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The Gap and The Gain

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71 pages, Paperback

15 people are currently reading
380 people want to read

About the author

Dan Sullivan

79 books329 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Dan has over 35 years’ experience as a highly regarded speaker, consultant, strategic planner, and coach to entrepreneurial individuals and groups.

He is author of over 40 publications, including The Wall Street Journal Bestseller: Who Not How, The Great Crossover, The 21st Century Agent, Creative Destruction, and How The Best Get Better®. He is co-author of The Laws of Lifetime Growth and The Advisor Century.

Dan is married to Babs Smith, his partner in business and in life. They jointly own and operate The Strategic Coach Inc., with offices in Toronto, Chicago, and the U.K. New workshops are also being held in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Dan and Babs reside in Toronto.

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5 stars
43 (38%)
4 stars
46 (40%)
3 stars
21 (18%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
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1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Denise.
80 reviews3 followers
September 15, 2021
A very quick yet insightful read.

1. The Book in 3 sentences:

People tend to be unhappy not because they have not achieved anything but because they're measuring incorrectly. We need 4 key things: start, progress, goals, and ideals. We need to learn how to set measurable goals (not ideas) and measure backwards (gains).

2. Impressions:

a. How I discovered it:
I just came across one random YouTube video about how a shift in mindset made his life better.

b. Who should read it:
- People who feel unaccomplished (despite having a productive lifestyle or not)
- People who are generally unhappy and unmotivated

3. How the book changed me:
I definitely loved the book because it's simple yet it made sense. I believe that I have a productive mindset and still feel like a slacker despite doing a bunch of this that day. Of course, this would make me absolutely unhappy. Through this book, I realized that I was measuring life the wrong way. I was always after the ideal (general delusive goals) that I will never be able to measure and reach (the gap). But now, I learned that you should always measure from your starting point to where you are now (the gain). It is also important to understand that you should have SMART goals that would give you "wins" in life, even as small as drinking 2L of water. The ideals on the other hand are good but should only be used as motivation not as justification of how your life is at the moment.

4. Top quotes:

- If you work in the world of generalities, it’s easy to get confused about what’s really going on, and your sense of your achievements will be vague and unclear.
- The future isn’t a reality—it’s a projection. And because it’s not reality, it can’t be part of any real measurement of your progress. The only way to measure goals is backward, against the past. Use the reality of where you currently are and measure backward from there to the reality of where you started
- Set measurable goals and measure backward.
Profile Image for Jon Barr.
858 reviews17 followers
August 21, 2020
Designed to be read in around an hour, this free e-book was enjoyable and enlightening. The foundational principle (measure your progress against your starting point, not against your unattainable ideal) is explained and explored through text and illustrations.

You can get your free copy at http://www.strategiccoach.com/go/gapa...
Profile Image for Oumaïma (readwithmima).
277 reviews44 followers
January 4, 2021
3.75 rounded up.

The concept of the gap and the gain in very interesting.
The ebook is short and well written. Nothing bad here, but nothing mind blowing either if you have been reading about goals and personal development for a while.
Profile Image for Fanni Melles.
28 reviews2 followers
April 9, 2020
I understood so much about myself due to this book, and I hope to help my existing community and future environment to leave the gap behind and live based on the gain - this is hard even for me, but the positive consequences are way greater than the effort it takes to "flip the switch".
21 reviews
January 5, 2021
This short eBook has a good message, but could really have been about 15 pages long. Repetitive chapters and messages abound. But, I'm a fan of encouraging progress, and I think the hour it takes to absorb these messages is worthwhile for anyone looking to make improvement in their lives.
Profile Image for Dana.
35 reviews
January 18, 2021
非常好的角度,能精炼一点就更好了。
Profile Image for Asteria Hecate.
Author 1 book9 followers
January 8, 2021
This book is short and is designed to be read within an hour. The concept of the Gap and the Gain is very interesting and innovative - the switch of perspective is a simple thing, but I don't think people usually make that connection and actively change their perspective, that's why this book is so important. At times, it felt as if the author is repeating the same thing over and over, but then again, maybe that is required to drive the point home. I really loved this book, and I think everyone needs to read this.
205 reviews
January 24, 2021
A quick read which Dan makes freely available online. While all of the content may not have been meaningful to me I like his concept of measuring progress based on your past rather than your ideal.

I absolutely love the accompanying App, WinStreak, which again, is free to download. It's simple but brilliant and prompts you to look for your 'wins', your progress, whether big or small, each day and to visualise tomorrow's wins also. It's a great concept, takes only a few minutes and encourages self-reflection within the lens of positivity and incremental progression.
Profile Image for Chad King.
44 reviews2 followers
February 12, 2021
The book is short and simple, but the concept provided is insightful and important to apply if you find yourself struggling to see yourself making progress in your ventures. It's easy to get caught up in an ideal, and setting unrealistic expectations, and then feeling as if you failed when you didn't reach those ideals.

This book reminds you that any ideal is just make believe, and you'll never reach them as you imagined. Instead, set realistic goals, measure backwards from where you started, and count your wins each day.
Profile Image for Akul Dewan.
10 reviews
January 29, 2022
I listened to the audiobook, which has some additional dialog between the author and the creator of the theory. The book has a powerful, simple, actionable message. However, the book falls into the trap of many business books of stretching a message to encompass every scenario of personal and business life - to the point where I felt entire chapters were a waste of my time. If I were to re-read it I would read the first 3-4 chapters, skip the dialog, and rest of the book.
Profile Image for Grey Fuellas.
3 reviews
April 17, 2020
A quick 1 hour read kind of book, you sure will get insights from it on how to recognize and be happier on your accomplishments. Focusing on the gain rather than the gap. Book could have been shorter, but still a good read.
Profile Image for Joseph.
484 reviews
January 21, 2020
Another way of thinking about envy and ingratitude by comparing yourself with what you wish was true instead of being thankful for what is actually true.
Profile Image for Dave McCracken.
179 reviews6 followers
January 4, 2021
A practical method for progress measurement, focusing on reality versus imaginative moving targets.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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