Dark Horse audiobook

This book really spoke to me. The problems with standardization (especially as a father with children in the public school system) are ever-present, and as a creative I’m always looking for ways to push myself into that “dark horse” mindset. Now I have a framework for things, preferences, and ideals I couldn’t always articulate to myself and others. I think this book is practical and important to really any type of person looking to challenge themselves outside the norm or to find their own “winding path” in life. The stories and examples throughout are also very inspiring, and the book is structured well, building on previous professional examples and expanding them. Definitely will read this one again!

This wasn't nearly as good as the End of Average, but it was interesting enough to probably read again. Audible

I loved this book!!! It helped me better understand the world around me using interesting stories to highlight their points.Main Takeaways:Standardization Convent: it has seeped into every facet of life because it brings simplicity and shortcuts to processes. However, while the standardization convent excels at providing a simple answer in a short amount of time, it also excels at squashing individuality and processes for individuals to succeed in the manner that suits them.Assessing risk: not through the lens of probability (what are the odds that I get this job), but by match quality, how well fit am I for a role (how well do my micro motives and characteristics align with this job).Micro Motives: small elements of activities I take pleasure in - KEEP ASKING WHY, once you can't drill down and further, you've arrived at your micro motives (I like basketball - why? I like being on a team - why? I like being a part of something larger than myself, I like the feeling of adrenaline, I like to be around people, I like to feel like what I do makes a difference, I like to learn (ALL micro motive and can drill down further from each stem)) I look for them MM's in every endeavor to enhance my assessment of job fit and opportunities that better fit them.Overall, this book exposed how I've simply been fitting myself to a system and provided the tools to reconstruct my operational norms and make the system fit to me.

4.5 Building on his previous book "The End of Average," Dark Horse lays out an alternate worldview from which to approach talent - life - development, sharing results from Rose and Oga's study of "women and men who achieved impressive success even though nobody saw the coming." Moving past the critique of standardization ("The Standardization Covenant") to a mindset based on the science of individuality where every person has talent, the authors propose the "Dark Horse Covenant," based on the belief that there are endless varieties of merit and infinite pathways to fulfillment. They present four practical guidelines to personalizing your way to fulfillment, each of which have potentially powerful implications for education redesign work committed to learner-centered practices.

More of an inspiring Ted talk than an academic study, this book accomplishes its goal. Forget the negative reviews (unless you are looking for a disciplined academic review of motivation in which case you should check out Thinking Fast and Slow) Rose and Ogas take you on a journey through anecdotal stories of success. They do not provide a recipe or formula, and if your looking for one you missed the whole point.This book explores personal micro motives and how we can build individual stories of success by not falling into the standardization trap. It's fun, easy to read and if it prompts anyone to follow the path less taken it has done its job.

Great concepts and inspiring examples and research to encourage people follow the passion. Provides great and practical principles with instructions

This book felt a bit like a relief on many aspects on my personal life. The message that I liked the most about this book was about not getting fixed with a specific end goal, as it might blind you from many opportunities. I understand there are some people and some personalities that having a very specific goal (become x company's CEO) can be great for motivation but not for me. His example explains it so simple that I was able to visualize it very quickly. Suppose you start climbing a mountain and once you have been climbing for a while, you look back and realize there are other routes and places that you can take to maybe other summits that you didn't see before you started your journey. This idea helps you pivot into what interest you most without feeling like you failed on your previously stated goal. The point here is no one can tell you about this in time because some might be looking for a steep way up, some might be looking for a pathway with flowers... either way I will be going through the route that seems the most adequate and learn as I go what other possibilities life will give me.Very excited for my next chapter. Thank you to the author. The only reason I am not giving it a 5 stars is because I save those for the very very best and just a few.

A Must-Read! What an inspiring, empowering concept - that of a whole new way of doing things, the Dark Horse Covenant.Instead of trying to make the system work for you, of "pursuing excellence which leads to fulfillment", the authors encourage you to do what makes you happy. The idea is that by reversing this maxim and pursuing fulfillment, you will enable yourself to attain excellence.In other words, do what makes sense to you, and do not worry about not following a predetermined "logical" path to success. If you do, you may well end up checking boxes on a list without in fact making yourself happy or fulfilled.As a self-proclaimed Dark Horse, this was music to my ears, and made much of my life make a lot more sense than when I was basing myself on the Standardization Covenant. Personally, I did not care as much about the part of the book talking about systemic change, as it focused primarily on the US - but I do believe that enough people embracing the Dark Horse Covenant and the Age of Personalization will contribute to a societal tipping point.

I FOLLOWED UP HIS BOOK ABOUT INDIVIDUALISM BY READING HIS NEXT BOOK ON HOOPLA REGARDING DARK HORSES. MANY OF THE CONCEPTS WERE THE SAME AND EXPOUNDED UPON INCLUDING EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE "BUCKING" THE CURRENT SYSTEMA AND FOLLOWING THEIR OWN PATHS TO FULFILLMENT. THE MAIN THEME IS THE PURSUIT OF FULFILLMENT LEADS TO EXCELLENCE. I LOVE AT THE END THE HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SIGNIFICANCE IN THE PHRASE "THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS" PENNED BY THOMAS JEFFERSON IN THE PREAMBLE TO THE AMERICAN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. IT BRINGS CONTEXT TO WHAT HE AND OTHER THOUGHT SHOULD BE THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR NEW SOCIETY. THE CORE OF THIS THOUGHT IS PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY WHEREBY WE NOT ONLY PURSUE OUR FULFILLMENT FOR OURSELVES BUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR NEIGHBOR (EQUAL FIT MEANING YOUR RIGHT TO PURSUE FULFILLMENT AND PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY WHICH IS YOR DUTY TO PURSUE FULFILLMENT). MAKES ALL THE SENSE IN THE WORLD TO ME.

I don't have too much time to write anything significant right now, but I enjoyed this book immensely. It gave me several ideas that I would like to apply and further consider in order to better my own life and, perhaps, help me find that sense of direction in my life that makes me feel fulfilled. (I do plenty of things I enjoy. I just haven't figured out how to tie them together into something fulfilling and unique.)I would say, though, that after about the 54% mark (the interlude section forward), the material felt less useful. That's not to say it was completely worthless, just that it had less of an impact on me than the first 50% or so.Overall, though, it was a very good book. One of the best "self-help" books I've ever read. Very well-written and intelligently laid out. I didn't feel like the author was underestimating my intelligence or padding the book with useless/insignificant examples. Everything came together very nicely and felt like it had a purpose.

So, I LOVED it when I began it. Like 5/5. I was like YES, these stories are awesome. And unique. And YES to micromotives. And YES we're being standardized. And YES this isn't a meritocracy but a quota-cracy. And Interesting To think strengths are not intuitive because they're context-dependent. And YES, keep following your path but don't fixate on destination bc the context changes there too.But the blatant ignoring or ignorance of systemic factors and intergenerational wealth that enabled many of the dark horses in this story.... Oh and how within a quota-cracy, it enables bias to favor certain groups over others was pretty sad. And then the ending when he's touting a really clean solution was a bummer because there isn't really a clean solution, methinks.. Anyway, Todd Rose is a personal inspiration anyway so most of it was good. And it's a short read. But what a lost opportunity.

While success may mean different things to different people in all walks of life, Dark Horse presents a new and refreshing perspective that helps demystify a stereotyped, rigid formula for perceived success (and its pitfalls) and a deeply ingrained formula for life-long happiness pursuing success through knowing one's own micro-motives, choices and trial and error strategies in pursuit of fulfillment to attain excellence, namely the standardization mindset vs. the so-called dark horse mindset as the authors vigorously advocate in the book, starting with a fundamental change of the standardization covenant that currently prevails the education system.

Though I don't read mamy self help books as many of them seem to be confusing and seldom provides any concrete steps. But this is one of the few books that I would recommend to read! The first half of the book is very interesting. The second half is equally boring and one can skip! It is about those ordinary people rather than geniuses, whom nobody saw coming. They might not be so famous but they are content and pruprose driven. The author gives vivid real life examples which are quite inspiring and also describes what concrete steps one can take to know your micro motives, harness your individuality and try to select the path to have a fulfilling and a purpose driven career.