Million Dollar Habits

Robert Ringer discusses 10 habits (in order of importance) that contribute to success: 1. Accurate perception of reality 2. Developing an attitude to objectively evaluate alternatives and creative out-of-the-box thinking in the face of difficult situations. 3. Keeping problems in relative perspective, e.g., comparing day-to-day problems with true catastrophes such as death of near-ones, life-long disability / disease enables one to not panic unduly from more "normal" problems 4. Live in the present - identify what you enjoy doing and are naturally good at. Then, continuously seek opportunities that enable you to spend more time on these activities. 5. Morality - Every action has a consequence although the final result may be delayed. Taking short-cuts eventually come back to bite you and damage you in a variety of ways. 6. Numerous ways to improve human relations including brevity, compassion, assertiveness, discretion, closure, genuineness, refined behavior, responsibility & commitment, tolerance, and win-win. 7. Simplicity - evaluate your time / frustration costs and let more grievances slide, 8. Discontinue reltionships with folks that drain you 9. Self-discipline 10. Action / persistence The habits are easy to understand and are intuitive. Reading the book will help you identify and act on several improvements.

...will set you on your way to success. Ringer drills home the point of improving a little each day. Hits it right on the head when he states that success is not revolutionary. This is a sleeper of a personal development book...a book that does not get as much credit as it should considering all the sage information that can be sifted out of it. I loved the empathy that he showed when describing his troubles with the psychological hangup he encountered with overeating. I thought I was hearing myself talk when I read Ringer say things like "I've eaten so much already, what the heck, I'll go for broke and really pig out and see what kind of damage I can do." This "exception rule" was my favorite. If I had ten thumbs, all of them would be up with regards to to "Million Dollar Habits". I normally don't bother writing reviews...but Ringer deserves every ounce of praise that I pour on him in this A+ review.

Starting in 1983, I read every success manual I could get my hands on. Think and Grow Rich. How To Get Control of Your TIme and Your Life. Laws of Success. But my life never permanently changed and I couldn't figure out why. Then, about a year ago (2000)I reached a low point and started making some real changes. The way I saw things in my life, in other people, got away from people who sucked the life out of me, etc. Things have continued to get better and better than ever! As I reflected on why my life started to change, I came across my old yellow copy of "Million Dollar Habits." (Complete with stuff written in the margins that I can't even relate to anymore!) As I read through the table of contents and began re-reading the book, I realized what I did last year was I started living each and every habit listed in the book! Now, I am buying myself a new copy and rereading it again. I am also giving it to my teenage daughter for her birthday and my best friend. If you read, believe and put into practice each and every habit (the order in which they are given is not random, it is the order of importance) you will be amazed at the changes that take place in your life. This book should be taught in every school.

A lot in this book is very helpful. Ringer says the habits are simple. Well, if they are so simple, how come everbody doesn't follow them? But then I read the founder of Gateway (or was it Dell) Computer's quote when he was listed on the "Forbes 400". He was on that list as a billionaire. He said, "Business is simple. It's not easy, but it's simple." And it made me think of this book. Losing weight is simple. Even Forrest Gump could comprehend that to lose weight, you need to eat less than you burn off. But then 54% of the USA is overweight-to-obese, despite how simple it is to lose weight (it's just not easy). Well, same with this book. The rules related are simple, but not easy. And one thing that makes Ringer's advice something worth listening to is, he has messed up a lot. He made and lost a fortune twice, and was $1/2 a million in debt after the second time. But climbed his way back to wealth a third time. So that suggests his rules work. A lot of people get rich through luck. But if they went broke, they'd stay broke (as some do). But if Ringer can become rich three seperate times, maybe so can the rest of us. He messed up, but learned not to mess up, so maybe we can learn too.(He relates some of this in the "financial hurdle" chapter in his book LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER 1).

I've read a lot of books on success, and they all say basically the same thing: Have a goal, keep a good attitude, work hard. But reading it isn't enough. Some fundamentals have to be constantly reinforced. Ringer presents ten basic principles for success and presents them well. He adds a couple of important principles many writers neglect, like how to deal with people who drain you of your enthusiasm.It is easy reading, and will reinforce your commitment to doing the fundamentals. Sometimes you just have to hear something one more time to make it stick. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I am an expert on effective self-help material. Million Dollar Habits fits the bill. Definitely worth reading.