Scott is a great speaker and his experience in life is amazing, worth hearing and never gets dull.
The book is really valuable as Scott's own experience in life and his ideas and thoughts on happiness - in an abstract way somehow- feels a bit related to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Most important point for me is that I'm not sure if the book really affected me or my thinking somehow, hard to know really when it's about the priorities of life, worth re-reading again later.
Also to set your expectations right, this is the experience of a married man with Kids living on US, or just read the summary about his life quickly to understand his background, this is fundamental when reading anyone's experience in life.
Also to be fair as well, the book could probably be better named "Scott's reflections on Finding happiness" and still will be very cool book to read, but Scott already mentioned this quickly in the first chapter and that this is not backed by researches but this is more like his own personal experience so treat it as such. ( )

I am a fan of Scott Galloway. I enjoy hearing him on various podcasts, YouTube videos and other media. He is very opinionated, candid and rarely boring. Scott offers commentary on tech, business, politics and other topics. There are plenty of self-help and life advice books. Scott's appears to be the most candid based on his mixed life experiences – – failures mixed in with some successes. I think there is a lot of good advice especially for those who are fairly young – – in their 20s but there are some golden nuggets in this book no matter how old you are.

Listed below are some kernels of life wisdom that caught my eye:

Writing is my therapy. It’s a way for this shit banging around in my head to find an escape route. It’s a chance to immortalize how much I love my kids, miss my mom, and love Chipotle. Writing has reconnected me with people I care about and introduced me to new, interesting people.

Invest in experiences over things. Drive a Hyundai, and take your wife to St. Barts.

The key decision you’ll make in life is who you have kids with. Who you marry is meaningful; who you have kids with is profound.

Where you die, and who is around you at the end, is a strong signal of your success or failure in life.

The definition of “rich” is having passive income greater than your burn.
( )

This slim book is written in Galloway's typical breezy and entertaining style. Having devoured at least 50 self-books over the past few decades, it's not surprising that I had been exposed to most of Galloway's concepts. But they reinforced some important tenets about attaining success and happiness. What's more, the book served up a number of intriguing new ideas. One suggestion: when charting your career path, do NOT follow your passion. Yes, this is counter-intuitive advice and contradicts everything I've been telling college communications majors for 30 years. But Galloway's point is simple. It makes more sense to find something you're incredibly good at and can get paid for -- and then get great at it. Your "greatness" will create the passion that's needed. I've thought a lot about this advice and it makes total sense. Some other nuggets from "The Algebra of Happiness:"

-- Hunger is more important than talent. I've often said that I would rather a worker who has incredible drive than one who has little drive and loads of talent. I've seen too many of the latter and have actually played a role in helping a few to get jobs. I've regretted it.

-- Review the metrics in your life on a regular basis — everything from relationships to your net worth. Assess the "stuff" that really makes you feel valued. Measure what matters.

-- Fear of rejection is a bigger obstacle than lack of talent. Train yourself to take some sort of risk each and every day so you get comfy grasping beyond your reach. Learn from rejection.

-- Be a role model to someone. Make a major difference in someone's life. "Remarkable men can become irrationally passionate about the well-being of a child who isn't theirs..."

-- Most depression isn't feeling sad, but feeling nothing.

-- In the end, relationships are all that matters.

In summary, "The Algebra of Happiness" is well-worth the read. ( )