Succeed
by Heidi Grant Halvorson · first published 2011
7mentions
6recommended by
6HN commenters
2011–2016first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Summarizes psychology research on goal setting and motivation, with practical advice on pursuing goals. Research-backed takeaways include balancing optimism with awareness of setbacks.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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You may benefit from reading a pyschology book on willpower and how to reach goals. My recommendation is this book: http://www.amazon.com/Succeed-How-Can-Reach-Goals/dp/1594630... It cited real world scientific research and gave practical advice on how to set goal and to succeed at one's goal. Disclaimer: I am only aware of such knowledge, not…
on “Are you like me? Or do you have discipline?” ↗The book Succeed covers the topic of what kinds of optimism and pessimism help you achieve your goals pretty thoroughly (http://www.amazon.com/Succeed-How-Can-Reach-Goals/dp/0452297...). Two big takeaways: 1. Be optimistic…
on “There's no speed limit (2009)” ↗I really liked Succeed by Halvorson, as well as Willpower by Baumeister and Tierney. The former covers research on setting goals, the latter covers research on being more disciplined. Both book are a great blend of interesting…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗…exactly what you're next step is. And make sure you have the proper motivation. If you're interested in this stuff, I recommend reading about the "mental contrasting" technique, as well as the book "Succeed" by Heidi Grant Halvorson.
on “The Zeigarnik Effect” ↗The key point which is quite valid is that daydreaming about success is not very useful. Contrary to "The Secret" and such self-help books. People seem to succeed if they a) Have a lot of confidence they will succeed AND b) They are fully aware that there will be setbacks, struggle, difficulties, and moments of doubt. Good book on the topic with academic references…
on “The Problem with Positive Thinking” ↗The War of Art - Steven Pressfield (unsure how I felt about this one, but it's short so worth a read) Deep Work - Cal Newport (recommended) Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert (recommended) Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals - Heidi Grant-Halvorson (lots of great stuff in here, highly recommended) The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley (I really like biographies and Malcolm X was a pretty…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗The only book I am studying right now is: http://www.amazon.com/Succeed-How-Can-Reach-Goals/dp/1594630... It have citations and is written by a psychologist. However, I did not have a lot of time to compare notes between books written by other psychologists in the field.…
on “Dizzying but invisible depth” ↗