The Achievement Habit

Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life
by Bernard Roth | HarperBusiness © 2015 · 288 pages

Bernard Roth has been a Professor of Engineering at Stanford for over FIFTY (!!) years. A pioneer in the field of robotics, Bernie is one of the founders of the famed school at Stanford. In this great book, he brings the concepts of design thinking to life in the context of our most important design project: designing our optimal lives. Big Ideas we explore include the 5 elements of design thinking, doing vs. trying, ignoring odds, and being the cause.


Achievement *can* be learned. It is a muscle, and once you learn to flex it, there’s no end to what you can accomplish in life.
Bernard Roth

“By the end of the book, as a reader you will understand:

  • Why trying is not good enough and how it is very different from doing.
  • Why excuses, even legitimate ones, are self-defeating.
  • How to change your self-image into one of a doer and achiever, and why this is important.
  • How subtle language changes can resolve existential dilemmas and also barriers to action.
  • How to build resiliency by reinforcing what you do (your action) rather than what you accomplish, so you can easily recover from temporary setbacks.
  • How to train yourself to ignore distractions that prevent you from achieving your goals.
  • How to be open to learning from your own experience and that of others…

This book will open your eyes to the power you have to change your life for the better. It will give you confidence to finally do things you have always wanted to do while ridding yourself of issues that stand in the way of your full potential. And the experience of taking control of your life will change your reality, making it possible to achieve almost anything you seriously want to do.”

~ Bernard Roth from The Achievement Habit

Bernard Roth has been a Professor of Engineering at Stanford for over FIFTY (!!) years.

A pioneer in the field of robotics, Bernie is one of the founders of the famed d.school at Stanford where he and his colleagues came up with the whole “design thinking” framework.

In this great book, he brings the concepts of design thinking to life in the context of our most important design project: designing our optimal lives.

Reading this book feels like hanging out with a wonderfully wise, playful and humble mentor who’s excited to share some of his favorite lessons learned along the way of creating an extraordinary life so we can do the same.

I really enjoyed it and think you will as well. It’s packed with Big Ideas and stories from his decades of living and teaching. (Get a copy of the book here.)

I’m excited to share some of my favorite so let’s jump straight in!

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About the author

Authors

Bernard Roth

Using design principles to lead a more satisfying and productive life