{"product_id":"2940170375400","title":"Obliquity: Why Our Goals Are Best Achieved Indirectly","description":"A leading economist charts the indirect  road to happiness and wealth. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Using dozens of practical examples from the worlds of business, politics,  science, sports, literature, even parenting, esteemed economist John Kay  proves a notion that feels at once paradoxical and deeply commonsensical: The  best way to achieve any complex or broadly defined goal-from happiness to  wealth to profit to preventing forest fires-is the indirect way. As Kay  points out, we rarely know enough about the intricacies of important problems  to tackle them head-on. And our unpredictable interactions with other people  and the world at large mean that the path to our goals-and sometimes the  goals themselves-will inevitably change. We can learn about our objectives  and how to achieve them only through a gradual process of risk taking and  discovery-what Kay calls obliquity. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Kay traces this pathway to satisfaction as it manifests itself in nearly  every aspect of life. The wealthiest people-from Andrew Carnegie to Bill  Gates-achieved their riches through a passion for their work, not because  they set materialistic goals. Research has shown that companies whose goal  (as declared in mission statements) is excellent products or service are more  profitable than companies whose stated goal is increasing profits. In the  personal realm, a large body of evidence shows that parenthood is on a daily  basis far more frustrating than happy- making. Yet parents are statistically  happier than nonparents. Though their short-term pleasure is often thwarted  by the demands of childrearing, the subtle-oblique-rewards of parenthood  ultimately make them happier. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Once he establishes the ubiquity of obliquity, Kay offers a wealth of  practical guidance for avoiding the traps laid by the direct approach to  complex problems. Directness blinds us to new information that contradicts  our presumptions, fools us into confusing logic with truth, cuts us off from  our intuition (which is the subconscious expression of our experience),  shunts us away from alternative solutions that may be better than the one  we're set on, and more. Kay also shows us how to acknowledge our limitations,  redefine our goals to fit our skills, open our minds to new data and  solutions, and otherwise live life with obliquity. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  This bracing manifesto will convince listeners-or confirm their  conviction-that the best route to satisfaction and success does not run  through the bottom line.","brand":"Instructional Systems [Aubrey J. Kline (aka Jim Kline dba Instructional Systems)]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47158885286128,"sku":"2940170375400","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170375400_p0.jpg?v=1763708773","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170375400","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}