Book Description

Things they don't teach in school ... but you'll wish they did. The late, great, personal development guru Jim Rohn lamented, "It's too bad failures don't give seminars. Wouldn't that be valuable? If you meet a guy who has messed up his life for forty years, you've just got to say, 'John, if I bring my journal and promise to take good notes, would you spend a day with me?'" Well, Jim, your wish has come true. As a time-honored expert in the art of failure, author Mark Aspelin has demonstrated exceptional skill by messing up in nearly all of the important areas of life: relationships, money, health, education, career ... the list goes on. How to Fail at Life: Lessons for the Next Generation is the ultimate "what not to do" guide, filled with stories of self-inflicted catastrophes, completely avoidable suffering, and mindless forms of life wreckage - with some inspiring tales of redemption that reveal the secrets for how to live a happy and fulfilling life. Mark wrote this book for his son, as a fun way to pass on timeless success principles, just in case Mark gets hit by the proverbial beer truck. Learn how to FAIL SMART You won't find any fancy buzzwords or "secret formulas" that are guaranteed to give you fame, fortune, enlightenment, and six-pack abs in 30 days without leaving your couch. Mark has read a bazillion books in the personal development space and quickly found that the principles of success are simple and consistent and have been documented ad nauseam. Why are the same success principles used again and again? Simple. They work. Mark has packaged these life lessons within stories of people who've learned them through the School of Hard Knocks. You'll find true, inspirational stories of failure and redemption. You'll see a few household names that you may know well, as well as some obscure and unknown names. If Mark has done his job well, you'll also see a bit of yourself in these stories. After all, that's one of the goals of this book: to give you a chance to pause, reflect, and say, "Hey, that's me!" Then you can decide if you need to make some changes to get back on track. There really is a right way and a wrong way to fail in life. For the few key areas that you want to develop and master, failure is something to be actively pursued and celebrated. It may sound strange, but when you fail fast and fail big in those few vital areas, you'll be on the fast track to accomplishing your definition of success. For the other areas of your life, the right way to fail is to let others do it for you and learn from their mistakes. Staggering amounts of time and suffering can be avoided by learning from the mistakes of others. When it comes to failure in most areas of life, it's better to watch the movie than be a character in it. Rest assured, you'll still have plenty of opportunities to fail in life, but you might as well narrow down the list so you'll fail "smart." This one's for you, Jim Rohn. Mark is happy to spend a day with you to show how failure is really done. Get ready to take some notes.