summaries of others best practices and theories, could be a good start for a newbie on the topic of self help and self discovery.
October 12, 2021
I listened to this 2hour audiobook on audible. I took a handful of nice advice from this book, in which I have applied in my own life. There is a handful of things that I disagreed with, but that’s not why I didn’t like the book too much. It honestly sounded like I just listed to a 2 hour long blog post. It honestly not what I was shooting for when I want to read or listen to a book. Another thing I had a problem with is how he stated that eating coconut oil daily is something you should do. As the author has a Phd in psychology; it threw me off that he would encourage his readers to partake in a fad diet scheme that has conflicting medical claims on if it is actually healthy for you or not.
July 16, 2022
It was a good listen. Informative. But I just wasn’t a fan of the unfounded and misguided information that was being thrown around here and there. IF YOU DON’T FLOSS, YOU’LL HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND DIE! A SPOON OF COCONUT OIL A DAY IS A CURE FOR ALL.
I guess self help books aren’t for me! :(
I guess self help books aren’t for me! :(
March 22, 2019
3.5-4/5
Not the best book. Yet, a good book. Quick tips to efficiently utilize your life.
******
Highlights:
“You are never pre-qualified to live your dreams. You qualify yourself by doing the work. By committing—even overcommitting—to what you believe you should do.” -pxvi
“Achieving goals is a science. There's no confusion or ambiguity to it. If you follow a simple pattern, you can accomplish all of your goals, no matter how big they are.” -p24
“We all need to choose what matters most to us, and own that. If we attempt to be everything, we’ll end up being nothing. Internal conflict is hell.” -p37
“As Thomas Monson has said, “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” That would truly be a failure.” -p49
“Paralysis by analysis is dumb.” -p53
Not the best book. Yet, a good book. Quick tips to efficiently utilize your life.
******
Highlights:
“You are never pre-qualified to live your dreams. You qualify yourself by doing the work. By committing—even overcommitting—to what you believe you should do.” -pxvi
“Achieving goals is a science. There's no confusion or ambiguity to it. If you follow a simple pattern, you can accomplish all of your goals, no matter how big they are.” -p24
“We all need to choose what matters most to us, and own that. If we attempt to be everything, we’ll end up being nothing. Internal conflict is hell.” -p37
“As Thomas Monson has said, “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” That would truly be a failure.” -p49
“Paralysis by analysis is dumb.” -p53
April 12, 2022
I would highly recommend getting the audiobook version of this book. I feel like just sitting and reading it probably would have been boring and maybe repetitive. But listening while I was doing mundane things around the house was nice. I could pick up wherever and just soak in the inspiration.
Although this book isn’t what I was initially looking for, it gave some great advice. I like that the author doesn’t push his religious beliefs on readers. Instead, he says things like pray or meditate. I can see myself listening to this many times and getting something new from it each time. It has a lot of quotes. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Should I be upset that it’s not the author’s own work or inspired to read others work as well?
My only complaint about this book is that at times it comes off as preachy and has a “my way is the best way” mentality.
Although this book isn’t what I was initially looking for, it gave some great advice. I like that the author doesn’t push his religious beliefs on readers. Instead, he says things like pray or meditate. I can see myself listening to this many times and getting something new from it each time. It has a lot of quotes. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Should I be upset that it’s not the author’s own work or inspired to read others work as well?
My only complaint about this book is that at times it comes off as preachy and has a “my way is the best way” mentality.
November 26, 2022
The book gives the usual advices: sleep, exercise, eat healthy food, fasting, take cold shower, read books, set and work on your goals, wake up early. The author quite often refers to Tim Ferris. Didn't learn anything new and at the end of the book, it felt more like quotes from different people... The most interesting stuff for me from the book are:
People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find once they reach the top that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.
How can you achieve your 10 year plan in the next 6 months? - Peter Thiel
There is always a faster way than you originally conceive.
The best way to predict your future is to create it.
No matter how big or small the challenge, you will adapt to it. When you consciously adapt to enormous stress, you evolve.
The anticipation of the event is far more painful than the event itself.
While it’s popular to say the past doesn’t matter, that simply is not true. Today is tomorrow’s yesterday. What we do today will either enhance or diminish our future-present moments.
There is no objective reality. All people perceive reality as they selectively attend to things that are meaningful to them and are responsible for the worldview they adopt. Hence, some people notice the good while others notice the bad.
Don’t Seek Praise. Seek Criticism.
To make flow a regular and fluid experience in your life, let go of your attachments to specific outcomes. This doesn’t mean you don’t have goals or ambitions. Rather, these ambitions don’t define you. And more importantly, they don’t consume your mind while you perform.
As Thomas Manson has said: “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” That would truly be a failure.
People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find once they reach the top that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.
How can you achieve your 10 year plan in the next 6 months? - Peter Thiel
There is always a faster way than you originally conceive.
The best way to predict your future is to create it.
No matter how big or small the challenge, you will adapt to it. When you consciously adapt to enormous stress, you evolve.
The anticipation of the event is far more painful than the event itself.
While it’s popular to say the past doesn’t matter, that simply is not true. Today is tomorrow’s yesterday. What we do today will either enhance or diminish our future-present moments.
There is no objective reality. All people perceive reality as they selectively attend to things that are meaningful to them and are responsible for the worldview they adopt. Hence, some people notice the good while others notice the bad.
Don’t Seek Praise. Seek Criticism.
To make flow a regular and fluid experience in your life, let go of your attachments to specific outcomes. This doesn’t mean you don’t have goals or ambitions. Rather, these ambitions don’t define you. And more importantly, they don’t consume your mind while you perform.
As Thomas Manson has said: “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” That would truly be a failure.
December 22, 2020
Nothing amazing but still many valuable reminders from many books that I have read. I think the most important part about this book is that since it’s nothing special per say it’s even more inspiring for me because I think “if this guy can write then what is stopping me” and that is what I want when I get around to writing myself that people think “If this guy can, I’m sure to succeed”
I might have given it more stars because of that but there are a few ideas in there that I feel that the author kind of took the simplest lesson from instead of the most valuable ones. And I’m almost sure that sometimes he is simply wrong. The problem will be that some people won’t be able to recognise the difference between the valuable things and the dangerous ideas.
I might have given it more stars because of that but there are a few ideas in there that I feel that the author kind of took the simplest lesson from instead of the most valuable ones. And I’m almost sure that sometimes he is simply wrong. The problem will be that some people won’t be able to recognise the difference between the valuable things and the dangerous ideas.
February 17, 2021
Some of the points made here such as journaling and tracking, seeking criticism over praise, not being afraid to fail, expressing gratitude for what you have now but working towards another goal, and the science of happiness were all valid and have been concepts I was familiar with other previous readings.
The flow of the book felt different but then I realized it was a collection of articles which made sense. I like that it was concise but I did feel that certain phrases were repetitive. It's a good book if you're just looking to start of with a simple read on self-improvement. It puts you in the go-getter mood but I wish there could've been examples of high-performance that have been recognized in real life.
The flow of the book felt different but then I realized it was a collection of articles which made sense. I like that it was concise but I did feel that certain phrases were repetitive. It's a good book if you're just looking to start of with a simple read on self-improvement. It puts you in the go-getter mood but I wish there could've been examples of high-performance that have been recognized in real life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2020
One of the best reads ever
The opens up the way we should be thinking towards our future and expectations, it also provides a frame work of how we should think and act on different situations, environment, etc.. More importantly, everyone can live his/her moments in different ways and still enjoy to the maximum, view the world as full of opportunities and best use of our time
Every young generation should read this book, those of mid /old age are not so late too since there are still moments of life to live/ enjoy😊
The opens up the way we should be thinking towards our future and expectations, it also provides a frame work of how we should think and act on different situations, environment, etc.. More importantly, everyone can live his/her moments in different ways and still enjoy to the maximum, view the world as full of opportunities and best use of our time
Every young generation should read this book, those of mid /old age are not so late too since there are still moments of life to live/ enjoy😊
April 7, 2021
This reads like a series of blog posts. Relatable, understandable, and down to earth. It’s straightforward in delivery and is chock-full of calls to action.
Benjamin P. Hardy is a kind soul who’s found some success in his life, and he’s looking to share it. Whereas it is more motivational than actionable step-by-step, there are lots of great takeaways.
Make your bed, listen to classical music, and take control of your life.
Also, worth reading this book. The audio production is well-done and the speaker sounds very friendly.
Benjamin P. Hardy is a kind soul who’s found some success in his life, and he’s looking to share it. Whereas it is more motivational than actionable step-by-step, there are lots of great takeaways.
Make your bed, listen to classical music, and take control of your life.
Also, worth reading this book. The audio production is well-done and the speaker sounds very friendly.
August 6, 2021
The major complaint in the reviews about this book being an collection of articles was actually what made me love it. Way shorter than I expected easy reading and with some cool bits of information for validating beliefs and approaches to life you might have read elsewhere in a deeper more detailed approach.
Either way considering the shortness of this book and the fact that instead of original ideas you’ll find a lot of repackaged material I could not recommend it.
It’s more a 3,5 than a 4 for people that read a lot.
Either way considering the shortness of this book and the fact that instead of original ideas you’ll find a lot of repackaged material I could not recommend it.
It’s more a 3,5 than a 4 for people that read a lot.
November 4, 2020
I knew there would be “the power of positive thinking” nonsense to skip through - and certainly there was. I did appreciate the emphasis throughout on prayer over mere ‘meditation’. But what frustrated me most was how much content was literally repeated. This had some decent premises including the importance of journaling, but read like a series of blog posts compiled in one anthology that no one edited to review for repetitive content.
April 20, 2022
We get to decide the course and intensity of our personal evolution by intelligently designing our environments. By purposefully embracing difficult environments, and by cultivating highly conscious habits, you will actualize as a human being and experience complete freedom over the direction of your life
We are a direct product of our thoughts and our habits, how do we change them and become what we truly want to be.
We are a direct product of our thoughts and our habits, how do we change them and become what we truly want to be.
June 27, 2017
Benjamin delivers on his promise to give practical personal growth and development advice. Though the concepts and phrases are not new, he adds his spin, one that is relevant, down-to-earth, and unapologetic.
If you want a kick in the pants to get into gear or go to the next level, do yourself a favor, grab a copy and get moving.
If you want a kick in the pants to get into gear or go to the next level, do yourself a favor, grab a copy and get moving.
April 16, 2020
This book is good but not great. It's not great because it operates from an ideal place where systemic forces don't slow some populations down. After Katrina I saw idealistic hard-working go getters do everything right, and government take their homes and give them to rich white developers for air b&b's.
So yes it's all correct, but naive.
So yes it's all correct, but naive.
August 27, 2020
I loved the collection of essays revealing an expansive motivation and determination to organize your life. It contains countless ideas and simple solutions to problems we are sometimes creating ourselves. I'm totally in love with the writing style, can absolutely recommend reading it if you're into self growth and life design!
February 10, 2021
Great collection of self improvement clichés. All neatly, but superficially aligned to a nice listening.
Worth listening, if you
1. Are into this kind of stuff
2. Have read all or most of the authors he refers to
Works like quick reminder: “dmn, I promised myself to start.. while reading this other book.”
Worth listening, if you
1. Are into this kind of stuff
2. Have read all or most of the authors he refers to
Works like quick reminder: “dmn, I promised myself to start.. while reading this other book.”
February 25, 2021
A bunch of blog posts put together to form a book. I bit repetitive in places, lots of quotes from other self-help celebrities old & new, Tim Ferris, Tony Robbins, Victor Frankle, Napoleon Hill... also shades of manifestation without coming out. Nothing wrong with it but I cannot say I learned anything new.
September 17, 2021
Just a bunch of motivational quotes and extracts from popular books. Zero original content.
Additionally it gets repetitive. It's more like a preaching narrative.
You can't have "how to" in the title without actually providing any guidance to anything.
The only good thing about this book is that it is super short.
Additionally it gets repetitive. It's more like a preaching narrative.
You can't have "how to" in the title without actually providing any guidance to anything.
The only good thing about this book is that it is super short.
December 28, 2021
Look upon it as an excellent reference to the immense diversity of self-help books. Do not read it, but listen to it and you will find a very pleasant conversation at lunch breaks.
Warning, however: a myriad of pseudo-advice already initiated years ago by Simon Synek, Tim Ferris, Malcol Gladwel, and the great etc that populates the self-help industry.
Warning, however: a myriad of pseudo-advice already initiated years ago by Simon Synek, Tim Ferris, Malcol Gladwel, and the great etc that populates the self-help industry.
January 25, 2022
An aggregate of key ideas for lifestyle design with little flow. Concepts are wide in berth but shallow in the book's investigation. Short and quick enough to give you a motivational kick in the butt (which is what I was looking for), but if you have any repertoire of performance books under your belt you'll find this more of an outline review than a book.
December 31, 2022
There's no new breakthrough information here, but it is a very thorough run-down of all of the mindset and behaviors required to ensure that you create your future. Hardy is a great reporter and I find his books useful to recommend to my coaching clients. Good anecdotes and quotes. If you are in need of a book on this topic, this is a concise comprehensive guide.
September 2, 2018
If you know Ben already, you wil recognize the style. The points are good and it can serve as an inspiration for taking responsibility and starting. In the way of concrete ideas and methods, it is lacking. I expected more from a book that puts "how to" on the cover.
October 12, 2020
Just a whole lot of blog posts put together so it can be a bit repetitive at times and does not have the best flow. However, the insights provided are actually pretty good. I really enjoyed most of it. I am going to actively incorporate some of the advice into my daily life.
December 24, 2020
This is more or less a compilation of others’ work with perhaps a handful of original thoughts thrown in. If it’s the first book you’re reading, it may be a nice summary. Otherwise, it’s likely repetitive and kind of boring.
October 28, 2021
This little book distills much of the best success wisdom conjuring names like Napoleon Hill, Jim Rohn, Robin Sharma, Tim Ferriss, etc. This book will go on my shelf of books to re-read periodically. It talks about exercise, diet, goal-setting, adequate sleep, education, and routines.
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