I read over 100 self-improvement books (here's what I learned)

Over the past 4 years, I’ve read over 100 books on self-improvement

So obviously I’ve read a lot of different books, but despite them being different, they all have the same lessons.

So I thought I would break down the 5 key lessons that actually work and that every single good self-improvement book talks about

That way you don’t have to spend 4 years reading all these books like I did and you can just take the lessons, implement them and make something of yourself.

Lesson 1: Taking action 

Now this is ironic because you get this lesson from a book which is something that is basically designed to stop you from taking action.

But one of the most crucial components of making progress and getting anywhere in life is taking action.

Because mental masturbation where you just read and consume and read and consume gets you nowhere, you don’t make any progress.

And yes, of course, there’s a tonne of value in learning, tonnes but as Aristotle said

And if you don’t take action, you don’t progress.

Progress comes from dedicated effort and creation.

You have to create, you have to put something out there and add to the world to make progress.

If you want to progress in the gym, you have to create tears in the muscle fibers, if you want to make progress with your personal brand, you have to create content.

So whether you’re creating content, muscles tears, cold DMs, product samples, or whatever it is, you MUSt create and put something out there in the world.

To make progress you have to add to the world and create, and you can’t do that if you don’t take action.

But taking action can be damn hard, and it’s even harder to do consistently.

That’s why I made MasteryOS - to help you master your mind, actions, craft and performance so you can take action consistently and get the results you want.

Lesson 2: Play the long game

Everyone wants results now.

But the world doesn’t work that way.

You see great results take a great amount of energy, the amount of time, effort and sacrifice you have to put in to get something great is insane, and most people vastly underestimate it.

It’s a level of energy that takes a heck of a long time to give, you’re not going to give it in 1 month, you’re not going to give it in 2 months, and likely not even 6 months, great results take years.

So if you want to make considerable progress, you have no choice but to play the long game, every time you jump from shiny object to shiny object you reset your progress bar and you’re put back to step 1.

I always say don’t start something unless you’re willing to dedicate yourself to it and practice it every single day for the next 1000 days.

And that doesn’t mean you won’t see progress in 6 months, because if you’re doing it right, no matter what you’re doing you’ll see progress in 6 months.

But most people have big goals and big goals require great results and great results require time.

So commit to playing the long game and think in years, not days.

Lesson 3: Know what you want 

You can make progress if you don’t know what you want.

For example, if you don’t know what you want but you go and get a job and work hard you’ll eventually get promoted and you’ll be making progress.

But the problem with that, with not knowing what you want, is that you can’t improve meaningfully.

The progress you’re making has no meaning to you, it doesn’t contribute to what you actually want because you don’t know what you want.

So you need to figure this out.

You need to figure out what you want in life, your dream life, your dream day-to-day schedule.

And then you need to set goals that will push you in that direction and then chart your plan.

This way when you’re following your plan you’re working on something that’s meaningful.

You’ll find it easier to do the work, you’ll find it easier to make progress and that progress feels good because it’s true to you.

So you need to know what you want because if you don’t set your goals, society will set them for you.

You will wander mindlessly through life, taking the path of least resistance and never progressing or improving in a way that matters, in a way that means something to you, that is true to you.

Lesson 4: Carry yourself how you ought to carry yourself 

You and I perceive the world differently.

The way you perceive the world is based on your experiences, beliefs, and perceptions, hence because we have different experiences, beliefs, and perceptions, we can experience that exact same event but take away different lessons from it.

Different will pique our interest.

Different things will be meaningful to us because we have different lenses through which we view the world - different goals, different experiences, opinions, and beliefs all influencing our perceptions.

So if you have a perception of yourself that is low, if you carry yourself through this world in a way that lacks self-respect, the world will reflect on you.

Nothing will go your way.

You’ll see every situation through a negative lens, as if the worst possible that can happen, will happen.

And people won’t respect you but after all, why should they if you don’t even respect yourself?

You need to carry yourself how you ought to carry yourself.

You need to walk with your head up and shoulders back, you need to be on time and you need to show yourself some damn respect, and then the world will reciprocate.

If you respect yourself and view yourself through a positive perception, you’ll take the actions necessary for progress, fulfillment, and respect.

The best way to start respecting yourself so you can start taking the right actions is to carry yourself how you ought to carry yourself.

Lesson 5: Be a professional (in every area of life)

In life, there are 2 types of people - amateurs and professionals.

The vast majority of people are amateurs, they’re always late, always waiting for motivation to do what they apparently want to do, they’re dressed scrappily and they’re always complaining.

Professionals are people who show up on time, do the work whether they feel like it or not, dress well and don’t complain.

To make progress, you can’t rely on motivation, you can’t rely on feeling like doing the work, you have to just get it done and create inspiration.

You see the funniest thing about amateurs is that they complain they don’t get professional results when they don’t act like a professional.

They act like amateurs and so they get amateur results in every area of life.

If you want professional results, if you want great results, you have to hold yourself to a standard that makes you proud of yourself, a standard that creates great results, professional results.

You have to hold yourself to such a standard that you refuse to let yourself fail, a standard that makes you want to go and do what you know you need to do, what you ought to do and this isn’t just in your work, this is in every area of life.

Just because you show up to work on time, doesn’t make you a professional if you’re slacking on your diet, on training, on doing the work that’s meaningful to you.

If you want professional results, if you want great results, you have to be professional, you can’t negotiate with yourself, you have to set your standards and meet them.

And look it’s one thing to know all these lessons but implementing them is another game altogether, that takes a level of Self-Mastery most people will never achieve.

If you want to master your mind, actions, craft and performance so you can get out of your own way and smash every goal you set, click here.

- Ross

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