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  • Barking up the Wrong Tree

  • The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong
  • Written by: Eric Barker
  • Narrated by: Roger Wayne
  • Length: 9 hrs
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (175 ratings)

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Barking up the Wrong Tree

Written by: Eric Barker
Narrated by: Roger Wayne
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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

What listeners say about Barking up the Wrong Tree

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

A breath of fresh air in today’s existential minefield of society.

The ultimate set of careful what you wish for and grass is always greener anecdotes with hard facts to support them. Inspiring and motivating but most of all incredibly interesting.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • YE
  • 2020-07-10

Nothing new!

This book is nothing but bits and pieces of other books. The author's contribution is very little. Felt like nothing but a money grab. Very disappointed!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Simply Excellent - an instant classic

This is a rare accomplishment in the world of personal development; an engaging narrative, deeply practical without platitudes or typical self-help drivel. Barking up the Wrong Tree is a modern masterpiece of science backed with epic storytelling.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Listen to this one

I loved the humor and the numerous examples of people and concepts, also all the research. I'm glad I read this book. Finished in 3 days. On the last day I was listening for a good 3.5 hour streatch so yeah, I enjoyed it.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Definitely the best personal development book of the year

A great book for personal and professional book. Definitely worth spending time on and listening periodically over and over #Audible1.

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  • BJ
  • 2018-06-03

great info

know thyself. love your friends. succeed and live mindfully. that what I got out of it.

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    5 out of 5 stars

I need to find a new tree!!

Fantastic book, I have it in hard copy which I read and I listen to this while I drive. I find it a great way to get the full value of a book.
This book was recommended to me by a mentor, and now I can understand why. N
Not only does it help me see things just a little bit differently, it shows me where I could have changed a path earlier on.

Thank you

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excellent book!

I had to listen to this book twice, in order to grasp all of the Fantastic information in it. the writing style realistic and engaging and I love the real world scenarios the author has written about.

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Read this now!

One of the best books I've read this year. Filled with brilliant counter intuitive insight, backed by Science and some of my favourite academics. ❤️

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Packed with goodness

I have read A LOT of personal growth books and this one is easily the best. It’s like a personal growth encyclopedia. If you could only get one book it should be this one. All others will pale in comparison.

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