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The Exceptionals

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Member Reviews

The Exceptionals delves deeper into the lives of exceptionals in a few fields and what can be learned and applied by everyone. A must-read for people who are interested in self-help books.

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LOVED loved loved this book.

The writing had me captivated from the start to finish, and I found myself reading it almost straight through one sitting. I look forward to reading more by this author.

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This book assumes that you want to give up everything in order to be the best in the world at something. I guess that's a goal for some people, just not me. I didn't find it helpful or encouraging although I see how some people might.

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The Exceptionals by Kumar Mehta ... I read a lot of self help books and books about goal setting. I highly recommend The Exceptionals. It’s a great resource with lots of practical advice and examples for those who want to be the most elite in their field/ discipline / area of interest. I recommend to anyone who wants a little more motivation to reach their goals, work toward a stretch goal or to be the most exceptional in their field!

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Was the book well written and well organized? Absolutely!

Did the book do a wonderful job explaining concepts and fully illustrating examples? Again, absolutely!

Did I agree with the opinions and ideas shared in this book? Nope.

Let me explain - I knew what I was getting myself into when I read this book. It is a self-help, betterment book for those trying to be the 1%. But it encourages a toxic work-life balance by driving home ideas like "40 hours isn't enough' as if your work ethic is tied to how many hours you put in. Advocating for people to work nights, weekends, and never rest is borderline dangerous and sooner or later, will result in burnout.

The book wasn't my cup of tea but some may find it inspiring and provoking.

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I just reviewed The Exceptionals by Kumar Mehta, Ph.D.. #TheExceptionals #NetGalley. Its a well researched and thought out book. I have read a few of these in the genre and felt deja vu at times as other authors have brought pretty much the same information to light.

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“The formula is quite simple: Fifty percent of what it takes to become exceptional is genetic (the innate abilities you are born with). Twenty-five percent comes from intense effort and the hard work you put in to improve your skills….The final twenty-five percent comes from a set of enabling factors….” – Kumar Mehta
That 50/25/25 formula is the thesis of the book, and Mehta lays out his hypothesis along with a set of tips for optimizing each factor. Along the way you get some interesting stories – tennis ace Novak Djokovic came from a family who ran a pizza business but is gluten free! Ed Sheeran had no Plan B, and look, he sold 150 million records!

My favorite point was to shoot for your possible best, rather than your personal best so you’re not just trying to improve on yourself but reaching further. Otherwise, there isn’t much new here that you likely haven’t heard before – start at a young age, work hard, get help from mentors and coaches, etc.

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I take huge issue with the unsupported and often contradictory claims of the author. The claim that if a person is not always striving to be exceptional (which the author describes as the one percent of the one percent in their field) then they will experience "a low sense of self-worth" and "a negative view of life that brings you down a spiral that's hard to get out of." That is so laughably and demonstrably false that I almost stopped reading right then, The author offers no evidence or support for the claims made throughout the book, so I can't in good conscience give it a solid review.

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This book is full of strategies to become exceptional. It’s divided into different sections all describing the elements of excellence. This is a fascinating read and one I’ll return to.

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The exceptionals are the few individuals who have achieved an unparalleled mastery in their field. They are the 1% of the 1%. They have reached seemingly unreachable heights. They may be athletes or entertainers who are household names, or they may be people who have invented life-saving drugs or won a Nobel Prize by making fundamental advances in knowledge. This was a great book about self help I highly recommend reading this book. A lot of the information made sense and how you can apply to your own life.

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