What will I learn about: how everyday triggers—from your internal beliefs to your external environment—unconsciously reshape your thoughts and prevent positive behavioral changes?

Understand how everyday triggers—from your internal beliefs to your external environment—unconsciously reshape your thoughts and prevent positive behavioral changes.

What will I learn about: why internal 'belief triggers' trick you into resisting self-improvement by generating false excuses and wildly inaccurate self-assessments?

Discover why internal 'belief triggers' trick you into resisting self-improvement by generating false excuses and wildly inaccurate self-assessments.

What will I learn about: Recognize how powerful environmental factors can unconsciously dictate your actions, often causing you to behave poorly or out of character without realizing it?

Recognize how powerful environmental factors can unconsciously dictate your actions, often causing you to behave poorly or out of character without realizing it.

What will I learn about: avoid acting on bad impulses by identifying your triggers and creating a crucial moment of awareness between a stimulus and your reaction?

Learn how to avoid acting on bad impulses by identifying your triggers and creating a crucial moment of awareness between a stimulus and your reaction.

What will I learn about: the ability to lead your own behavioral change by forecasting hostile environments and proactively adjusting your approach before negative triggers take hold?

Master the ability to lead your own behavioral change by forecasting hostile environments and proactively adjusting your approach before negative triggers take hold.

Triggers

Creating Behavior That Lasts – Becoming the Person You Want to Be

Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter

★ 4.1 / 5(155 ratings)

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Categories:

Psychology Motivation & Inspiration

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why your environment often has more power over your actions than your own willpower?
💡Are you curious about the hidden daily 'triggers' that are secretly sabotaging your progress toward your biggest goals?
💡What’s the secret to finally making those positive life changes stick, even when your initial motivation starts to fade?

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Key Takeaways from Triggers

✓Understand how everyday triggers—from your internal beliefs to your external environment—unconsciously reshape your thoughts and prevent positive behavioral changes.
✓Discover why internal 'belief triggers' trick you into resisting self-improvement by generating false excuses and wildly inaccurate self-assessments.
✓Recognize how powerful environmental factors can unconsciously dictate your actions, often causing you to behave poorly or out of character without realizing it.
✓Learn how to avoid acting on bad impulses by identifying your triggers and creating a crucial moment of awareness between a stimulus and your reaction.
✓Master the ability to lead your own behavioral change by forecasting hostile environments and proactively adjusting your approach before negative triggers take hold.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Triggers

Mind Map

Triggers

Understanding Triggers+

Sources of Triggers+

Strategies for Mastery+

Tools for Accountability+

The Circle of Engagement+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7

According to the book, what is the fundamental definition of a 'trigger'?

A. A traumatic past event that causes emotional distress in the present.
B. Any stimulus that reshapes our thoughts and actions.
C. A conscious decision to change a negative behavior into a positive one.
D. An internal feeling of guilt that prevents us from achieving our goals.

Question 2 of 7

What is a common 'belief trigger' that often prevents people from making positive behavioral changes?

A. The assumption that our environment will naturally support our goals over time.
B. The fear that changing our behavior will alienate our closest friends and family.
C. The illusion that we already possess enough wisdom to accurately assess and control our own behavior.
D. The belief that external rewards are the only true motivation for self-improvement.

Question 3 of 7

According to a study of 80,000 professionals mentioned in the book, how did the vast majority rate their own performance?

A. 98.5 percent placed themselves in the top half of their peer group.
B. 70 percent admitted they were in the bottom half of their peer group.
C. Most professionals rated themselves accurately based on their actual sales numbers.
D. Over 80 percent believed they needed significant improvement to reach the top half.

Question 4 of 7

How do 'active questions' differ from 'passive questions' when trying to create behavioral change?

A. Active questions focus on what is being done to a person, while passive questions focus on external environments.
B. Active questions require a simple 'yes' or 'no,' while passive questions require a detailed written response.
C. Active questions ask others for feedback, while passive questions rely solely on self-reflection.
D. Active questions focus on personal effort and responsibility, whereas passive questions focus on a static state or external conditions.

Question 5 of 7

What strategy does the book recommend to combat the phenomenon of 'ego depletion' throughout the day?

A. Taking frequent naps to restore physical and mental energy.
B. Creating structure and routine to eliminate unnecessary daily decisions.
C. Changing your environment every few hours to stimulate the brain.
D. Asking passive questions to relieve the pressure of constant self-improvement.

Question 6 of 7

How did Sachi, the tech executive, handle the environmental trigger of visiting her low-income friends in India?

A. She avoided the environment entirely by refusing to visit them.
B. She brought them expensive gifts to elevate their environment.
C. She adjusted her own approach by speaking modestly about her travels to avoid sounding insensitive.
D. She used a scorekeeper to track how many times she bragged during the trip.

Question 7 of 7

In the 'circle of engagement,' what crucial step must occur between experiencing an impulse and executing a behavior?

A. Awareness leading to a conscious choice.
B. Immediate action to prevent overthinking.
C. Seeking validation from a peer or scorekeeper.
D. Altering the physical environment to remove the trigger.

Triggers — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Triggers often stop us from making changes, and we don’t even notice.
3Triggers can arise from our own beliefs, but usually they’re still part of our environment.
4Prevent impulsive actions by regularly giving yourself feedback.
5Guide your change effectively by understanding and adapting to your environment.
6Own your change using active questions and scorekeeping.
7Structure and routine help us avoid fatigue.
8Remain engaged to create change benefiting you and the people around you.

Triggers Summary & Overview

Triggers (2015) exposes the things in your life that you didn’t know were affecting you – and what you can do to stop these things from preventing you making positive change. Backed up with insightful research and filled with the experiences of the author and his clients, these blinks will help you eliminate unwanted behaviors and put you on the path to achieving your personal goals.