The Achievement Habit

Bernard Roth

Some people seem to achieve things easier than others. This is not an ability they are born with. All of us can learn to be achievers. Most of the time it is reasons and excuses of our own making that become obstacles to our achievements. Our excuses prevent us from seeing the real problem, which is our behaviour. The Achievement Habit by Bernard Roth shows us how to create habits that will make us achievers; it shows us how to start changing our behaviour.

To start achieving things easier we should learn to do what we really want to do in life. There is also a difference between trying and doing. Doing is what gets us places. If we are only trying we will face many obstacles because we are not making an effort. If we are doing something we don’t want to do, we should find the courage to change it. 

The problems we face in life are opportunities for us to learn and make progress. ‘The Achievement Habit’ teaches us how to do this. It teaches us that failure is not the end. We should be open to the possibility of us failing on our way to success. We shouldn’t let failure stop us. Rather, we should let it motivate us to achieve more.

Another thing The Achievement Habit teaches us is to stop trying to give a fixed meaning to everything in life. It is all about perspective. A failure becomes a catastrophe only when we label it as such. No one is as bothered about our life as we are. We have the power to shape our experiences. If we see failures in our lives as opportunities to better ourselves, it will become exactly that. Labels stand in the way of achievement. We should make it a habit to not label things in life.

Another habit we should try to cultivate is not blaming external factors for our downfalls. We often blame external reasons for our failures, when in reality it is because of our mindset and behaviour that we failed. This attitude prevents us from making decisions and changing our behaviour. Often in making decisions we may already be decided but are afraid to commit to it. This can be overcome by giving ourselves less time to decide so that we will be forced to commit and move forward. This is also called the Gun Test. It will stop us from finding excuses and reasons in the external world for not committing.

As part of developing The Achievement Habit, we should also learn to overcome obstacles by reframing them. To do this, the first step is finding the true problem, which might not be the one we claim. If we reframe the problem at hand, we will be able to see the real problem. Sometimes, obstacles will stop existing if we reword them. Replacing ‘but’ with ‘and’ or ‘have to’ with ‘want to’ will provide us with the motivation we need to overcome the obstacles.

Achievements are not one-man shows. We need help from those who have accomplished similar goals to better achieve ours. This does not mean we should follow their path. Rather, we should learn from their positive as well as negative attributes. Gandhi was a great leader, but a bad father. So while we can learn from him how to be a leader, we should also learn from him how to not be a bad father. But, to learn from others, Roth advises that we cultivate genuine friendships and not acquaintances we can use to climb the ladder. Genuine human relationships will last us a lifetime, will give us a fulfilling life and will help us achieve our goals. To create these types of relationships we should be open with sharing our thoughts and ideas. We should also try to flatten the hierarchy whenever possible to facilitate the open exchange of ideas. This system will help us grow our Achievement Habit.

In the end, even if we develop all these habits, we won’t make achievements if we don’t see ourselves as achievers. Achievement is also about self-image. When we were young our image was shaped around our parents’ and teachers’ opinions. But as adults, we need to create our self-image based on our opinions and ideas. To form this image, we should know what we really want to do with life. We shouldn’t let other people’s expectations limit us. Setting out on our own can be daunting, but knowing there will be failures on any path we choose and having the determination to push through will place us on the path to achievement. To always stay on the right path we should keep asking ourselves the question, ‘what do I want in my life?’

The message Roth is trying to convey in his book is that people who seem to achieve more things than others are not merely lucky. Achievement is something we can learn by making a habit of doing away with labels and excuses. We will achieve more things if we can rethink the obstacles we face on our way to meet our goals. But most important is that we actually put in the effort and do something to achieve our goals.

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