Scott Galloway’s simple formula for success

The MBA students in Scott Galloway’s class at the NYU Stern School of Business tend to be three things: smart, high-achieving, and aimless. It’s why he makes “life strategies” a key part of his course in marketing.

In 2019, Galloway turned the unconventional wisdom he has accumulated into a book called The Algebra of Happiness. It’s packed with so much BS-free insight that I wanted to share the nuggets I found most illuminating...

Success = resilience divided by failure. Hardship is inevitable. The key is to mourn, then move on. Nothing lasts forever, and nothing is ever as bad (or as good) as it seems.

Don’t be a drinker. The famous Harvard Grant study tracked men for 75 years and found that alcohol was the one consistent predictor of unhappiness. It often leads to broken relationships, poor health, and derailed careers.

Train yourself to take risks by starting small (like introducing yourself to strangers) and then learning to endure the consequences. This is essential to navigating life. The fear of rejection gets in the way of your dreams much more than the market or a lack of talent ever can.

The most important decision you’ll ever make is choosing a life partner. A successful relationship must align on three things: 1) Passion (physical and emotional intimacy), 2) Shared values, 3) Compatible expectations around money.

The definition of rich is having more passive income than expenses. If the likes of pensions, dividends, and social security earn you $10,000 more a year than you spend, guess what? You have financial freedom.

Marriage is an underrated boost for your finances. The average household worth of a married couple rises by 14% per year, with their assets worth three times that of a single person’s.

Most couples have fights when one person is either cold, tired, or hungry. Once you're aware of this, you can plan around it in any situation (like always carrying a scarf or snacks with you).

Ultimately, it’s important to recognize that happiness follows an arc. It dips after childhood and only curves back up in your forties. Don’t worry if you’re stressed in your twenties or thirties – that’s normal! You’ll find happiness eventually – if you can just keep going.