21 - Reading Reflection No. 2

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Scott Adams

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

Within this memoir, Adams goes on to explain his life story, the ups and the downs. He explained exactly how life worked, it was unfair, he was constantly faced with obstacle after obstacle. He was challenged in ways he could have never prepared himself for, but through it all he was able to gain important life lessons. Then one day, after persevering through it all, he finally made it big. He includes his failures and the lessons he learned, sharing those lessons and creating tips and tricks that he was able to share with the reader, enabling them to be better prepared for the future. 

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

I was able to connect and enhance my learning from this book due to its reality. After reading through it all it is important to note that this is not simply just a book, it is a life. Adams life, and he was able to experience this all, learn from it, and share it to all of us in hopes of changing the path of even just one persons life. I was able to take a step back and recognize that there is always a bigger picture at play, that sometimes (most often in fact) life does not go your way, and there is only one of two things you can do: let it destroy you, or let it motivate you. 

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

If I were to design and exercise for this class I would simply create an activity designed for failure. I would create a task similar to one most everyone is familiar with, supporting a weight with only a set amount of objects. This weight would be heavy, far too heavy to be supported by anything they have been provided. I would wait and watch, see how they handle the pressure and the failure, knowing that in the end none of them should succeed. Then I would see how they handled that stress, that uncertainty, and in the end the acceptance of defeat. I would explain to them that although they did everything in their power to support its weight, in the end it was not in their control. Life is unfair and often times we are stuck in situations that are doomed for failure, but it is about how you can bounce back from this. I would then allow them to take some time to devise a plan that would support the weight if they were given the opportunity again. 

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?

One of the biggest ‘aha’ moments for me was that everyone starts from somewhere. Everyone who has made it big, has seen struggles, has felt the despair of uncertainty and unknowing, but were still able to push through. In other words I have come to realize that when I am feeling at my lowest, or I have lost faith in myself, that this is normal. People have to face the reality of their lowest lows to recognize that past that, it only gets better.