Strive: How Doing The Things Most Uncomfortable Leads to Success

WHY EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT SUCCESS IS WRONG AND WHERE THE KEY TO SUCCESS REALLY LIES

In this controversial new book by internationally–acclaimed tech wizard and venture capitalist, Scott Amyx, you′ll find out why everything you thought you knew about becoming a success is wrong. More importantly, you′ll discover what you can do to dramatically boost your chances of realizing your goals and living the dream.

Amyx, a bona fide rags–to–riches story himself who overcame a hardscrabble upbringing as a poor immigrant to become an internationally acclaimed visionary businessperson, tells his own story and the stories of dozens of individuals throughout history who beat the odds to become outrageously successful. In the process, he reveals the shortcomings of conventional wisdom about success and explains why following it just may be what′s holding you back.

ADVANCED PRAISE FOR Strive

"Strive. Pushing through our limits, doing the hard thing, and focusing on constant and never ending growth and improvement is the ticket to impact and fulfillment!"
Tony Robbins, World–Renowned Business Leader and Peak Performance Strategist, Best–Selling Author of Unshakeable, Money Master the Game, Unlimited Power, and Awaken the Giant Within

"We all know or have read stories of people who seem to rise from the ashes or come out of nowhere to achieve success. Strive points out that most of these individuals were not extraordinary by nature but extraordinary by action."
Forbes

"The true alchemy of Strive is that it combines, great storytelling, great anecdotes, and some pretty profound insights. No question Scott Amyx′s key takeaway is to get comfortable being uncomfortable or perhaps find yourself a different journey. Learning to live perpetually outside your comfort zone is perhaps a condition precedent for success the special sauce for cooking up ideas that will change the world."
Tribeca Film Festival

"Strive teaches us to embrace discomfort and achieve success in this exponentially changing world."
Singularity University

Introduction ix

Winning at Life

1 Strive 1

Popular Beliefs About Success Are Profoundly Wrong Strive for Real, Lasting Success

2 Are You Passionate Enough? 13

Passion Plays

Passion and Success: What Is the Connection?

Passion Without Innate Abilities

Passion Without Knowledge and Experience

Passion Without Economic Gain

Artistic Success: Get the Picture?

Famous by 30 or Bust!

Invest Your Money for Art School Get an MBA

3 Practice and Opportunity 33

The Practice of Practice

Youth Sports: Gateway to Success?

Unequal Success Among the Equally Qualified

Unequal Opportunity Versus You

Brazil: Rising Above Race and Class

Rising Above

4 Are You Special? 51

The Idea That Only Exceptional People Become

Successful Is Wrong

Flight: Doing It Wright

Power, Money, and Failure

The Power of Being Nobody Special

You Can Achieve Greatness, Regardless of Who You Are

5 The Secret Things 69

The Idea That Successful People Have Hidden Advantages Is a Lie

Lucky in Life?

That Sinking Feeling

Lucky Lottery Winners?

The Impact of External Circumstances

Many Advantages, No Success

Ursula Burns, Risk Taker

The Real Hidden Advantage

6 Disrupt Yourself 87

Use Self–Disruption to Attain Success

Disrupting the Body: Building Muscle

Disrupting the Individual

Shooting for the Stars

The Power of O

Reinventing Your Business

Disrupting Your Nation

Starting Successfully

7 Abandoning Your Comfort Zone 109

Risk It

Comfort Zone Versus Twilight Zone

Risk–Taking Impacts the World

Journey to America: In Search of Religious

Freedom

Risky Business

Amazon

Personal Risk, Incredible Growth

Into the Light

8 When the Going Gets Tough 127

Pairing Risk with Perseverance Is Necessary for Your Ultimate Success

Staying the Path, Eyes Ahead

Insights Help You Reassess Your Goals

The Blind Man Riding on the Back of a Blind Tiger

A Cinderella Story

Insights Help You Persevere

Taking the Long View and the Long Road

Coming from Nowhere, Going Somewhere

Fail Again and Again

Into the Heart of Darkness

Passion Play

9 Verify and Magnify Your Success 145

Periodically Check to See If You Are Meeting

Goals and Stretching Yourself to Achieve Success

Verify

Personal Growth

Quantification of Outcomes

Are You Coasting?

Magnify Your Success

The Magnifier

The Platform Effect

Network Effects

Now What?

10 Enhance Yourself 163

Success Without Self–Care Is Failure

Hacking the Body By Any Means?

Biohacking

Future You

Busy = Better?

Good Health Do You Measure Up?

Boost Your Brainpower

Stress, Rest, and Your Brain

Meditation Can Rewire Your Brain For Good

Some Final Words

Epilogue 185

Your Personal Journey to Success Will Be Entirely

Unique

Should Success Be Measured Only by Money, Status, and Power?

The Ethics of Strive

Striving, for Life

Striving Together

Index 203

Scott Amyx grew up an impoverished immigrant who was frequently told he would amount to nothing. Today he is an internationally recognized thought leader, speaker, and author on the Internet of Things and emerging technologies. He received the Cloud & DevOps World 2016 Award for Most Innovative and was voted Top Global IoT Influencer & Expert by Inc. magazine. He also was named Top IoT Authority by the Internet of Things Institute, and Speaking.com′s Top 10 Global Speakers. In addition, Scott has been nominated to the World Economic Forum as a committee member for the Future of the Internet and nominated by global luminaries for TED Talk.