This Year I Will

How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True

By: M. J. Ryan

Narrated by: M. J. Ryan

Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Learn the secret to making changes that stick! Every so often people get inspired (again!) to lose weight, to get organized, to start saving, or to stop worrying - but a few months later they give up, frustrated. It doesn't have to be that way.

In This Year I Will..., best-selling author M.J. Ryan offers breakthrough wisdom and coaching to help listeners make this time the time that change becomes permanent.

Why do people find it so hard to change? The secret is that everyone has their own formula for making changes that stick, but most people don't know what theirs is. They think there is one way to lose five pounds, and another way to stay on top of their e-mail, but they don't realize that for all changes, there is one system that works best for each individual.

This Year I Will... helps you lock on to your unique formula for planning, implementing, and seeing a life change through, so you can use it again and again to tackle anything else you'd like to do.

For anyone who has broken a New Year's resolution, fallen off a diet, or given up on fulfilling a dream, the ingenious strategies, inspiring stories, and sheer motivational energy of This Year I Will... will help you make a promise to yourself that you can actually keep.

©2006 M.J.Ryan (P)2009 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"If you're struggling and think that one more title can't possibly make a difference, think again. M.J. Ryan has the rare gift of breaking things down into clear pieces that can be tackled." (Laura Berman Fortgang, author of Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction)

THE BEST

Man , is this book helpful? Absolutely ! I am half way through and there are great tips I can't fully grasp without listening to the audio a second time. I have listened to and read many books on how to quit a bad habit and how to get rid of procrastination and this book is THE best in the field. Many great quotes and tips. I've finally found the book i needed the most . Highly recommended !

Thanks for the writers of the other good reviews . I bought the book based on them and i am really glad i did.

Just the kick in the pants I needed

What did you love best about This Year I Will?

Every year I set resolutions and then feel like a total failure when I slack on them. This book gave me an easy plan of how to stay with it.

What did you like best about this story?

That I realized my whole hog approach to change was setting me up for failure. This book showed me how to make small changes that add up, rather than all at once.

Which character – as performed by M. J. Ryan – was your favorite?

I didn't really find any one character more central to the story than another.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, this book has built in homework and requires a bit of reflection at points. Taking breaks to digest the information and plan between tasks enhances the experience of the book.

Excellent tips

Some people mentioned that they found the reader challenging; I thought her performance was just fine. While clearly not a professional reader, it didn't matter because she was imparting ideas. (Her style of reading might have interrupted the flow of a story, but this is not that type of book.) Often I had to stop the recording to digest some of these ideas, which I would have done while reading a paper copy of this book as well. This book is well worth hearing and gives some useful advice. I'm glad I have it in my library; I will refer to it again, perhaps even once a year when I'm making resolutions.

Good little book to walk you through changing

The ideas in the book are simple. But that's because the method to change is simple -- find the right approach for you and identify what would motivate you to continue day after day. People often fail because of two reasons. They talk about or read about change but don't take any action. Or they start without having a plan or consider how to get back on track when slipping up occasionally.

If you're ready to make a change, this is a great book to walk you through it. The author describes the steps (e.g., plan and prepare). She gives examples of where people have succeeded and failed in these steps. You decide what would work for you. Go through the book slowly. Absorb a few ideas and practice the techniques. Be willing to tweak it so it works for you (e.g., putting sticky notes to remind yourself rather than beat yourself up when you forget to do something). After accomplishing those steps, move on to the next section in the book.

Really terrific ideas!

The content is useful and immediately applicable. The author uses common sense ideas from different sources and provides the reader with a clear explanation of each concept with examples as well suggestions on how best to apply the technique for individual goal achievement. I will likely listen to the title again soon.

Succinct, with many ideas that can be used now!

Well researched with many references to other peoples works. Succinct and very easy to listen to. So many solid ideas to put into practice right now. One of the best books I have listend to this year.

Hard to listen to

MJ Ryan offers a nice package of worthwhile, if not unique, wisdom about getting past mental hurdles that typically hinder progress toward achieving a goal. Unfortunately, MJ decided to read her own book rather than hire a professional, which I believe was a very bad move. I got some useful strategies from the book, but I lost focus about halfway through because it was so hard to listen to MJ stumble through her own content. Good think the book was only 4 1/2 hours!

A couple of good ideas and a lot of fluff

Next year, I will....skip this book. If you've never heard basic cliches about setting and sticking to goals, then you might want to consider listening to this. If you've heard all the cliches and you're looking for real help in that area, don't bother with this one.

Most of this book is based on the "baby steps" idea from the movie "What About Bob?". In other words, you break down large goals into smaller, more maneagable goals, and you tackle a few goals at the time. Beyond that, there isn't much here.

This is pop psychology at its worst. Example: Before you have a thought, you should go through steps A, B, C, and D. For step A, you should go through substeps E and F. If F turns out to be Z, then you should skip to D, etc. In other words, it's all about overevaluating decision making. I will say that there was some attention given to preparation and having backup plans, so I gave it a few more stars for that, but really, there are better books out there.

Excellent book

I love how she gives you lots of mental tools so to speak on dealing with negative thoughts and stopping self sabotage. I have a fair amount of self help books and this is one of the best ones I've come across. Be sure to take notes as you listen.

Resolutions and Resolve

Last New Year's Day, as I was taking down Christmas decorations, I listened to Andrew Mellen's "Unstuff Your Life! Kick the Clutter Habit and Organize Your Life for Good" (2010). I had decided 2013 was the year I would work on organizing my home, starting with holiday lights, ornaments, and decorations. It ended up taking me a week to box it all, but at the beginning of December, I knew it really worked. The house was festive, and thanks to the other tips in that book, it's well on the way to being uncluttered.

That was such a success, I decided to start 2014 out with another self help book, listening as I put decorations away (just a few hours this year). I chose M J Ryan's "This Year I Will: How To Finally Change A Habit, Keep A Resolution, Or Make A Dream Come True" (2006). I have some habits I'd like to shed, along with a few pounds; some habits I'd like to establish; and a dream or two that's been simmering on the back burner as I dedicated myself to raising kids who are finally old enough to make themselves dinner and get to and from practices.

"This Year I Will" is a really practical guide to looking at what you would like to do; establishing reachable goals; the methods for reaching those goals; and, most importantly for me, what to do if you fall out of the Keebler Elf Tree House and eat a cookie or five. Ryan talks about how to handle temporary setbacks without turning them into permanent failures. She also discusses different motivations, and why what works for some (a reward or treat) isn't necessarily going to work for people who are motivated by other factors, like the joy of competition.

I'm very hopeful that the techniques I learned listening to this book will work for me.

Ryan narrated the book, and I liked her voice. The production quality was a little rough and it could have used an audio proof listen - but it didn't distract from the message.

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