Think Smart Not Hard 52 Key Principles to Success and Happiness

• Chapter 1: Letting Go
• Chapter 2: Goal Setting
• Chapter 3: Organize Your Mind
• Chapter 4: Stop Spinning e Wheel
• Chapter 5: Making Better Choices
• Chapter 6: Know Yourself
• Chapter 7: Leveraging Your Energy
• Chapter 8: Changing Your Mindset
• Chapter 9: Developing Character
• Chapter 10: Seek Excellence
• Chapter 11: Fiscal Responsibility
• Chapter 12: Lifelong Learning
• Chapter 13: Develop Persistence
• Chapter 14: Sharing

Foreword to Think Smart Not Hard 52 Key Principles to Success and Happiness

As part of this book’s research, I reached out to numerous
successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and authors. I want to thank all those who took valuable time out of their hectic schedules to respond
with their thoughts.

I’ve included personal quotes from three of those people
including Brian Tracy, one of the most renowned leaders in motivation and
author of the number-one bestseller, Eat at Frog. Other thanks go to the
science-fiction phenom, A.G. Riddle, author of the hugely successful number-one a best-seller, e Atlantis Gene.

Finally, I wanted to say another thank you to
Lindsay Buroker, author of the best-selling steampunk Dragon Blood Collection.

Introduction to Think Smart Not Hard 52 Key Principles to Success and Happiness

If you crave happiness and success, this book can guide you there starting now, regardless of how ominous the obstacles, but you must take that rst step.

No one knows all the secrets to success or the answers to all your problems, but what is certain is that life is a direct consequence of the choices you make. e only way to change your life is to make different choices and change how you respond to things outside of your control. is book isn’t a shortcut to hard work, but it will show you how you can avoid unnecessary work.

It isn’t a guide on manipulation, but it will show you how to build real trust in your personal and professional life. is book won’t tell you your passion, but it will teach you how to nd it.

It won’t help you if you’re intent on being dishonest, but it will show you how to build integrity, self-worth, and healthy relationships. is isn’t a religious book, but it will teach you how to improve your character.

It isn’t a get-rich-quick guide, but it can lead you to the path of wealth and financial independence.

In addition to giving advice from innovative thinkers around the globe, it will provide additional wisdom and lay a solid foundation upon which you can begin your journey to pursue your dreams. e purpose of this book is to impart the wisdom you need to harness the power of your skills and use the tools necessary to optimize your personal success and happiness.

Whether you decide to read all 52 key principles in one sitting or over time, you’ll gain additional benefits when you focus on one principle each week throughout the year.

As you go through the 52 key principles, you may nd a few things you disagree with (hopefully it’s not the principle of integrity), but don’t let that keep you from getting started or using the remaining principles.

Before you begin, know that your ability to achieve success doesn’t depend on where you are in your life.

It doesn’t matter where you live, where you were born, your last name, how much money you have, your level of education, nationality, ethnicity, gender, disability, or family disposition. e only thing that matters is a willingness to accept responsibility and a desire to change.

I myself was born on the mouth of Chesapeake River then moved to Kentucky as a young child, where I lived in a dilapidated trailer park until the age of six.

From there, I moved to an urban ghetto in Charlotte, North Carolina, and lived with my mother in abject poverty until I graduated high school at seventeen. I had an absentee father who struggled with mental illness and a history of abuse. He eventually died of AIDS when I was 21.

Despite my early challenges, I was fortunate enough to have some success in education. I have earned ve degrees and two graduate degrees, published four action novels, the Everville series, and ghostwritten over a dozen other action and nonfiction books.

I’ve also had the privilege of working as a math and science teacher and a research scientist. I’ve co-authored peer-reviewed research on the cover of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) and Lifehack recently invited me to contribute.

I don’t say that to boast, but to show that you can achieve success despite severe hardship and previous poor choices.

My successes have been the result of dedication in the face of challenge and optimism in the face of defeat.

Our triumphs were a result of perseverance and systems that were in place, often without me realizing it. Had I known earlier what I know now, I could’ve harnessed those systems and made better choices, which could have increased those triumphs and leveraged the successes into more permanent features of my life.

I’ve made my share of mistakes, and while many people may justify them as artifacts of my dysfunctional childhood, I know differently.

It would be easy to blame my faults on the actions of others, but to rise above those setbacks, it was rst necessary for me to understand that most of the time, those outcomes were caused by poor choices and reactions that led to self-sabotage and disappointment.

Even though I graduated a year early as valedictorian and every university I applied to accepted me, I didn’t finish college right away.

I didn’t earn my rst degree until I was 30, and then I earned all ve of my degrees in the following six years.

By that point in my life, I had already failed at a business and the stock market and had given up on the real estate. Until I decided to go back to school, I had convinced myself that despite my intense passion for science and learning, I didn’t need it.

While I certainly don’t believe college is for everyone, it was something that excited me and was a key aspect of who I was. It took a failed business and bankruptcy to force me to rethink my life and make the changes necessary to start on my ideal path.

Throughout my early adult life, complacency was my enemy, and a desire for instant gratification led to poor choices, cutting corners, unnecessary risks, and missed opportunities.

Despite my optimism and drive, I only recently learned the key principles and systems that helped to harness my potential and lay down the bad habits and self-defeating behaviors that were standing in the way of my peak performance and happiness.

Like my rst important change, the second was born from overcoming personal and financial hardships, a divorce, and bankruptcy. Through that process, I began a journey of self-reflection and took the final steps that led me to the path I’m on today.

More obstacles to overcome and opportunities for improvement will arise, but at least my eyes are open. At least now, I know the behaviors, tools, and systems to tackle problems when they reappear. Ask yourself the following questions.

If you were to die today, would your life leave a legacy that you would be proud of? Are you living your own life or someone else’s?

Are you thrilled in every aspect of your life? Have you achieved true joy, or have disappointment and fear held you back from making better decisions, seeing opportunities, or seeking your passion?

If you’re like most people, you answered “no” to at least one of those questions. If so, decide today to change it. Use the tools in this book to make it happen. If you let me, I can show you how to make that change and begin the journey to your ideal self.

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