Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters

"If I see something I don't like, I try to change it, and if I can't change it, I change my position of looking at it, and then by seeing it from a different angle, I might be able to change it; or I might find some good in it that I can use, which might make it change itself." - Maya AngelouImagine discovering what successful people have in common, distilling it into a set of simple practices and using them to transform your company, your career and your life. This is what this book is all about. The authors draw on conversations with over 200 hundred remarkable people from around the world, including billionaires, CEOs, presidents of nations, Nobel laureates and celebrities.Enduringly successful people tell us that when success just means wealth, fame and power, it doesn't last and it isn't satisfying. Successful people insist that success may never come without a compelling personal commitment to something you care about and would be willing to do without counting on wealth, fame, power or public acceptance as an outcome. They become lovers of an idea they are passionate about, creating something that continually seduces them into obsessing over every detail and losing track of the passage of time. In a real sense, it's something that they'd be willing to do for free, for its own sake. They do it because it matters to them, brings personal fulfillment, lasting relationships, and makes a difference in the world in which we live. To achieve this, all you have is your personal capital, and that's not your money: it's your talents, skills, relationships and enthusiasm.The authors say that it's dangerous not to do what you love. The harsh truth is that if you don't love what you're doing, you'll lose to someone who does. You must choose a path that you love because only then will you have the goodhearted stubbornness to stretch for your full potential and survive the inevitable slings and arrows that await you on your journey.Be warned: The relentless irritation of not loving what you do makes you a pain to be around and has been clinically proven to chip away at your health. "We spend our health building our wealth," said author and financial adviser Robert T. Kiyosaki. "Then we desperately spend our wealth to hang onto our remaining health."The authors say that cultural norms pressure you to have a "balanced" life split into neat little slices. Enduringly successful people, many of whom live a life that's a gift to the world, don't raise balance as a major issue because they were all busy doing what mattered to them. It's a struggle for everyone at some point. If you're feeling a twinge of guilt about balance, there is a probability that you don't want more balance, but need more of something that you can't admit you want. What you hunger for is a place for all of your passions.People become fascinated by the lifestyles of the rich and famous. It may be tempting to believe you can find success by studying their stories and assuming that whatever she or he did is a road map you can follow. But according to the authors, that's a dead end. That's not what billionaires or the best CEOs do. If there is one value they all share in common, it is integrity to what matters to them, and that makes a difference in their lives and work. Whenever they are faced with a decision, they look to find meaning in that opportunity that is very personal to them. They do not waste their time if it doesn't matter. What helps successful people stay successful is their stubbornness about sticking with their own journey based on their own values, not a magic path followed precisely by everyone else. The lesson here is that you shouldn't hijack someone else's value system. To do so would be a violation of integrity to what matters in your life. If you find it impossibly tedious to become an expert about what you think matters to you, then you're not chasing a dream, you're just daydreaming. You can't claim the buried treasure if you aren't willing to dig for it.The authors say that your personality is not what determines enduring success. It's what you do with your personality that counts.Most highly accomplished people described themselves as so proficient at making mistakes that, if you didn't know better, you might think they were losers. If there were just one thing that every enduringly successful person had in common, it is that they are all really great at failure.Enduringly successful people go to work dealing with a problem directly instead of struggling to put a smile on their face. They don't pretend to be happy when things go wrong and they refuse to completely surrender to the current disappointment. They just harvest what they can from the setback and keep taking action. The defeat you've had matters less than what you ultimately want to create.The ideas in this book are some of the best I've read in a while. This is a highly motivational book that will pave the way to your enduring success in a life that matters!

LOVED this book! Money is NOT the ultimate goal...but doing something that has lasting meaning for me. Billionaires keep working long after they have more money than they can possibly need, because it's their passion for what has meaning for them that keeps them doing whatever they do. It's the same old adage..."Do what you love and you'll never work again."

Great ideas, but writing style could improve (big HAIRY goal).There could be more detailed practical tips not just inspirational (eg, 8 hours of sleep, take a break 10m every hour).Illustrations are low contrast.I wouldn't call John McCain a builder.Would LOVE to see another improved edition of this book.

This book has become my favorite. It was consistently refreshing to read that creating a life that matters is something that we have deep inside ourselves and that not always is it in alignment to popular cliches or tired ways of thinking. A truly inspiring work that I highly recommend to anyone interested in pursuing his/her dreams.

The good: a. sound advice, time proven principles - and inspiring. Many of you who read success type books probably know most of this stuff...but for it to work you have to feel it - and in hearing the personal stories and the data collected here has inspired me to actually do the right thing rather than think about doing the right thing.b. how they got their information -not just from surveys -but from interviews - from people who don't normally grant this sort of access. that's a lot more believable than information garnered from a survey.the bad: despite advising readers to 'not be a politically correct' (they misuse the phrase) the authors are just that - hand-picking this or that gender or minority to illustrate their points that would probably have been illustrated better by someone else. It didn't seem authentic to me and it really undermines the book.

This book should be on just about everybody's wishlist. This book is excellent, stresses the importance of doing something you ove, and gives lots of advice on how to be truly successful in many senses of the word...but most importantly hopefully to you.

The secret to success that is built to last is to create a life that matters

A great book for any business leader looking at long-term sustainable growth. Must read on business 25 in my opinion.

the author gives some good ideas and inspirations . the aim is longer term and positive for good planning and depth

This study, which goes along the Built to Last classic, comes with powerful insights and testimonials. Nonetheless, if like me you're looking for new content, it won't satisfy your thirst. It all comes down to finding the true meaning of your life (personal & professional), which is truly important, but I mean we heard it before already. It reads quite easily though!

私は原書で読んだが、インテリ英語が難しいから、特に自信のある人以外は翻訳書を読む方がよいかも知れない。　読み進むにつれて偉大さが段々分かってくる本だ。つまり最初は馬鹿にしかけた。巻末の付録で本の生い立ちを知り、そんなに手間を掛けた研究結果をこの値段で購入していいのかと思ったほどお買い得の本だ。雑誌や新聞の成功者リストから20年以上世の中にインパクトを与え続けている成功者二百余名を選び、10年掛けて面接して面談記録をまとめ、要因分析した結果を、別途オンライン雑誌の読者にアンケート調査した結果で検証したという。Stanford大関係者が大学の費用で厳密な手法に則って調査分析した結果である。結論を第1章にまとめて、個々の面接で得た逸話を本文として次に持ってくる構成も研究論文的で、我々凡人には逆の方が分かり易い。　本書の圧巻は、成功者は成功（金・名声・力）を目標にせず、人生を賭けるに値する意味あることを見つけ熱く追求することが目標になっているという発見だ。ビジネスだけでなく政治・スポーツ・芸能などあらゆる分野の成功者との面談の無数の逸話も、要因分析と同様に面白い。

This promises a lot more than it delivers. Also their research seems to involve a lot of bias as well.I didn't hate this book but it really didn't offer much in the way of practical advice.