Leonardo da Vinci in 28 Days: And Other Lies Modern Self-Help Sells You

When Perseverance Was a Tool, Not an Emotional Obligation: The Lost Wisdom of Strategic Power
A Sharp Critique of Modern Self-Help Through the Lens of History

In an age drowning in morning routines, productivity hacks, and “never give up” mantras, this book cuts through the noise with surgical precision. What if the greatest leaders in history understood something about success that modern self-help has completely forgotten?

From Ancient Egypt to Silicon Valley: A Journey Through Real vs. Fake Discipline

Travel from the pyramid builders of ancient Egypt to the merchant empires of Venice, from Roman generals to Steve Jobs’ brutal product cuts at Apple. Discover how history’s most successful figures combined functional superstitions with ruthless strategic analysis—and why today’s habit-obsessed culture has inverted this formula entirely.

The Dangerous Rise of Productivity Theater

Meet Marcus Chen, the entrepreneur who perfected every morning routine while his startup died around him. Explore how Elizabeth Holmes’ obsession with mimicking Steve Jobs’ appearance replaced any connection to scientific reality. Understand why the most disciplined people you know on social media often produce the least actual value.

What You’ll Discover:

• The Strategic Wisdom of Ancient Leaders: How Egyptian pharaohs and Roman generals used rituals as psychological tools while never letting superstition replace analysis
• The Simulacrum of Success: Why modern productivity culture sells the appearance of achievement rather than achievement itself
• The New Secular Religion: How habits became our replacement for traditional frameworks, and why this shift is psychologically devastating
• The Tyranny of Immediacy: Why our demand for instant transformation prevents the slow, messy work that creates real substance
• The Path Back to Reality: A complete guide to embracing uncertainty, developing genuine judgment, and building antifragile success

This Is Not Another Self-Help Book

This is an intelligent deconstruction of the self-help industrial complex. Written for people exhausted by surface-level optimization who want to understand how success actually works. No morning routines. No 28-day transformations. No magical thinking.

Instead: historical wisdom, strategic thinking, and the courage to face reality without comforting illusions.

Perfect for readers of Nassim Taleb, Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Bright-sided,” and anyone who suspects that true strength comes not from rigid habits, but from the ability to adapt, judge, and act wisely in an uncertain world.

“The difference between seeming successful and being successful is the difference between activity and progress, routine and strategy, adherence to process and achievement of results.”

Warning: This book will challenge your assumptions about discipline, productivity, and success. Read only if you’re prepared to abandon comfortable illusions in favor of uncomfortable truths.