Excerpt: Living a self-disciplined life doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. Read these quotes from No Excuses! and learn how to make it easier…
“To succeed in the ‘outer world,’ you must discipline yourself to focus and concentrate, work hard at your job, take continuous action toward your goals, and become better and more capable as you move onward and upward in life. To succeed in the ‘inner world,’ however, requires almost the opposite abilities. To achieve inner peace, you must discipline yourself to let go of everything that can disrupt your sense of inner peace and contentment.”
Brian Tracy, No Excuses! (Page 286)
“If you want to have a friend, you must first be a friend. If you want people to like you, you should first like them. If you want people to respect you, you should first respect them. If you want to impress others, you should first be impressed by them. In this way, by approaching people indirectly, you appeal to their deepest subconscious needs.”
Brian Tracy, No Excuses! (Page 276)
“On a regular basis, you should sit down with your spouse and later with your children to have the courage to ask them these four questions: (1) Is there anything that I am doing that you would like me to do more of? (2) Is there anything that I am doing that you would like me to do less of? (3) Is there anything that you would like me to start doing that I am not doing today? (4) Is there anything that I am doing that you would like me to stop doing altogether? When you have the courage and discipline to ask these four questions of your spouse and your children on a regular basis, you will be amazed at the quality and depth of the answers you receive. You will get continual guidance on how you can modify and adjust your behaviors to maintain higher levels of harmony, happiness, and love with your spouse and the other members of your family.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 255)
“There is a rule that says that every large problem was once a small problem that could have been solved easily and inexpensively at that time. Sometimes, the best strategy is to ‘nip it in the bud.’ When it is clear that there is a problem and a solution, do what has to be done—and do it quickly.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 207)
“In medicine, they say that ‘accurate diagnosis is half the cure.’ Therefore, you need to ask, ‘What exactly is the problem?’ It is absolutely amazing how several people can become upset about a problem in an organization, but every one of them has a different idea or definition of the exact nature of the problem they’re facing. Your job is to achieve clarity and to get everyone to agree on the definition of the problem before you move on to the business of solving it.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 204)
“Setting priorities requires setting posteriorities as well. A priority is something that you do more of and sooner, whereas a posteriority is something you do less of or later. You are probably already overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time. Because of this, for you to embark on a new task, you must discontinue an old task. Getting into something new requires getting out of another activity. Before you commit to a new undertaking, ask yourself, ‘What am I going to stop doing so that I have enough time to work on this new task?'”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 193)
“See yourself as the president of your own ‘Personal Services Corporation.’ Imagine that you were going to take your company public on the stock market. Would you recommend your company as a growth stock, continually increasing its value and earning ability each year? Or would you describe your company as one that has leveled off in the market place, that is not really going anywhere in terms of increased value and income? Would you recommend stock in ‘You, Inc.” as an excellent investment? Why or why not?”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 81)
“The tragedy is that most people think that they already have goals. But what they really have are hopes and wishes. However, hope is not a strategy for success, and a wish has been defined as a ‘goal with no energy behind it.’ Goals that are not written down and developed into plans are like bullets without powder in the cartridge. People with unwritten goals go through life shooting blanks. Because they think they already have goals, they never engage in the hard, disciplined effort of goal-setting—and this is the master skill of success.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 65)
“To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must learn and practice qualities and skills that you have never had before.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 33)
“Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education, and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 7)
“Losers make excuses; winners make progress. Now, how can you tell if your favorite excuse is valid or not? It’s simple. Look around and ask, ‘Is there anyone else who has my same excuse who is successful anyway?’ When you ask this question, if you are honest, you will have to admit that there are thousands and even millions of people who have had it far worse than you have who have gone on to do wonderful things with their lives. And what thousands and millions of others have done, you can do as well—if you try.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 3)
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
Unknown, via No Excuses! (Page 2)
Book Overview: Most people think success comes from good luck or enormous talent, but many successful people achieve their accomplishments in a simpler way: through self-discipline. No Excuses! shows you how you can achieve success in all three major areas of your life, including your personal goals, business and money goals, and overall happiness. Each of the 21 chapters in this book shows you how to be more disciplined in one aspect of your life, with end-of-chapter exercises to help you apply the “no excuses” approach to your own life. With these guidelines, you can learn how to be more successful in everything you do –instead of wistfully envying others you think are just “luckier” than you. A little self-discipline goes a long way — so stop making excuses and read this book!
Post(s) Inspired by this Book:
“The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success.”
Brian Tracy
The ability to delay gratification—to resist an immediate reward in preference for a greater future reward—has been proven to be an accurate predictor of a person’s long-term success. In other words, it’s almost always a good idea. After all, a greater reward sounds better than a smaller reward, even if it is a little later, eh? But, at the same point, should gratification always be delayed? Wouldn’t pushing what you desire out into the future cause you a certain level of discontent/ unhappiness, too? How does that discontent/ unhappiness in the short-term measure up?
Read More »Brian Tracy Quote on Delaying Gratification and How It’s An Indispensable Prerequisite for Success
