[By Jeff Olson] The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness (Hardcover)【2018】by Jeff Olson (Author) (Hardcover) Unknown Binding

It could be the shift in our thinking these days or maybe it was always like this. Taking responsibility seems to be less and less of an American trait among adults and, therefore, it will be a less likely trait of our children. As ashamed as I am to admit this, it took me over 30 years to begin to accept responsibility for my actions and for the situations I was at in life. When I did, EVERYTHING CHANGED.When the switch got flipped for me, I was reading a book a friend suggested: The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. A week before I began the book, I had just encountered what felt like a devastating blow to my business. My earnings dropped over $3,000 in just two weeks. Things were not going as I had planned. I fell far shy of the goals I had set for myself. All the time and effort I had poured into my business looked as if it had not paid off and I felt like I lost control of where I was going. So I did what most people would do… I blamed everyone except for myself. I starting pointing the finger and saying, “this person didn’t do what they were supposed to do and this person didn’t do that, etc.” To me, there were a bunch of people at fault and none were the person in the mirror.You know when you lie about something long enough, you start to believe it? Well, it works the same way when you’re blaming others long enough. The more you blame others, the easier it becomes and the more you believe it yourself. You will actually start believing it’s their fault. The problem with that is, it takes the focus off of the one person that can change the circumstances… YOU. The only person you can control is you. You can’t control other people’s actions.I prayed for things to get back on track. I expected God to just make it easy for me and reward me for the work I had already done. Well, He answered my prayers in a very clever way. He decided to answer them by forcing me to grow personally. He used the book I mentioned above. I received many great messages from that book, but if I read the book and only got this one thing out of it, it was worth the entire read. The one thing was a quote by John Burroughs that changed my life and it came right when I needed it. It read, “A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.” I posted it at the beginning of this post and now I’ll post it again below. It’s that important.A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.That quote hit my like a ton of bricks in the face. The entire week before reading that quote I had blamed everyone else for what was happening with MY business. In fact, my entire life before reading that quote I had blamed others for my circumstances. I blamed student loan companies for requiring such high payments. I blamed my law school for raising prices after I had already been attending. I did the same with my undergraduate college. I blamed my job for not paying me enough and putting me in a tough situation financially. No one had been given a raise in over 5 years because my employer was near broke and didn’t know how to manage money and because of that, I paid for it… literally.My entire life was a huge blame game until I read that quote. It changed everything for me. It’s so simple that most people won’t even see the power in its truth. Here’s the simple breakdown: I have failed many times… MANY times. You learn through failure. It’s a part of life. You show me someone who has never failed and I will show you someone who has never been successful. You reach success through failing. Although I have failed many times, I am NOT a failure. I will never be one and, therefore, I will never blame somebody else for my circumstances.I look at blaming as a form of whining now. Whenever I see someone post on social media or hear them complain about their jobs, how much debt their in, their horrible co-workers, their family, etc. I only see how much they are whining and that their focus is on everything except what it needs to be on to change things… themselves.HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS"The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others." - Don ShulaNo matter where you come from, no matter what situation you are in, no matter how bad of a hand you feel that life has dealt you, it’s your fault. The first time I heard a friend say that, the quote above popped in my head. He’s was right. IT IS YOUR FAULT. The good news? Well, YOU can do something about it. That’s right… YOU can and only you can. It’s a decision. That’s what it boils down to; a simple decision. You either are or you’re not going to take responsibility for your circumstances.Here’s what happened to me when I took full responsibility for my actions. I bounced back. Not only did my business get back to where it was, but it far surpassed it. Soon I was earning in two weeks what I was previously earning in one month. Not only that, I was helping other people do the same. I eliminated over $100,000 of student loan and credit card debt in under two years. My wife and I paid for our wedding in cash. We more than replaced my salary in under a year’s time and we have given ourselves the opportunity for complete time freedom for the rest of our lives. It was as simple as making a decision to turn the finger around and point it at myself. It was as simple as that.There’s a glaring truth in the book and I’ve posted it below. We are on one of two paths in life. Which one are you on?“If you want to measure where you are, if you want to know whether you’re on the success curve or on the failure curve, or if you want to assess anyone else and determine which curve they’re on, here’s how. There is one attitude, one state of mind, which overwhelmingly predominates either side of the curve. The predominant state of mind displayed by those people on the failure curve is blame. The predominant state of mind displayed by those people on the success curve is responsibility.” – The Slight Edgehttp://sparkinginterests.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/i-have-good-news-for-you-its-your-fault/

I don’t normally write reviews on Amazon but this book definitely deserves to be known and other people to share it with. Not only is he easy to understand and gives examples but he gives practical advice and helps you see things that you do everyday in a different perspective. I’ve also read atomic habits great book, but in my honest opinion this one tops it they kind of go hand in hand. The little things really do matter.

This principal gives you a simple key that unlocks unlimited access to success that can be used in every arena of our lives, both personally and professionally.

Bought it for a friend. One of my favorite books. Listening to it on Audible for the 3rd time now.Motivates anyone to take control and make the best out of life.The book is hard cover, very nice looking.

Quality, well made paperback book.

I'm not exaggerating when I say this book changed my life. I've fitter than I've ever been, I now play the banjo fairly well, and I'm working my way through Irish on Duolingo with a 180 day streak. None of that would have happened before this book. I now tell anyone I can about what a difference it's made, and I've purchased it for two other people haha. It outlines a new mindset, but I believe you have to first approach with a mindset ready to listen and be willing to change your behaviors.

Inspiration and insights on turning simple discliplines into massive success and happiness. A way of thinking that enables you to make the daily choices to love the life you have as you create and co-create the life of your dreams. Karen Briscoe author

I never could stick to working out regularly because I was so brainwashed into wanting instant results. After a couple weeks I would give up when I didn't transform into Brad Pitt overnight. This book gave me such an interesting perspective on life and a lot has changed for me by putting my focus on everyday getting a little bit better doing the mundane things right. I used to sleep in every chance I got and would lazily do the minimum required to get things done. I couldn't wake up early in the morning if my house was on fire.A couple months later after reading this book and slowly waking up just 10 minutes earlier each day and working out 5 times a week and I feel like a completely different person. I got home from work sometimes at 10:00 PM at night exhausted and would still go workout because I wasn't discouraged about how weak I was at the moment, I just told myself I would do it to keep the habit going and get just a little bit better. That attitude has made me massively more productive. I wakeup at 6:30 in the morning now and write out my goals for the day, what I'm grateful for, a positive experience I've had, a little quote to remind of something in the Slight Edge book, I meditate, eat breakfast, and then go workout. By the time I go to work or college classes my day has already felt successful to the point where it carries on throughout the day like a snowball effect making my day better and better. This book hit home for me in talking about how happiness creates more success not the other way around.In the book he talks about little habits to increase happiness and that in itself is worth getting the book. What you do to go from failure to survival is the same things that take people from survival to success if they would just keep doing them. I keep doing those little things each day now and feel like a compounding penny, changing unnoticeably initially but eventually compounding my value a hundredfold.