Become The Best You

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • At last, a book that shows you how to build—design—a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage • “Life has questions. They have answers.” —The New York Times Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home—at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.

SUMMARY: ATOMIC HABITS: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. This book is not meant to replace the original book but to serve as a companion to it. ABOUT ORIGINAL BOOK: Atomic Habits can help you improve every day, no matter what your goals are. As one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, James Clear reveals practical strategies that will help you form good habits, break bad ones, and master tiny behaviors that lead to big changes. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. Instead, the issue is with your system. There is a reason bad habits repeat themselves over and over again, it's not that you are not willing to change, but that you have the wrong system for changing. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems” - James Clear I’m a huge fan of this book, and as soon as I read it I knew it was going to make a big difference in my life, so I couldn’t wait to make a video on this book and share my ideas. Here is a link to James Clear’s website, where I found he uploads a tonne of useful posts on motivation, habit formation and human psychology. DISCLAIMER: This is an UNOFFICIAL summary and not the original book. It designed to record all the key points of the original book.

Based on Mike Bayer’s New York Times bestseller Best Self, a motivational, do-it-yourself workbook teaching you how to reinvent your life and live every day as your Best Self. In Best Self, Mike Bayer, known to his fans and followers as Coach Mike, empowered his readers to embrace authenticity, break through obstacles, and discover the freedom to be their best selves. By working through each of the Seven SPHERES of life—Social, Personal, Health, Education, Relationships, Employment, and Spiritual Development—Coach Mike distilled his wisdom into a focused guide to get real results. Now, Coach Mike, a regular on The Dr. Phil Show, expands upon his tried-and-true strategy for igniting change and shows you how to design a life that is deeply fulfilling. In this fully interactive workbook, Coach Mike builds on the revealing quizzes, provocative questionnaires, and paradigm-shifting prompts he introduced in Best Self. Using his important but tough questions and exercises, he can help anyone see what their Best Selves and Anti-Selves really look like. The truth is, we all show up in slightly different ways within each of our seven SPHERES. We behave differently when we are in “parenting” mode, versus “career” mode, and so on. That’s to be expected to a degree, but where we run into trouble is when we aren’t always acting as our Best Self within all of our SPHERES. This workbook helps the reader discover personalized strategies for consistently staying connected to and behaving authentically within each SPHERE, because if we aren’t, then we run the risk of getting way out of balance in some areas of our lives. As a mental health specialist, a personal development coach, and an all-around change agent, Coach Mike understands our struggles intimately, because he’s faced—and overcome—his own. With this essential handbook, he makes you see that change is possible. Be Your Best Self will give readers the tools to build a better life, in real-time.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant and enthralling.”​ —The Wall Street Journal A paradigm-shifting book from an acclaimed Harvard Medical School scientist and one of Time’s most influential people. It’s a seemingly undeniable truth that aging is inevitable. But what if everything we’ve been taught to believe about aging is wrong? What if we could choose our lifespan? In this groundbreaking book, Dr. David Sinclair, leading world authority on genetics and longevity, reveals a bold new theory for why we age. As he writes: “Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.” This eye-opening and provocative work takes us to the frontlines of research that is pushing the boundaries on our perceived scientific limitations, revealing incredible breakthroughs—many from Dr. David Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard—that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, aging. The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes, the descendants of an ancient genetic survival circuit that is both the cause of aging and the key to reversing it. Recent experiments in genetic reprogramming suggest that in the near future we may not just be able to feel younger, but actually become younger. Through a page-turning narrative, Dr. Sinclair invites you into the process of scientific discovery and reveals the emerging technologies and simple lifestyle changes—such as intermittent fasting, cold exposure, exercising with the right intensity, and eating less meat—that have been shown to help us live younger and healthier for longer. At once a roadmap for taking charge of our own health destiny and a bold new vision for the future of humankind, Lifespan will forever change the way we think about why we age and what we can do about it.

Too many people underachieve. Sometimes they recognize this condition but, most often, it's a hidden factor in their life. They settle for a "less than" opportunity to be their best self. We compare ourselves to others and deflate the air out of our sails. Instead, you need to forget the outside competition. Your competition instead should focus on your performance. Whatever that is, that becomes your level of excellence. But, it can be more!!Self-competition gives us the level of excellence we possess. Inertia holds us back. We brace, anchor our feet, and settle for less than our abilities can produce. Using the lessons from this book, readers now have a template and strategy to raise their level of excellence and move closer to becoming the best version of themselves.Use the messages in this book to evaluate where you are on the scale of your success potential. Be real! Be honest! Don't settle for a lesser version. Dig in and push forward with all the energy and abilities you have. Seek the support of others as needed. Then, add a bit more!If you ask someone to reach up as high as they can, they will reach a certain height. Mark that height on a structure with a pencil. Then, ask them to reach a little higher, the hands go higher and pass the mark on the wall. It's a vivid picture of how we tend to stop short of the goal we can achieve. We tend to "hold back" a bit almost afraid to stretch and risk. Just a little more pushing of our abilities help us cross the finish line. Read this book slowly, making notes as the ideas flow. Record your thoughts. They become the list of future actions you can take. They become the extra "stretch" that raises your mark on the wall above where you originally thought was your highest mark. Dig deep and become the best version of yourself. Why settle for less?

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 20 million copies sold! Translated into 60+ languages! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If 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. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy); overcome a lack of motivation and willpower; design your environment to make success easier; get back on track when you fall off course; ...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

ELITE MINDS THINK ALIKE. Discover the winning secrets of the world’s most successful people. As a top-level sport psychologist and performance consultant, Dr. Stan Beeham knows what it takes to succeed—on the playing field, in the board room, and in all aspects of life. This award-winning book takes you inside the minds of major-league athletes, Olympic medal winners, and world-class business leaders to reveal the key motivators and mental processes that drive people to victory. Learn how to: RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN to think like a winner. CONQUER YOUR FEARS and go after your goals. ACHIEVE PEAK PERFORMANCE and reach your full potential. BECOME WHO YOU WANT TO BE mentally, physically, personally and professionally. Whether you’re a self starter, team player, or corporate leader, you can apply these proven mind techniques to any field or endeavor—quickly, easily, and effectively. Filled with power-boosting mental exercises, positive attitude adjusters, and inspiring true stories of individual success, the book provides all the tools you need to set your goals, sharpen your focus, and achieve your personal best. It’s like having your own private coach cheering you on every step of the way. If you can think it, you can do it—with the game-changing power of Elite Minds. Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award—Updated and Expanded Edition