I just finished High Performing Habits by Brendon Burchard. Before you read my review, I wanted to share a few facts with you. First of all, this is the first self-help book I have ever read. Second, I took a photo of it on a shelf with Steven King because I was more scared of picking it up than reading fictional horror. That being said, I really enjoyed the book.
After reading the first chapter I was already interested in continuing. The book further motivated me by challenging me to take it quiz and read two more chapters that same day. “Bossy book!” I said out loud to myself. But obediently, I went to my computer to take the quiz. The quiz is available free for anyone and can be found here.
Just for fun, I asked my husband to take the quiz too. I was anticipating that I would get the higher score. Why? Because I feel like I am more ambitious. I have many different goals and am always working on improving myself. My husband, on the other hand, has his dream job of teaching and his only career goals are to keep being a great teacher.
To my frustration, he did better than me on the quiz by almost half a point! Which is a lot since the score is out of 5. I shook my head and was absolutely confused. Until I got towards the end of the book and realized that my husband possesses the few key factors I lack that make him a high performer. I’m still jealous, but hey, I’ll get there!
Likes vs. Dislikes
A lot of the book was fluff and filler in between useful advice and interesting tidbits. I took meticulous notes on the really important parts and these took up a total of three handwritten pages. The summary at the end with all the vital information is also only a few pages long.
Not all of what I refer to as fluff and filler was useless. There were interesting stories about real people whom Brendon has helped. I found these relevant and helpful to properly absorb the chapter they proceeded. On the other hand, a lot of simple concepts were over-explained.
I guess what I’m really saying is that this may as well have been an in-depth article instead of a book. But financial reasons for book-printing aside, I don’t think an article would have been as effective. I also enjoyed having chapters so I could read one, put the book down to think about it and make notes, then continue once I had grasped the previous topic.
After reading this book I feel like I have better tools to be more productive and successful in life. Be right back, I’m off to become a fortune 100 CEO. Just kidding. The tips in this book aren’t just for businessmen or people with high profile jobs. They are simply tips on how to form habits that will help you succeed in any endeavor.
So far, they have helped me get better at running. Just to clarify, by running I mean the physical activity. Not running a political campaign or a company. But I’m sure it could help in those areas too 😉
I was impressed with this book, especially as it is my first self-help book. I already ordered two other books by Brendon Burchard and I hope to read What Would Google Do? soon. Today, I began a very different book that Brendon would not want sitting next to his on a bookshelf.
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