How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big Summary
Summary of How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big Book by Scott Adams
4.7 . 4506 reviews
Short summary
Have you ever taken a look at your life and wondered why you haven't gone much further along? Well, we've all had one or two instances when we thought we should have gotten more out of life than we currently do. There are times when we take a look back at the previous two or three years and wonder where it all went wrong. But in most cases, nothing went wrong. We're just not patient enough to see that every failure we encounter comes with bits of opportunities and lessons essential to set us up for greater success.
In “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big,” American author and creative Scott Adams shares how he was able to get comfortable with failure since he was a teenaer and learned to pick its pocket for inspiration. He illustrates how he went from being a hapless worker to being the creator of one of the world's most popular comic strips, “Dilbert” in just a few years.
"Simply imagining a better future hacks your brain chemistry and provides you with the sensation of happiness today." ~ Scott Adams
Summary of How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
About the author
What is How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big about?
Who should read How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
Topics in How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
first key point
Forget about passion; being passionate about something doesn't guarantee success
Listen the first key point
00:00
00:00
Most people erroneously assume that passion is what leads to success. And this is largely because we often hear successful people say “follow your passion, it's the key to success.” And honestly, it sounds very reasonable the first time you hear it. Passion will presumably energize you, increase your determination, and make you immune to rejection.
However, passion is not as essential to success as we make it out to be. Being passionate about something is not a guarantee that you are going to be successful in it. Yes, passion makes people take big risks in pursuit of unlikely goals, which seldom lead to huge success. But most of the time, it leads to a huge failure.
Energy is good. Passion is bullshit. ~ Scott Adams
Naturally, successful individuals want you to believe that success is a product of their intelligence and hard work, but they also try as much as possible to be humble, that’s why they attribute their success to passion.
In essence, passion is not a definite indicator of success. It’s easy to be passionate about things that are working out perfectly. But no matter how passionate you are about a project, your passion will fizzle out at some point if all your attempts keep failing and don't turn out the way you want.
Success leads to passion more than passion leads to success.
If you ask a successful person to tell you their secret, they might tell you it's passion, because that sounds like a really humble answer. However, if they actually want to be honest with you, they'd tell you that their success was a combination of hard work, determination, brains, desire, luck, and appetite for risk.
This summary will show you how you can play smart while planning your path to success. You will learn how to give yourself the room to fail and cultivate the right energy in everything you do, including school, work, sports, and even your personal life. The following chapters will reveal the methods Scott Adams used to boost his personal energy as he failed his way to success.
second key point
Only losers set goals; winners build their life around systems
All through his career, Scott Adams has always been looking for examples of people who build their lives around systems as opposed to goals. And one spectacular pattern he discovered is that individuals who are system – oriented are more successful and generally do better in life. System–driven people are individuals who have found a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways.
What is How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big about?
In this insightful and humorous memoir, the author shares his unconventional journey to success, offering practical advice on how to navigate life's challenges. From his failures and setbacks, Scott Adams reveals the valuable lessons he learned, emphasizing the power of a positive mindset, personal energy management, and embracing failure as a stepping stone to success. With wit and wisdom, he inspires readers to adopt a new perspective and find their own path to achieving big wins.
Who should read How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
Aspiring entrepreneurs seeking unconventional strategies for achieving success.
Fans of Scott Adams' Dilbert comics looking for personal anecdotes.
Individuals interested in learning from failures and finding motivation.
Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:
2 min/day
5 min/day
10 min/day
15 min/day
20 min/day
30 min/day
45 min/day
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
Join 30+ million learners around the world
60K5 reviews on App Store and Google Play
Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you
sandypantalones
Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.
Carol Slinker
An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned
Fuse Henry
In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.
sleepy sprite
The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!
JuicyBaby328
I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!
Jillian Emmert
It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.
Fiamma
I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.
Epic waters
The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.
kathytaveras
The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.
anita yadav
Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!
Feninda Amalia
This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.
Darlin NIKKIDOLL0923
Have questions?
Asking the right questions brings you closer to achieving your goals
Can I test out Headway before purchasing it for my team?Payment
Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.
What should I do if some of my employees already have your Premium subscription?Payment
Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.
Can I increase or decrease the number of subscriptions on my corporate subscription once it’s started?Payment
Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.
What are the benefits of books summary?
Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.
Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.
Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.
Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.