Book Byte #164 "Barking up the Wrong Tree" by Eric Barker

The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong

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📣 Curious Quote from the Author

“We spend too much time trying to be “good” when good is often merely average. To be great we must be different. And that doesn’t come from trying to follow society’s vision of what is best, because society doesn’t always know what it needs. More often being the best means just being the best version of you.”

“We crave ease, but stimulation is what really makes us happy.”

“Mentoring a young person is four times more predictive of happiness than your health or how much money you make.”

“Research shows that you don’t actually need to know more to be seen as a leader. Merely by speaking first and speaking often—very extroverted behavior—people come to be seen as El Jefe.”

“Without a plan, we do what’s passive and easy—not what is really fulfilling. Robert Epstein surveyed thirty thousand”

“In the famous commencement speech Steve Jobs gave at Stanford in 2005 he said, “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”

“As Henry David Thoreau said, “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”

“But as any mathematician knows, averages can be deceptive. Andrew Robinson, CEO of famed advertising agency BBDO, once said, “When your head is in a refrigerator and your feet on a burner, the average temperature is okay. I am always cautious about averages.”

“What’s shocking is that when asked to make predictions, depressed people are more accurate than optimists. It’s called “depressive realism.” The world can be a harsh place. Optimists lie to themselves. But if we all stop believing anything can change, nothing ever will. We need a bit of fantasy to keep us going.”

📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea

People frequently assume that the most gifted and intelligent people are those who "make it" in life. However, the truth is that traits like hard effort, motivation, and confidence—which are far more within your control—determine success. Anyone who wishes to can therefore experience great success.

Spend time bringing joy to others. It's been reported that there is a 15% higher likelihood of happiness among individuals who have contented friends. By showing kindness to the people in your life, you can increase your happiness. Experiment with it by lending a buddy a favor without anticipating a return favor. You will feel better about yourself and your friend will feel better about you if you do this.

The happiness of people in your social network will eventually come back to haunt you.

🛠️Fixing the Tech Industry

If you can understand how extremely lonely everyone is, then you can easily understand how easy it is to fix. The Internet has made as all a more knowledgeable and connected people, but also a lonelier group locally.

If we all took some time out of our day to connect with likeminded people like ourselves, our happiness would 10x, along with the happiness of whoever you helped.

So be who you want to be for other people, and they will reciprocate.

🤝Collaborate with others with this Social Media Prompt:

What can you do today that will help someone feel less lonely.

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Try out the "Think and Grow Rich Challenge" by Russell Brunson and Learn more about the First Self Help Author Napoleon Hill

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