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The Success Myth

Letting go of having it all

"Highly comforting" Alain de Botton, Founder of The School of Life

"This book changed how I think" Annie Macmanus, author of The Mess We're In

"You will not be able to put this book down" The Independent



OUR OBSESSION WITH ACHIEVEMENT IS A TRAP. THIS IS HOW TO BREAK FREE.

Emma Gannon was thriving in her portfolio career, enjoying a happy personal life and to anyone looking in, she was undoubtedly a success... She was also burned out and confused at why she felt unhappy, yet was still striving for more.

After taking a deep look at her own journey, and interviewing many other successful people on her podcast Ctrl, Alt, Delete, she realised that our overly celebrated and traditional version of success is making us lonely, unfulfilled and dispirited. Now she has worked out a way to do things differently, and here Emma shares her hard-won lessons, including:

• how to set goals that are ambitious but not overwhelming
• why the 'tick-box' moments in life often feel anticlimactic
• and how to break free from comparison and the endless pursuit of more

A manifesto to craft work (and life) on your own terms, The Success Myth will give you the belief and tools to walk away from 'having it all', uncovering your individual path to fulfilment.

A highly comforting book which - while not minimizing the pressures that we're all under to achieve - nevertheless gently reminds us that it is what we are, not what we do, that will always ultimately count.

Alain de Botton, founder of The School of Life

About Emma Gannon

Emma Gannon is the Sunday Times bestselling author of nine books, including A Year of Nothing and OLIVE, which was nominated for the Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel, Table for One (2025), was selected as People magazine’s 'Fiction of the Week.'

Emma also writes one of the UK’s most popular Substack newsletters, The Hyphen, which has thousands of paid subscribers. In addition to her writing, she hosts creativity retreats around the world and served as a judge for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9781804990766
  • Length: 336 pages
  • Dimensions: 198mm x 20mm x 128mm
  • Weight: 235g
  • Price: £10.99
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