13) Reading Reflection 1

1. I read "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams
• What surprised me the most was the man's education. He's the cartoonist and writer for the "Dilbert" comics, but he's got an MBA and has some experience in programming and starting several businesses. Based on what I've read, and despite what he would have you believe, he seems to be an incredibly intelligent and well educated man, which I did not expect was necessary for being a cartoonist. It makes sense now though how his cartoons have had such success, mostly due to his intelligent maneuvering and "putting himself in a position where luck could find him.:
• I most admired his determination. Throughout the book, he refers to humans as "moist robots" that can be programmed and reprogrammed. He comes across several issues, but through dogged determination he toughs through them. That's not to say he beats his head against a wall, he knows when something is worth pursuing. And based on his stories with his focal dystonia and his training himself to eat and exercise better, I hope to instill the same doggedness in myself to reprogram my thinking and actions.
• I guess what I least admired about Scott Adams is his admittance that luck may have been the driving force behind a lot of his success. He does a good job of explaining how to put yourself in luck's path and how to continue putting in time and effort, but even if there's no monetary loss, "time is money" as the expression goes. How long do I sit pulling the lever on the slot machine of life, waiting for luck to pay out? I don't know, even after reading this book.
• Scott Adams most definitely encountered adversity and failure. With his almost getting kicked out of college, focal dystonia, spasmodic dysphonia, and failure of several startups, it's a wonder the man's still as well off as he is. But, like I said earlier, the man has instilled such a resolution in himself that he fought through them; studying hard despite a case of mononucleosis in college, seeking doctors' help and practicing with his medical issues, and continuing to invest in new business ideas, learning from his failures.
2. Scott Adams showed some serious resolve, as well as an incredible ability to learn from his and other's failures. He did not let them get him down, rather he picked out the valuable knowledge that comes with failure and applied it to his future ventures. That's another thing I really admired during my reading.
3. What was most confusing to me was, again, his talk of being where luck will find you. He says that as long as you don't have to invest money, just time and effort, you can sit and pull the slot machine of life forever, knowing there will be a payout. But like I mentioned earlier, there is a point where it becomes too long. How do I know when something is not worth pursuing? I guess I need to get better at calculating the odds of things and do more research, that may help in some way.
4. If I were to as two questions to Scott Adams, they would be:
1. Can you explain your method of being in luck's way a little better? See the confusion above for the why.
2. Do you have any tips on how to act social? I'm not the most social person, and that is neither a good nor bad thing overall, but if I want to succeed in the business world I'm going to at least have to learn to ACT social. I've got it down when it comes to friends and acquaintances, but meeting new people is a pain. He says in his book a lot about "faking it until you make it," but I'm also a terrible actor.
5. Scott's opinion of hard work, I believe, would be "Think about the odds. If they're in your favor, or if they can be made that way, then set to it. If not, then don't beat your head against a wall." I share this idea, and I exemplify it I believe. I could have continued to follow engineering or finance, but the odds of me coming out of those sane and happy were slim. So I chose management, and I can honestly say I have high hopes for a career in a field I'd be happy to pursue.