Good fortune is all around you, waiting to be noticed. Life is full of uncertainty, rough patches, and burnout, but navigating those obstacles becomes a whole lot easier–and more lucrative–when you know how to spot the golden opportunities that speckle our surroundings.
They won’t look like a fairytale pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, and sometimes they won’t equate to something as momentous as a “big break.” A consistently lucky life, where it feels like the universe is on our side, is all about mindset and preparation. We can’t control everything, but there are ways to place the odds of serendipity in your favor.
With these eight books, you won’t have to leave your luck up to chance alone.
The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk, and Luck
By David Spiegelhalter
An invaluable, data-driven guide for understanding―and learning to embrace―risk and uncertainty in our daily lives. Book Bite summary, read by author David Spiegelhalter, COMING SOON
The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck
By Christian Busch
Good luck isn’t just chance—it can be learned and leveraged—and The Serendipity Mindset explains how you can use serendipity to make life better at work, at home—everywhere. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Christian Busch, in the Next Big Idea App or View on Amazon
Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy to Uncovering and Harnessing Your Innate Talents
By Betsy Wills & Alex Ellison
Featuring access to the innovative YouScience aptitude assessment, Your Hidden Genius reveals your innate talents, interests, and personality traits along with the infinite paths that can lead to your utmost happiness, career success, and personal fulfillment. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Alex Ellison, in the Next Big Idea App or View on Amazon
Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen
By Zoe Chance
Rediscover the superpower that makes good things happen, from the professor behind Yale School of Management’s most popular class. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Zoe Chance, in the Next Big Idea App or View on Amazon
No One Is Self-Made: Build Your Village to Flourish in Business and Life
By Lakeysha Hallmon
This inspirational guide dares to dismantle the myth of individualism and reveals how collective support can shatter systemic barriers to success. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Lakeysha Hallmon, in the Next Big Idea App or View on Amazon
Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life
By John Miles
A science-backed framework for breaking free from the pinball life and reclaiming your focus, energy, and impact. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author John Miles, in the Next Big Idea App or View on Amazon
The Fame Game: An Insider’s Playbook for Earning Your 15 Minutes
By Ramon Hervey II
An enlightening historical view of the origins of fame, entertainment and media that examines our obsession with fame and the famous, and how social media is cultivating is own fame. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ramon Hervey II, in the Next Big Idea App or View on Amazon
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
By Maria Konnikova
The biggest bluff of all is that skill is enough. Bad cards will come our way, but keeping our focus on how we play them and not on the outcome will keep us moving through many a dark patch, until the luck once again breaks our way. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Maria Konnikova, in the Next Big Idea App or View on Amazon
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
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