13A: Reading Reflection No. 1

Most Surprising

• I was most surprised to found out how much Mary Kay Ash treasures her family and the relationships she has. She said that no amount of success is worth sacrificing relationships for. I think this was surprising to me because forgoing relationships and being successful are two aspects that do not usually correlate. Mary Kay Ash says that her three kids has made her into the business women she is today and their support is what has gotten her this far.

Most Admirable

• Mary Kay Ash started her business with $5,000. Mary Kay had a dream and just went for it. This is a personality trait that is hard to come by and it is very admirable. She could have easily failed, but she decided to go full force with her idea. Mary Kay said "People are very quick to dream but slow to act," this shows her tenacity and her willingness to act on her dream.

Least Admirable 

• I think Mary Kay seemed arrogant and this was not admirable. In the book she said that public recognition is the finest form of praise, which seems like she does certain things for the fame and not for the individual satisfaction. It is obvious that she has built a great business, but I think throughout the book, it was obvious that she knew she was great.

Adversity and Failure

• Mary Kay faced many challenges when she first started the life as an entrepreneur. For one, she was a single mom with 3 kids and she was still wanting to pursue this bigger dream. When Mary Kay was about to open her business, her husband died of a heart attack. She could have looked at this is a sign and backed out, but she decided ti go forth anyways. She was overlooked as an entrepreneur but continued to live day to day for her business without fear of failure. Mary Kay faced adversity at different points in her life but she didn't let it bring her down and stop her. 

Competencies

• Mary's attitude was her core competency that allowed her dream and business to succeed. Everyone has the idea of pursuing their dream, but Mary's attitude and her willingness to put it all on the line is what pushed her to to get there. She made all of her employees feel loved and appreciated and she knew the true meaning of how to treat your employees so that they can help your business excel. Mary Kay new how to dive into the market and help segment her customers so that she could market and sell to them. This was another core competency that led her to a successful company and career. 

Confusing

• I don't really think any parts of this book were confusing. I think that at some points I questioned why she thought things were good ideas or how she was willing to put it all on the line, but I don't think any of it was confusing. I think trying to keep up with her family life was the most confusing part, but it was easy to decipher. 

Two questions

1. What was the final push that made you pursue your dream? Was it something someone said? Was it something someone did? Was it something you saw? How do you remember finally being able to make the decision?
2. How were you able to keep your family in line while also pursing your dreams? Especially as a single mom? A lot of people believe women cant be a family mom and a working mom? What advice would you give?

Hard Work

• I think it is obvious that Mary Kay's definition of hard work is never giving up. She preaches that everyone has a dream, but it's all about who acts on that dream. She knew what it took to get there and she wasn't willing to compromise herself or what she thought was important. I definitely think this definition of hard work is what I believe it to also be. I think that every day, you have to wake up and decide what it is you want to accomplish and then what you are going to do to get there.