Get Smart!

Sharing my learnings from the book, Get Smart! By Brian Tracy

Get Smart! By Brian Tracy

In Get Smart!, acclaimed success expert and bestselling author Brian Tracy reveals simple, proven ways to tap into our natural thinking talents and abilities and make quantum leaps toward achieving our dreams. In this indispensable guide, you’ll learn to:
 
· Train your brain to think in ways that create successful results
· Recognize and exploit growth opportunities in any situation
· Identify and eliminate negative patterns holding you back
· Plan, act, and achieve goals with greater precision and speed
 
Whether you want to increase sales, bolster creativity, or better navigate life’s unexpected changes, Get Smart! will help you tap into your powerful mental resources to obtain the results you want and reap the rewards successful people enjoy.

• we can all learn to use our brain better. With the help of a few simple rules, you can stimulate your brain and fire up those extra neurons. 
• each of us is capable of tapping into this unused brainpower. To start, all we have to do is shift our perspective.
  • How we look at and interpret life is incredibly important to getting the most out of it.
  • We must broaden our own perspectives if we want to see the full picture and not only focusing on particular parts
• When it comes to planning in life, there are two perspectives you can take:
  • You can adopt short-term thinking and concentrate on maximizing pleasure in the here and now, or
  • you can think and plan long-term which centers on being a step ahead and considering the consequences of your actions – and then the consequences of those consequences, and so on.
• many of us let ourselves be dominated by these speeding, transitory thought bubbles. Rather than using our brain to think logically and sagely, we allow emotional, reactive thoughts to determine our actions. We can use our brain more effectively.
• there are two types of thought processes.
  • impulsive type of thinking
  • slower, more rational process of thinking where we weigh all the options and make considered decisions.
• When planning important long-term goals, utilizing this slower method of thinking will lead to better decisions. a few simple tricks you can use to slow down your thinking.
  • take 72 hours before making any important decision. This will give you ample time to carefully mull over the various options. 
  • Spending 30 minutes to an hour every day in a quiet, secluded spot will give your mind the time it needs to think.
  • go through each stage of the author’s GOSPA model to think carefully when contemplating long-term strategy. 
    • Goals: What results do you ultimately want to achieve over a specific long-term period.
    • Objectives: The smaller targets that will get you closer to your main goals.
    • Strategies: How will you achieve your objectives?
    • Priorities: Identify the most effective actions that will make your strategy a success.
    • Actions: The everyday work that will ultimately get you to your goals.
• Success depends on intensive research and asking the right questions.
  • go out of your way to get all the facts.
  • Create a hypothesis about what you think your product will bring to the market, and then try to disprove it.
  • adopt a total willingness to fail and learn – and judge your idea/product by their true merits.
• Those with clear goals to pursue have a better idea of what information is important and what to ignore.
  • goals are most effective when made visible. 
  • Write each goal down in a specific way: use the present tense, make them personal and ensure that they are positive.
  • look at this list of goals and find the one that really stands out as something you want to achieve this year.
  • come up with at least 20 things you can do to make this goal a reality
  • Make this list into a checklist and tackle the first task ASAP.
  • If you check something off your list every single day, it won’t be long before you’ve achieved your ultimate goal.
• The most important asset you have in your life is your “earning ability” – what others are willing to pay you for completing a task. Being a success depends on how quickly and effectively you get stuff done.
• The Law of Three argues that just three of your tasks will represent 90 percent of your results. The key, therefore, is to identify and focus all your work on these three things. 
• Our world is constantly evolving. to be successful, you need to be aware of technological advancements. Flexible thinking can be best described as the ability to quickly react and adapt in the face of dramatic change.
  • The best way to keep yourself from falling into a comfort zone is to conduct what the author calls zero-based thinking. To do this, you must constantly question the value of everything you do.
  • Whatever uncomfortable conclusions zero-based thinking turns up, you must be ruthless in undoing these “mistakes.”
  • as hard as it is to cut out the activities that no longer bring reward, the results are worth it. What’s more, you’ll become more flexible.
• you have to take chances, make mistakes, learn from these mistakes and find creative ways to improve. This is the opposite of mechanical thinking.
• Creative thinkers hold the keys to success because they are constantly striving for improvement. Where mechanical thinkers fixate on the problems, creative thinkers focus on the solutions. 
• To start thinking creatively yourself, follow these simple steps
  • Start by looking at what you do and look for a problem.
  • next step is to admit that, actually, you haven’t defined the problem
  • Your conclusion is almost certainly too broad, so start breaking it down.
  • Once you have your problem, it’s time to find a solution. Work hard and get the help of your team to find it.
  • keep going and identify even more solutions. Make a list of them, before finally deciding on which one you think will work best.
  • assign Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to this solution and appoint someone to take overall responsibility.
  • set a deadline for its implementation
  • develop a few back-up plans just in case. 
• Anyone can become rich if they start thinking like a rich person. This is because of the Law of Correspondence, which states that the way you position yourself internally – that is, your outlook on and perceptions of life – will be reflected externally.
  • you should start by analyzing what wealthy people do. Watch interviews with billionaires and read up on them. Especially, look for the habits that make them so successful.
  • To make a good habit, focus on one element at a time and endeavor to do it every single day.
  • always on the lookout for new opportunities to grow