The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle is an excellent reference book for articulating and managing self improvement issues. There are 52 pearls of wisdom all aimed at moving readers closer to redefining themselves and working toward internalizing and achieving goals. Internalizing a goal means accepting it fully as a desirable milestone to achieve through continuous or daily effort.
At the outset, Coyle challenges each of us to look at who we are and where we want to go in life. The author sets forth specific rule structures to get each of us to a new level. For instance, he recommends spending 15 minutes per day on mastering a new skill.
The book recommends keeping a daily performance journal to measure and monitor progress. There is a requirement to practice alone in order to fully concentrate on acquiring a new skill or mastering a task.
Coyle attaches a lot of importance to learning from mistakes. He encourages readers to pay attention to and document mistakes so that they aren't repeated.
In addition, Coyle recommends embracing repetition in order to master new skills and build upon experience iteratively.
Finally, the author suggests that each of us teach a skill. Teaching forces us to learn skills more completely. In addition, teachers deal with the give and take of asking and answering probing questions on the topic.
The Little Book of Talent by Coyle is brief enough to capture the attention of readers with just an hour or slightly more of reading time. The presentation is easy to understand. The rule structures are simple. Overall, Coyle's work can get readers started in another direction without too much analysis paralysis.
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