'Act Like A Success Think Like A Success', Steve Harvey

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Thoughts

We all may know Steve Harvey as a comedian or the host of Family Feud and Little Big Shots.  He has achieved a lot in his lifetime and earned his very own Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  What most of us don't know is the struggle and setbacks that he had to face and encounter in order to be where he is today.

In 'Act Like a Success Think Like a Success', Steve Harvey shares his personal experiences and failures in life.  He offers words of encouragement to readers to embrace and harness your personal gift as a stepping stone to transforming your life.  While most of the advise and information being provided in this book is not relatively new, it does put everything into perspective.  By the end of this book, you will be inspired and motivated.


Brief Summary of 'Act Like a Success Think Like a Success'

Chapter 1: "I'm Tired of Myself"

• Stop making excuses.  Be honest with yourself.  Stop comparing yourself to others.  
• We become our own opposition when we accept the following: procrastinating, lying to ourselves, comparing ourselves to others, and having self-doubts - in short, anything that gets in the way of becoming who we were created to be.  
• Practice learning how to speak about success with experts who are fluent in the language of success.  
• You can clearly see your dream, but you are wasting time overthinking the unknown or talking to people who don't understand your aspirations.  

Chapter 2: Fear and Failure

• When you face your fears, they aren't as big as you thought they were.  What makes them big is when you don't turn around to face them head-on.  The longer you avoid your fears, the bigger they grow in your mind.  
• You have to learn to convince yourself that the possibility is greater than the inevitability of doing nothing.  
• Failure is part of the process when you are on the road to success.  The only way to get back on track is to come up with another plan.  
• Employers wants someone who is experienced with failure, has learned from it, and can get the job done.  Failure is not here to defeat you, but to give you the power to gain those life experiences that you can come back to and learn from again and again.  
• The key to our opportunities lies in our decisions.  In order to get the opportunities you want, you have to make the decision to change.  

Chapter 3: Take the Lid Off the Jar

• Don't get caught in that trap of comparing yourself to someone else.  Release yourself from excuses and limitations.  

Chapter 4: The Dash Between Perishing and Sacrificing for Your Dream

• Any negative trait that derails you from your dreams will not get the job done.  Negativity can never be the fuel that drives your gift.  
• If you are the smartest person in the group, you need to get a new group.  You cannot be a person who knows it all and can't be told anything, because it will stifle your creativity as well as the creativity around you.  
• When you are really living in your gift, you just know it.  When you are doing what you are meant to be doing, you can just feel it.  When the right opportunity comes along, you won't have to force it.  
• We think that motivation comes from somewhere else, but our greatest motivation is inside of us.  The only difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people know what their gift is and how to focus on it at all costs.  

Chapter 5: Not What You Are Paid For, but What You Were Made For

• Your gift is not your talents.  Talents can be learned while a gift is inherent.  

Chapter 6: Knowing Your Gift and Putting It into the Right Vehicle

• Once you uncover your gift, find that distinctive touch that will make your gift stand out and shine.  
• Don't ever be afraid to put yourself in a position so that you can learn something from someone who knows more.  No one can teach you more than someone who has already been there.  

Chapter 7: Understanding the Makeup of You

• Be the kind of person who attracts rather than repels others.  You have to be easy to work with, or at least be willing to create the atmosphere that makes it easy to work with you.  
• Recognize your shortcomings and be willing to improve on them.  
• Be a person of integrity.  Be honorable and reliable by doing what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it.  
• Learn how to be open.  

Chapter 8: Climbing the Mountain to Reach Your Dreams

• Goals are the key ingredient that helps us stay focused, consistent, and diligent on our path to achieving our dreams.  
• Make big goals, but don't make them so far outside your comfort zone that you set yourself up for failure.  
• Your goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive.  

Chapter 9: You Have to See It to Believe It

• Identify what you want to accomplish.  Create a vision board to make sure it motivates and inspires you to achieve your dreams.  

Chapter 10: Man on a Rope

• God has already lined up all the people in your path to get you to your dreams and your visions; all you have to do is get rid of the wrong ones.  
• When you choose someone to model, they should have a track record of success.  The role model should show a commitment to providing direction to others.  
• Let go of people who are only around for their personal benefit.  
• Avoid people who are always having a bad day.  In their minds, nothing ever works in their favor.  This kind of negativity depletes enthusiasm.  
• Distance yourself from those who have to be right all the time.  
• Procrastinators will weigh you down.  Action is the prescription for moving forward.  Procrastinators are going nowhere.  Do not let them impede your journey to success.  
• You should be living your life surrounded by people who are like-minded, service-oriented, and grateful, people who are trying to accomplish things, and who bring something to the table.  

Chapter 11: There Is No Self-Made Man

• Keep your eyes open for like-minded people, for others who are on the same wavelength as you.  
• Asking for what you want gives you a better chance of getting it than not asking.  
• There is no shame in not knowing something, in not having something, or in wanting or needing something.  So much of what will determine the difference between a good life and a great life is an ask away.  
• 6 principles to help you get what you want: (1) know your worth; (2) recognize what you deserve; (3) get specific; (4) don't assume anything; (5) communicate your values; (6) recognize that "no" is not a rejection.  

Chapter 12: Tale of the Tape

• Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is important because you need to learn how to maximize your wins and minimize your losses.  
• Manage your strengths and improve your weaknesses.  
• If you don't develop other strengths, your enemies will always know what choices you will make.  Switch things up, learn and master other skills, and apply them strategically so that you can stay ahead of the marketplace and your industry.  
• Weaknesses are only a detriment if you allow them to be.  Create partnerships with people whose strength is your weakness.  Learn from them and build that area so that you can grow stronger.  

Chapter 13: Never Be Afraid to Reinvent Yourself

• Change comes in every person's life.  You can either react to it or you can participate in it.  The more willing you are to accept change and to be a part of change, the more successful you will become.  
• We cannot allow small-mindedness to interfere with our rewards.  Step outside your comfort zone and try something new, something adventuresome, when utilizing your gift.  

Chapter 14: The Power of No

• Being able to say no will help you become confident in setting personal standards, as well as being comfortable setting boundaries, both of which are critical in your journey towards success.  
• Saying no allows you to use your gift and power in the right place at the right time for the right purpose.  Stop giving your gift to those who want to use you for the development of their legacy, at the cost of yours.  

Chapter 15: Healing Your Haters Through Success

• A hater's goal is to impede your progress, and the moment you stop to address them, you have helped them accomplish it.  You cannot afford to spend a single day engaging with that kind of energy.  
• The opposition has no power over you, unless you give it to them.  
• Negativity can show up as any pessimistic, critical, or harmful energy that takes you off your path toward success.  If you are not careful, not only will that negative energy take you off track, but it will in fact consume you.  

Chapter 16: Life's Magical Balance

• Home + Health + Finances = Success

Chapter 17: God Blesses You to Become a Blesser

• The more people you help become successful, the more successful you become.  We are all here to help one another.  
• When you understand how powerful giving is, you will have more to give.  
• Become one of those people who are willing to share, educate, gift, help, inspire, lead and push.