• How Luigi Cornaro overcame terminal illness and got to live 102 years
• The reason that made Giotto go backwards in his artistic development in order to attain financial success
• Which steps Giacomo Casanova took in order to become wealthy
• How biologist George Mendel failed miserably in his career goal, but still found happiness
• The huge error that destroyed Charles Dickens' life, and how to avoid it

EXCERPT FROM THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1. The importance of asking the right questions
How confusion is created, cultivated and magnified
The most widely accepted explanation happens to be false
Discard harsh schemes before they do you in
How deep dissatisfaction gives birth to improvements
Beware of the human tendency to self-delusion

Chapter 2. You can figure out what steps to take next
How much nonsense are you willing to listen to?
Painfully torn by adversity: a escape by night
Path widening and deepening: two great strategies
Starting in life without the benefits of wealth or education
How a disciplined genius turned into an incongruous loser

Chapter 3. Trial and error are the norm, not the exception
The right move after having crashed and burned
Quick rebound after a downfall
Here is the antidote against stagnation
Proven advice to improve your resilience and results
The danger of perfectionism: the teachings of Chuang-Tzu

Chapter 4. It's all about method improvement
Career remedies against career mistakes
Where a big plan fails, small solutions can win
Can a clever man get stuck in a stupid situation?
Learning to grow wiser and stronger
Train yourself to detect inflection points

Chapter 5. How to speed up your progress
The human inclination to rationalize passivity
Individuals with good ethics make fewer mistakes
The theory and practice of system building
Can you apply your creativity each day?
What I learned from a man who worked miracles

Chapter 6. Your steps should be logical, not random
Learning to think long-term in a short-term world
The number-one cause of devastating errors
A strong warning against self-inflicted blindness
Figure out the logic, so that you can prevent mistakes
Ambition without logic is not a sign of wisdom

Chapter 7. If only you could cut your mistakes by half
Make fear your friend, and prudence your blessing
A wide margin of error is a necessity, not a luxury
Some people throw themselves to the wolves
The right steps are often the smoothest
Dealing effectively with ignorance and prejudice

Chapter 8. Let organic growth determine your steps
Natural growth is better than artificial formulas
Historical experience is the best source of wisdom
The false narrative of motivation and enthusiasm
When something breaks, it's showing you the way
Eye-opening events are meant to make you change

Chapter 9. The philosophy behind sequentiality
The key to improving your personal effectiveness
Can self-acceptance lead to better results?
What works and what doesn't
Don't let high ideals make you irrational
The mortal sin of hypersensitivity

Chapter 10. Why it's so difficult to see the winning path
Taking action to seize market opportunities
Expand your activities and maximize your success
You don't need to reinvent the wheel
Improved old concepts can lead to great success
How a stonecutter found the winning path