How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Scott Adams
1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?
- How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, was a book based mainly around the theme of patience, expressing the fact that everyone has failed in their lives and that instead of dwelling on it you must be patient with your failures trusting that you will win big in the end. By this, Adams meant that many people weren't successful on their first try at things yet still became a success later on after an eventual chance of luck or with their entrepreneurship project that final worked out.
2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
- I believe this book connected well with ENT3003 because it's extremely relatable for the everyday entrepreneur. Earlier in the semester we learned how most entrepreneurial ventures fail and furthermore that most will never make a large income. With that said, these people can still keep on working and go through 3, 4, 5, or an endless amount of products/opportunities before they find a success or reach happiness. On a personal level, I could strongly connect with what Adams was trying to express in this book and I believe it will be quite an enhancer for me in this class going forward.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
- I would make an exercise where the entrepreneur (students) should focus on themselves rather than their work. Not connecting any of the products or ideas to their character but rather just having an assignment where you make personal goals for yourself, whether that be weight loss, weight gain, improved grades, improved social-life, whatever it may personally be. I believe Adams would find this to be truly relevant for an entrepreneur and much more capable of advancing someone to reach a fulfilled life/career than any other assignment could.
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?
- When Adams discusses the idea of selfishness it really connected with me as the idea to focus on yourself is quite anti-American in the fact that as children we're raised to be caring, compassionate, and to put our family and others over ourselves. This can be quite a detriment to our personal success and happiness though. I believe Adams made a great collection of points in how we should prioritize our focus on ourselves and our health first (including our fitness, stress, sleep), then on finances (a home, investments, occupation), and then after all of that finally on our family, community, and the world. When I first looked into this book I understood the entrepreneurial idea of dealing with failure and pushing onward to find success, however I was not expecting such insight about personal selfishness as a route to success.
