San Diego, California

The King’s Flyswatter

The best way to succeed in business, or anywhere, is to shed your sense of entitlement, stop looking for someone else to provide opportunities and rewards, quit wishing on a star, and chart your own pathway to success. This book is about a story as old as time: a man taking control of his own destiny.

A boy becomes the king’s flyswatter, a seemingly unimportant job with no real prospects. Compared to today’s world, where employees expect a succinct and tangible path of promotions and raises, fly-swatting seems like torture.

But, with the help of a few key mentors, Ubar of ancient Babylonia learns that there’s more to the position than meets the eye. After all, he spends his days standing at the wise king’s side, watching as he renders royal judgment on his citizens’ disagreements. It’s Ubar’s responsibility to learn as much as possible without sacrificing his performance at swatting flies. 

The parable of the King’s Flyswatter holds up remarkably well when entwined with modern stories of people who took the skills they learned in their jobs and set off on their own paths. These people understood the importance of going above and beyond at work, forging connections, and gaining a deeper understanding of the industry, even when they hated the job.

They mastered their job, their boss’s job, and made themselves invaluable as employees. That hard work and dedication paid off later when they were able to pursue a lifestyle that suited their needs, financial and emotional. This is the Way of the Flyswatter.

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