Since we’re at the 25% percent mark in the year (can you believe it???) I figured it was time to revisit some of my 2018 goals.
While I’m still working relentlessly toward achieving some big, crazy goals, I’ve definitely had to make some tweaks.
I still love the Miracle Morning (see my post on January 10th). I’m far from perfect at it, but I’ve steadily improved and increased my morning time to two hours before Reagan is up. Again, I haven’t been perfect every day (especially this past week being super sick), but I’m choosing to celebrate that my progress is far better than the ‘zero’ I was doing just a few months ago. I will continue to improve. Having a morning routine is one of my more challenging goals, but I definitely can see a difference in my life after implementation.
Books. As you might remember, I made a goal for 2018 to read 52 books, or one per week. While I was doing pretty well at this to begin with, I think I’ve fallen two to three books behind. More importantly, however, I felt like I was racing through books just to be finished rather than reading for the actual content and life-change. I was going so fast that it was hard to implement what I was learning, which, after all, is in fact why I want to read so much. For this reason, I’m choosing not to pressure myself to read an entire book every week. I really want to live the content of what I’m learning rather than be able to simply check it off a list.
The difficulty with this acquiescence, however, is that I really want to read so many books, and my list just continues to grow. Seriously, I have a giant stack waiting for me and I want to order more online because there’s just so much to learn and so much good stuff out there…but alas…I have to allow myself to go at a little slower pace in order to better ingest and implement what I’m learning.
I did want to share some of the highlights of my reading the last couple months…
Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith
Wow, this book was really fascinating. I think I’ll probably do an entire post (or two?) just on some of my key takeaways, but in a nutshell, Goldsmith looks at why it is so difficult for adults to change their behavior. I found his examples so intriguing, and in thinking about having goals and desiring major life change, he offers some great perspective on why it’s so hard and why so many adults fail at significant behavioral change. He looks at 15 different beliefs we hold that hinder real change (I think I’ll do a separate post on this).
Additionally, he discusses why it is that so many adults settle for mediocrity. I was especially interested in this perspective since the Miracle Morning is a highly motivational text and is a morning routine for high achievers. One of my favorite nuggets was, “marginal motivation=marginal outcome.” Isn’t that the truth? But no one grows up saying they want to grow up and just be marginal…so what happens?
Goldsmith spends a good portion of the book discussing how daily questions and tracking impact growth, but I think I will save that for a separate post.
Overall, this was a fantastic read and I’d recommend it. But, if you want a Reader’s Digest version of the best content, look for future posts. 😊
Influence by Robert Cialdini
In this book, Cialdini looks at human behavior and why we make the choices we do. He primarily looks at six motivators for our choices: reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.
Like Goldsmith, it was fascinating to think about how these things influence choices and behavior, both in my own life, as well as thinking about how these things can be used to influence others.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
This book will shake up your brain if you’re not super familiar with financial investments, financial independence, and planning a future of wealth. I will warn you now that it is NOT a light read. It’s definitely heady and contains a ton of stats, but it will make you rethink how you spend and how you save.
I loved it because it dispels the myth that you have to have some amazing high-paying job to be a millionaire. Our income is our greatest builder of wealth, but so many people live fully to their means or beyond their means, rather than under their means in order to vigorously save and invest early in life.
Reading this will definitely make you re-think your spending choices on so many things—big (like a house or car) to small (like clothes)—and is a must-read if you don’t want to be working until you have one foot in the grave.
*****
A few of the other books I’ve read have to do with the art of storytelling and how to master this craft. They’ve been informative and entertaining, but more specific to my line of work, so not necessarily books you’d want to read.
How are you doing on your goals? Have you had to change or tweak them as the year’s gone by? I figure that so long as I’m moving forward, it’s okay to change them a little bit. Here’s to quarter two!
It’s good to ebb and flow as you see the results of changes made with your goals. Wise thinking!
One of my goals is to travel more, which I suppose is a selfish one, although it is so enriching—and I know that I’m getting closer and closer to the time when I will no longer feel comfortable traveling by myself or I’m no longer able to travel. I’m pleased with my frequency of travel and I’m excited to plan more trips!