The accidental millionaire : how to succeed in life without really trying : a memoir

The Accidental Millionaire is the memoir of Gary Fong, would-be slacker who revolutionized wedding photography, inventor of popular photography aids, entrepreneur, contrarian, bon vivant and a man who really, really didn't want to become a doctor. A first-generation Chinese-American, Gary was raised in one of Los Angeles' least-desirable neighborhoods and was forced to deal—in his own quirky and often very funny way—with the burdens of poverty, crime and his parents' relentless aspirations. These issues almost overwhelmed him until he had a dramatic epiphany. Spotting a bumper sticker that read "Since I gave up hope, I feel much better," Gary promptly did just that. He stopped trying and started succeeding. At turns hilarious, insightful and instructive, The Accidental Millionaire is Horatio Alger-meets-David Sedaris. Turning the traditional self-help principles upside down, The Accidental Millionaire disdains the goal-oriented approaches of traditional self-help philosophies. Sometimes not knowing where you are going is the best possible way to get there.

An entrepreneur’s rags-to-riches story reveals that sometimes not knowing where you’re going is the best way to get there . . .
 
A first-generation Chinese-American, Gary Fong was raised in one of Los Angeles’ least-desirable neighborhoods and was forced to deal—in his own quirky and often very funny way—with the burdens of poverty, crime, and his parents’ relentless aspirations. Spotting a bumper sticker one day that read “Since I gave up hope, I feel much better, ” Gary promptly did just that.
 
As a would-be slacker (who really, really didn’t want to become a doctor), he somehow wound up revolutionizing wedding photography and inventing popular new equipment for photographers. At turns hilarious, insightful, and instructive, The Accidental Millionaire is a memoir that turns the traditional self-help principles upside down, rejecting the goal-oriented approaches and showing us how Gary Fong stopped trying—and started succeeding.