How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
His "How to fail at almost everything and win big" was quite good. It talked about overcoming adversity (his focal dystonia and spasmodic dysphonia)... and his ideas of implementing systems for improvement, instead of just goals. It's sort of an autobiographical self-help book, with an enjoyably rambling story-telling style.
Details
This book goes over how his positive attitude, and affirmations, have helped him conquer various trials and hardships.
Scott suffered from focal dystonia, a malady which has affected his ability to draw on paper, however he adapted by drawing his comic on a graphics tablet (Cintiq), and was able to retrain his brain.
He also suffered from spasmodic dysphonia, a condition that causes the vocal cords to seize up in normal conversation (songs and recitations didn't trigger it). In 2008, he underwent a successful surgery to sever the nerve connections to his vocal cords, and then reprogram them to operate properly.
The book covers both, as well as his vegetarianism. Basically, how we are meat machines (I've always used the phrase wetware -- somewhere between hardware and software), and thus we can alter our fundamental programming, with enough effort. And while Scott's not really an expert at anything, he was able to parlay being good (and disciplined) on a few things, into success.
References
- https://www.amazon.com/How-Fail-Almost-Everything-Still/dp/1591847745/
- Scott Adams
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Adams