Risky is the New Safe

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and #1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

Risky Is the New Safe is a different kind of book for a different kind of thinking—a thought-provoking manifesto for risk takers. It will challenge you to think laterally, question premises, and be a contrarian.

Disruptive technology, accelerating speed of change and economic upheaval are changing the game. The same tired, old conventional thinking won’t get you to success today. Risky Is the New Safe will change the way you look at everything! You’ll view challenges—and the corresponding opportunities they provide—in entirely new and exciting ways. You’ll recognize powerful new gateways to creating wealth.

In this mind-bending book you’ll discover:

• How mavericks like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, and Mark Cuban think differently—and what you can learn from them;
• The six-month online course that could allow you to earn more than a Ph.D.;
• How social media changes branding and marketing forever, and what that means for you;
• What happens when holo-suites and virtual-reality sex come about, and how you need to prepare;
• The new religion of ideas: How to become an “idea generator” and declare as a free agent; and,
• What will cause the Euro, precious metals, and oceanfront real estate to collapse—and how that can make you rich!

Acknowledgments xxi

Synopsis: Safe is the New Risky xxiii

Overture Training Monkeys and

Cloning Puppies 1

Act I It’s Not About the Tech 13

Act II The Only Free Cheese is in the Mousetrap 29

Tenor Aria The New Religion of Ideas 49

Act III Move Fast and Break Things 63

Act IV Harnessing the Ego for Success 95

Soprano Aria Selfishness is the New Altruism 119

The After Party Sameness Creates Comfort; Difference Creates Opportunity 133

Required Reading for Risk Takers 141

Connect with Randy! 143

RANDY GAGE is a classic American rags-to-riches story. A high school dropout, Randy rose from a jail cell as a teen, faced down addictions, getting shot, and near bankruptcy before becoming a multi-millionaire. Today, Randy is considered one of the preeminent experts on prosperity and success in the world. He shares the lessons learned from his own adversity to help people and companies all over the world create wealth and success. Where others see only challenges, Randy reveals how to discover hidden opportunity. He's bold, brash, sometimes controversial, but never boring. His tough-love approach will show you how to overcome limiting beliefs, develop critical thinking skills, and defy conventional wisdom to become successful. Randy has spoken to more than two million people in fifty countries, and his books have been translated into twenty-five languages. When he's not prowling the podium or locked in his lonely writer's garret, you'll find him playing third base on a softball field somewhere.

The financial system is in shambles, disruptive technology is eliminating millions of jobs, and entire economies are failing. Things have changed and they're never going back. This calamitous transformation is creating new and more daunting challenges—and great opportunities.

Risky is the New Safe lays out thought leader Randy Gage's bold vision for how to prosper in the new economy. Gage reveals the tumultuous changes taking place in business, technology, and the economy—and the extraordinary challenges they are creating. More importantly, he shows how to turn those challenges into lucrative opportunities.

You'll learn which jobs and business models will disappear forever, and how to position yourself to thrive in the emerging business cycles. You'll discover how to think differently and develop the same mindset the world's highest achievers harness for success.

From monkeys replacing human laborers to cloning, ocean-floor real estate development to asteroid mining, virtual-reality sex to holosuites, Gage provides fascinating insights into what the future holds and how people and companies can best prepare for it. You'll discover why following conventional thinking will lead to failure, and how becoming a contrarian and critical thinker will allow you to create wealth.