“This ability to learn hard things quickly plays a key role in the attempt to become a superstar in just about any field.”Deep work will help you learn hard things quickly. If you master hard things quickly, you will always rank among the top earners in your field. Once you learn what deep work is, you can start putting your energy into deep work and do great work, instead of just answering emails or dabbling in low-grade work activities. It is amazing to create something so good that nobody else can create it.

The Idea

“Your will is not a manifestation of your character that you can deploy without limit; it’s instead like a muscle that tires.”Following a deep work philosophy will help you push through your limits and achieve great success in life. Most people want to have the flexibility that the deep work philosophies provide. It is very important that you find the deep work philosophy that works best for you in your current circumstances.If you support your work with habits and rituals, you will have the power to produce creative, intelligent, and deep work at will.

Rule #1: Work Deeply

“Efforts to deepen your focus will struggle if you don’t simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on distraction.”By scheduling internet time, you train your mind to focus for long hours and avoid distractions. You build strong mental muscles for focus and concentration just like people build physical muscles in the gym.If you then spend your idle time meditating, and on important work issues, you’ll be able to utilize extra time and increase your productivity.

Rule #2: Embrace Boredom

“Stuff accumulates in people’s lives, in part, because when faced with a specific act of elimination it’s easy to worry, “What if I need this one day?” and then use this worry as an excuse to keep the item in question sitting around.”Spending excessive time on the internet not only affects our work but also our relationships. By cutting down your internet time, you will be more productive at work, and your relationships will deepen and become more meaningful.Instead of sending excessive time on the internet, spending more time on structured hobbies will lead you to a quality life.

Rule #3: Quit Social Media

“Once you’ve hit your deep work limit in a given day, you’ll experience diminishing rewards if you try to cram in more.”By creating an effective schedule for your day, you’ll make powerful progress as your day unfolds. It is a great tool to supercharge your productivity and achieve massive success. By measuring the depth of a task, you’ll be able to focus your energy like a sharp laser. This will boost your productivity and chances of success.

Rule #4: Drain the Shallows

One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world. 'Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy. And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way. A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, DEEP WORK takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world and this book will point the way.

Productivity

Deep Work

“The human is the only animal on earth that pays a thousand times for the same mistake.”Our beliefs are conditioned by punishment. Whenever we do something wrong, we punish ourselves so as to reinforce the mistake. This is true for all animals of this world. However, we humans take it one step further and punish ourselves over and over again every time we are reminded of the mistake. This is extremely unfair to us, as it causes suffering and decreases our happiness.

The First Agreement: Be Impeccable With Your Word

“Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”When you take the negative things others say about you personally, you get trapped in your own personal importance because you are operating under the selfish assumption that everything is about you. You start to get depressed and unhappy because you start to believe those negative things about yourself.Once you stop taking things personally, you will be much happier.

The Second Agreement: Don’t Take Anything Personally

“All the sadness and drama you have lived in your life was rooted in making assumptions and taking things personally.”It is a human tendency to make assumptions about everything. This usually arises from a fear to ask for clarification and ends in us trying to prove someone else wrong when we are the ones with misinformation. Making assumptions can be particularly detrimental in relationships. The frequent assumption in a relationship is that the other person knows you so well that they will always do what they want. When they don’t do what you assume they should do, you end up feeling hurt.

The Third Agreement: Don’t Make Assumptions

“When you do your best you learn to accept yourself.”If you truly commit yourself to always doing your best, you will find that there is absolutely no reason for you to judge yourself, and you will eliminate the feelings of guilt and blame from your life. Plus, you will be a lot more productive!

The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best

Bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. • A New York Times bestseller for over 7 years • Over 5.2 million copies sold in the U.S. • Translated into 38 languages worldwide Don Miguel Ruiz’s book is a roadmap to enlightenment and freedom.” — Deepak Chopra, Author, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success “An inspiring book with many great lessons . . .” — Wayne Dyer, Author, Real Magic “In the tradition of Castaneda, Ruiz distills essential Toltec wisdom, expressing with clarity and impeccability what it means for men and women to live as peaceful warriors in the modern world.” — Dan Millman, Author, Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Self improvement

The Four Agreements

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he”You are literally what you think. Your character being a complete sum of your thoughts. Just as plants cannot grow without the seed, actions cannot have been taken without the thought. Through this is the realization that you hold the key to every situation, and just as gold and diamonds are discovered through much searching and mining, you can discover your own truths and character by digging deep into yourself.

Thought and Character

“You do not attract that which you want, but that which you are”Your mind is like a garden that can be cultivated or allowed to run wild, depending on the quality of your thoughts and your thoughts shape your character, circumstances, and destiny. Most people are usually anxious to improve their circumstances, but unwilling to improve themselves. You become your true and powerful self when you take responsibility for your life - when you stop blaming others for your conditions and build yourself up with strong thoughts.

Effect of Thought on Circumstances

“There is no doctor better than cheerful thought for keeping the body healthy”Your body reacts to your mind and will, therefore, be a direct reflection of your thoughts, and disease and health, like circumstance, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body and strong, pure and happy thoughts build a strong and graceful body. Your body is delicate and responds readily to your thoughts. A change of diet will not help you without changing your thoughts. If you want to protect your body, guard your mind.

Effect of thought on Health and the Body

“All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thought.”No-one can change your conditions but you. Others can help you, but cannot do the work for you and can do nothing unless you are at first willing. Achievement of whatever kind is the effort of thought and success can only be maintained by continued watchfulness. All achievements are the result of strongly directed thoughts.

The Thought-Factor in Achievement

Reproduction of the original: As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

As a Man Thinketh

“Habits can be changed, if we understand how they work.”Habits emerge because the brain wants to save effort. The brain, instead of analyzing the situation and thinking about behavior, can simply execute a routine. This gives the logical part of the brain more space for other important things.The habit loop 3, and the first one is a cue. It’s a trigger that tells your brain to start executing a habit. Then there is a routine. It can be physical, mental, or emotional. And the last step is a reward. This gives the brain information about whether the routine is worth remembering in the future.

How Habits Work

“Cravings are what drive habits. And figuring out how to spark a craving makes creating a new habit easier.”Habits are very powerful because they create neurological cravings. This craving is at the core of creating a new habit. For example, after eating a meal, we can feel that our teeth are dirty. That’s the cue. And we crave to make them feel clean and fresh. That’s the reward. Once there is a cue; we crave the reward.

How to Create New Habits

“That’s the rule: If you use the same cue, and provide the same reward, you can shift the routine and change the habit. Almost any behavior can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same.”You cannot truly extinguish bad habits. Habits are strong, and when the cue appears, your brain will always crave the reward. However, what you can do is replace the routine. The cue and the reward have to stay the same, but the routine does not.This is called a Golden Rule. This rule has helped with treatments for alcoholism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and hundreds of other destructive behaviors

Why Transformation Occurs

“If you focus on changing or cultivating keystone habits, you can cause widespread shifts.”Some habits have the power to start a chain reaction. Some habits are better than others. These habits are “keystone habits.” A keystone habit starts a process that changes everything. Success does not depend on many small things but instead relies on identifying a few priorities.Keystone habits are like small wins. Accomplishing them is not a big deal. In fact, it’s quite easy. But this small win will drive bigger wins over time.

The Keystone Habit

“This is how willpower becomes a habit: by choosing a certain behavior ahead of time, and then following that routine when an inflection point arrives.”Willpower is the most important keystone habit for individual success. Studies show that it’s more important than IQ and other factors. People with high willpower get better grades in their classes and gain admission into more selective schools. They spend less time watching TV and more time doing homework.

The Habit of Success

Groundbreaking new research shows that by grabbing hold of the three-step "loop" all habits form in our brains--cue, routine, reward--we can change them, giving us the power to take control over our lives. "We are what we repeatedly do," said Aristotle. "Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." On the most basic level, a habit is a simple neurological loop: there is a cue (my mouth feels gross), a routine (hello, Crest), and a reward (ahhh, minty fresh). Understanding this loop is the key to exercising regularly or becoming more productive at work or tapping into reserves of creativity. Marketers, too, are learning how to exploit these loops to boost sales; CEOs and coaches are using them to change how employees work and athletes compete. As this book shows, tweaking even one habit, as long as it's the right one, can have staggering effects. In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes readers inside labs where brain scans record habits as they flourish and die; classrooms in which students learn to boost their willpower; and boardrooms where executives dream up products that tug on our deepest habitual urges. Full of compelling narratives that will appeal to fans of Michael Lewis, Jonah Lehrer, and Chip and Dan Heath, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: our most basic actions are not the product of well-considered decision making, but of habits we often do not realize exist. By harnessing this new science, we can transform our lives.

The Power of Habit

“The person you are today is the sum total of all your choices and decisions in life up to this date.”According to Aristotle, the ultimate aim of human life is to be happy. The biggest thing that holds most people back from pursuing their dreams and being happy is a lack of self-discipline. If you cultivate self-discipline, set clear goals, and begin doing the things you already know you should be doing, nothing will keep you from achieving success. Remember, success isn’t an accident—you need to have the discipline to work hard at it.

Part 1: Self-Discipline and Personal Success

“There is perhaps no area of your life where self-discipline has a greater impact on your future than in your work.”Most, if not all, of us tend to get distracted in our day-to-day lives and stray further and further from completing our most important tasks, those that will help us achieve success. However, if we learn to set clear priorities and work on the tasks that bring us the most value, as well as cultivate the discipline to complete these tasks quickly and well, we will be on the path to success.

Part 2: Self-Discipline in Business, Sales, and Finances

“In all religions and philosophies the highest human good or idea has been peace of mind.”Material things aren’t the only measure of success, in fact, achieving happiness is the true measure of success. The desire to be happy is the one thing that drives all humans forward in life, and self-discipline is of utmost importance in achieving that. After all, you will only be happy and content when you are in control of your life. The thing about happiness is that it is simply a by-product of engaging in activities you enjoy with people you like and respect.

Part 3: Self-Discipline and the Good Life

Includes sections on self-discipline and personal success; business, sales and finances; and the good life.

No Excuses!

“Leaders provide cover from above and the people on the ground look out for each other.”The secret to success for any organization is empathy. When you work in an organization that treats you like a human being to be protected rather than a resource to be exploited, you’ll naturally feel fulfilled and happy. To achieve stable, lasting success, it’s critical to create an environment where employees feel valued and prioritized over the company’s profits. This drives their motivation to perform their best.

Creating A Strong Company Culture

“Building trust requires nothing more than telling the truth. That’s it. No complicated formula.”All organizations experience threats, whether the fluctuating stock market, newer technologies making theirs obsolete, competitors gaining more of an edge, etc. For employees to focus on effectively combating these external dangers, they must have time and energy for their work. This means that they cannot be distracted by internal threats such as a toxic workplace.

Leading by Example

“Leadership, true leadership, is not the bastion of those who sit at the top. It is the responsibility of anyone who belongs to the group.”When resources are scarce and we are facing difficult times, it’s only natural to band together to increase our chances of success. However, as our success grows, we may fall prey to greed. Over time, this greed causes us to stop looking out for others, and only for ourselves.

The Importance of Community

" The highly anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed bestseller Start With Why Simon Sinek's mission is to help people wake up every day inspired to go to work and return home every night fulfilled by their work. His first book, Start With Why, offered the essential starting point, explaining the power of focusing on WHY we do what we do, before getting into the details of WHAT and HOW. Start With Why became an instant classic, with a loyal following among Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, governments, and the highest levels of the U.S. Military. Now Sinek is back to reveal the next step in creating happier and healthier organizations. He helps us understand, in simple terms, the biology of trust and cooperation and why they're essential to our success and fulfillment. Organizations that create environments in which trust and cooperation thrive vastly out perform their competition. And, not coincidentally, their employees love working there. But "truly human" cultures don't just happen; they are intentionally created by great leaders. Leaders who, in hard times, would sooner sacrifice their numbers to protect their people, rather than sacrifice people to protect their numbers, are rewarded with deeply loyal teams that consistently contribute their best efforts, ideas and passion. As he did in Start With Why, Sinek illustrates his points with fascinating true stories from many fields. He implores us to act sooner rather than later, because our stressful jobs are literally killing us. And he offers surprisingly simple steps for building a truly human organization"--

Leadership

Leaders Eat Last

It’s important that we attend to our own needs before attending to the needs of others. This assertion may make you feel uncomfortable, particularly if you strive to be loving and giving in all that you do. But allowing your needs to remain unaddressed while you continuously cater to others is the path toward resentment and bitterness.

The Importance Of Prioritizing Your Needs

Being assertive means having the self-confidence to express your needs and wants, and pursue your own ends, even in the face of opposition. It involves telling people where you stand on a given topic and leaving no room for confusion. Assertiveness is declaring your point of view and not feeling as if you need others’ approval or validation.

The Psychology Of Assertiveness

Aggressiveness is often an impulse. An aggressive person responds in a hostile or inconsiderate manner and often regrets doing so later. By contrast, assertiveness is planned, thoughtful, and considerate. An assertive person communicates his or her position with clarity while taking the other person’s feelings into account. The aggressive individual is loud, opinionated, and self-absorbed. The assertive individual understands how to express his or her point of view with grace.

Assertiveness Versus Aggressiveness

We have a limited number of hours to play with each day. That means every time we say yes to someone, we’re saying no to someone or something else. And every time we say no, we free ourselves to spend that time and attention on another person or interest. Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s necessary. The problem is, if you’re constantly saying yes to other people, putting their priorities ahead of your own, you won’t have the time or energy to care for yourself. And you’ll slowly become irritated, cynical, and miserable.

We Want To Avoid Seeming Selfish

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for people-pleasers to overcome is feeling responsible for others’ feelings. They fear that saying no will disappoint and anger requestors. This fear prompts them to regularly put others’ priorities ahead of their own. People pleasers often prioritize others’ needs ahead of their own because they feel their time, interests, opinions, and goals are worthless. I know this from experience. It’s how I used to think. This is a self-image problem.

Your Time And Interests Are Valuable

When you give in to temptations, you become a slave to your impulses. The resulting short-term gratification often comes at the expense of long-term fulfilment.  When you resist temptations with declarative statements that begin with “I don’t…” you become the architect of a life built upon healthy intentions.

How To Say No To Yourself


Stop Being A People Pleaser! Learn How To Set Boundaries And Say NO - Without Feeling Guilty! Are you fed up with people taking advantage of you? Are you tired of coworkers, friends, and family members demanding your time and expecting you to give it to them?If so, THE ART OF SAYING NO is for you.Imagine being able to turn down requests and decline invitations with confidence and poise. Imagine saying no to people asking you for favors, and inspiring their respect in the process. DOWNLOAD The Art Of Saying NO: How To Stand Your Ground, Reclaim Your Time And Energy, And Refuse To Be Taken For Granted (Without Feeling Guilty!) Amazon bestselling author, Damon Zahariades, provides a step-by-step, strategic guide for setting boundaries and developing the assertiveness you need to maintain them. You'll learn how to say no in every situation, at home and in the workplace, according to your convictions. And best of all, you'll discover how to get your friends, family members, bosses, coworkers, and neighbors to respect your boundaries and recognize your personal authority.In THE ART OF SAYING NO, you'll discover: my personal struggle with being a people pleaser (and how I overcame the habit!) the top 11 reasons we tend to say yes when we know we should say no 10 simple strategies for turning people down with finesse why saying no to people doesn't make you a bad person (the opposite is true!) the best way to develop the habit of setting personal and professional boundaries how to know whether you're a people pleaser (and how to gauge the severity of the problem) PLUS, BONUS MATERIAL: dedicated sections on saying no to your spouse, kids, friends, neighbors, coworkers, clients, bosses, and even strangers!If you're sick and tired of being taken for granted, grab your copy of THE ART OF SAYING NO today! Start taking control of your life by learning how to say that simple, beautiful word: "No."Scroll to the top of the page and click the "BUY NOW" button!

Success

The Art of Saying No

You might think, talent is essential for success but at the end, the winners are those who spend hours and years to do practice to gain talent.So, talent is not god gifted but self gift that can be gained by practice and effort!

1. Efforts = Success

Can you take 5 steps at a time? No? Similarly when it comes to taking steps towards your goal, take small steps that are relevant to your top level goals.The journey to thousand miles begins with one step, take that one step.

2. Set mid and lower level goals to reach high level

Enough of To-Do list, make a NOT TO-DO list and write down what distracts you from your goal. You will be able to imagine all the unnecessary and distractive activities.Once, you know what not to do, you will be able to eliminate it.

3. Make a NOT-TO-DO List

1. Interest: What makes you excited about the work you do.2. Purpose: What is your reason behind doing what you do.3. Practice: How many hours do you practice for what you want to become.4. Hope: Have faith in your work and patience that one day, it will all pay off.

4. Have a list of your values

The consistent consumption of knowledge and it's implementation creates exceptional success. You put a full stop on your success when you think you are already enough knowledgeable to known anything.Your ego will kill your success.

5. Your end is near if you think you are enough

UNLOCK THE KEY TO SUCCESS WITH JP MORGAN'S BEST SUMMER READ OF 2018 In this must-read for anyone seeking to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth takes us on an eye-opening journey to discover the true qualities that lead to outstanding achievement. Winningly personal, insightful and powerful, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that – not talent or luck – makes all the difference. ‘Impressively fresh and original’ Susan Cain

Grit

"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."

KEEP GETTING BACK UP

"That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."

YOUR SUCCESS HAS RIPPLE-EFFECT

"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return."

WHAT IS 'TRUE' WILL ALWAYS ENDURE

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

FEAR IS A BIGGER OBSTACLE THAN OBSTACLE ITSELF

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho. Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations. Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

The Alchemist

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results

The cowards never started and the weak died along the way.

'A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like ... It's an amazing tale' Bill Gates 'The best book I read last year was Shoe Dog, by Nike's Phil Knight. Phil is a very wise, intelligent and competitive fellow who is also a gifted storyteller' Warren Buffett In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of start-ups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all start-ups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognisable symbols in the world today. But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, he tells his story. Candid, humble, wry and gutsy, he begins with his crossroads moment when at 24 he decided to start his own business. He details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream - along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls how his first band of partners and employees soon became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything. A memoir rich with insight, humour and hard-won wisdom, this book is also studded with lessons - about building something from scratch, overcoming adversity, and ultimately leaving your mark on the world.

Deep Work

The Four Agreements

As a Man Thinketh

The Power of Habit

No Excuses!

Hitesh Gorantla