After my first national best-selling book Ask More, Get More, I received some fantastic feedback and accolades. But, when I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with people about achieving their goals, I found that most people, from all walks of life, still want more.

They want more money; they want to be able to take their family on vacation; they want more freedom; and they want to be healthier, both physically and mentally.

Ultimately, they want a better quality of life for themselves and their family.

Some of those I met told me that they had read every self-help or personal development book they could get their hands on. They believed in all of the “principles” in my book and the thousands of other books out there. They listened to motivational speakers on their way to work; they listened to motivational speakers at the gym; they went to seminars. They did everything they were supposed to do. When you talked with most of these people I am referring to, they were also upbeat and positive people. But, despite all of the time and money they put in on “personal development,” they were not where they wanted to be. Some were not only not where they wanted to be, but they were actually in a worse situation than they had been before any sort of “self-help” program.

Why is that? Is “self-help” a farce? Can the power of positive thinking actually work, or is it just something that's powerful sounding but doesn't actually ring true in real life? There are so many people who spend their hard-earned money on trainings, books, audios, and seminars every year. Why aren't all of these people wildly successful? Why haven't they been able to achieve their goals? Where is the disconnect?

And what about the people who don't read self-help books? What about your average, everyday American? Why are so many people stuck? Is there something that the average, everyday person can do to get ahead? And is that something that is truly achievable, something that doesn't cost money, something that yields real tangible results?

In 5% More, I will attempt to answer why so many people “fail.” I will try to show that there is a connection between one's thoughts, between one's dreams, between one's goals, and their actions. Like in my book Ask More, Get More, you will find that the answers to some of the above questions seem ridiculously simple and easy to answer, and you will also find that taking action is easy and that anyone can do it.

In fact, I will not even make you wait to read the whole book to find out the ultimate answer. I will give it to you right here in the introduction to this book, in the very first few pages.

If you just give 5 Percent More effort in any aspect of your life, you will not only achieve your goals, you will surpass them.

If you are curious and want me to substantiate the last sentence, then read on. I promise this book will give you more than you ever imagined: a look at how we can dramatically change our lives by adding just 5 Percent More effort. Most people are looking for a way to improve their health, maximize their wealth, and obtain more wisdom, but most have trouble achieving their goals. Well, 5 Percent More is a way for any person of any age, any background, anywhere in the world to improve his life and achieve his goals just by adding 5 Percent More effort. How is this possible? How can a book with such a simple premise accomplish so much?

Well, let me give you a little background on where and how 5 Percent More became a reality for me. I was in a spinning class and totally exhausted, counting the seconds and minutes to the end of the class, and the instructor said that she wanted 5 Percent More out of us. She said that this next 5 percent is what really makes the class, that this next 5 percent burns more fat than the previous 40 minutes in the class, and that this 5 Percent More effort will have an impact on our metabolism hours after we get out of the class. She said 5 Percent More effort will get you an infinite amount more out of your body. When you are that exhausted and being pushed to the limit, you have to trust what they are saying and just push through. I noticed that not one person stopped, not one person even slowed down. We were all different sizes, shapes, ages, and personalities but we all trusted what she said, and we all gave at least 5 Percent More. In fact, most gave a lot more than that. It was interesting to me that all she asked for was 5 Percent More, yet it was obvious most gave more and maintained it throughout the last five minutes. She was onto something.

As I sat there afterward, half dead on the spin bike, I began to reflect on what would happen if we applied just 5 Percent More to virtually every aspect of our lives. Was there research out there that showed what 5 Percent More can do in virtually every aspect of your life? I didn't have the answer right then and there, but I began to study what our lives would look like if we had or did or wanted just 5 Percent More. The information I found and the science to support what just a little effort can do in virtually every aspect of your life was compelling. But when I dug a little deeper into my own life and the lives of others who have been successful for anecdotal evidence, it was even more astounding and profound.

In this book, I will discuss some of the science, some of the psychology, and even more of the common sense behind 5 Percent More and how that applies to your life—from just being 5 percent faster as an athlete to 5 percent smarter as a student to being 5 percent healthier than the average person, to improving your business by being 5 Percent More efficient or improving your sales by just 5 percent. It is truly amazing how something as simple as just 5 Percent More can have dramatic life-altering changes in your life.

Chapters range from discussing what 5 Percent More would do for an Olympic athlete, to what reading more to our children would do, and even how a slight increase in one's belief level in whatever one is doing can have dramatic results.

What I hope will really make this book stand out to you is that, while so many others try to cast a wide net by claiming that “everyone” should read a particular book, I believe that 5% More truly is a book everyone will want to read. Maybe you have read all the other self-help books and nothing changed in your life, or maybe you're looking for answers to get you to the next level. That is precisely why I wrote 5% More.

I don't claim to be a self-help expert—but I am an expert student of success, and I have found that almost everybody wants more. More happiness, better health, more financial stability, more discipline, and just a better life. But most if not all of the “self-help” books and programs fail to recognize that, although most people want more, the techniques, strategies, and theories work for only a small percentage of people, thus leaving a majority of people behind. So why would you want to read another “self-help” or “personal transformation” book?

People from all walks of life are struggling to make ends meet; people are having a tough time providing basic necessities for their families. Children are faced with competitive challenges as early as kindergarten, and even they want more. If you are high school athlete looking to get an athletic scholarship, a concerned parent, a business owner looking for a way to improve your bottom line, then look no further. The simple secrets in 5% More, revealed through its inspiring stories, interviews, and research, proves that all most people need is just 5 Percent More to get what they want.