Strive Gives Us the Gift of How to be Successful Regardless Who You Are
Scott Amyx draws on his own powerful story of an impoverished immigrant who was frequently told that he would amount to nothing. Now a celebrated venture capitalist and futurist, Amyx describes his meteoric rise from obscurity to prominence. Amyx’s dramatic turnaround led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not simply intellect, opportunities, or even network; instead, it’s all about pursuing personal change that’s uncomfortable.
Here’s what people are saying about Strive: How Doing The Things Most Uncomfortable Leads to Success:
“Strive. Pushing through our limits, doing the hard thing, and focusing on constant and never ending growth and improvement is the ticket to impact and fulfillment!”
– Tony Robbins, World-Renowned Business Leader and Peak Performance Strategist, Best-Selling Author of Unshakeable, Money Master the Game, Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within
“We all know or have read stories of people who seem to rise from the ashes or come out of nowhere to achieve success. Strive points out that most of these individuals were not extraordinary by nature but extraordinary by action.”
– Forbes
“The true alchemy of Strive is that it combines, great storytelling, great anecdotes, and some pretty profound insights. No question Scott Amyx’s key takeaway is to get comfortable being uncomfortable… or perhaps find yourself a different journey. Learning to live perpetually outside your comfort zone is perhaps a condition precedent for success — the special sauce for cooking up ideas that will change the world.”
– Craig Hatkoff, Founder of Tribeca Film Festival
“Strive teaches us to embrace discomfort and achieve success in this exponentially changing world.”
– Alex Picazo, Singularity University
“Visionaries, game changers and disruptors all share one thing in common — their ability to embrace the uncomfortable. Strive is for anyone who wants to disrupt the status quo.”
– Brian Wong, CEO of Kiip, Author of The Cheat Code
“Scott Amyx’s book injects you with a secret sauce that will compel you to be bold and disrupt yourself. His advice about the importance of stretching beyond your comfort zone is perfect. I ought to know since I just spent five years traveling nonstop overland to all 54 African countries.”
– Francis Tapon, Author and Global Nomad, Harvard Business School, Forbes
“Strive is the perfect book for disrupting traditional systems that need significant improvement. In building our tuition-free boarding high school for the underserved and disengaged youth, we are able to use the actionable steps in Strive to push towards the uncomfortable. This book is serving as a guide for our team to keep pushing for greatness.”
– Jabez LeBret, Chief of Schools, Sisu Academy, Forbes
“Wow! From beginning to end, Scott lays it out there. Strive gives you back your most important commodity, your time. Every chapter is packed with first hand experiences, learnings, and takeaways. I love that it’s a type of book you can open any chapter and be at a lesson or story that will relate to you! Strive is a book you will pass on or buy for others you want to inspire.”
– John Elston, #1 Bestselling Author of The Remote Revolution
“Scott Amyx’s Strive ignites in the reader a passion to reevaluate success. Scott intertwines his own story, filled with constant struggle, with similar narratives to teach us how to manifest our dreams by taking risks and embracing change no matter how uncomfortable. Strive is the handbook for anyone who wants to stand up, rise above, and transform his or her life.”
– Richard Shapiro, Founder and President, The Center for Client Retention; Author of The Endangered Customer: Eight Steps to Guarantee Repeat Business
“There is huge significance of intentionally getting into the discomfort zone – a change that all begins in the mind – and the only zone where real growth occurs.”
– Dr. Dipesh Patel, Postdoc Bioengineering & Immunology, PhD Biochemistry
A Valuable Book And Inspirational Read
“Wow! Strive is a fantastic book for anyone interested in living a successful life. It is candid yet kind; pulls no punches yet never bullies. The tone of the book itself – as well as the valuable information within – inspires the reader to be honest with themselves, even if that honesty is a bit uncomfortable. Indeed, by the end, we are conditioned to anticipate the potential for success on the other side of uncomfortable! And with the many relatable examples sprinkled throughout the book of how we avoid being uncomfortable, in what ways we let our fears and avoidance of failure keep us stuck, everyone is able to recognize their own habit of sticking with comfort at the expense of his or her own potential for success. I highly recommend this book to anyone – entrepreneurs, activists, artists, educators – but want to particularly suggest it to parents. While we teach our children what it means to seek and create success, this book gives us the tools to teach it, and example it, well. Strive is a valuable book and an inspirational read!”
– Tsara Shelton, author of Spinning in Circles and Learning from Myself
Strive – embracing change and risk to reach your goals
“Strive is a wake up call to everyone who thinks that success comes easily. So many people talk about pursuing their passion as if passion makes up for a lack of perseverance, hard work, and a determination to reach for your goals. The pages of this book debunk many of the popular myths that hold people back from achieving success in their endeavors. However, the power of Strive is in the way it inspires you to stretch beyond what you thought was possible. Wherever you are in life, if you long for something greater, Strive demonstrates that the change that is required means embracing the uncomfortable. The first step is to read this book and take a good look at yourself and what needs to change.”
– Tom G.
“Strive helped me [to] see beyond what I thought I could do and challenged me to just do things that were uncomfortable. Surprisingly, through that process, I actually began enjoying what I previously thought was not my cup of tea and it opened me up to many more opportunities. Strive is like that person who we respect immensely, who by simply telling us that we can do something we thought we couldn’t do, empowers us to actually do it. I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially younger folks who are thinking about their career and who need to understand that simply following their passion is not enough. They have to embrace things that may be boring to them or difficult for them to achieve a successful career in their area of passion.”
– P-from-CA
Live Out Your Dreams
“Strive is an inspiring and riveting book on achieving success. Scott Amyx doesn’t define success as being a quick internet sensation that is here today and gone tomorrow, but writes of honing one’s true talent and bringing it to fruition. His personal story is compelling and he writes in a tone that encourages his readers to step out of their comfort zones and achieve their dreams.”
– Regina Gadad
“As an avid reader of self-help books, I found Strive powerfully inspiring. Strive debunks many myths and long-held beliefs about success that we have come to espouse with examples of real people who were able to climb to great levels despite not having the magic formula not committing 10,000 hours to a single craft. I really like the reality based coaching and advise about enhancing oneself mentally and physically via safe bio-hacking. Strive changes the way you think, so you can change the way you live.”
– Lois K.
Practical, accessible, insightful – loved it!
“Strive is a balanced, reality based, counterpoint to Outliers, Emotional Intelligence, and Strengths Based Leadership. It is a recipe for success for regular people; based on time tested truths and principles. Strive is my gift to my graduating high school daughter this June.”
– Daniel Tet
“Strive helps me [to] realize that it is all right to be uncomfortable with change but Strive encourages me to stretch beyond that discomfort into new pursuits. Strive excites me.”
– Mike Allen
Refreshing, “no frills” wisdom for people who want to develop themselves and others
“As a Korean-American, as a business school lecturer in Indonesia, and as a young professional who just hit 30 — I am thrilled that Scott is sharing his remarkable personal journey and the wisdom he’s gleaned along the way. Almost everyday, I hear my business students repeat this phrase: “I just want to be successful.” And these days, I’ve noticed an early mid-life crisis hitting me and my friends as we reach age 30 : “What have I done with my life?” To both audiences, Strive challenges us with a more holistic understanding of success and offers a simple, principled way forward. Scott’s insights are in no way “fluff.” They are thoughtful, humble (and often humorous) observations about how real life work. He gives concrete, reasoned wisdom to us ordinary people who are willing to embrace uncomfortable, unconventional paths to meaningful success. What excites me most is that this comes from an Asian-American whose story is relatable for the ordinary majority of the world. It offers a refreshing answer to the claims of mainstream authors who mostly speak from a position of privilege and the ranks of the global economic elite. This book is something I can easily give to my students, whose parents were like Scott’s mother, and whose future actions will impact one of the largest developing countries in the world. I would also recommend this book to any 30-year old who feels overwhelmed by the pressure to climb the ladder like everyone else. Read it, and Strive!”
– Joy L.
Five Stars
“Loved the reminder to expect and embrace risk… And how to plan for where I’m headed!”
– Jenn W.
I’m glad I found a really good book!
“This is a very good book to help people redefine the concept of how to be successful. A very good quote that stood out to me in this book is: “To Strive is to pursue the right kind of risk while taking care of yourself and your loved ones. It involves a balanced approach to life that helps you focus clearly on what you want and how to achieve it.”
I can truly relate to what is shared about being passionate to do something [that] won’t technically lead me to success. But getting out of my comfort zone can expand my abilities and guide me to success. Just as Scott said in the book, “I believe that passion and success are connected, but passion is not the sole determiner of success.”
– Ana
