How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

This was an entertaining book on how Scott Adams failed and succeeded. He gives some practical tips on what he did to get to where he is.

on HN, 2020

The point being, it's far easier to become a big success by being above average in a few things, than it would be to try to be one of the best in a single area.

on HN, 2018

Combination of skills. If you can be good (say top 20%) in more than one domain, then that combination of skills can be enough to make you very sought after.

on HN, 2018

Everyone has at least a few areas in which they could be in the top 25% with some effort. In my case, I can draw better than most people, but I’m hardly an artist. And I’m not any funnier than the average standup comedian who never makes it big, but I’m funnier than most people. The magic is that few people can draw well and write jokes. It’s the combination of the two that makes what I do so rare.

on HN, 2018

I put myself in a position where luck was more likely to happen. I tried a lot of different ventures, stayed optimistic, put in the energy, prepared myself by learning as much as I could, and stayed in the game long enough for luck to find me.

on HN, 2018

Turns out the creator of Dilbert was at one time a mid-senior level manager in Corporate America, who attempted several failed entrepreneurial ventures over the years. He's also a brilliant writer.

on HN, 2017