[Book Review 3] How to Motivate Yourself: Dale Carnegie's Principles for Modern Life (by Joe Hart and Michael Crom)

I'm Kana, a housewife working hard to save money every day.
How is everyone's asset building going?

This time, I'm sharing a book review.

In these book review articles, I reveal my family's actual savings amount at the end, so I would be happy if you read until the end!

Now, for the third book review.

The book I'm introducing this time is a business book by an overseas author,
"How to Motivate Yourself: Dale Carnegie's Principles for Modern Life"

1. Why I read this book

It started when I saw it at a bookstore I happened to walk into.
I love bookstores and browse them whenever I have time, and the green spine of this book stood out strangely on the business book shelf.
Around that time, I was going to bed late every night and wanted to fix my short sleep duration, but I couldn't stop procrastinating and staying up late...

I wanted to change, but I was thinking,

I want to fix my inability to change and my inability to take action,and when I saw the title of this book, it really hit home, so I bought it.

2. About the book

Dale CarnegieDo you know him?
He was an American educator and author who taught the importance of human relations and communication, and he is also the person who left behind masterpieces such as"How to Win Friends and Influence People" and "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living."

This book reconstructs the principles common to those masterpieces by Dale Carnegie from the perspective of "rather than 'how to influence others,'how to motivate yourself first" in a modern way.

The author, Joe Hart, is the CEO of Dale Carnegie Training.
He emphasizes translating principles into "action" rather than just "knowledge."

3. Points that left an impression

①Your attitude toward yourself determines the quality of your life

It argues that Carnegie's principle of
"Don't criticize, don't condemn, don't complain" should be directed at yourself first.

We tend to be hard on ourselves in our hearts.

For example, there aren't many people who would say to a friend who is depressed after failing at something, "What are you doing? That's not good enough!" right?
If it were a dear friend, I think you would offer them comfort and kind words.
Speak to yourself as you would speak to a friend.

The message,"Extend the same compassion to yourself that you extend to others,"left an impression on me.

②Small successes build confidence
Confidence is not something you "think" your way into, buta byproduct of accumulated actions.

Applying this to myself, I've been able to continue saving money and make monthly savings (a small daily success), and I've become a little more confident in how I spend money than before.

For example, when I was a big spender, I would shop at 100-yen shops without much hesitation, but now I write down what I need beforehand and only buy what is truly necessary.
It's just 100 yen, but it's still 100 yen.
I think of my past self as someone who neglected 100 yen, and now I carefully consider even buying one 100-yen item.
It's the smallest step, but I believe that accumulating these will lead to 10 million yen.

👉 The key to motivating yourself is to lower the hurdle.

3. Meaning and purpose create the power to continue
People cannot move forward with just a "have to," but they can move when the "why" becomes clear.

I believe there is a clear reason why I was able to start saving money, even if just a little, starting from almost zero.
It wasn't just "I need to save because it feels like things might get tough," but rather:

・I don't want to be unable to support my children's future career paths because of money when they tell me about them.
・I want to live my later years doing what I love without being plagued by financial anxiety.

Because I felt that so deeply, I was able to start taking action to become someone who can save.
To continue, you need to clarify your meaning and purpose.

4. Who is this recommended for?

・People who have things they want to do but can't get moving
・People who tend to have low self-esteem
・People who struggle to stick to goal setting or habits
・People who want to learn Carnegie's principles through a "self-centered" approach

Setting big goals and then falling into self-loathing when you can't achieve them.
This cycle definitely drains your ability to take action.
Instead, choose the "smallest action you can take today."

I was also saved by the words that confidence is not something you think up, but something that follows as a result of taking action.

5. Summary

First, do not criticize yourself.
And, rather than trying to change the self you think is no good,
try to understand the self you think is no good.
I realized that true action can only begin from there.

If there is someone right now who has something they want to do but can't move,
this book will surely give you the trigger to stop blaming yourself.
And it might just be the book that gives you the strength to take that first small step forward.

Thank you for reading until the end!
If you found this even a little helpful, I would be happy if you could press the ♡ Like button ☺

☆ 10 million yen savings journey
・Ordinary savings 1,036,000 yen
・NISA assets 110,896 yen
Total 1,146,896 yen

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