Reading Reflection - How to Fail by Scott Adams

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

By: Scott Adams

Theme/Argument

One man’s strategy for increasing his chances of “getting lucky.”  There is no exact formula for success, there are just too many variables to take into consideration: timing, location, connections, mindset.  And none of these are completely controllable by you, or anyone for that matter.  Because of the many variables, those who succeed tend to do so, in part, by chance.

            However, there are deliberate steps you can take to increase your odds.  The first step is to develop systems instead of goals.  Goals are future events which can be difficult to measure progress towards on a daily basis.  Systems, on the other hand, are routines you repeat every day or week.  Establishing healthy systems which boost your energy will increase your quality of life.

            Once you have your systems in place, then you can focus on failing as many times as possible.  Instead of failing and feeling miserable – or just saying, “oh well,” – you have to identify what you learned from the experience and how that has increased your skillset.  On that note, make sure the experiences you intend on devoting your time to increase your skills.  The more skills you obtain, the more versatile you become; thus, increasing your odds of success in the next venture.  In the end, don’t be afraid of failure, instead, use failure as a tool for growing your skills.  Statistically, the more times you fail – making sure to fail in the right way – the higher chances the next experience will bring success.

Connection to ENT3003

            Entrepreneurs are not extraordinary people; they only pursue the production of value more than others.  Also, no one first opens his/her eyes to this world as an entrepreneur.  Entrepreneurship is a learned skill.

Assignment Suggestion

            Going along the theme of systems versus goals and the importance of systems.  Make two columns.  In the left column write a short description of all the systems in your life (eg. Brush teeth at 8am and 9pm every day; walk the dog at 8:15am, 12pm, 6pm every day; Grocery shopping for the week on Saturdays; Cook for the week on Sunday; etc.)  Next, in the right column, describe some systems you would like to add to your life.  If needed, on a piece of scratch paper, write down a few broad goals (eg. Become successful, buy a fancy car, become a better communicator, etc.).  Using the short list of goals, brainstorm some systems which might indirectly get you towards your goals (eg. If your goal is to be in the best shape of your life every day, then a suitable system would look like “be active every day.  Go to the gym MWF after work.”).*  Once you’ve written the systems correlating to your goals, burn – or otherwise destroy – the list of goals.  Finally, be realistic.  From the list of new systems in the right column, select one to three which you can realistically apply to your life.

            *This example comes almost straight from Scott Adams’ How to Fail, I made a few alterations to make it more specific.  One note Adams makes, especially for the gym example, is allow yourself not to workout.  Put on your gym clothes, go to the gym, and, if you aren’t pumped up enough to actually workout, go back home excited that you stuck to your system of going to the gym even if you didn’t really workout.  However, if this become a habit, you may need to reconsider your system.  Another note for the gym, don’t overdo it.  Do just enough that the next day you are still excited to go exercise.  If you overdo it and soreness kicks in, you’ll have to use up some of your very limited will power in order to go to the gym next time and that will be just miserable.  Take it easy at first; eventually, you will become stronger and, at that point, you can start doing more if that becomes a part of your system.

Surprises

            My first surprise, and probably most popular among How to Fail readers, was how knowledgeable a comic strip writer was about business, health, fitness, and entrepreneurship in general.  Scott Adams has had a wealth of experiences that you would not expect.  It goes to show how much really happens in a few decades.  I often get frustrated that I won’t have enough completed by the end of my first two decades on Earth.  This leads to my second ‘aha!’  The story of Adams’ life, so far, encouraged me that a lot can happen in the years after college.  Learning and growth don’t slow after college.  After college, it is completely up to me to own my life, take chances, develop systems, work hard, and do the things which bring me joy.  To a point, I already knew this before reading the book, but hearing it from a cartoonist seems to have surprisingly solidified this knowledge.