Reading Reflection No. 2
The book I decided to read is How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams.
1. The general theme of the book is Scott Adams, the creator of the famous comic "Dilbert," explaining his formula to success. He says that you have to create energy in your life by finding something you are passionate about and enjoy doing, even if that thing is not your main work. Also, he says you have to take care of yourself: exercise, eat right, take care of your finances, and look after your family and community. If these things are not in check, you become a burden on other people.
2. I think this book connected with what I've learned in this class in one big way. One of Adams' main points is to have big energy and be truly interested and have fun with what you're doing. He says you need something that excites you and reason to get up in the morning, and even if this thing isn't your job, you need to have side projects that truly excite you and give you that energy. During this class, my idea has involved something that I am very interested in and that I truly have fun with. I really connected to this main point because I think that having fun with something creates more motivation to do it and do it well than anything else.
3. The exercise I would design for this class based on this book would be one of the first assignments of the semester, and it would have you listing around 20 things you're interested in: whether it's a sport, a hobby, a TV show, a place in the world, a climate, or really anything. From there, see if you can connect it to your unmet need and see if it would be something you're truly interested in and enjoy doing.
4. The biggest surprise I encountered while reading this book was the fact that Adams advises people not to set goals. He says that goals and just a constant feeling of failure since you are failing every day until you reach that goal. And then, once you do finally reach the goal, you probably set another goal and set back on the daily feelings of failure until you reach it once again. Instead, he proposes to set "systems" and figure out what you need to do in order to reach where you want to be, so you feel good while doing those things everyday instead of feeling that constant failure of not yet reaching your goal. I never really thought about it until I read it here, but I really agree with this philosophy. I think this could be a much more productive way to reach where you want to be and feel good about yourself along the way.
1. The general theme of the book is Scott Adams, the creator of the famous comic "Dilbert," explaining his formula to success. He says that you have to create energy in your life by finding something you are passionate about and enjoy doing, even if that thing is not your main work. Also, he says you have to take care of yourself: exercise, eat right, take care of your finances, and look after your family and community. If these things are not in check, you become a burden on other people.
2. I think this book connected with what I've learned in this class in one big way. One of Adams' main points is to have big energy and be truly interested and have fun with what you're doing. He says you need something that excites you and reason to get up in the morning, and even if this thing isn't your job, you need to have side projects that truly excite you and give you that energy. During this class, my idea has involved something that I am very interested in and that I truly have fun with. I really connected to this main point because I think that having fun with something creates more motivation to do it and do it well than anything else.
3. The exercise I would design for this class based on this book would be one of the first assignments of the semester, and it would have you listing around 20 things you're interested in: whether it's a sport, a hobby, a TV show, a place in the world, a climate, or really anything. From there, see if you can connect it to your unmet need and see if it would be something you're truly interested in and enjoy doing.
4. The biggest surprise I encountered while reading this book was the fact that Adams advises people not to set goals. He says that goals and just a constant feeling of failure since you are failing every day until you reach that goal. And then, once you do finally reach the goal, you probably set another goal and set back on the daily feelings of failure until you reach it once again. Instead, he proposes to set "systems" and figure out what you need to do in order to reach where you want to be, so you feel good while doing those things everyday instead of feeling that constant failure of not yet reaching your goal. I never really thought about it until I read it here, but I really agree with this philosophy. I think this could be a much more productive way to reach where you want to be and feel good about yourself along the way.
Hi, Emily! Great job on this post! I think you chose a really interesting book to reflect on. I like that the author says to take care of yourself - not for yourself, but for others. I like that way of thinking. To do something for yourself for others is more fulfilling than to do it just for yourself. Your last point about not setting goals but systems is interesting. I don't think I agree fully with his philosophy. I think goals are very important and it's okay to change them as we grow to make them more realistic and suitable to our lifestyles. I think the "systems" methodology only works if you're working toward something (a goal) otherwise, there's no point in having a system that leads nowhere. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey Emily, great work on the post. It is interesting that the author says to take care of yourself so that others do not feel burdened by you. It is a very selfless way of thinking while doing things for the sake of your wellbeing. I sort of understand where the author is coming from when he advises people to not make goals, but to live in the moment and feel good about what you are doing now.
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