Barking up the Wrong Tree

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

By: Eric Barker

Narrated by: Roger Wayne

Length: 9 hrs

Publisher's summary

Much of the advice we've been told about achievement is logical, earnest...and downright wrong. In Barking up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker reveals the extraordinary science behind what actually determines success and, most importantly, how anyone can achieve it. You'll learn:

• Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires and how your biggest weakness might actually be your greatest strength
• Whether nice guys finish last and why the best lessons about cooperation come from gang members, pirates, and serial killers
• Why trying to increase confidence fails and how Buddhist philosophy holds a superior solution
• The secret ingredient to "grit" that Navy SEALs and disaster survivors leverage to keep going
• How to find work-life balance using the strategy of Genghis Khan, the errors of Albert Einstein, and a little lesson from Spider-Man

By looking at what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us, we learn what we can do to be more like them - and find out, in some cases, why it's good that we aren't. Barking up the Wrong Tree draws on startling statistics and surprising anecdotes to help you understand what works and what doesn't, so you can stop guessing at success and start living the life you want.

©2017 Eric Barker (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Easy Read on Myths About Success

It's an easy read on the many myths about success. For example, students that are valedictorians don't often turn out to be visionary leaders. They are generalists and follow the rules. They do what's necessary in all of the subjects to score well. However, visionary leaders are those with passion in focused areas and they are innovative, not a rule follower.

As usual, books with "surprising" in the title are not surprising. The author refers to many authors and information found in their books (Adam Grant "Give and Take", Jane McGonigal "Reality Is Broken", Angela Duckworth "Grit", Vicktor Frankl "Man's Search for Meaning", and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi "Flow" just to name a few).

Concise and Credible

Great concise and credible review of actionable ways to become your version of success. There is a huge amount of work that is summarized and many of the references are worth reading.

LOVE!

Riveting and relatable, you'll find yourself saying, "OMG, yes! Exactly!" Even better, Barker does a great job of defining the issue and then providing ways to address the problems so you aren't left wondering what to do next. Highly recommend.

Fun and interesting

I had a great time with this book. Pick up some great ideas, and it reinforced others. Would recommend this to anyone who enjoys books of the genre.

Epitome of Success

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, played it in my car on my way to work and also couple hours before bedtime. Every chapter had a different vibe to it, some started with misery and pain while others were portrayed in a happy tone. Would recommend this book to anyone that has a curious mind, or is looking for a guide, a path to take to get to success.

This is a good book, on the subject

Easy to listen to. Easy to understand. Easy to put into place. Not overly done, meaningless platitudes or affirmations just plain point of view and backed up with some stats and facts. Re-evaluate your opinion on success and it might just save your life, or something just as important. Give it a try and enjoy the subject.

Evidence based approach to life

Decent performance, overall good book about what science shows makes for a successful life.

We're all different, success is an individual pursuit, but go out and make YOUR mark.

awesome summary of success factors

great examples, simple and straight forward. easy to remember.awesome summary of success factors are reviewed

Amazing book. Great story.

Alot of lessons to rewire your brain. Will have to listen to it again and again. Inspirational.

Great insight with stats to back it

I purchased the audio book for the commute. Loved it! He uses a lot of statistics and research to back up his claims and points. I found myself rewinding multiple times to hear them again to be able to process the numbers. I feel like a copy of the book would have been easier in this regard. I may still purchase a copy to re-read!

If you like the type of books that pull together all the major research findings of Nobel economist and psychologists and present in a way that’s easier to digest, then you will enjoy this book. It’s like reading multiple books in one.