All It Takes Is a Goal
by Jon Acuff
Acuff's most data-driven book came out of a study he ran with a researcher on how people actually reach goals. The three zones (comfort, potential, chaos) are a helpful way to see why you swing between boredom and burnout, and the 'best moments list' exercise is a gentler, more reliable way to pick goals than the usual vision board.
Read it if…
you have plenty of goals and no clear way to choose or sequence them.
Skip it if…
you want the humor of his earlier books; this one is more measured and structured.
Three things you will actually use
- Pick goals from past best moments, not from pressure.
- Start in the easy zone to build evidence, then step up.
- Make scorecards; what you measure you repeat.
Do this first
List thirty of your best moments from the past few years and look for the pattern.
Our verdict
Acuff's most substantial book; practical, calm and worth the exercises.
Compare with other Goals books
Your Best Year Ever
Michael Hyatt · Goals
A dependable yearly ritual in book form; best read in the last week of December.
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Living Forward
Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy · Goals
A one-day retreat in paperback; brief, serious and worth doing once.
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Wishcraft
Barbara Sher · Goals
An unglamorous classic that still beats most modern books on finding direction.
CLICK TO SEEBrowse all Goals book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.
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