21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

Reading: How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still win Big by Scott Adams
1) What was the general theme or argument of the book? The general theme is to not think of failure as failure, but to see it as a learning opportunity. As cliche as that sounds, Scott Adam's brings depth to the discussion by emphasizing how we need to recognize failure as an essential rung on the ladder to eventual success.
2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003? Many people have misconceptions about what an entrepreneur is, and what you need to do to become an entrepreneur. Similarly, Scott Adams addresses many of the misconceptions associated with success, and what it takes to achieve success.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve? I would probably have students design a "life model", where people chart out on a straight line a timeline of what they want to achieve to be successful. Like a game of chutes-and-ladders, I would assign random roadblocks that prevent students from realizing their forecasted timeline. They then would have to adjust their timeline and build on their plans to achieve what they see as success. This would hopefully get students to think more critically about what it means to be "successful"
4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations? I was expecting this to be more of a "self-help" book, which it was not. Instead, Adams provides really meaningful advice on how to think more broadly about success. It personally has helped me define "success", and ad immaterial goals to my definition of success.

Comments

  1. Shivani DaveApril 4, 2020 at 3:55 PM

    Hi Zach! Good job on identifying what Adams is trying to convey through this book. As you alluded to, Adams is really trying to say that failure is a necessary ingredient of success. You can't be afraid to try new things, or reach out to people you don't know, because inevitably taking risks is what's going to help you on your road to success. Adams also highlights that there isn't any one secret ingredient or recipe to success, everyone has their own individual path. What worked for someone, might not work for others. I agree that this book will definately help students in this class think critically about what they define as success, and how to achieve it.

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