Final Reflection

This class has definitely been a different kind of experience. There was not one single experience that really stood out to me. Each part of this course had its own equal level of importance and this is one of the reasons why I will remember this class for years to come. Also, this class pushed me out of my comfort zone in numerous ways.

I do feel that I have taken further steps to having an entrepreneurial mindset and I do believe I have become an entrepreneur.

If I were to make a recommendation to future students, it would be to find time for this course and to take each assignment seriously. This is not a class you can do at the last minute  and some assignments need time to be completed. Also, start doing things that successful entrepreneurs do. Continue to self-educate yourself throughout the course and repeat the mantra at least a few times a week.

Week 15 Reading Reflection

1.If I was surprised about anything, it was how the business was able to succeed even with all the negative rumors that had been swirling around.

2. There was nothing that confused me in this week's reading.

3. After looking back on all the readings (this one included) I would ask the author what his greatest challenge leading up to this point has been. Also, I would ask how this challenge he faced made him stronger as an entrepreneur.

4. There was nothing from this week's reading that I disagreed with.

Week 14 Reading Reflection

1. The one thing that kind of surprised me was realizing just how important corporate entrepreneurship really is.

2. There was nothing in this week’s reading that confused me.

3. What are some ways that companies can prepare themselves for ethical challenges/dilemmas? How important do you feel sustainable entrepreneurship is in today’s world?

4. There was nothing in this week’s reading that I disagreed with. 

Very Short Interview, Part 2

Below are the questions that I asked my entrepreneur. Unfortunately, do to time constraints and distance apart, I was not able to record the interview.

The initial interview was a great learning tool for me. I had never spoken so in-depth with my entrepreneur before in terms of entrepreneurship and to hear his answers was really insightful.

Q: Looking back at your entrepreneurial journey, is there anything that you would change or do differently? If so, what would you have changed/done differently?

A: I would have worked harder and pushed myself to build my business faster. I also would have taken the advice of my mentors and followed their directions more closely.  I lost almost ten years of building when I left Primerica in the early 1990's. Looking back, I wish I had "listened" to my mentors and remained with the Company and continued the building process. 

Q: Self-education is an important aspect to being an entrepreneur. What do you do to self-educate yourself?

A: I self-educate by reading books and listening to audio media by leaders within and outside of Primerica.

Q: What has been your biggest failure as an entrepreneur? How did you bounce back and how did the experience affect your attitude towards entrepreneurship? 

A: My biggest failure was to realize that leaving Primerica set my business back more than a decade. Once I returned to Primerica, I vowed never to quit again, and work hard to rebuild my business. I have learned from my mistakes, and try to convey to everyone that joins this Company not to quit. This is a proven system, in which every 36th person in Primerica wears the ring, and anyone that commits to working hard and being coachable can succeed.  Look up the story of R.U. Darby, and learn from his trials.

* In his third answer, my entrepreneur mentions a ring. Whenever someone starts to make $100,000 a year in his company, the person receives a ring to wear with a diamond in the middle. Every time one's income increases $100,000, another diamond is added to their ring. 

Looking back at this course, I have learned a lot. I have learned to embrace failure rather than running from it. I have also learned to take risks and just go for it sometimes, which is something I probably would not have done prior to this class. My entrepreneur definitely felt that I had grown since our first interview. Mainly because of the questions I had asked and because he could just read my body language. Since the last interview, it is much easier to talk entrepreneurship with other entrepreneurs because I understand it more and I feel that I am starting to become one. 

Weak 13 Reading Reflection

1. I was really surprised that there were so many variables that go into putting a valuation on a company. I always thought that the sales the company produced from past years was the only real variable that was used.

2. There was nothing that I found to be confusing in this week’s reading.

3. What qualities does an entrepreneur need to have to be successful in venture opportunities? Are there any methods used that can predict the future value of a business in the next 10, 20, or 50 years?

4. There was nothing that I disagreed with in this week’s reading. 

Celebrating Failure

1. I have been working with  financial services company and one of the aspects to growing my business within this company is to hire on people under me. But I have had a hard time brining people on. Every week I have tried brining new people on board but they don't. I feel like I am to blame for some reason and I have felt like quitting. My mentor has constantly been telling me that this is nothing new for a new representative. He tells me that as long as I stick to the process, great things will happen. And he was right. I am now starting to bring on people at a slow pace because I am still in school but once I graduate, things are going to blow up and I can't wait.
 
2. This has taught me that nothing in life is easy and that you will only truly succeed in life if you work your butt off and put your blinders on until you have achieved your goals. Also, you need to want it more than the next guy. There are 10 other people who want what you want and you need to prove that you want to succeed more than they do by working 10 times harder.

3. To put it simply, I don't like failing. No one likes to fail. But I have come to the realization that trying avoid to failure has only held me back and kept me stuck in my comfort zone. The only way I can continue to progress in life is to look failure in the eye and say "I am no longer afraid of you". Only then will I start to make strides in a way that will propel me forward. This class has definitely given me reasons to want to take more risks without being so afraid of what might happen if things don't work out.


 

My Exit Strategy

1. My exit strategy would be to eventually give the business to my children and continue the legacy. If they do not have an interest in taking over the business, I would find someone to sell the business to.
2. I have thought about this question long before I took this class and one thing that I have learned from one of the companies that I work with is to build a legacy that you can pass down to your children. I want to build something that I can hand down to my kids one day and let them continue the legacy that I have started so that they can leave their mark as well. But if they had no interest in taking over, I would sell the business to someone else.
3. I honestly don't think my exit strategy has influenced any of my decisions. I have known for a while now that if I were to build a business that has thrived over the years that I would want my kids to take over once my time was done.

Week 12 Reading Reflection

1. I was little surprised that the author spent little time taking about stategic planning. You would think that there is more to talk about in this area.

2. Nothing confused me in this week's reading.

3. My first question would be: which planning style is the most effective and produces the most results? My second question would be: Is there any chance for an entrepreneur to succeed if they do not know how to plan strategically?

4. I did not disagree with any of the content from the reading.

Week 11 Reading Reflection

1. There was nothing that really surprised me in the reading.

2. The only thing I was a little confused on was the term architectural innovation. Even though the author explained it a little, I feel that he could have elaborated better.

3. The first question would be is if the author could give more examples of architectural innovation and explain it a little bit more. My second question would be does the phrase “failure to execute” mean exactly what it says or is there more meaning that might not be as obvious to someone who has never heard of this expression.

4. There was nothing in this week’s reading that I found confusing in any way. 

Week 10 Reading Reflection

1. Nothing really surprised me because of the accounting courses I have taken in the past.

2. There was nothing that I found confusing in the reading.

3. My first question would be how much does an entrepreneur have to know financially to keep his business successful. I would also ask which would be more beneficial: learn a little bit of accounting to work the books or hire an accountant to handle all of the paper work.

4. I did not disagree with any of the content from this week's reading.

Week 9 Reading Reflection

1. There was nothing that really surprised me in this chapter because I already had studied marketing in past classes so a lot of this was not new to me.

2. The only thing that I found slightly confusing was that people use price to determine if a product is of good quality or not.

3. My first question would be when would it be the most appropriate time to do market research. My second question would be which marketing technique the author would recommend using when beginning a new venture.

4. I did not disagree with any of the content in this week's reading.

Half-way Reflection

After these first two months, I would tell a future student that they need to invest time in this course. I say invest because when you invest time in something you get something in return. When you spend time on something, you usually get nothing in return. This goes for all classes that we take in college. I would also tell them that they are going to have to do things that might make them uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier over time. A behavior that I have improved upon is staying focused wen something needs to get done.
There was a point in this course where I saw how many exercises there were and I almost backed out because I did not think I would have the time, because of how many courses I am taking, and because of my work schedule. I sat down with my mom and talked with her about it and she told me at my age she had the same issue. She told me to take it one day at a time and everything will be fine when it is said and done. Because of what she told me, I was able to make it this far and I have no plans on stopping. I definitely feel that I have developed a tenacious mindset.

Tip #1: Invest time in this course
Tip #2: Be aware of what you are posting on your blog
Tip #3: Prepare yourself to break out of your comfort zone

Week 8 Reading Reflection

1. The only thing that surprised me was that 25% of business ventures are started with only $500. I have heard of a few that have started at that amount but I never would have guessed 1 in 4 business ventures start with so little money.

2. Nothing really confused me in this week's text.

3. My first question is that if he was starting a business and needed to raise capital if he would ask his parents for money. When I watch Shark Tank there are some entrepreneurs who said that they would never ask their parents fro financial assistance and I wanted to know if the author felt the same way. My second question would be if he has used any of the investing strategies listed in the text at some point in his life.

4. There was nothing that I disagreed with.

Week 7 Reading Reflection

1. I was personally surprised that the Miller Lite ad with the mud fighting girls did not help drive sales but when it was mentioned that Miller Lite has less carbs than Bud Light, sales went up.  This just shows that not all companies can use sexualized ads to drive sales.

2. Everything in this reading made sense t me.

3. The first question I would ask is what he believes to be the biggest concern that the consumer has when looking for a product. The second question I would ask is if he had any personal experiences with marketing segmentation and if there were if he could describe the situation.

4. I did not disagree with anything that the author talked about.

Week 6 Reading Reflection

1. There was nothing that surprised me or stood out while going through the reading.

 2. None of the reading was confusing to me.

3. My first question would out of porter’s five forces, which would be considered to be the least influential in his opinion. My second question would be is what advice he would give to entrepreneurs entering a new industry.

4. I was hoping that I would find something that I disagree with considering this is a new author, but yet again there is nothing I disagree with in this reading.

Week 5 Reading Reflection

1. One thing that surprised me in the reading was how long and expensive the process is to obtain a patent. I did not know there was 3 levels of examination and that it cost thousands of dollars to possibly get the patent. I also did not realize that you have to pay to keep the patent issued. I always thought once you had it that was that.

2. One thing I found confusing was the infringement budget. I feel that they did a poor job explaining what an infringement budget is meant to do.

3. The first question I would ask the author is are there any extra fees or steps that need to be completed in order to receive a patent not listed in Figure 9.1. The second question I would ask is if he had any kind of advice to young entrepreneurs who are starting out in ventures or to those who have been involved in ventures for some time.

4. Yet again, I thought that the author did a good job explaining everything in this chapter.

Week 4 Reading Reflection

1. One thing that surprised me in the reading was that there were four types of innovation, including duplication, invention, synthesis, and extension. I always that thought of innovation as one single thing without realizing there were different types of innovation.

2. Something I found confusing was the Critical Thinking Process chart. Looking at the chart alone, I couldn't understand how each piece went together but everything became easier to understand when I read the text a couple times.

3. The first question I would ask the author is which type of innovation, in his opinion, is more important. The second question is in addition to the four types of innovation listed if there are any other types of innovation that were not covered. I would ask these two questions out of curiosity.

4. I am starting to realize that there is nothing that I really disagree with in these chapters. Most of the text was thought out considerably before it was published.

Top 5 World Problems

1. Rapid worldwide population growth
2. Pollution of our water, air, and land
3. Worldwide terrorism
4. Lack of drinking water
5. Hunger worldwide

I feel that population growth is a result of three of these problems. If there weren't so many people in different parts of the globe, we would not have as much pollution that we do now and we would have less mouths to fill. If we could somehow control the population of our planet, some of these issues would be far less severe than they are today. Right now I have terrorism listed at number three, but if terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda are not contained soon, terrorism could quickly rise to the top of my list.

1. Worldwide terrorism- sending more troops to fight terrorist groups
2. Racism/Discrimination- accepting everyone for who they are
3.Pollution of our water, air, and land- educating people about recycling and the environment

4. Infectious diseases- educating/helping third world countries

5. Species extinction- stop pollution, cutting down trees, etc.

Defeating terrorist groups would be easier if we had more troops over there fighting them instead of pulling troops out before the mission is over. This solution is at the top of my list because with one call we can have troops sent to fight ISIS immediately instead of coming up with meaningless tactics that ultimately will not work. All of these solutions will take time but this solution could be done quickly compared to the other solutions on my list. 

Week 3 Reading Reflection

1. Something that really surprised me was how many characteristics of entrepreneurs were listed. I think there are always a couple of characteristics that everyone associates entrepreneurs with, but people don't always go in-depth when describing entrepreneurs.

2. At first, the metacognitive perspective was somewhat confusing. But after rereading that part a few more times, it made more sense.

3a. The first question I would ask is out of all the characteristics mentioned, which ones he thought described an entrepreneur the best and why.

3b. The second question I would ask is why did they come up with the nickname "Skunk Works". Is a skunk somehow involved or was it just catchy?

4. Surprisingly, I agreed with just about everything that the author talked about. In this chapter, the author described every aspect very clearly and in a way that was easy to understand.

Identifying Local Opportunities

1. "Mandating recess isn't the right play"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8D0EEE01FD0E0?p=AWNB
This article talks about how mandating recess will only make things worse for elementary school students. Kids need the time to go outside and play and interact with one another in a way that does not include teachers being shadows. It has also been proven that when kids have free time to play, they do a better job in school. The Pinellas County School Board considered a resolution that would encourage elementary schools to offer recess. In addition, Linda Lerner, a board member, believes that recess should be a policy throughout the U.S. and not just a recommendation. The opportunity here is to allow teachers to handle recess the way it should be handled as well as giving kids time to just relax and play. Teachers and students have problems as a result of this issue. The teachers have a problem because they are not given the authority to allow their students to have recess. The students have a problem because they are locked up in a classroom all day with no escape from their academics even if is for a short period of time.
2. "Reason Won't Win This Battle Over Guns" http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8A9E9B6B42A68?p=AWNB
This article talks about people who have concealed-weapons permits getting arrested for ridiculous reasons. For example, one gun-carrying citizen was arrested when the wind lifted up their shirt, which exposed their gun. People are being arrested because of not so fortunate circumstances and they are not given a chance to explain the situation. A proposal was sent to Tallahassee to protect gun-carrying citizens when an incident like this happens, but it is not looking very good. The people who have a problem is citizens who have a concealed-weapons permit who are arrested over unfortunate events. They are given a chance to explain what happened and are taken to jail because of this. The opportunity here is to pass some kind of law that allows gun-carrying citizens the right to explain their story in case something goes wrong so that no one is improperly arrested.
3. "Auto Thefts By Teens At Crisis Point In Pinellas"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8A7269E5B0AB8?p=AWNB
This article talks about how auto thefts by youths in Pinellas county are continuing to increase at an alarming rate. During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, there were 337 arrests involving teenagers and auto theft charges. Tampa, that has close to double the number of youths, had only 69 arrests in the same time period. In fact, if you add the total arrests between the counties that include Tampa, Jacksonville, and Orlando, Pinellas county would still have more arrests. More and more teens are being drawn down the wrong path and this needs to change. The people that have a problem include the teens being arrested and those who are the victims of these crimes. The opportunity presented here is the chance to find a way to steer these teens in the right direction and to keep them off the streets.
4. 62 To Lose Jobs With Closing Of Kmart In Lutz; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A604B306434968?p=AWNB This article talks about a company that has been hit hard in recent years, Kmart. In addition to this Kmart store in Lutz, dozens more nationwide are set to close its doors for good in the coming months. Sears, the company that owns most of Kmart stores, have struggled over the past few years and Kmart is taking a big hit as a result. More and more companies are closing their doors, leaving many people without jobs to provide for themselves or their families. The people that have a problem are those that are being laid off as a result of these businesses closing.
5. "As Ranks Of Drivers Fall, Mass Transit Needs Surge"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8445B9C882360?p=AWNB
This article talks about the following topic: since less people are learning to drive cars, the demand for mass transit, such as city buses, is to increase. Over the past thirty years, the number of 16 year olds that have a driver's license has dropped by about 47 percent. For those aged from 20-24, there has been a 16 percent decrease, while people between the ages of 30 and 34 have seen a decrease of 10 percent who have not learned how to drive. If these numbers continue in the direction they are headed, more and more people will be forced to use mass transit to get around. Mass transit expansion has not been something that the Tampa Bay area has been concerned with. If these numbers are a glimpse into the future of how our workforce will get around, the Tampa Bay area will have to expand its mass transit or people will leave to find work in areas where there is far more mass transit available. The people that have a problem if Tampa Bay does not expand its mass transit are the people who do not have a driver's license, thereby limiting how they can get around.

Very Short Interview No. 1

The entrepreneur I chose to interview is Franc Reeves. Franc is actually the person who brought me into the company I work for now. Franc has been an entrepreneur for about 30 years now and he left a good paying job as a microbiologist. He always wanted a better life for himself and his family. He met his wife, Terry, through being an entrepreneur and now they are a power couple.

1)    What does it mean to be an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is an individual that has an overwhelming desire to accomplish more than the average person by taking advantage of the free enterprise system. This person will find an objective, or end point of success and work hard and long to succeed at this selected task. An entrepreneur always thinks outside of the box in order to accomplish his goals, and is always working with a business partner, or partners, in order to take advantage of multiple thought patterns (brainstorming). Unlike the vast majority of the population, the entrepreneur is driven to work hard, sacrifice recreational time, and commit to his or her one goal in order to eventually reap the rewards of life that most Americans never experience. Contrary to popular belief, you can not be taught how to become an entrepreneur, you must learn how to be an entrepreneur by identifying your life's dream and  jumping into it and pursuing the dream with all of your energy.   

2)     What do you think I should learn in an entrepreneurship course?  One aspect that should be a big part of an entrepreneurship curriculum is the requirement to read an array of  books written by entrepreneurs starting with Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. All entrepreneurs concentrate of self improvement, and the best sources are books, audio and video material that convey the principles, habits and lifestyles of the successful individuals that you would emulate. The second part of the curriculum is the psychology of communication which describes human character and skills of reading body language. In the majority of cases, entrepreneurs must be masters of listening to others and conveying information in a simple yet comprehensive manner in order to accomplish the cooperation of individuals within your inner and outer circles. The third part of the course should encompass the skills of research through various avenues such as social network sources, online governmental records, institutional hierarchical structure, etc. An entrepreneur must maximize his efficiency of time, and thus mastering the ability to acquire information through various networks is invaluable. 

3)    What do I wish I had been taught in school before setting out on a path as an entrepreneur?  For the most part, we are not prepared through the educational system to become entrepreneurs, but instead we are programmed to become employees of the entrepreneurs. I definitely did not need to learn how to dissect a frog, but I could have used a course in how capitalism works within the world system, and "no", civics class did not qualify in that respect. I still look back on my first 12 years of education and realize that my personal typing class did more to prepare me for life than any other subject prior to college. Many entrepreneurs like Sam Walton never finished high school but went on to create dynasties which employ thousands of individuals with college degrees. The entrepreneur prepares themselves through the school of "hard knocks" and the university of persistence. I do not regret obtaining a college degree, and I enjoyed the field that it prepared me for, but learning to be an entrepreneur is the most valuable, and rewarding journey that I have ever undertaken. 

This interview was a great experience. I had never picked Franc's brain about entrepreneurship and his answers were very in-depth which helped me get a clearer picture of how he portrays entrepreneurship. It is important that you self-educate yourself and that dissecting a frog does not prepare you for the real world. Being an entrepreneur also requires interacting people while also paying attention to their body language. These things are only a couple of things out of countless things that a good entrepreneur needs to become successful. 

World's Biggest Problems

1. Racism/Discrimination in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Like I mentioned in my "Bug List", there is no place for racism in society anymore (there should have been none to begin with). A simple solution, although it will take some time, is to just except everyone for who they are and not judging them.
2. Worldwide terrorism. Terrorism is not just war and fighting anymore. Terrorism now involves cyber attacks and chemical warfare. As time goes on, more new ideas will flood the minds of those who are trying to hurt us. Sending more troops overseas to fight organizations like ISIS and Al-Quada is one of several solutions that could prove to be the defining point in the global battle against terrorism.
3. Pollution of our water, air, and land. Pollution is not a new topic in problems that our world faces every day. Our waters are getting dirtier. Our atmosphere is becoming more toxic. If things do not change after a while, it might get harder to live on Earth. A solution to fix this problem is to educate more people about recycling and how to better take care of our planet so that it can take better care of us.
4. Rapid worldwide population growth. Our worldwide population is continuing to grow year after year and there has been a lot of discussion as to whether the Earth can support all of these people. I don't think there is a simple solution to this. The only solution I can see working, while also making a lot of people very upset, is to set a maximum number of kids a family or a person can produce. But I do not see a lot of people supporting this idea, especially in places like China and India.
5. Untrustworthy nations having nuclear weapons. With a deal being made with Iran and north Korea saying they have tested an H-bomb, talks of nuclear weapons is becoming a popular and scary topic. A solution to fix this problem would be to regulate how much raw material a country can have that would allow them to create nuclear weapons, especially countries who have had interest in making nuclear weapons to use against the U.S.
6. Infectious diseases. Ebola has been the recent health epidemic to put the world on its heals. Some people believe that biological warfare is the way that the world will end. A way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is to educate countries where a lot of these diseases are more common. Also, the U.S should work with organizations and countries to help third world countries who are not capable of treating infectious diseases.
7. Economic collapse. Even though some people say that our economy is getting better, the same cannot be said for other countries like Greece, who are in economic turmoil right now. I think that it is hard enough trying to fix our own economy that we need to worry about everyone else's economies. I feel that some things that can be done is encourage other countries and offer assistance if we are able to help.
8. Lack of drinking water. There are still millions if not billions of people around the world who don't have a path to drinking water. A solution to this is continue our efforts with other countries to find more ways to get drinking water to those who have no way of getting it.
9. Hunger worldwide. Just like drinking water, it is just as hard to find sources of food for some countries. My solution for this problem is basically the same as #8, join together with other countries and organizations to get food to places that don't have a lot of available food.
10. Species extinction. As we continue to invade more areas and pollute the environment, more and more species are dying out. While most species we can live without, there are a few that we can't afford to lose or we could be well on our way also. A solution to fix this is to stop cutting down trees, stop polluting the environment and leave large areas of land alone that are known to be homes to a variety of species.

Bug List

1. During lunch and dinner hours at the Chick-fil-a I work at, it is so jam packed that the drive-thru becomes double wrapped around the building and we need someone to go outside and direct traffic. I know why this problem exists: we have only one drive-thru and we are in a lot that is extremely tight.
2. When the Internet starts acting up when I need it most. For example, there have been a couple of times where I was working on an assignment for a class and I was ready to save and submit it when all of a sudden the Internet freezes or turns off completely, leaving me to scramble or wait for the power to come back on. There are number o reasons why this would happen, whether it is a storm or maybe I start a little later than I should have.
3. When people do not show up when they say they will. I am that kind of person that is always on time and it really bugs me when some one tells me they will be at my house or meet me somewhere at a specific time and they end up being a few minutes late because of some late excuse. If you set the time and place to meet up and I am the only one that follows through that is saying something about yourself. I think either some people just have trouble keeping their word sometimes or they have a legitimate excuse for being late.
4. Clothes for pets. Is this a little weird? Yes. But I hate idea of putting clothes on your pet when they obviously do not like it or if it makes them look ridiculous.
5. People who walk slowly. If it is an older person I can understand why they are a little slower, but if it is a younger person please get out of the way because I have somewhere to be or I have people to see. Simple as that.
6. People who drive slowly. This is tricky because it is not as easy to go around someone if they are driving. It gets very annoying if no one is even in front of them. If a car was 20 feet in front, that would be a little different.
7. Bandwagon sports fans. Arguably the worst sports fans in history. These people can't help but bounce around from team to team because all they want to do is cheer for a winning team. But the second that team loses they become fans of the team that beat the other team. I have seen a lot of pictures lately of people wearing a Seattle jersey six months ago and least week they are wearing a Panthers jersey at a Carolina game.
8. Racists. We are not in the Civil War era anymore. It is not right to judge people over something that is completely out of their control. It might have been the norm during the 1800's, but it is the 21st century and it is time we grow up.
9. Advertisements. On both the Internet and TV. I came to watch either a show or video, not to find information on flooring, shampoo or lawyers. I realize this is how the networks and websites make money but please do not overdue it.
10. Hypocrites who do what they say is bad. What do people gain by being hypocrites? I personally don't get it. Don't say something is bad and then do it 10 minutes later. Your making yourself look like an idiot.
11. Waking up in the morning. It is never easy to wake up in the morning for most people. You just want to stay in bed all day and hit the snooze button continuously.
12. Getting stuck in traffic. Getting stuck in traffic for a few hours is not a fun way to spend your afternoon.
13. Being constantly bothered by solicitors. If I wanted to buy something, I would do it on my own, not if someone is bothering every other day to buy what their trying to sell.
14. People who don't text back when you have been texting each other for the past hour and they leave you on "Read". Please do not talk to me non-stop for an extended period of time and suddenly stop. And don't read my message and not respond.
15. Buffering of every possible kind. Why isn't the whole video ready to go? Why make the consumer suffer?
16. People who are indecisive when they order food, leaving everyone else behind them waiting. I wish people knew what they wanted before they get to an eating establishment, whether it is Starbucks, McDonald's, or Wendy's.
17. When you get kept waiting in a doctor's office when you are on time. I realize a doctor's office is a busy place but I did my part and show when the appointment was supposed to be so it would be polite if the doctor or nurse was ready when I show up on the dot.
18. People who think they know more than you when it comes to everything. I don't care if you knew what the capital of Zimbabwe is. Even if it makes you feel better about yourself it is not going to change my view on you as a person.
19. PDA. I understand that you love your girlfriend and you want to give her a kiss but please get a room if you want a full blown make-out session.
20. Spam email. I don't even know how I get so much spam in my email. It is ridiculous. I don't want information on life insurance. I don't care if a clothing store is having a sale. It is a waste of my time.

A lot of these involve people being either inconsiderate, ignorant, or clueless of what they are even doing.



At first, I had a really hard time coming up with things, but as my day kept moving along I started to take note of things that were bugging me. I never really thought about what bugged me so I really had to open my eyes and take a good look around. This exercise really helped me become more observant of what bugs me and what makes me happy because of how aware this exercise made me.