THE PROXIMITY EFFECT

Poised to be the next big self-improvement guru, Hardy's book dispels the myth of will power and takes a more practical approach to self help, showing readers that the key to changing themselves is to control their surroundings.

Not yet thirty years old, Hardy is poised to become the next big self-improvement guru. His Medium articles were the most-read across the entire site last year and his self-published e-book, Slipstream Time Hacking, has been downloaded more than 200,000 times and just last week was ranked 50 on the free Kindle bookstore. Now, in THE PROXIMITY EFFECT, Hardy argues that a person’s potential is determined far more by the standards and demands of their environment than it is by their internal resolves. Will power will fail; changing one’s context will not.

Drawing on decades of research as well as his own experience of growing up in a broken family afflicted by addiction and drug use, Hardy explains how people can change their lives on every level. From simple steps like removing yourself from smoking areas if you’re trying to quit, to reframing your very genetic expression, these lessons make it possible for people to lead happier and more productive lives. He leans on his own story of making the decision to become a foster parent to three children to illustrate how any shift, no matter how huge, can become “the new normal” if you’re armed with the proper outlook.

Hardy has the potential to become the next Greg McKeown or Ryan Holiday, presenting his ideas about productivity in a way that virtually guarantees THE PROXIMITY EFFECT will be a bestseller.

Benjamin Hardy is pursuing his PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Clemson University. His research focuses on the psychological differences of actual entrepreneurs vs. wannabe entrepreneurs. His work has been featured in Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Business Insider, New York Observer, Thought Catalog, and others.