The Third Door

The Mindset of Success

By: Alex Banayan

Narrated by: Alex Banayan

Forbes #1 Career Book to Read in 2018

The National Best Seller

The larger-than-life journey of an 18-year-old college freshman who set out from his dorm room to track down Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, and dozens more of the world’s most successful people to uncover how they broke through and launched their careers.

The Third Door takes listeners on an unprecedented adventure—from hacking Warren Buffett’s shareholders meeting to chasing Larry King through a grocery store to celebrating in a nightclub with Lady Gaga—as Alex Banayan travels from icon to icon, decoding their success. After remarkable one-on-one interviews with Bill Gates, Maya Angelou, Steve Wozniak, Jane Goodall, Larry King, Jessica Alba, Pitbull, Tim Ferriss, Quincy Jones, and many more, Alex discovered the one key they have in common: they all took the Third Door.

Life, business, success...it’s just like a nightclub. There are always three ways in. There’s the First Door: the main entrance, where 99 percent of people wait in line, hoping to get in. The Second Door: the VIP entrance, where the billionaires and celebrities slip through. But what no one tells you is that there is always, always… the Third Door. It’s the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door 100 times, climb over the dumpster, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen—there’s always a way in. Whether it’s how Bill Gates sold his first piece of software or how Steven Spielberg became the youngest studio director in Hollywood history, they all took the Third Door.

©2018 Alex Banayan (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Exhilarating and empowering... If you care about your success, you have to read The Third Door.” (Tony Robbins, entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, and the nation’s number one life and business strategist)

“From redefining success with Steve Wozniak to staring death in the eyes with Jessica Alba, this book is packed with adventure, drama, and remarkable lessons the whole way through. Whether you‘re an executive or a recent college graduate, you’ll find inspiration and wisdom in The Third Door.” (Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and New York Times best-selling author of Thrive)

"The Third Door is at once a spirited coming-of-age story and a hard-headed examination of what it takes to succeed at the highest levels. Alex Banayan has cracked the code of the world’s most successful people and shown he will soon join their ranks.” (Daniel H. Pink, New York Times best-selling author of When, Drive, and A Whole New Mind)

incredible

couldn't stop listening. Alex is a terrific storyteller and a great teacher. recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about thinking differently

Listened to it all in one day... FANTASTIC

The honesty that Alex displayed in sharing his journey makes this book the most authentic piece of writing I’ve ever heard. It was an absolutely refreshing read, and I am so grateful to Alex for documenting his journey for us.

An awesome strategy and mindset

This book hit me in a few ways. Tactics on grit and not giving up. Expert insight from successful people. Each person gave a nugget of wisdom. I’ve been reading nonstop for eight years and rarely inspired like this.
Well rounded and recommended to anyone.

Persistence, hard work, and hustle..

I was hesitant to buy this one for a while, because I was skeptical that an average kid with little to no experience in life could have gained any sort of truly profound insights after hustling and hacking a few random, short-term experiences. But it turned out to be worth the Audible credit!

I consider Alex's hustling and hacking to be "legitimate", in that he doesn't come across as pretending to be someone he's not, or making broad claims about having skills or knowledge he doesn't have. (Not that I totally disagree with the "fake it 'til you make it" mantra, but I have no respect for what I perceive to be the Tim Ferriss model of taking this mantra to the extreme.) Aside from his lack of compassion toward his parents' sacrifices to put him in a position to get a great formal education (which, btw, he could've also hacked to his specifications if he had even tried), I really appreciate his can-do hustling.

Though I think he did a relatively good job at narrating his own story, the audible would've been much better without the over-dramatization of way too many elements of the stories. The stories themselves were good enough on their own.

Never written review before!

This is the best book I have ever listened to, so powerful, mind bending, never ending adventure that relates to everyone. MUST READ!!

Amazing book!

I'll keep this quick and simple since there are hundreds of reviews already.

If you're reading this Mr. Banayan, thank you. This book couldn't come at a better time. Best wishes to you and your loved ones and I hope we cross paths one day.

Life changing

I heard a quite a few of my friends raving about this book so felt inclined to give it ago little did I know this book was exactly what I needed and has already encouraged and inspired me to take new steps towards better future possibilities

Story for Everyone

Alex set out to write a book for his generation, but his book transcends time and generation. For everybody who thinks they have things figured out or wants more this is your book.

The honest self assessment in this book sheds light on the lies we try to tell ourselves and all our dilutions that prevent true happiness.

A must read.

A book that got me excited and left me wondering

I loved the book. Red it very quickly (or rather shall I say listened to it) as it was easy to digest, funny, and had the promis that you will discover something amazing in the next page. However the book is less about discovering some new wisdom then the quest of Alex Banayan a likable young man trying to find his calling and fulfill his mission. In some way the original question, finding answers for young people how to succeed in life, is never really fully answered, however this does not take away anything from the book that has a gripping story and provides lots of inspiration!

One of the greatest life teaching story

There are many books our there but not that many inspiring stories. I have enjoyed 99% of listening to Alex's unfolding journey. How he set free from others decisions but gets to learn from them at the same time is amazing. The third door truly is a mysterious one full of enigma and yet possibilities. If only we were prepared to take it. Alex stories have for sure open my eyes onto moments of my own life. And I am sure onto the possibilities of future greater one. Thank you Alex.