Assignment 21A - Reading Reflection No. 2

• What was the general theme or argument of the book?
• The book I read was, “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big,” by Scott Adams. In the book, Adams takes you through his journey of what he calls “unlikely success” through failure. He covers a number of topics that he calls “failing-toward-success” topics. These topics are:
• Goals are for losers.
• Your mind isn’t magic. It’s a moist computer you can program.
• The most important metric to track is your personal energy.
• Every skill you acquire doubles your odds of success.
• Happiness is health plus freedom.
• Luck can be managed, sort of.
• Conquer shyness by being a huge phony (in a good way).
• Fitness is the lever that moves the world.
• Simplicity transforms ordinary into amazing.

• How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
• In ENT 3003, Mr. Pryor stated, “we will approach entrepreneurship as a way of thinking and acting, as an attitude and a behavior,” We were encouraged to discard the traditional way and to view and perform things differently. Not to say that one way is better than the other, but more a combination of. Similarly, Adams explains his way of thinking and his approach about certain topics in a way that is different from the norm. To me, it is important to understand the need, at times, to rewire, rethink, and see things differently than what we are accustomed to.

• If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
• The exercise I would design for this class, based on the book, would be one focused on skills. The assignment would be as follows:
• First, create a list of 5 of your top skills.
• Second, create a list of 5 of your mediocre skills.
• Third, describe what you could do to improve upon those 5 mediocre skills.
• Lastly, if unable to think of a way to improve upon a mediocre skill, what top skill would you pair with it?
  
  
• 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?
• There were many unlikely truths offered in this book. The most surprising for me was Adam stating that goals are for losers; systems are for winners, passion is bull; maximize personal energy, and mediocre skills can make you valuable. While agree with his thinking on this, it was just surprising to hear because it is completely different from the commonly distributed advice of other authors, motivational speakers, life coaches, etc. In terms of goals being for losers, many are constantly chasing goals. So much so, that they are living in a state of “pre-success failure” until that goal has been achieved. It has been stated that passionate individuals are likely to take bigger risks, which often times results in failure. However, sometimes it results in success. Honestly, we’ll never know until we try. With that being said, it has also been stated that, “success leads to passion more than passion leads to success.”