What Works - by Tara McMullin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"My second-grade teacher noticed. She guided me out of the classroom and into the hall. She gently asked why on earth I was crying over a game of bingo. As only a precocious 8-year-old could, I tried to explain that I hated bingo because it required no skill. It was pure luck. There was no strategy to employ, no natural talent to rely on to win. Either your numbers were called, or they weren't. I couldn't extract value out of a win. There was no meaning to victory-although loss still hurt. My teacher gently explained that it was "just a game" and encouraged me to enjoy it. But that's the thing. There has been nothing in my life that has been "just a game." Every win was a small indication that things would work out, that I'd be okay. Every loss was a devastating reminder that I could lose everything-and probably would."--

Book Synopsis

Set and achieve your goals in a brand-new way for a more fulfilling life

In What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal Setting, celebrated speaker, coach, and author Tara McMullin shows you how to transform the way you set and achieve your goals to create a gentler and more fulfilling way to work toward what you truly want. In the book, you'll explore what's driving your pursuit of "more" (more money, more things, more prestige, etc.), set commitments to help orient your growth, and organize your actions as part of a holistic learning process.

The author's actionable strategies and tools go beyond mere platitudes about "slowing down" and "appreciating what you have" to a concrete demonstration of how to prioritize practice over achievement. You'll also find:

• An antidote to our culture's relentless pursuit of "more"
• Ways to end the habit of constantly striving for something else at the cost of your own wellbeing
• Strategies for ending your internal monologue of constant comparison to other people

An essential book for the productivity obsessed, unfulfilled career ladder-climbers, and overachievers who are ready to try a new approach to life and work, What Works represents a powerful and exciting new way to tackle life's challenges.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR WHAT WORKS

"Nuanced, rigorous perfection. What Works is a thought-provoking antidote to the overhyped productivity narratives keeping us stuck in shame and validation spirals. This book, and Tara's oeuvre more broadly, serves as a brilliant guide for emphasizing presence and process over rigid metrics and external markers of success. A rich, hearty meal for the mind, I was only sad to put this book down when it ended."
--JENNY BLAKE, podcaster and author of Free Time, Pivot, and Life After College

"Thanks to What Works, I've broken up with goal setting as usual. Tara has laid out a liberated way to identify what matters to me and move towards it without striving, suffering, or burning out. "
--ANNIE SCHUESSLER, host of Rebel Therapist

"Have you ever not finished a goal? So frustrating! Tara walks you through how to treat goals and planning as a work-in-progress, so you can make growth your practice (and never get down on yourself for 'failing' again)."
--VANESSA VAN EDWARDS, bestselling author of Cues and Captivate

"Tara is an innovative thinker and a role model to so many entrepreneurs. What Works is a deeply researched and forward-thinking guide that invites the reader to examine their creative impulses, question the systems within which they create, and determine what creative endeavors will bring them the most joy and the most satisfaction."
--JENNIE NASH, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator and author of Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel From the Inside Out

About the Author

Tara McMullin is the host of What Works, a business and culture podcast about navigating the 21st century economy without losing your humanity. She's also the co-founder of YellowHouse.Media, a boutique podcast production company. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, The Startup, The Muse, and The Huffington Post.