1. The general theme of the book is to go against the basic information most self help books talk about, and give tools that people do not realize are simple but can have a major impact on your success in life. One key example is how Scott Adam emphasizes how goals are for losers. He claims that goals are demotivating because they have you trapped in a 24/7 sense of failure up until you complete. He believes we should think of our goals as systems instead. Scott's reasoning behind this is that systems are first of all more realistic because you do things little by little piece by piece which is more motivating, as well as you think about all the steps you need to fulfill in order to achieve this end you desire to conquer rather then setting up a goal and not planning on how to achieve it.
2. In my opinion what I connected the book with to this class is exactly what I stated previously in the first part of this reflection. Professor Pryor I believes forces us to create a system to try and achieve the overall goal of starting a business. I believe each assignment he gives us including this one is a tiny piece of the huge puzzle, once you combine everything the final product is a solid business idea or at least a transformed mindset of what it takes to become an entrepreneur.
3. If I had to form an exercise for this class based on the book I would have an assignment where everyone had to wake up at 4am to do some sort of creative side project that they would like to do. When Scott was working a job he was not too fond of he would go to sleep extremely early to be able to wake up at 4am the next day to do a creative project of his. He believes that creative work should be done in the morning and mind numbing work should be left later in the day.
4. My "aha" moment was when Scott Adams talked about how important it is to be somewhat selfish. He states that we should first focus on our health and well being, then focus on our finances, thirdly focus on friends, family, lovers etc. He puts family and friends as third on the list which I thought was shocking because he believes if you do not have steps one and two covered you are a burden to your family so you are not truly contributing to them as you should. He says when you have all three of these steps fulfilled you are then in the perfect place to work on yourself to contribute to society as a whole.
Hey David,
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds a lot more interesting than the one I read. Having systems instead of goals is very intriguing. I often feel as though I am not doing enough to achieve my goals. I also really like the aha moment you described. It does seem strange to put finances before family and friends but with the reasoning he gives it actually makes sense. I would strongly consider reading this book after your description.
Hey David I really enjoyed reading your discussion post. Your reading reflection makes this book seem like a must-read. Although I did not read this particular book, your feedback on it was so specific and detailed that it seems like I did read it. My favorite part of your reflection is your "aha" moment. You said that the author talks about how it is important to be selfish sometimes. I completely agree with that. Although from a moral standpoint it might not seem right to be selfish. However, the business world is every man for yourself, so sometimes you have to be selfish because it puts you in the best position.
ReplyDeleteHey David,
ReplyDeleteI personally did not read this book but it seems like it would be a really good book to read because of the ideas that Scott presents. I think the most interesting part of your post was that he said to put your health and well being as well as your finances before family. At first this didn't really make sense to me because I try and put my family and friends first above my personal responsibilities but Scott makes a good point that you will burden your family and friends if you don't have you wellbeing and finances in order. It was a complete different perspective from my own views but it is a really good point and is something to think about.