The next book in my reading for improvement is Rich Habits by Tom Corley. I heard an interview with Tom on The MONEY Show. Host J Money was really into the whole thing, so I found a copy on Thriftbooks.com for a reasonable price so I thought I’d give it a go. Overall it’s a good book. Much like The Richest Man in Babylon, the author makes the story a little more engaging by wrapping the information in a story. Three case studies of people’s lives who had poor habits and get turned around using the rich habits. The habits are:
- Identifying your bad habits, then defining the opposite and doing that instead.
- Set yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals. Focus on them each day.
- Engage in self improvement by learning new skills and sharpening those you have in your industry
- Exercise daily. Mostly jogging. Eat healthier.
- Form lifelong relationships. Remembering names, birthdates, anniversaries, etc and reaching out regularly.
- Live each day in a state of moderation.
- Adopt a “Do it now” mentality and no procrastinate tasks that will help you reach your goals.
- Engage in “rich thinking’ by reading and listening to uplifting and positive things. Avoid negative news and web sites.
- Save 10% of your gross earnings and invest it.
- Control your thoughts and emotions.
He goes into more detail about what each means and what it’s effect would be. The book is short and easy to get through. I feel like there’s a couple of things on the list I could do better with. Nothing really new or revolutionary, just spending more time on the things that matter and less on those that don’t.
The only real complaint I have is the author centers the story on his main character JC Jobs which is an obvious allegory to himself. The final chapter of “millions he helped and that adored him” is over the top and full of hubris. It’s not even necessary to read the final chapter as it ruins what came before. Look past that, and you’ll find some good info here.