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    Nine Things Successful People Do Differently
    Nine Things Successful People Do Differently
    Nine Things Successful People Do Differently
    Ebook47 pages45 minutes

    Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

    By Heidi Grant Halvorson

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Are you at the top of your game—or still trying to get there? Take your cues from the short, powerful Nine Things Successful People Do Differently, where the strategies and goals of the world’s most successful people are on display—backed by research that shows exactly what has the biggest impact on performance. Here’s a hint: accomplished people reach their goals because of what they do, not just who they are. Readers have called this “a gem of a book.” Get ready to accomplish your goals at last.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarvard Business Review Press
    Release dateOct 17, 2017
    ISBN9781633695702

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    Reviews for Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

    4.5/5

    22 ratings2 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A good reminder of how to stay on track with goals, goal setting, and just getting things done. This is especially true since I am reading this at the very beginning of the year and hope to continue with my new year's resolutions.
    • 5/5
      I appreciate the insights and the encouragement through noting that everyone is capable of great success. It’s just a matter of how they approach it.

    Book preview

    Nine Things Successful People Do Differently - Heidi Grant Halvorson

    Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

    by

    Heidi Grant Halvorson

    Get inspired. Stay informed. Join the discussion. Visit hbr.org/books.

    Table of Contents

    Introduction

    1. Get Specific

    2. Seize the Moment to Act on Your Goals

    3. Know Exactly How Far You Have Left to Go

    4. Be a Realistic Optimist

    5. Focus on Getting Better, Rather Than Being Good

    6. Have Grit

    7. Build Your Willpower Muscle

    8. Don’t Tempt Fate

    9. Focus on What You Will Do, Not What You Won’t Do

    Conclusion

    Acknowledgments

    About the Author

    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

    Language: English

    Introduction

    Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren’t sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even very brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer—that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others—is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggest that successful people reach their personal and professional goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

    These are the nine things that successful people do—the strategies they use to set and pursue goals (sometimes without consciously realizing it) that, according to decades of research, have the biggest impact on performance. Scientific psychologists who study motivation, like myself, have conducted thousands of studies to identify and test the effectiveness (and limits) of these strategies. The good news is that the strategies are remarkably straightforward and easy to use. Reading this book, you will have lots of Of course! moments. Also some Oh, I see, that makes sense, and a few Wow, I had no idea ones, too. In the end, not only will you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along, but you’ll be able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you. More importantly, you’ll be able to use that knowledge to your advantage from now on.

    1. Get Specific

    When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. Lose five pounds is a better goal than lose some weight, because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that you need to take to reach your goal. Just promising you’ll eat less or sleep more is too vague; be clear and precise. I’ll be in bed by 10 p.m. on weeknights leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you’ve actually done it.

    Whenever I ask people to tell me about their goals, I hear them say that they want to get ahead at work or

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