Assignment 27A - Reading Reflection No. 3

Assignment 27A – Reading Reflection No. 3

I read Mary Kay’s Miracles Happen.

·        What surprised you the most?

o   While I read the book, I wasn’t surprised by much even though I literally knew nothing about Mary Kay going into it. However, if there was one thing that surprised me it was how she always had God as her priority in life and trusted in Him so much throughout the course of her career. It’s not something that’s too common nowadays, and as a Catholic, I find it admirable.

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? 
• I admired her determination the most. It carried her through a time where women weren’t looked at as equals in a society were men were held in higher regard, not to mention she didn’t have the best and most privileged early life. She was also divorced, had kids, and held a full-time job while also attending college for a while, and that’s enough to make a “normal” individual crumble under the pressure of everything. Her determination took her through all of that, and that’s what makes it admirable, especially in that time period.
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
• There wasn’t really anything that I didn’t admire about Mary Kay. If I were more narrow-minded and didn’t have a good idea of the way her mind operated from reading the book, I’d say that her dedication to her work rather than to her family is something I wouldn’t admire. However, that idea totally goes against her principals, and she has said herself that she always makes time for her family and does her best to make that time as meaningful as possible. She’s so good at time management, something like that is possible for her despite her busy work schedule. There really isn’t anything I don’t admire about her.
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? 
• Mary Kay definitely encountered adversity and failure. She lived in a time where men were looked at as superior to women for one. She was also divorced and had to work a full-time job and take care of her kids, something that is really difficult to do. Starting her own business as a woman was also something really difficult to do in those days.
• What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
• Mary Kay was a master at time management, and she was also really great at talking to people individually and in large groups. With a busy work schedule like hers on top of taking care of her family, having honed time management skills is a must, and she was able to perfect them throughout her lifetime and her career. Throughout her book, she mentioned multiple times how important paying attention to people, talking to them and listening to them, was. She was able to read an audience and take the best course of action to make them pay attention to her while also enjoy what she was saying, and she knew how to touch people’s hearts and make them feel cared for and motivated.
• Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. 
• There wasn’t anything in the reading that I found confusing. Everything to me seemed really straightforward and well-explained, and I found the book to be a really enjoyable read.
• If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? 
• The first question I would ask Mary Kay is when was it when she felt that the company would be fine when she passed away. I would like to ask her this question because I feel that it’s a worry that every first owner of a business has. Choosing someone to become the top person at a company is something stressful to think about. The second question I would ask Mary Kay is how was she able to keep her marriage strong with her husband. Both of them were really busy individuals. Admittedly, they did work together in the company, but to separate personal life from business life can be really difficult sometimes, and I’d like to hear her story on how they kept the marriage going strong.
• For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? 
• I think Mary Kay’s definition of hard work is doing your best every day and striving to beat your best. Throughout the book, she mentions multiple times, “I can do better,” and she really did. For her, it’s all about pushing past your limits when you think your limits aren’t good enough and becoming the best version of yourself.