Article Review #5

Essentially in this article, Scott Adams, the creator of the extremely popular cartoon “Dilbert”, explains his theory of how to be successful, which is mainly centered around his theory that experiencing failure is an integral part of learning how to be successful. In order to succeed in whatever venture you choose to pursue in your life, you must believe that failures are tools you can use to learn from and be better next time. Another point he hits in the article is that in order to succeed, you should adopt a habit of having a system, not a goal. A goal-based lifestyle will lead you to believe that you have succeeded once you have reached your goal, when in reality you should have a system in order to constantly be on the lookout for more ways to succeed. Adams also points out that in order to succeed, you should not necessarily pursue your passion. If you pursue your passion, you can become too wrapped up in the feelings surrounding the project, and you will be crushed if/when the project goes under. If you pursue something practical that you logically know is likely to do well, you are more likely to be successful in the end, and if the project does fail, you won’t be devastated. Furthermore, Adams acknowledges something that is not usually acknowledged by those advising on how to be successful: luck is a huge part of success. While this is true, Adams sugests a way to game the system in that you must position yourself in places where your luck is higher.