Do Cool Sh*t

Starred review from July 29, 2013
Agrawal, who founded New York City's farm-to-table pizzeria Slice at age 25, presents a unique approach to happiness and fulfillment: "doing cool shH t." Her success story is likely to lure potential readers: she's now partnering with Zappos.com founder Tony Hsieh (who contributes the book's foreword) to open Slice: Las Vegas. Offering a combination of vivid stories with action-able advice, Agrawal helps readers define and achieve their personalized versions of success. A cornerstone of her advice centers on mutually beneficial experiences. She encourages the evaluation of all relationships through a mutually beneficial lens and then prompts action, whether it means asking for change or moving on. Throughout, she challenges the reader to continually ask questions and to assess using her "BET" (bullet, eliminate, and take on) system, which consists of creating a segmented list of commitments, affiliations, and people. The result: eliminating the unworthy, nurturing the useful, and initiating new activities that conform with personal goals. Simple yet powerful, Agrawal's process liberates readers from conventional thinking and restrictions, freeing them to pursue their passions and make a living at the same time.