The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It

by David Niven

What are the keys to success? Scientists have studied the traits, beliefs, and practices of successful people in all walks of life. But the answers they find wind up in stuffy academic journals aimed at other scientists.

The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People takes the best and most important research results from over a thousand studies and spells out the key findings in ways we can all understand. Each entry contains advice based on those findings, a real life example of what to do or not to do, and a telling statistic based on scientific research.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Ebooks

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

David^Niven, Ph.D., is the author 100 Simple Secrets book series

David^^Niven, actor and author of The Moon's a Balloon

Reviews

[Arimo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book seemed very promising at first, but the longer I read it, the more the structure of the book starts to show its limitations. All the "secrets" are written in the same formula: there's a few paragraph long description of the "secret", a story about a real life example and a short statistic snippet taken out from research that deal with the same subject.

As I kept reading the book, I became less impressed by the secrets. It didn't feel like there were one hundred separate entries, as some of them seemed to be the same thing just described in different words. Some of the real life examples also felt like they didn't have much to do with the "secret" itself. The examples mostly dealt with a certain type of American society, alienating readers who don't feel connected to that world.

Still, the writer has clearly done a lot of research on the subject and there were definitely many ideas that I found helpful and interesting. The biggest problem I had with the light approach was that the book never forces the reader to take direct action. Instead, it's too easy to just read through the book very quickly and never return to it again.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information; lots to think about, but I struggle with reading non-fiction. Especially in this format where it's a new topic every two pages.

[Isa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing special, nothing that will stick with me for long.

[Maha Al-Sabej · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simple reasonable book.

[Milka · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People, I wanted to read David Niven's whole series. This book didn't disappoint, as it helped me reinforce what successful people do. And by successful, Niven doesn't mean "rich", but rather people who are satisfied with their career, enjoy what they do and are growing. Here are just a few secrets that spoke directly to me: "boredom is the enemy" (you need to find something you enjoy or your persistence and interest will quickly diminish), "don't want everything" (choose what you really want out of your career and focus on that, rather than look at what others have and want the same), and "it starts and ends with you" (access personal responsibility for your decisions and be open to new opportunities). If you're looking for some inspiration in the workplace, this is a great little book.

[Najibah Bakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku yang ditulis berasaskan kajian-kajian kerjaya di peringkat tinggi - tetapi telah diringkaskan dengan begitu berjaya oleh pengarang.

Apabila membaca buku-buku sebegini, saya suka membandingkannya dengan korpus ilmu Islam, terutama apa yang sudah ada dalam hadis-hadis Rasulullah SAW, banyak yang menyokong dan selari dengan kajian-kajian moden yang dilakukan.

Salah satunya, adalah mengenai keburukan sikap menoleh kepada masa lalu dan terlibat kembali secara emosi di dalamnya dengan rasa sesal. Ini adalah sikap yang boleh mengganggu kejayaan menurut kajian moden. Inilah yang telah dipesan oleh Rasulullah SAW ribuan tahun dulu, supaya jangan berkata 'kalaulah' terhadap apa yang telah berlalu.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It gave me some good tips on how to view things from a successful point of view.
I appreciate all the author's research and the being able to get it down to 100 points. Each point was 2 pages and very succinct. I like a book like that that gets its point down. The only thing about it that I won't remember all the points but I did like that it gave an overall impression on how to give it your best shot at career and at life.
I enjoyed it and would like to read more books in his series.

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on success in self development for knowledge workers, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs.

[Abhay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Read it many years back, but it is one of those books that you can read repeatedly

[Alexander Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si deseas leer un libro que englobe aspectos como: Escrito por un Psicólogo, científico social, docente, que muestra sus conocimientos y herramientas a través de casos reales de personas y que te cuente sus experiencias, que te dé un análisis de estas, con un vocabulario y una lectura amigable y por último sumamos que nos muestra resultados de estudios y estadísticas de estos, literalmente en “100 secretos de la gente exitosa”. Entonces aquí lo tienes.
Con este libro comprendí y obtuve conocimientos para manejar emociones que nos ayudan a ser mejor persona, a tener confianza en nosotros, porque usted puede hacer todo lo que quiere, pero primero tiene que creer en usted mismo, a que debemos aprender lo que necesitamos saber para hacer bien nuestro trabajo, a entender cómo funcionan las cosas, no pensar sólo en lo que estás haciendo, sino en lo que no estás haciendo, que algunas soluciones son más costosas que los problemas que solucionan. También a darle espacio y valor a nuestras creencias, pero si estamos en un entorno que va en contra de ellas, no forzarlo ni ir en contra de ese entorno sino crear nuestro propio espacio, que la planeación de una carrera profesional se trata de algo para toda la vida porque en ocasiones creemos que ya hemos estudiado lo suficiente o tenemos la suficiente experiencia, que debemos darle un sentido a lo que hacemos y que debe existir un equilibrio entre la vida y el trabajo porque el trabajo es una parte esencial de la vida y con esto me refiero a que muchas veces le dedicamos demasiadas horas a nuestro trabajo y si lo hacemos, es porque en buena parte dependemos de él, pero en el proceso sacrificamos muchas otras cosas que también son importantes y esenciales para nuestra calidad de vida: Nuestros padres, hermanos, hijos, esposa/o, etcétera, amigos y a nosotros mismo, porque descuidamos nuestra salud física y mental al no tener armonía con todo nuestro entorno.
En este libro tiene una buena combinación de caso reales, herramientas sobre el manejo de situaciones que en muchos casos nos están aconteciendo o nos pasó de alguna manera y te identificas con ellas, tienes una lectura con contenido muy asociado a hechos en el ámbito profesional y se ejemplifican de manera simple para que el lector pueda comprender. Un libro que tiene la magia de mostrar en solo 223 páginas 100 ejemplo de personas o circunstancias, usarlas para nutrirte y poder ver la vida desde sus perspectivas, y qué resultado obtuvieron con las decisiones que tomaron. Para mí leer este libro es el equivalente de sentarse a conversar con 100 personas, por eso lo califico como algo mágico que sólo se puede lograr a través de la lectura.

[T. Laane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found an unlisted/read book from 2012. Some notes written down:
* Your personality is like a fixed shoe number - you have to find the matching occupation/calling, not forcing your leg into a wrong size shoe.
* Your job will not only create Your future, but will also create You. Choose carefully.
* Feeling your life means somethings brings way more satisfaction than a great salary.
* Most people around people are mediocre and they force You to be like them to match them. Do not. And real winners/players will not be jealous on Your progress - no, THEY will clap along!
* And the people that ARE jealous on Your success - take it as a sincere compliment :)
* Also when climbing up then be prepared for some depression - before you were completing with the sheep, now you're running with the tigers. That's normal that new people around You are better. That's a GOOD thing.
* If you write down your goal and small gains/wins along the way, You feel MUCH more progress in your daily life.
* Who does not feel progress towards goals, will quite A LOT more likely.
* when communicating, it's not important how MUCH you SAY, but how MUCH listener understands.
* When You spend time worrying, then this time is not spent on improving the situation. Successful people spend every day some time thinking how to improve their lives.
* ACT. You don't have to do everything today, but You have to do something every day towards Your dreams.
* In school you had to learn for Your GRADES. Now in life, learn for YOU!
* George Clooney: You're never as good as they say you are and you're never as bad as they say.

[Am Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way this book works is: it first gives you a broad statement (e.g. "great thinkers notice patterns"), then details a short 1- to 2-page anecdote (involving presumably real people and real stories) showing how this statement is true or how it is applied, then ends with a supposedly proven hypothesis from a research paper that supports the initial broad statement made. The problem is some of those anecdotes weren't really related to the broad statement, and some of the hypotheses were probably not meant to be interpreted the way the author did, or else were taken out of context. But the book does still offer some sound ideas on how you can improve your life nonetheless, and the anecdote part (regardless of whether true or not) keeps things interesting.

[❤️My Dog is my Best Friend❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When you land the account or get the promotion or a raise, the same nagging concerns that led you to think you desperately needed one more achievement will undermine the value you place on that achievement."

"Having a purpose in everything you do makes every day valuable and every outcome, good or bad, worthwhile."

I really enjoyed this book but I couldn't give it over three stars because it didn't bring something new to the table. It was very straightforward and to the point and gave facts about good living in a more simplified way (hence the title). I would definitely recommend this to any self help book lovers because there was some pretty good advice throughout.

[Gleici · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sabe aquele livro de auto ajuda parado lá na estante, que você pensa se tratar de só mais um livro cheio de redundâncias e "blá blá blá"; pensei que seria esse caso, me enganei! Tive a feliz surpresa de gostar e aprender muito com ele. Se encaixou com o momento que estou vivendo. Este livro me ajudou muito a refletir sobre várias questões relacionadas à carreira e objetivos.
“Uma vida de sucesso não se resume a momentos ou períodos excitantes, mas a uma carreira estável, produtiva e de realizações”

[Raven Zmolik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book has potential but was not executed in the best fashion. There was a lot of good content but it didn’t always make sense on how it was presented. The three different sections (secret, story, reference) did not seem to match or correlate well together for a lot of entries. It left me feeling confused on what the overall message was. Plus it felt like there was soooo much more that could have been expanded upon, so much was missing.

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books I would recommend without a doubt. This isn't just another self help book full of cliches and frases. The author compiled over 160 scientific articles and books, which are organized into meaningful topics divided in thematic chapters. The books is very goal oriented and has a positive outlook on everyday business situations. It's great for young professionals or peoples looking to better their skills.

[Dante · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with useful "secrets"

The 100 success "secrets" here are hardly revelatory — each one of them cites the work of another researcher in the field, for that matter — but this book is nevertheless a nice collection of oft-spoken wisdom that nicely recaps a success-oriented mindset.

[Elizabeth StClair · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Sólo usted puede saber si éste es un mundo en el que puede triunfar.” I need to remind myself of this often. Parts of this book were great, other parts felt unnecessary or unhelpful. This could have been a fault of my own. When my Spanish improves, I’ll read it again.

[Erick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente.David Niven ejemplifica información muy valiosa, alguna científica acerca del éxito en los negocios,vida.Abre la perspectiva bastante y se puede entender todo de manera simple,es un libro corto con grandes lecciones,algunas contrasentido pero igualmente grandes.

[Erin O'Leary · Rating 1 out of 5]

i like how it was so simple to pick up and put down and how concise each message was. i think it helped me take away the concepts better but overall nothing crazy was said and i never was dying to pick it up and read it

[Phuong · Rating 4 out of 5]

giúp tôi tìm được thêm nhiều lời giải thích đạt được điều mình muốn

[Marcus Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it's full of lots of little reminders on how to keep perspective in one's life.

[Tomislav · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMFG

[Saraj Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be reading this again. A good reference book on how to succeed.

[Hikari · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little book of good reminders. However, this entire book could have been condensed into a single blog post.

[Yudex Orozco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malisimo

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

One hundred snippets of pop-psychology accompanied by statistics and business anecdotes that are only vaguely applicable to the lesson in question. Worth a read on the can, but probably nowhere else.

[Frankie Winchester · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains many useful ideas but does not provide practical applications.

[Write4Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories backed up by a research summary. Some are interesting, others obvious. But, still a good read.

[Trần Thư · Rating 4 out of 5]

thấy cx tạm, rẻ, có nh dẫn chứng có thể áp dụng nlxh, quotes,