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SPONTANEOUS SUCCESS
Chapter 8
Another Door Opens
Back in London, in my advertising days, I was a
human behavior junkie, paid to decode the secrets of
happiness, and repackage them as shiny magazine
advertisements. From all our research one basic truth
had emerged, it was this: people experience their
greatest moments of happiness when they are looking
forward to something they want and the outcome is
uncertain. “I can’t wait to try that new restaurant, buy
that new car, go on that holiday”
I was about to experience this phenomenon firsthand.
I was looking forward to a night of jazz, and the outcome
was certainly uncertain. But first dinner.
After steak and chips, topped with a fried egg and
pickles, and a bowl of chilled rice pudding, I set off to
find Take Five.
The sign was discreet, tucked away in a short, steep
cobbled passage between a cafe and the shoemaker's
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