The Compound Effect, Conclusion

In Conclusion:

Learning without execution is useless.
Motivation without action leads to self-delusion.
Ideas uninvested are wasted.
To get different results, you are going to have to do things differently.

It is time to make a new choice--choose to not let the next five years be a continuum of the last.

No matter what you want out of life, the best way to work toward it is to begin by focusing energy on giving to others.  If you want to build you self-confidence, help someone else gain confidence.  If you want to feel more hopeful, positive and inspired, try to infuse that for someone else.  If you want more success for yourself, the fastest way to get it is to go about helping someone else obtain it.

Five People Who Would Benefit From Reading This Book:
1- Christina  (done)
2- Creig (done)
3- Mary Jo
4- Marci?
5- Cheri?

----------------------------

Personal Thoughts:
This book helped me to recognize some aspects of my life in the past, bringing to attention the real reasons my life is what it is today.  I had made a practice of using factors and situations of the past, as my excuses why I am where I am today.  The reality that I failed to recognize, was that I was responsible for the choices I made along the way.  Sure there were factors and situations that occurred...but it was me who made the choices that followed.  I am where I am today because of the choices that I made.  If I want my "tomorrow" to be different, then I have to change my actions today.  The choices I make today will define my outcome tomorrow.

Additional Note:
I think one of the hardest things to do is to recognize that you, yourself, are ready for change...but others in your life have no interest in changing.  They persist in negative and morally defeating thought patterns and actions, and in doing so, have an impact on others around them.  Rather than be proactive in a positive way, they are defeating and do so in a negative way. 

The Compound Effect, Ch 06 - Find The Line Of Expectation And Then Exceed It!

This is my son and Lance Armstrong.  Both share a bond, a certain health issue.

"There is a point in every race when a rider encounters his real opponent and understands that it's himself."  Lance Armstrong

Chapter 6
When you have prepared, practiced, studied and consistently put in the required effort, sooner or later you will be presented with your own moment of truth.  In that moment, you will define who you are and who you are becoming.  It is in those moments where growth and improvement live....when we either step forward or shrink back...

Hitting "the wall" is not an obstacle, it is an opportunity.

When conditions are great, things are easy, there aren't any distractions, no one is interupting, temptations are not luring, and nothing is disturbing your stride; that too is when most everyone else does great.  It is not until situations are difficult, when problems come up and temptation is great, that you get to prove your worthiness for progress.  When you hit "the wall" in your disciplines, routines, rhythms, and consistency, realize that's when you are separating yourself from your own self, scaling that wall, and finding your new powerful, triumphant, and victorious self.

In our attention-deficit, propaganda-saturated society, sometimes doing the unexpected is required to get your voice heard.

Find the line of expectation and then exceed it. 
---------------------------------------

Summary Action Steps:

When do you hit your moments of truth?  Identify so you know when to push through to find new growth and where you can separate yourself from others and your own self.
---I face a moment of truth every night after 7 pm, repeatedly.  I face a moment of truth each day of each week of classes.  I face a moment of truth when I see negativity in others, and I then have to choose to "jump in" or "walk-away".

Find three areas in your life where you can do extra.
---Volunteer work.
---Extra effort in school work.
---Talking to others about Shakeology.
---More consistent and committed effort in my diet.

Identify three areas in your life where you can beat the expectations.  Where and how can you create "wow" moments.
---I can put more effort into "wow" school work, instead of getting by on minimum.
---I can go gung-ho on my diet plan and "wow" people with my progress.
---

Identify three ways you can do the unexpected.  Where can you differentiate from what is common, normal, or expected?
---I can pay more attention to my appearance, instead of just being comfortable.
---I can be uplifting, encouraging, positive and motivating.
---I can volunteer for more and make a difference.

The Compound Effect, pgs 113-132

The Compound Effect, pgs 113-117

Consistency is the key to achieving and maintaining momentum.  (pg 114)

Miss only a couple weeks of anything--workouts at the gym, affectionate gestures toward your spouse, or the phone calls that are a part of your prospecting routine--and you don't just lose the results those two weeks would have produced.  (pg 115)

Making the right choice, holding up to right behaviors, practicing perfect habits, staying consistent, and keeping your momentum is easier said than done, especially in the dynamic, constantly changing and always challenging world we share with billions of people.  (pg 116)

Summary Action Steps:

1-Build book-end morning and evening routines.  

2-Three three areas of life where I am not consistent?
  What has this inconsistency cost me?
--Diet, Exercise, Organization
--I am out of shape, my diet is lousy and lack of organization has affected my "back stock", finances, and daily routine.

3- Record 6 key behaviors relevant to my new goals.

The Compound Effect, pgs 118-132

Choices, no matter how insignificant, when compounded, can make an extreme impact on my life.
I am 100% responsible for my life.  Everyone is affected by three kinds of influences: input (what you feed your mind), associations (the people who you spend your time with), and environment (surroundings). (pg 119)

I. Input: Garbage In, Garbage Out

To run at peak performance, we have to be vigilant about consuming the highest-quality nutrients and avoiding tempting junk food.  (pg 120)

We cannot change our DNA but we can change our behavior. (pg 121)

You get in life what you create in life. (pg 121)

Step 1: Stand Guard

Your friends, family members, and your own negative mental tapes can muck up your life.  (pg 123)

No matter how good at avoiding negativity we think we are, and no matter how we train ourselves to be relentlessly positive, when it comes to sensationalism, our basic nature cannot resist.  (pg 125)

Step 2: Enroll in Drive-Time U

The time you currently are wasting, could be better used obtaining the equivalent of a Ph.D. in leadership, sales success, wealth building, relationship excellence--or whatever course you choose. 

II. Associations: Who's Influencing You?

The people we habitually associate are called your "reference group."  We tell the quality of our health, attitude, and income by looking at the people around us.  The people with whom we spend our time with, determine what conversations dominate our attention, and to which attitudes and opinions we are regularly exposed.  We start to eat what they eat, talk like they talk, read what they read, think like they think, watch what they watch, treat people how they treat them, even dress like they dress.  (pg. 127)

What is the combined average income, health, or attitudes of five people I spend most of my time with? (pg 128)

Shift associations into three categories: dissociations, limited associations, and expanded associations. (pg 128)

Dis-Associations:

Make the hard choice to not let certain negative influences affect you anymore.  (pg 129)

Determine the quality of life you want to have, and then surround yourself with the people who represent and support that vision. ... Put up boundaries between you and people who drag you down. ... Breaking away will not be easy.  (pg 130)

Limited Associations:

The influence of associations is both powerful and subtle.  The person you are walking with can determine whether you slow your pace or quicken it, literally and figuratively. ... Identify people who have positive qualities in the areas of life where you want to improve--people with the financial and business success you desire, the parenting skills you want, the relationships you yearn for, the lifestyle you love.  (pg 131)

Befriend the person you think is the biggest, baddest, most successful person.  (pg 133)

-------------------------------------------

Association Evaluator:

Name:         
MR -  10, 2, 5, 0, 2,  5,   3,  5..... Average 4.97
CW -    6, 9, 8, 7, 9,  8,   8,  9 ..... Average 8
CL -     8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 10, 10, 10.... Average 8.75

The Compount Effect, pgs 93-101 ("Mo")

How To Meet "Mo":
(Momentum, Motivation, Moving)

* Make new choices based on goals and core values.
* Put those choices to work through new positive behaviors.
* Repeat healthy actions long enough to establish new habits. (21 days?)
* Build routines and rhythms into your daily disciplines.
* Stay consistent over a long enough period of time. (21 days?)

Habits, disciplines, routines and consistency are the keys that unlock "Mo". (pg 98)

The best routines fail because we do not have a system of execution.
To reach new goals and develop new habits, it is necessary to create new routines to support your objectives.  (pg 99)

-----------------------------

Dear "Mo",

I would really like to hang out with you "long-term". 
I am really frustrated that I have not met you sooner. 
Where have you been hiding?  I need your help.
There are some things I would like to change in my life.
I need momentum.  I need motivation.  I need to get moving.
There is going to be a major attempt to find you, Mo.

Sincerely, Me.

------------------------------

The Compound Effect, pgs 83-92 (Game Changers)

Game Changers
Six Ways For Installing Good Habits

01- Set yourself Up To Succeed
02- Think Addition, Not Subtraction
03- Go For PDA: Public Display of Accountability
04- Find A Success Buddy
05- Competition & Camaraderie
06- Celebrate

"It's not so much what you attempt to take out of your diet, it's what you put in it."

TV is an easy mental escape from reality.

Summary Action Steps

--Three best habits that support my most important goal:
01- I like to eat fresh fruits and veggies.
02- I look for, and buy healthy food.
03- I read nutrition labels.

--Three bad habits that take me off course from my most important goal:
01- I have snack attacks, later at night.
02- I do not stop myself when I know I'm making the wrong choices.
03- I do not stay consistent long enough to establish a new habit.

--Three new habits I need to develop to get on track:
01- I need to build strength in being able to avoid wrong choices.
02- I need to build consistency, and accountability.
03- I need to establish an exercise program, and stick to it.

--My core motivation:
I haven't found one yet, that is strong enough to get and keep me going.

--My "Why" power:
I want to live.  I want to someday see & meet future grandchildren.  I want to be happy.

As for "Living Your Best Year Ever--A Proven System for Achieving BIG GOALS...
That is not a cheap program, from what I've seen from the research into it that I've done.

The Compound Effect, pgs 70-83 (Goals & Habits)

You only see, experience, and get what you look for.  If you don't know what ot look for, you certainly won't get it. (pg 70)

When you define your goals, you give your brain something new to look for and focus on. (pg 71)

Goals:
01- I want to achieve a bachelor's degree.
02- I want to maintain a 3.5 or higher, GPA.  Currently 4.0
03- I want all of my credit cards paid off.
04- I want to own my own house.
05- I want to lose weight.
06- I want to be size 9-11 again.
07- I want to end my food addiction.
08- I want a health care career.
09- I want to have long-term friends I can hang out with.
10- I want to achieve a more positive life and thinking.

What stands between me and my goal is my behavior.

YOU => CHOICE + BEHAVIOR + HABIT + COMPOUNDED = GOALS

You => Decision + Action + Repeated Action + Time = Goals

Top Three Goals:
01- Lose weight
02- Be debt free
03- Positive Thinking

Habits and behaviors never lie....there's a discrepancy between what you say and what you do.

Five Strategies For Eliminating Bad Habits:
Identify Triggers:
01- I am more likely to succumb to temptation at night when I'm aloe.
02- I am more likely to step outside my boundaries when I get "generous".
03- It is far too easy to stay in my familiar comfort zone.
Clean House
01- I am not able to remove trigger and temptation foods from my house.  I wish I could.
02- I can pay off debt and refuse to reload.
03- Refuse to go there.  Let it go.
Swap It
01- Set a "cut-off" time daily.  Take a walk or shower when triggers pop up.
02- I can leave credit and debit cards at home.  Avoid likely spending places.
03- I can remind myself with daily positive quotes and inspiration.
Ease In
01- I can reduce fat, calories and cholesterol.  I can increase fiber.
02- I can work towards a cash only basis.
03- Force myself to stop and investigate where that thought came from.
Jump In
01- Go to the gym.  Go for a walk with dogs.
02-
03- Share positive inspiration with others. Motivate others.

Sometimes wading in does not work and you need to jump all in.
You cannot always wait until the perfect moment, day or time.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Habit Assessment:

Who I Need To Become:
* I will be organized.
* I am determined.
* I am a work in progress.
* I will be debt free.
* I will have a bachelor's degree.
* I can accomplish more (work, exercise, progress) every day.
* I will inspire and motivate myself.
* I will succeed.
* I will inspire others.
* I will be an asset.
* I will believe in myself.

New Habits, Disciplines or Behaviors I Need To Start:
* see list above this section.
* Be more productive.

Existing Healthy Habits, Disciplines or Behaviors I Need To Expand:
* My education, GPA, must remain a priority.
* My children will remain a priority.
* I need to expand my "awareness".
* I need to discipline myself more.

Poor Habits Or Behaviors I Need To STOP:
* Disorganization
* Procastination
* Lack of Self-Esteem
* Negative Thinking
* Criticism


*

The Compound Effect, pgs 43-54 (Moment-To-Moment Choices)

My life is the product of my moment-to-moment choices. (page 53)

My outcomes are all a result of my moment-to-moment choices.  I have the incredible power to change my life by changing my choices.  Step by step, day by day, my choices will shape my actions until they become habits, where practice makes them permanent. (page 53)

Eliminate sabotaging habits and instill the needed positive habits, and I can take my life in any direction I desire, to the heights of my imagination. (page 53)

Summary Action Steps:

1) What area, person, or circumstance do I struggle with the most?

 --Me.  I put unnecessary hurdles in my path.  I am grateful for how my body has put up with me so far.  Action: I am grateful that I am not high-maintenance.  I am grateful for this fire inside of me that won't quit, and which refuses to be "put out".
--Finances.  I cave in to pressure too easily, and then I find myself angry afterwards because I chose to not stay within my own limits.  I enjoy doing for others, but sometimes I let others take advantage of my generosity.  Action: I am thankful to have money to pay bills with, pay for a roof over my head, pay for a vehicle to drive, and all of the basic luxuries of life.
--Health.  I know what I should be doing and that is not matching what I am doing.  I need to start making the little changes that will improve my long-term results.  Action:  Again, I am thankful that my body has put up with me so far.  I am thankful that I have enough sense to avoid many obstacles that others put-up with.

2) Where in my life am I not taking 100% responsibility for the success or failure of my present:

--I am not taking responsibility for my financial limits.  I am not taking full responsibility for my health.  I am not taking responsibility for my productiveness, or lack of.

Three things that I have done, that messed things up.
--I let my integrity go in a volunteer job.
--I pursued a marriage with someone I should never have married.
--I began a food addiction that has controlled more than half of my life.

Three things that I should have done but didn't:
--I should have tried to be a single parent.
--I should have focused on college the first time around.
--I should have pursued a career path.

Three things that happened to me, but I responded poorly:
--I went from one controlling situation into a controlling marriage.
--I let negative thinking take up too much space in my head.
--I allowed others to negatively influence/effect certain aspects of my life.
--Instead of taking responsibility for my choices, I pointed fingers.

Three things I can start doing right now to take back responsibility for the outcomes of my life:
--I can start making changes in my diet and exercise.
--I can stay within my financial limits and on track toward goals.
--I can continue with college classes and open up options in the future.

3) I am going to invest more fully in tracking my diet, exercise and finances.  I will continue working toward my bachelor's degree.

The Compound Effect, Chapter 1

The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy:
From what I have read of this book so far, I see a lot of stuff that makes sense to me.

I'm one who likes to sit down and read a book from start to finish, ASAP.
It is going to take some discipline, but I am going to take a page from
"The Tortoise and the Hare" and read it slow and steady.

Excuses I Am Using:
- "I'll start tomorrow!"
- My past.
- My present.
- "Why bother?  No one else cares, why should I?"

Small Steps:
- Read something inspirational or motivational every day.
- Learn something new every day.
- Log my diet every day.
- Start taking one Omega-3 Krill Oil daily.
- Accomplish something every day.
- Pay myself daily, for success on previous 5 small steps.
- Stay the course with my class requirements.

Stop The Backward Thinking:
- Do not put off until tomorrow, what I can do today.
- Do not let my past influence my future.
- What I do today, has an effect on my tomorrow.
- I care, therefore it matters to me!

I have succeeded when I focus on the goal ahead.
I have succeeded in raising decent children with morals.
I have succeeded in removing myself from unhealthy associations.
I have succeeded in overcoming my fears about getting a college education.
I have succeeded in discovering the path to my long-term goals.
I have successfully maintained good grades in my college classes.

Chapter 1 Notes:
Root of the matter:
-Instead of seeing that poor choices and behaviors are the root of the problem, people find fault with others. (page 15)
- Believing somone else is wrong, rather than looking inside and doing the necessary work to clean up our own messes, is basic Psychology 101 stuff. (page 15)

Perseverence & Success:
- We have to keep working, consistently and efficiently, before we can begin to see the payoff. (page 17)
- The secret to success is hard work, discipline, and good habits. (page 17)
-  If we want to succeed, we need to recover our grandparents' work ethic. (page 19)

Complacence:
- We have to be on guard to not "become like the frog in the boiling water that doesn't jump to his freedom because the warming is so incremental and insidious, that he doesn't notice he's getting cooked." (page 18-19)