Rating: 6/10

Overall, the book did not contain any revelatory ideas or epiphanies. I was aware of most of the advice in the book. However, it was nice to see these concepts from a different point of view. Tom provided good questions and activities to complete.

Why You Should Read This Book

• There are no shortcuts in life.
• All worthwhile endeavors are challenging.
• Success comes from facing our fears.
• Humans are wired to react emotionally, not logically.
• “If you don’t have a carefully designed plan for your life, you’ll simply follow the path of least resistance. And guess where that path is going? Nowhere! – Tom Corson-Knowles
• Humans (in developed nations) are the only creatures that can be lulled into a state of comfortable inaction.
  • Most creatures fight for survival every day.
• If you want to achieve a dream, go through any pain to achieve it.
• Pessimists only see risk.
• Optimists only see opportunity.
• Realists see both risk and opportunity. Be a realist.
• Many people go through horrible circumstances to reach success. If they can do it, so can we.
• Challenges strengthen us.
  • Write 3 of your biggest problems. Then write 5 reasons why each problem is an opportunity to improve your life.

Shortcuts don’t work. Rather, we must face our problems and put in the work. We must be realistic in our pursuit of goals.

Why I Wrote This Book

• In the long run, shortcuts will cost you.
• All significant accomplishments take time.
• Shortcuts are often excuses for avoiding hard work.

Tom had a history of taking shortcuts, missing out on a few key opportunities. Now, he’s sharing what he’s learned.

Chapter 1: A Guaranteed Path to Success and Great Achievements

• The best way to improve your likelihood of success is to study. Learn about the topic or skill you want to be great in.
• Read books, go to seminars, take courses, and find teachers and mentors.
• Surround yourself with people who have achieved what you want to achieve.
• The internet allows us to learn essentially anything.

A Goal Setting Structure

• First, decide what you want to achieve.
• Second, see if your goal is possible.
  • Ask yourself, has anyone done this?
  • Make sure to never give up.
  • If nobody has accomplished this goal, ask yourself, has anyone done something similar?
• Third, make your goal specific.
  • Quantify when possible. Have a time frame.
• Fourth, identify how far you currently are in achieving your goal.
• Fifth, determine the difference between where you are now and the endpoint of achieving your goal.
  • Rank where you are now on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being achieving your goal. Calculate the difference.
  • Don’t lie to yourself. Give yourself an honest assessment.
• Sixth, brainstorm possible solutions to achieve your goal.
• Unrealistic goals are where you desire something while giving nothing in return, and when what you desire is one-sided.
  • Examples of unrealistic goals include being rich without working and always being happy.
  • Understand that the bad parts of life are necessary. They give us perspective and gratitude for the good parts.
  • Ask yourself how unpleasant experiences have benefited you.

To achieve success, determine what you want, see if it’s possible, specify your desire, how far you are from your goal and brainstorm possible paths to achieving your desire.

Chapter 2: Do These Little Things Better and Your Success is Assured

• Go the extra mile.
  • In business, this could be ensuring your product is of the highest quality or optimizing your website for a great viewer experience. In relationships, going the extra mile could be writing thank-you letters or doing small things for your friends.
    • In the business setting, going the extra mile takes advantage of the Pareto distribution. By being slightly better than the competition (going the extra mile), one competitor gets a majority of the customers.
  • People want to be around those who go the extra mile.
  • No matter what you do, you will need others to help you. Going the extra mile builds your reputation.
  • Usually, going the extra mile is free.
    • It’s free to remember someone’s birthday or to be kind.

Going the extra mile will improve your likelihood of success.

Chapter 3: How to Think Your Way to Success

• “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
  • Ask yourself, how do most of your problems come about? How are you thinking when you create most problems?
• Our unconscious habits cause a large proportion of our problems.
• Conscious Thinking:: A process where we actively produce questions.

The Conscious Thinking Process

• First, ask great questions.
  • How can I improve [area of my life] today?
• Second, answer your questions.
• Third, take action from your answers.
• Fourth, review the results of your actions.
  • Did things go as planned? If not, what additional problems appeared? How can you solve those additional problems? What can you learn from what went well and what failed?
• Never ignore your problems. First, identify them, then solve them.
• Problems never go away, because problems make up progress.
  • When we solve the problem of creating a website, a new problem of creating content arises. When we create content, a new problem of attracting an audience arises, and so on.
• Progress:: Solving problems resulting in another problem arising.
• The worst situation to be in is to have the same problems repeatedly.
• The bigger the problems you solve, the bigger your impact on the world.
  • And, the better you will be compensated.

Improve your thinking by asking good questions, answering those questions, turning those answers into actions, and then review the results of said actions.

Chapter 4: A Few Small Habits That Make a Big Difference

• “The way you do anything is the way you do everything.” – T. Harv Eker
  • If you’re taking shortcuts in your job, you’re probably taking shortcuts in other areas of your life.
• If you eliminate bad habits in one area of life, it will probably have a positive effect on other areas.
• Be willing to do what’s uncomfortable and difficult.
  • What we fear the most is often what we most need to do to progress our life.
  • When we do strenuous activities, we grow.
• Stop looking for shortcuts.
• Create the habit of finishing what you start, no matter what.
• Start small.
  • You’ll probably suck at what you’re doing in the beginning, and that’s okay.
  • Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first.
  • Focus on the growth, not your lack of skills.
• Change your identity to fit the outcomes you desire.
  • If you want to lose weight, embody the behaviors of a healthy person.
• Visualize success and the process of achieving that success.

Engage in a few key habits to help boost your likelihood of success. These habits include dealing with difficulty, avoiding shortcuts, finishing your projects, starting small, changing your identity, and visualizing your success.

Chapter 5: Create Success Ripples by Giving Back:

• No matter where you are in life, you can always give back.
  • Give back by engaging in:
    • Service work.
    • Donating to charity.
      • By pledging some of your income to charity, making money becomes bigger than yourself, increasing motivation to earn more money.
    • Investing in companies that improve the world.
    • Mentoring.
      • Mentoring:: Donating one’s time, knowledge, resources, skills, and connections to help someone else become more successful.
  • Being kind to others.
    • Even the smallest actions have a ripple effect.

Share your success by giving back to the world.

Concluding Remarks

There are no shortcuts to success, but there are ways to improve its likelihood. Use a process for thinking through decisions, go the extra mile, and adopt certain habits for success. Don’t forget to give back through your service.