Atomic Habits
by: James Clear
How to build good habits and break the bad ones.
Who Read it? Pat and Amanda Carroll (Review by Amanda)
Rating:*****
Review: I am a goal setter by nature. To me, there is nothing more motivating than having a lofty goal written on a piece of paper. Unfortunately, I used to fail all too often at achieving my goals. The problem? I would get so carried away in setting goals for the things I wanted to accomplish, that I would fail in executing them.
Then I read Atomic Habits.
Basically, James Clear outlines why people fail at achieving their goals and offers practical strategies for goal achievement by helping us focus on making small improvements each day.
I used this book, in combination with other books I have and classes I have taken, to put together my own goal setting process. I started following this process last year, and have had amazing success with it. Here are a few concepts from the book that I find super relatable and extremely powerful.
1). Focus on Getting 1% Better: How cool is this? Don’t think about that huge goal; focus on getting just 1% better. I encourage you to read the quote below a few times:
“Improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.”
2). Your Systems are the Problem: Again, I loved this concept of looking at your habits as systems and making changes to those:
“You’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
3). You Actions Are Votes: I like the idea of looking at actions like votes; be sure to vote daily for the type of person you want to become!
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
I would LOVE to help you focus on improving your habits to achieve your goals this year. I think you will see extraordinary results!
As with all of our Wednesday Reads books, just fill out the form on this page and I will mail you a copy of Atomic Habits for FREE!!!
Happy Reading!
Amanda Carroll
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