The Type-Z Guide to Success

By Mark Allen (New World Library)

You might expect an author whose previous titles include The Millionaire Course and Visionary Business to offer a book chock full of success tips for hard-working Horatio Algers. Instead, the co-founder of New World Library offers, “a lazy person’s manifesto for wealth and fulfillment.”

We’ve all heard that it’s as important to work smart as it is to work hard, and self-proclaimed lazy guy Marc Allen is a testament to this theory. He’d hit his financial nadir “didn’t want to work all that hard.” Today he heads a successful book publishing enterprise, plays and publishes music and swears he’s living the satisfying, lucrative life of his dreams.

You won’t find a lot of revelations in this book, but it’s amazing how powerful Allen’s concise reminders can be. Many of his suggestions hearken back to old standbys like affirmations, but he’s added ideas for resolving conflicts, sharing the wealth and paying it forward. Allen even highlights the key points of his message so that if you’re too lazy to read the whole book, you’ll get it all at a glance. Not that he sees being lazy as a fault — to him, it’s more of a style.

Allen assures us his book isn’t just for the indolent; it’s for anyone who wants to succeed in his or her own unique way. I wouldn’t call myself lazy but I drift off course at times, and I’m finding myself inspired and invigorated by his bite-sized reminders.

A timeworn theory of commerce is that the three most important ingredients in starting a new business are capital, capital and capital. Maybe that works best for Type A personalities, but if you’re a Type Z, you’d be well advised to include some of the intangible, personal capital that’s worked for this author. Abigail Lewis

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