How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life, by Scott Adams

Scott Adams has likely failed at more things than anyone youve ever met or anyone youve even heard of. So how did he go from hapless office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the worlds most famous syndicated comic strips, in just a few years? In How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Adams shares the game plan hes followed since he was a teen: invite failure in, embrace it, then pick its pocket.

No career guide can offer advice that works for everyone. As Adams explains, your best bet is to study the ways of others who made it big and try to glean some tricks and strategies that make sense for you. Adams pulls back the covers on his own unusual life and shares how he turned one failure after another--including his corporate career, his inventions, his investments, and his two restaurants--into something good and lasting. Theres a lot to learn from his personal story, and a lot of entertainment along the way. Adams discovered some unlikely truths that helped to propel him forward. For instance:

- Goals are for losers. Systems are for winners.
- Passion is bull. What you need is personal energy.
- A combination of mediocre skills can make you surprisingly valuable.
- You can manage your odds in a way that makes you look lucky to others.