A bunch of times, when I’ve mentioned the name of my book to people I’ve gotten this response: “Sounds easy. Six rules. I love it.”
I accept their positive feedback, but I don’t feel entirely comfortable with their comment. I feel like I need to explain, “The rules are simple, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy.”
If they read the book, they will quickly learn (in the introduction), these rules are only easy if you do what I recommend: break them into small pieces, and then work on them one at a time for the 21 days it takes to make them into habits. (After the introduction, each rule has a chapter. And in each chapter, each rule is broken down into numerous pieces.)
I also explain in the introduction the importance of celebrating your progress. A list of goals is great for inspiration, but can also be a source of frustration. So, it’s important to regularly celebrate your progress, measuring yourself against where you were, rather than where you want to get to. That will lead to self-confidence, and success will beget success.
The rules are easy if you aren’t in a rush, and that’s something I explain in the introduction as well–the importance of realizing the way “life is short” is useful for your happiness (stopping to smell the roses, etc.), but it’s not useful for making changes.
So there it is. Are the six rules simple? Sure. Are they easy? That’s up to you.
What are your experiences with making changes? Please join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David