Kerry Patterson - Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success

Copyright 2011 by VitalSmarts, LLC

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ISBN 978-0-446-58544-6

An extremely practical toolkit offer[s] awareness and positive steps to all who seek change in their lives.

Library Journal

This book can be a great resource for leaders who are struggling with a personal change or for those who are looking to guide others through a difficult process.

Washington Post

CHANGE ANYTHING doesnt offer you a one-size-fits-all solution to your challenges. Instead, it shows you how to tailor a handful of simple strategies so that you can create your own success story.

Marci Shimoff, bestselling author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Womans Soul

Smart, sensible a strategic, step-by-step guide to breaking longstanding bad habits a highly detailed holistic plan, illustrated by encouraging case studies, for making systemic changes that approach problems from every angle and promote active change.

Publishers Weekly

CHANGE ANYTHING works great on a personal level, and could also help trainers to assist employees looking to turn over a new leaf for better performance and a more successful work-life.

American Society for Training and Development (ASTD.org)

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High (2002)

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Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change (2008)

We dedicate this book to

Albert Bandura

The promise of this book is simple. If you apply the principles and tactics we outline, you can rapidly, profoundly, and sustainably change your own behavior (even long-standing bad habits). And by learning how to change your own behavior, you can dramatically improve results in most any area of life.

To discover what it takes to change how one behaves, we at the Change Anything Labs examined the struggles and strategies, trials, and triumphs of more than five thousand peopleall of whom were searching for ways to overcome personal challenges. These intrepid searchers were looking to

• Accelerate their careers. Eighty-seven percent of the employees we surveyed reported that they have been passed over for promotions or pay increases because they were unable to make the changes their bosses had requested. All understood that they needed to change their behavior, but they werent sure how to do it.

• Save a struggling relationship. Our research into 350 relationships on the brink of failure revealed that relationships dont fail because of chemistry; they fail because of behavior. Those who regain and deepen their friendship or intimacy succeed by changing how they treat their friends and loved ones.

• Thrive in the midst of organizational change. Many subjects were struggling to adapt to challenging changes imposed on them by their employers. Many felt like victims of these involuntary demandsbut some examined the changes strategically and adapted to them in ways that restored their sense of control and even improved their professional prospects.

• Lose weight, get fit, and stick with it. The number one cause of illness and death today is neither viral nor genetic. Its behavioral. Individuals who succeed at getting off the diet treadmill dont discover a magic pill or an all-powerful tool; instead, they create a robust plan for change that creates lifelong habits of health and wellness.

• Break free of addictions. Overcoming addiction isnt just about finding a cure; its about changing seemingly intractable habits. Those who succeed at kicking debilitating addictions do so because, whether they know it or not, they apply the science of personal success to their own challenges.

As we examined these everyday people in the throes of either overcoming addictions or improving failing careers and relationships, we found hope. Hundreds of people in our study (well call them Changers) not only succeeded in changing their unhelpful habits, but also maintained these changes for at least three years. We were particularly interested in this vital group, so we studied them carefullyand from them we learned the science behind personal success. Thats because whether you find them in Kilungu, Kenya, or Carmel, Californiaor whether theyre dealing with an alcohol addiction or an indolent lifestyleall of the Changers drew on the same principles of influence.

Now, as successful as they were, many of them lamented how long it took them to succeed in their change. Our Changers tenaciously stumbled their way into success in the way anyone who succeeds will have to. What youll learn in this book, however, is that with a little more study, you can do a lot less stumbling. When you understand the science behind their success, you can be much more deliberate in your attempts and efficient in your progress. The principles and tactics we outline in this book will enable you to intentionally apply what others only struggled to discoverdramatically accelerating your progress on your path to success.

And success will be yours. Our most recent research revealed that those who apply what you are about to learn are not just marginally more effective at bringing about change; they are exponentially so. In fact, those who apply the science of personal success are more than 1,000 percent more successful at producing change than those who try other means.

And now for the final piece of good news. Whether youre trying to change a habit in your work or personal life, youll receive benefits on both fronts. For example, many of the individuals we studied In their case, fixing one problem meant fixing two. Our Changers likewise reported that improving their lot at work created benefits that relieved stress and increased confidence at home as well. Changers are almost always twice blessed.

So take hope as you get ready to learn more about the science of personal success. People can and do changeand stay on course for years thereafter. By following in their footsteps, you too can become a Changer. And once you doonce you learn the principles and skills of personal changeyou can change anything.

Each book we write reminds us of the large debt of gratitude we owe to so many.