Scott Adams Secret Of Success Analysis

In “Scott Adams’ Secret of Success: Failure,” Adams discusses his strategies for success and what he has learned from his failures. He recommends to the readers to avoid following their passion and setting goals and to instead choose a project they believe to have the best chance of succeeding. Adams provides many examples from his own life to supports his ideas, and various literary works also support his claim. Scott Adams's suggestion to avoid following your passion is true and is proven by the drastic actions of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Lord Henry’s neutral stance in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and a real life experience of doing something good without passion.

Juliet Capulet is the 15th century version of everything that Adams advises

readers not to do, therefore her failures prove that Adams’s strategies for success were and are still accurate. While Juliet does many things that Adams does not approve of, her main ‘crime’ is her passion for Romeo. From the moment that they met they were infatuated with each which severely impaired their sense of judgement many times throughout the play. Although one could argue simply meeting each other was wrong, the first mistake caused by passion they make is getting married. After knowing each other for only a day, they choose to marry each other. From here on, their relationships only grows more detrimental, ending with Romeo being banished to Verona and Juliet “long[ing] to die” (Shakespeare.4.1.68). Only days after Romeo is banished, passion for him causes Juliet fake her death so Romeo can come save her. Unfortunately, lack of communication leads Romeo to believe that his wife is actually dead, which causes him to kill herself. Of course if Juliet couldn’t live with Romeo in another town, she definitely cannot live with him dead. Once she ‘comes back to life’ she stabs herself with Romeo’s “happy dagger” (Shakespeare.5.3.174), leaving both her and her husband dead. Adams says that the best person to invest in is someone who has “a desire to work hard at something that looks good on a spreadsheet” (Adams 2). Translated into a romantic sense, Juliet should have made sure that their was more than lust (passion) in her and Romeo’s relationship and something that would last forever before she caused her husband to commit suicide and killed herself because of passion filled actions.
An example of a situation where following Adams's rules did work out for the character can be found in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” written by Oscar Wilde. In the first pages of the book, readers meet an intriguing character named Lord Henry. He becomes friends almost instantly with another main character, Dorian Gray, after being introduced by their mutual friend named Basil. While Basil, an artist, paints Dorian, Lord Henry begins to toy with his mind. He makes provocative statements and knows the “precise psychological moment when to says nothing” (Wilde 20) and it drives Dorian literally insane. Later in the book, the painting begins to reflect Dorian’s soul, which, as one might imagine, is extremely psychologically damaging. Dorian becomes so passionate about this painting that he will do anything to protect it. When Basil finally sees the changed masterpiece, Dorian begins to connect him (its creator) to the horrifying painting and develops an “uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil” (Wilde 138). In his fragile state, Dorian murders his best friend and out of passion about the painting. Dorian ruins or eliminates many other important characters’ lives however Lord Henry escapes the abusive friendship practically unscathed due to his lack of passion for Dorian’s situation. As Dorian’s mental health deteriorates, Lord Henry maintains only casual conversation assuring Dorian that is “perfect” (Wilde 163). Had Lord Henry talked more about Dorian’s issues with him, he may have ended up too close to the situation and severely harmed or dead.
Lord Henry manages to save his life by avoiding Dorian’s insanity and not getting caught up in the passion one might feel if one of their good friends was in danger.
Another reason I know that Adams's strategy for success is accurate and helpful comes from my own life.

Although I usually choose activities to participate in that I enjoy, sometimes I get caught in very boring situations. One of these situations was junior high band. Halfway through my seventh grade year, we received a long-term substitute teacher who was awful. He was awful, aggravating and awkward, and he stole all of the passion for band that I had previously held. If I had been in that situation now I undoubtedly would have quit, however the much more optimistic seventh-grade me managed to put up with the class for two more years hoping it would eventually get better. Like Adams recommends I “forg[ot] about passion” (Adams 2) and continued on unpassionately. After entering high school I am unimaginably glad that I did not quit band. Taking band at Naperville North has provided me with a supportive and amazing group of friends, if not family, and many opportunities I may not have gotten otherwise.

Clearly, acting without passion is the fastest way to reach success, however you define it. Passion caused the horrifying actions of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and lack of passion kept Lord Henry out of a dangerous situation in “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. It is also shown that working through something one is not passionate about can prove to have incredible results. If looking to be successful, one should definitely avoid following an idea they are guided to by

passion.