For this assignment, I chose to read "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams.
1) The book is primarily about Adams' life and how he learned from the failures he experienced. Moreover, Adams details them and explains how specific techniques, like understanding psychology, can help increase the probability of a person becoming successful. He also discusses how these failures led to his big win, which is his Dilbert cartoon. The general theme I took away from reading this book is that this book gives insightful yet light-hearted advice on how to succeed in life.
2) This book connected with what I am learning in ENT 3003 because our last assignment pertained to embracing failure. It emphasized that failure is a normal part of life, and it can also be viewed as a learning experience. In my post for that assignment, I mentioned how I am working on improving how I handle failure. When I began reading Adams' book, I was intrigued by learning about specific techniques I can utilize when I experience failure.
3) If I had to design an exercise for this class based on this book, I would create one similar to the bug list we completed earlier this semester. But, instead of "bugs," I would have students write down five times they experienced failure. The list would include the failure, why it happened/why they failed, and what they learned from that experience. My objective for this exercise would be to help students see that it is okay to fail and that failure leads to success.
4) A part of this book I found to be surprising was when Adams discussed the importance of implementing systems rather than goals. Furthermore, he said a system is equivalent to when a person continuously searches for something better, like a job. In contrast, he explained that a goal is specific and always in the future. I was surprised when I read about this because before this class, I never perceived systems and goals in these ways. I think goals are a valuable asset in keeping a person motivated, but I think a system keeps them on a steady progress where they can achieve their goals.
Hi Adriana!
ReplyDeleteExcellent job on this post! I was interested in seeing that you chose the same book for this reflection. It was great to see your reflection on this book's take a failure. I also choose this book since it aligned almost perfectly with our previous assignment. I'll definitely be using his advice and techniques next time things don't go according to plan for me. Great job!
Hello Adriana,
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoyed reading your blog post post "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams. I found it really interesting how he talks about certain psychological understanding can help lead one to be successful and avoid failure. This book was a great read, especially since it relates so well to our most recent assignment on celebrating failure. I definitely think this book helps shed light on the importance of embracing failure in order to succeed. Great post Adriana!
Hey Adriana,
ReplyDeleteI read this book for the second reading reflection so I enjoyed reading another reflection! I really liked reading this book. It tied perfectly with what we were assigned to do last week. I also was surprised when he mentioned implementing systems versus goals. That was completely a new concept for me, but I think that he had many good points to go along with that. Great job!