How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

Before Dilbert became one of the best-known syndicated comic strips in the world, Scott Adams was an office worker with a long record of failure, and here he recounts how he got from one to the other. He describes turning setbacks with investments, inventions, two restaurants and a corporate career into something lasting, and he stresses the large part luck plays in success. Rather than one-size-fits-all career advice, he shares the techniques and theories he believes raise the odds of success. Among them: goals are for losers and systems are for winners, personal energy matters more than passion, a mix of mediocre skills can be valuable, and odds can be managed in ways that look like luck.

Tim Ferriss listed it among books every entrepreneur should read, praising Adams's unusual and effective approach to career planning. Strivechat founder Gennady Batrakov named it one of the few books that had a great impact on his life.