Reading Reflection 2
The book that I chose was How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams the cartoonist. Adams uses witty humour and big ideas to show a couple specific points that create an alternate way to get what you want rather than simply just trying to work hard. One big idea is his idea of having a system as opposed to a goal, as it focuses on doing completing task and being realistic rather than simply having an unknown reward at an uncertain time in the future for the work you put in. Another important idea was the concept of deciding versus wishing. Adams urges people to decide what they want and the price they must pay for it, rather than simply wishing for something. This stuff, along with programming yourself to more fit your internal clock and finding things that give you energy rather than the typical “finding your passion”, combine to show a different way than the traditional way of reaching success. For me, this is where it connects the most to ENT. This class has made me expand my mind and think a different way, taking big concepts like my product or other things and actually decide how I’m going to make them or sell them. This book only shows further steps of that concept, and would be essential for when you’re first starting to come up with an idea for a product or something similar. It also gave me a great idea for an exercise for this class; I would have every student think about one specific goal they want with their product and try to get them to change it to a system. A great example could be a student having a goal of selling 1000 units of their product, to which I would then challenge the student to think about rather creating a system where they reach out to 10 consumers a day and give them a pitch about their product instead. The biggest surprise for me was challenging the traditional notion of setting goals. Whether it be from a motivational speech, a trainer, or performance reviews people are constantly working on setting high or lofty goals to push themselves. To have Adams discourage that sort of thinking and push the idea of a system definitely took me by surprise.
Hey Carson, I happened to read this book as well! It is really interesting to read your point of view of the same exact text compared to my reflection of it. I think it just shows the power of our experiences and what has lead us to this point in our lives. I also think you did a great job with this reflection. It is very thorough and I learned more about this book and you made me open my eyes a little more to the message. Great job and thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHey Carson,
ReplyDeleteI thought that you did an excellent job on this assignment. I also happened to read this same book, and I thought that what you had to say was very interesting. Like you, I was intrigued by the idea of developing systems as opposed to goals, because goals, to a certain extent, are relatively unknown, and will not be reached until far into the future, if they are even ever reached at all. What Adams had to say really opened my eyes when it came to planning for the future, and made me think back to all the past goals I have set for myself, and if it would've been smarter or wiser to develop systems as opposed to setting those goals. Great post and keep up the great work!