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This is a book report based on a woman who teaches people in their twenties how to be successful in the twenties. She teaches us how to turn problems into new ideas and to not be scared to challenge ourselves....

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Book Summary Report “What I wish I knew when I was 20” By Tina Seelig MGT-358, Thu 16:00-18:40, Professor King Jennifer Westling

The book What I Wish I Knew When I was 20 by Tina Seelig was very inspiring and powerful. As someone in my early twenties, I learned new ways in each chapter about how to go about my daily and professional life. Some of the concepts that stuck with me were viewing my problems as opportunities, not limiting myself to what I think I am capable of, being able to permit myself instead of waiting for other people's approval, and lastly doing the smart thing vs. the right thing. In the first chapter, Seelig discusses viewing problems as opportunities. This resonated with me because a lot of the time when I see challenges I get overwhelmed and don’t realize the potential growth I can achieve by facing those challenges. In the chapter, she mentioned that a corporate CEO wished that he could have gone back to school to learn to value problems as opportunities. He thought one could only do that in a controlled academic environment. This was interesting to me because it shows me everywhere in life there are opportunities. The CEO was surprised to see these opportunities present themselves as endeavors to conquer. He thought that he would only be tested and graded in school, but had a wake-up call that life is full of tests that you have to pass. He realized this being in the real world that his academic life growing up wasn't just studying and getting back grades, but teaching him lessons about the real world later on, and wishes that he could go back and utilize this knowledge. This helps me pay extra attention to the morals and life lessons behind my professors' lectures. In the same chapter, the author continues to emphasize the importance of taking on challenges and turning them into opportunities by using the example of Cirque du Soleil. The author gives us background information about how in the early 1920s the circus industry became a failing industry. Seelig taught her students to take a different approach to how to view problems. She says,

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“At the circus, I ask the students to uncover all the assumptions of a traditional circus...I then asked them to turn these things upside down...They then pick the things they want to keep from the traditional circus and what they want to change” pg. 25. She explained that “Cirque Du Soleil” did just that and now they are not a failing business, but a growing one. She emphasized throughout this chapter that the more problems you overcome, the better you will be at taking on challenges. This taught me that when a problem occurs all it takes is looking at the problem in a different way to turn it into an opportunity. The following chapter took a different approach, where Seelig discusses not limiting yourself to what you're capable of. As a woman in my early twenties in a male-dominated major I often limit myself to what I am capable of doing because, in some careers in the business field, women are seen as not as efficient as a man. As well, because I question myself that limits me to what I think I can do, which is why this chapter deeply interested me on how I can improve. Seelig says “Some look inside themselves for motivation and some wait to be pushed forward by outside sources.” pg. 57 I resonated with this quote from the book because I often do not believe in myself and tend to wait for other people to validate me. This made me realize that I spend a lot of time waiting for other people to give me confirmation and I could get a lot more done by just listening to my instinct. The author explained that to be successful in taking initiative “...it means looking beyond your desk, outside your building, across the street, or around the corner” pg.57. She taught me to always look around for opportunities and that if I see an opportunity for something that is missing I should take that right away if it's something I believe in without being granted permission from someone else.

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I adapted this approach into my daily life recently in one of the business clubs that I am part of on campus. This club has always been intimidating because we work with real start-ups and I came into the club not knowing much about the consulting process or industry as a whole. I’ve always been very quiet in the club because I feel like I don’t know enough to comment on different discussions we have in the club. After reading this book, and especially the fourth chapter of the book I no longer wait until people give me opportunities to take on a project or role. A few weeks ago I went out of my comfort zone to speak to the recruitment chair about how I can have a bigger impact and involvement on the club and so many opportunities were presented to me which wouldn't be there if I didn't permit myself to take the projects on. The last key takeaway that I found useful and that I will be discussing in this book report is the concept of doing the smart thing vs. doing the right thing. Seelig speaks about an author named Randy Komisar who says that “Intelligent people often over-analyze a problem, coming up with a solution that they think is in their best interest but that isn’t the right thing to do” pg. 155. The main takeaway from this is that doing the right thing might not benefit you as much as doing the smart thing but it will benefit you in the long run. It will also help others see you in a more positive and trustworthy way which is important for business. I think when it comes to business in general it is very intense and you’re taught to be aggressive and put yourself first. However, from this, I learned that it is extremely important that others view you the way you want because if they don’t it will hurt you, the employees, and the organization structure. In the same chapter Seelig also discusses putting too much on your plate, which is something I often do. I am usually eager and passionate about many project opportunities and usually overpack my schedule which leads to being stressed and insufficient. Instead, she recommends her audience pick three priorities to focus on. This is something that I have incorporated into my daily life. If I

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have two rest days of the week I decide to put some weight on one of the rest days and make it a half workday which takes a lot of weight off me for my full workdays and helps me prioritize better. As for the self-assessment on http://crystalknows.com/, the DISC type I got was “Harmonizer (IS)”. This means that I am outgoing and talkative around new people. It also means that I like making new friends while still having deep relationships with my current friends. I had the highest percentage in Steadiness (S) meaning I am loyal and I am good at cooperating. These traits are all good to have in a business environment in the future. With Seelig’s idea of not limiting yourself with what one is capable of, I will need to focus on my traits of being open, loyal, and cooperative to not limit myself to achieve the greatest. After looking over the worksheet and filling it out, I felt very organized and ready to explore my future. I divided up my goals into three categories for health, personal, and career. After reading What I Wish I Knew when I was 20, I have a lot of goals for my personal and career which I feel go hand in hand. By having a good personal mindset I will be able to perform better in my career. Again, a goal I have set for myself is to not limit myself. I often am too afraid to speak up and I think I am capable of not doing as much as I can. Ten years from now, I want to feel confident in myself and be able to speak up about matters that are important to me. I often feel discouraged and get overwhelmed, so in ten years from now, I want to be able to turn my problems into opportunities. This somewhat goes with my health goals as well. If I work on my mental health to be calm about my problems it will be easier to find solutions. Lastly, when Seelig talks about doing the “smart vs. right thing” she taught me how to have good morals and to be nice to everyone. This is something that I need to work on more and that I think everyone needs to work on more because it is easy to forget. In other words, in five to ten years from now,

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I want to always do the right thing that might not always benefit me the most but it will be for the greater good. In conclusion, after reading What I wish I knew when I was 20 I feel inspired and motivated. I am currently in my third year of college which is where a lot of people are starting to feel lost because one's future career is getting closer and closer, so I feel that this is the perfect time to read this book. Seelig’s life lessons about opportunities, improvement, one's own identity, and good morals will help every twenty-something year old including myself to have a successful future and career.

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Work Cited 1. Seeling, Tina. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20: A Crash Course on Making Your Place in the World. HarperOne, 2019. 2. “The Personality Platform for Growing Businesses.” Crystal, https://www.crystalknows.com/. 3. “Info.lululemon.com Content Dam Lululemon Features Holiday 2015 VG_WORKSHEET_2015.PDF: Lululemon, Dam, Self.” Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/319685273539442912/.

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