21A Reading Reflection No. 2

How to Fail at Almost Anything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams 

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

     The book that I chose was written by the creator of the cartoon Dilbert. Growing up I always read the cartoons in the Sunday newspaper, and Dilbert was one of my favorites. The main theme of the book was that if you keep trying and pushing to succeed, then eventually you will succeed. At the same time though, the success may not always come in the form that you're aiming for. 

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

     I found that the book embodied the mindset of an entrepreneur in the way that success must be earned. Anyone trying to become an entrepreneur must be able to accept failure and continue pushing for success. The way that Adams embraces his failures can teach the reader how to be a better entrepreneur and also succeed in ENT 3003. 

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

     I would suggest that students choose a goal that requires multiple steps, and plan a schedule for a week. The schedule must include all types of time including: working, eating, sleeping, studying, and leisure. At the end of the week, students would reflect on their tasks and record where they deviated from the schedule, and determine how this was detrimental to achieving the final goal. I believe that this type of exercise would help students to understand how they can achieve any goal. It might be interesting to find out if the schedule led to a success beyond the set goal. 

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?

     The biggest aha moment for me while reading this book was concerning the author and his path to become a comic writer. Based on my knowledge of the comic Dilbert I have always assumed that the author worked in an office in the past, and played at the funny aspects of office life (in some ways Dilbert was the predecessor to The Office television show). Upon reading the book I found that Adams took a different path, which led him to the cartoon ultimately.