13A Reading Reflection No. 1

1) You read about an Entrepreneur:

• The first time I heard about the Wright brothers (which was several years ago before I even learned about WWI) and I learned that they flew the world's first successful airplane I was surprised by the year they were able to accomplish such a feat. In my head, up till that point, I had thought that all this took place in the fifties. Imagine my surprise when I realized they accomplished this in 1903.
• What I most admire from the Wright brothers is their fearlessness. They knew they were risking their lives every time they tested their contraptions, yet they did it anyway over and over again.
• What I least admire is how hypercritical they were, of each other and of others. I understand that sometimes criticism can lead to growth but too much of one thing can be counterproductive.
• The Wright brothers encountered adversity and failure time and time again. Each time they would pick themselves up (sometimes literally) and try again.

2) What competencies did you notice that the Entrepreneur exhibit?

The first and obvious one is that the Wright brothers were hard workers. They obviously also had vision and great observational skills which came in handy when they observed the way birds angled themselves in flight. But apart from that, the Wright brothers also had a mechanical background. For years, before attempting flight, they worked on bikes. But I would say that their biggest competency is that they never stopped learning. 

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you?

The lawsuits surrounding the patents. I just got lost and it took me a while to figure out what was going on.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

• The first thing I would ask is how did your personal experiences impact your decisions when it came to your projects? I would ask this because I believe that experiences mold people in different ways and is what causes them to make certain decisions they wouldn't have before the experience.
• What did you feel the first time that your airplane successfully stayed in the air? I know that they must've felt exhilarated the first time they successfully flew but I want to know what they felt immediately after. Where they disappointed that they no longer had something to perfect? Did they immediately start thinking about the next thing they should move onto? Or did they feel contentment and think they could finally rest?

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

Based on the book, I would say the brothers thought hard work was something everyone should engage in six of the seven days of the week. The book even says at one point that the brothers were almost always doing something and it was a rare occurrence when they did nothing. For them "hard work was a conviction, and they were at their best and happiest working together on their own projects..." 

I agree with their opinion though I will admit that I find it hard to work enjoy work everyday, although I attribute that to me not finding 'THE' perfect job. I once had an art teacher who said that she got paid to play and have fun and that the best job is the one that doesn't feel like you're working even though you are. I hope to find that one day, to find a job that enjoy so much that I don't feel like I'm working.