Customer Reviews

Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a fellow researcher in psychology, I ordered "Succeed" because I was familiar with Dr. Halvorson's scientific accomplishments and found it interesting that she was writing outside the closed-off world of elite scientific journals. After a snowy weekend of reading, I'm stunned by what she has created: "Succeed" is extraordinary, and something only a tiny number of my colleagues could ever have done so well.

In "Succeed," Dr. Halvorson applies real science to the real goals and struggles we all face: losing weight, building better relationships, getting a raise, strengthening willpower, and even just getting up from the couch on those days we feel stuck. Whether one wants to get out of a lousy rut in life or go further faster, "Succeed" presents a comprehensive, step-by-step, scientifically-sound "toolkit" for success.

Using examples from her own life as a working professional, wife, and mother, Dr. Halvorson describes the best ways to frame our goals, plan for success, and put those plans into action - and that includes dealing with moments when we fall down along the way. Piles of scientific studies reveal that HOW we pursue our goals powerfully influences how likely we are to be successful, and many of the most effective methods are genuinely surprising. In "Succeed," Dr. Halvorson takes those studies from the laboratory to life.

All along, Dr. Halvorson's writing is engaging, down-to-earth, and often humorous. I found "Succeed" engaging and enjoyable, and have a feeling it came as much from the heart as from the mind. There's no useless nonsense here about "picturing yourself thin" or asking "the universe" to give you that raise. Instead, Dr. Halvorson has crafted a true, realistic guidebook for boosting motivation, achieving goals, and personal growth. "Succeed" is an absolute success, and I hope we see more from this talented scientist and writer.

I loved this book, because it combines two of my favorite things: surprising and interesting science described in simple English, and the writing of a brilliant and very funny woman.

First, the science: "Succeed" describes different aspects of setting and achieving goals from the perspective of research psychology. Every suggestion in this book is backed up with, "... and here is how psychologists proved that it works:", with a discussion of some crazy study involving vinegar Kool-aid or internet disses or Robin Williams. The other cool thing about Dr. Grant Halvorson's work here is that she takes interesting psychology results and explains succinctly how to use them in real ways to improve your life, in whatever area of your life that needs improvement. Her advice is left general, which I like; what it takes to lose weight or change jobs or quit smoking is at heart the same stuff, and Dr. Grant Halvorson knows that stuff well. The only downside of this book is a minor one-- she will have you convinced that, say, action X is exactly the right one to take for a given situation, but instead of moving on, she'll repeat a few more times why you should take action X and give you many more convincing studies than you need. They're still interesting, but from a proselytizing standpoint, enough already! You had me at the second or third study!

Next, the writer: Dr. Grant Halvorson's writing reads like that girlfriend you turn to when you're going through a rough patch, who takes you out for a beer and tells you how not only has she been there, here's how she got through it, here's what worked for your other friends, and here, have another beer. She illustrates her intellectual points with perfect anecdotes from her own experience, e.g. with her prevention-focused German mother, her beloved, hapless philosopher husband, or the ending of her first marriage. She is not some ivory tower scientist; she has a personal understanding of how we struggle.

This book is life changing. If you want to finally, finally meet those goals you keep setting and falling short on, (or figure out whether you should just chuck them and move on), you need "Succeed".

This book was an absolutely wonderful read; I couldn't put it down. I read a lot of books like this and Heidi Halvorson has produced a truly superior product with this book. Every chapter is clearly composed, filled with stories and examples, describes the research behind the conclusions, and ends with a bulleted summary of the key concepts.

There are some counter-intuitive ideas presented, all backed up by research, that can't help but improve your chances of success in achieving your goals - whatever they may be. I can't recommend this book highly enough and I believe you will be very pleased should you decide to get it.

This is one of the best books on goals that I have ever read. It is based not on motivational hysteria but on sound science. The author explains clearly, directly, relevantly and with humor both the how's and why's of goal setting. For example, she explains the difference and impact between "being good" goals and "getting better" goals. For the most part, the latter are the ones we should pursue. This is also consistent with Carol Dweck's work on the fixed vs the growth mindsets, a dichotomy that is also backed up by sound research. She debunks the idea that goals can be achieved by visualizing the end result - the fact is that you need to visualize all the steps that it will take to get there, including the obstacles. In this and other ways this book is a reasoned tonic against the facile bromides thrown out by motivational gurus who spout metaphysical nonsense, as in The Secret. Grant Halvorson demonstrates clearly why effort, perseverance and mundane things like good planning, strategies and scheduling are the keys to achieving goals, not excessive optimism. Probably the most important point she makes is the need for the culture to back off the emphasis on talent, smarts and innate ability. This focus has probably done more harm to the self-esteem and success of our population than many other factors. It creates the sense in the individual that either you got it or you don't, which is far from the truth. This book along with Daniel Coyle's The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. and Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success make a good triumvirate of the foundations of success.

Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals is a wonderful, in-depth look at goal achievement. I believe most students of self-improvement have been taught to write out their goals, get clear about what you want and take focused action to achieve them. Unfortunately a high percentage of people who set goals do not achieve them. Heidi Halvorson, the author of Succeed, has made her life mission to study goals, what works and what works against us. She has captured this in a very easy to read and very enlightening book.

If you are familiar with and like Carol Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, then I feel certain you will want to read this book. Ms. Dweck wrote the introduction to this book and in my mind this book seems like a natural extension of Mindset.

There are lots of ideas we have about goal setting, motivation and success which are simply wrong. Ms. Halvorson does a very good job of taking the reader through the complete process, from 1) setting goals to 2) avoiding the things which are likely to derail us to 3) achieving our goals.

I believe the self-help industry has done most people a huge disservice because for the most part we have been presented a rather simple picture of what is in fact a rather complex process. This book guides the reader through the process of understanding which goals keep you moving forward, how optimists and pessimists approach goals in a totally different manner.

All the information is presented with numerous examples from research which validates the points being made. It is much easier to grasp and believe the information because of the research studies which accompany the lessons.

Ms. Halvorson writes with a breezy, conversational style and occasionally she shows a real sense of humor. She is quick to share her own experiences with goals.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about setting goals. You will learn why some of your past efforts were not successful. You will also learn strategies which will help you with your present and future goals. The book is very interesting and refreshing to read but Ms. Halvorson also talks very straight about taking personal responsibility.

To be honest, I do not believe you will get all the value from this book in one reading. I plan to go back through the book at least one more time and certainly plan to keep it handy to refer to often.

There are lots of insights you will gain from this book. It is a great resource for coaches, teacher, mentors and anyone dealing with motivating people. Highly recommended.

Others have their own reasons for praising this book. Here are five of mine.

1. The book is very well written. Heidi Grant Halvorson has accumulated, organized, and then expressed (with uncommon eloquence) an abundance of valuable information, insights, and advice that can help almost anyone achieve almost all the goals they set.

2. Halvorson immediately establishes and then develops a direct and personal rapport with her reader. How unusual to feel that she wrote the book expressly for me. Others tell me that they had the same sense of rapport. Halvorson has created a book that comes about as close as a bound volume can to serving as a mentor and coach, a companion really, during each reader's lengthy and challenging but ultimately rewarding journey of self-discovery.

3. Halvorson makes skillful use of various reader-friendly devices such as a "What You Can Do" section at the conclusion of chapters. Her focus is always on "how" rather than on "why." Her advice is always specific ("'Lose five pounds' is a better goal than `Lose some weight.'") and anchored in the real-world as well as dozens of checklists that stress key points and facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review later.

4. Although I do not agree with her, that almost anyone can achieve the goals they set, I realize why she stresses that point throughout her book. She obviously agrees with Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right." Those who do not believe in themselves probably need Halvorson's faith in them and in what they can accomplish. I defer to her optimism without sharing it.

5. Finally, almost everything she recommends is do-able. What she offers is a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective program for (a) identifying what the most important career and/or personal goals, (b) developing a an aggressive but realistic "game plan" for achieving them, (c) enlisting the assistance and obtaining the resources needed, (d) making necessary adjustments along the way, and then (e) continuing the program to ensure that new goals are set as other goals are either achieved or eliminated.

Heidi Grant Halvorson is convinced that she can help almost anyone to achieve the goals they set IF they are willing to make and then sustain a commitment to the program she proposes. According to one of my favorite Chinese aphorisms, the best time to plant a tree is 100 years ago. The next best time is now.

What are you waiting for?

Succeed by Heidi Grant Halvorson is awesome! If you are looking for a book based on scientific data to learn how to succeed, this is it!

The most beneficial point I read in her book is her idea of Being Good vs. Getting Better. Being good is the idea that there is a finite limit to how successful, smart, talented we are. Therefore, we are always looking to validate ourselves or to prove our intelligence. This is one limited way of thinking.

Getting better is the idea that there is always room for improvement. Yes, we start out with what we are born with (intelligence, talent, etc) but it's up to us to develop what we have to continue our own personal growth. How awesome is that! I used to think that I wasn't creative because of how I would compare myself to others. But now I know, that I am creative, and it's up to me to cultivate that creativity into something that I want to produce.

Succeed is a great book with lots of ideas to apply in your life. She even gives little summaries at the end of each chapter to remind us of the big ideas. Highly recommend this book!

Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson has distilled a large body of research on reaching goals into an exceptionally well-written book that individuals, leaders, managers, parents, coaches, and anyone interested in getting things done should read. The tone of her writing is just right: Personable, short easily-remembered anecdotes, humor, a style reflecting her love of her work, and articulate but "unacademic" (which is a challenge for one who publishes a lot of professional papers and books). The content is relevant to a wide audience, and reflects current state-of-the-field research, but it is also practical, showing us the many myths society carries about motivation and how to correct our misconceptions (business owners: are you paying attention?). If you need to motivate yourself and navigate to a goal, or need to get others to, this book is an effective way to learn how to do that, or correct your course midstream. Dr. Halvorson's book is research-tested, not based on unsupported narrative, and therefore is information to be trusted.

Let's see, I set a fairly simple seven goals for myself in early 2010. Here it is, the end of the year and haven't fully achieved any of them. Where did I go wrong?

I rarely buy self-help books these days, as after a quick skim they tend to collect dust on the bookshelf. Yet with the New Year approaching, and a new set of goals (including some from last year), I felt a little motivation boost was in order.

Forgive the lack of detail in this review, as I have not read the entire book yet. The 5 star rating is based on my standard skimming of each chapter. If indeed the book helps me achieve my 2011 goals, I'll be back with a follow-up.

The book is well written and well edited. It is based on comprehensive research. It's a simple read with practical solutions, if you take one chapter at a time. "Make a Simple Plan" is a chapter with immediate rewards (although it is Chapter 9, I cheated and read it first).

The dozens of motivational books that I have bought in the distant past often left me feeling flat (and a bit foolish for the money I spent on them). Succeed is clearly holding my attention.

For a little added synergy I'm reading Brian Johnson's A Philosopher's Notes in parallel. A Philosopher's Notes - On optimal living, creating an authentically awesome life and other such goodness Simply put again, both books are well worth the modest price and will not disappoint.

What a great book! It lays out in very simple language the science of goal setting and changing our habits. And then she summarizes the key points at the end of each chapter. Goals and how to achieve them are different for each of us. The author does a great job of breaking down these different facets and how to apply the concepts to different personalities. I read this on my Kindle and the message resonated with me so deeply that I went out and bought a hard copy, just so I could underline, annotate, and refer back to passages that were important to me. This is the best book I have found on the subject of the mechanics of goal setting. I highly recommend this book.