Habits Die Hard

By Dan Nielsen

January 12, 2012


Mac Anderson and John Murphy recently wrote a small but very powerful book entitled Habits Die Hard: 10 Steps To Building Successful Habits. The publisher, Simple Truths, describes the critical importance of this powerful, life-changing book as follows:

“We are all creatures of habit and if you make good habits, good habits will make you. This wisdom has been around since ancient times. Aristotle once said, ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.’

The subconscious mind – the habitual mind – is over one million times more powerful than the conscious mind. This means that we spend a substantial amount of our lifetime on ‘autopilot,’ playing out the mental programs that govern our behavior.

Whether they are a positive force in our lives or obstacles to the goals we want to achieve, habits become ingrained through repeated actions.

Here’s the point: Habits – good, bad, or neutral – are difficult to break… they Die Hard! The real key to success is replacing destructive habits with successful habits.”

I particularly enjoyed and totally agree with the “food for thought” offered by the authors at the beginning of this excellent book.

“I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.
Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me.
For I can do them quickly, correctly and profitably.
I am easily managed; just be firm with me.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a
machine and the intelligence of a person.
You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done.  Educate me.  Train me.
Lead me.  Reward me.
And I will then… do it automatically.
I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.”

Habits Die Hard: 10 Steps To Building Successful Habits is available at www.simpletruths.com.  Not only are successful habits critical to your current and future success, they are critical to the success of every member of your family, your team, your company, your customers, your clients and everyone else in your life.  This brief book would be an outstanding gift – both to yourself, and to those whose success is important to you.

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About the author

Dan Nielsen is the author of the books Be An Inspirational Leader: Engage, Inspire, Empower, and Presidential Leadership: Learning from United States Presidential Libraries & Museums. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership excellence and achieving greater success, and is available to deliver keynotes, lead workshops, or facilitate discussions for your group. LEARN MORE

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