Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong

by Eric Barker

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,

The same traits that make people a nightmare to deal with can also make them the people who change the world.

You were successful because you happened to be in an environment where your biases and predispositions and talents and abilities all happened to align neatly with those things that would produce success in that environment.

Being a Taker has short-term benefits, but it’s inherently limited. In the end, nobody wants to help you because they know what you’re really like.

It is true that through my observation in the social settings, people tend to avoid working with takers, and in many circumstances loyalty is not an option after long hours of collaboration.

Why are mentors so important? You don’t have time to make all the mistakes yourself, and of course making those mistakes can mean failure. It’s better to let others make those mistakes and you can learn from them.