21A-Reading Reflection No.2

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

1.The overall theme of this book was great. I think it is something that as we age we can all relate to. It basically boils down to not getting discouraged when you may not be at the certain point in life you think you are supposed to be in. A example would be that you are 30 and a Finance graduate and think you are supposed to be in a job making 70,000+ a year but instead you are working at a bank as a personal banker making 40,000 a year. The main part is to not give up and to take things as they come. You can't look at what others around you may be doing or what you think the expectation is. Many successful people did not come into their career until they were much older in life. He also goes into talking about systems instead of goals. He speaks about systems being a way to think about something you want to do but don't make it a goal where you feel you have to live up to that specific thing. Systems taking away the pressure of timing and allow you to adjust to whatever may happen to your so called "plan" in life.

2. In my opinion this book enhanced what I am learning in this course because it taught me to not be so focused on the outcome. That with my business I don't need to expect to be making a large amount of money within the first or second year. If I am barely squeaking by there is no reason to quit and by using the Systems theory I can make adjustments and not feel depressed if things are not going the way I initially thought in my head. Dr. Pryor has done a great a job on teaching us to be realistic when it comes to business opportunities and what to expect but I think this book really drove that message home and helped me gain a better outlook on not just business but life in general.

3. A exercise I would design after reading this book would be for everyone to write down where they expected to be in life right now and how reality differs from that expectation. I would then have each person talk about if the reality made them feel depressed or like they were not living up to what is expected in this world. Then I would have each person use the Systems vs. Goals theory and adapt their expectations and then talk about if the Systems theory took pressure off of them and made them feel better about where they are in life.

4. This book helped me a lot. The aha moment was when I realized that I don't have to be living in this world thinking that I should be in a certain situation or circumstance because the world portrays things that well. Also that I can adjust my life to what suits me the best. If I find that a better routine helps me be more productive or allows me to focus more on what is taking place in my life it will help me in the long run. This book gave me a whole new perspective on life and how to feel when it comes to my own ambitions in business. I would recommend all of my peers to check this out and I think it would be very beneficial not just in your life as a business owner but life as a whole.