Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done
by Jon Acuff
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"Year after year, readers pulled me aside at events and said, "I've never had a problem starting. I've started a million things, but I never finish them. Why can't I finish? According to studies, 92 percent of New Year's reso-lutions fail. You've practically got a better shot at getting into Juilliard to become a ballerina than you do at finishing your goals. For years, I thought my problem was that I didn't try hard enough. So I started getting up earlier. I drank enough energy drinks to show more kill a horse. I hired a life coach and ate more superfoods. Nothing worked, although I did develop a pretty nice eyelid tremor from all the caffeine. It was like my eye was waving at you, very, very quickly. Then, while leading a thirty-day online course to help people work on their goals, I learned something surprising: The most effective exercises were not those that pushed people to work harder. The ones that got people to the finish line did just the opposite-- they took the pressure off. Why? Because the sneakiest obstacle to meeting your goals is not laziness, but perfectionism. We're our own worst critics, and if it looks like we're not going to do something right, we prefer not to do it at all. That's why we're most likely to quit on day two, "the day after perfect"--when our results almost always underperÂform our aspirations. The strategies in this book are counterintuitive and might feel like cheating. But they're based on studies conducted by a university researcher with hundreds of participants. You might not guess that having more fun, eliminating your secret rules, and choosing something to bomb intentionally works. But the data says otherwise. People who have fun are 43 percent more successful! Imagine if your diet, guitar playing, or small business was 43 percent more sucÂcessful just by following a few simple principles. If you're tired of being a chronic starter and want to become a consistent finisher, you have two options: You can continue to beat yourself up and try harder, since this time that will work. Or you can give yourself the gift of done"-- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
A surprisingly funny and fresh self help guide that helps readers stop the pitfalls, bad thoughts, and monkey wrenches that hinder us from completing goals. It's a quick empowering read and it's a good reminder that even if we fail a goal on day two, we don't have to stop. We strive for perfection at the detriment of everything else. If we learn to accept that not all goals are perfect and we cut them in half or make it fun, we'll have far better success. My favorite chapter was on leaving your hiding places and ignoring noble obstacles because sometimes we are desperate to sabotage ourselves. That chapter really spoke to me. Overall I think this was a really helpful, fun, engaging book. Something I'll definitely refer back to!
I appreciated how straightforward it was with how to finish your goals and avoid the lies of perfectionism. I also liked the idea to take the pressure off yourself by making the goal more easily attainable or by allowing yourself to be bad in other areas in your life.
A refreshing take on a personal development topic that many authors have explored: goal setting. The author's light style and asides to the reader made me smile as I read it. Key insights from the book include: cutting a goal down in a scope or scale to get started, the incredible value of using data and rewards. If you've already read about goal setting and are feeling overwhelmed or want a new perspective, this is a good read. I recall seeing Acuff speak at the World Domination Summit in 2015 and enjoyed his presentation.
Anyone else have a book inside you? Anyone else have a dream that maybe you've started a hundred times or more...but never really quite completed? Anyone else chased by the spectre of perfection, that mean ugly voice that says if you can't do it perfectly, why bother?
This book is for you, then. Dream, yes. But DO. The world needs to hear your voice.
Now pardon me while I go write.
This book is for you, then. Dream, yes. But DO. The world needs to hear your voice.
Now pardon me while I go write.
Really enjoyed this, very relatable content!
This book gave me several ideas to ponder.
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Author Information
18 Works 2,493 Members
Jon Acuff is a New York Times Bestselling author including his title Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work and Never Get Stuck. Featured regularly on national media, Jon has been seen on CNN, Fox News, Good Day LA and several other key outlets. Jon is also the author of Punch Fear In The Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters, Quitter: show more Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job, and Stuff Christians Like. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2017-09-12
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Statistics
- Members
- 375
- Popularity
- 83,124
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.94)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 3
