Reflection Essay Example

Sometimes an experience can influence a person’s attitude towards a subject. Some of these experiences may include events, music, media, a conversation, or literature. This summer I read a mandatory book that changed my perspective. Before reading the book Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, I believed that a person should only set fairly easy and attainable goals for themselves. Now my attitude is that you should pursue what makes you happy, and you shouldn’t let struggles stop you. When I read examples about following a passion, overcoming a fear, and being persistent in your efforts, my prior opinion began to change.

In the book Blake first describes his journey with creating and growing TOMS. Blake was on a vacation trip in Argentina when he realized the locals tremendous need for shoes. Suddenly it became a dream of his to do something about this problem. Most people would see the problem and consider the reasonable options they were presented. They could donate shoes, help at a shoe drive, or give money to a charity that was making an effort to supply needy children with shoes. But Blake didn’t look at what was obvious or what was do-able, he had a passion, and he had drive, and those two things were the only factors that he needed to create success. With an ample amount of hard work and dedication, Blake’s dream of creating an answer became a reality as the solution boomed into a multi-million dollar for profit organization. Blake’s mother, Pam Mycoskie, had a similar experience with following her dream. Pam enjoyed aerobics, staying active and healthy, but in 1990 she received very high results from her cholesterol test. After she transformed her diet and dramatically lowered her cholesterol, her husband awarded her with a trip to a fitness camp in California. But Pam was a stay at home mom who had never travelled anywhere by herself, and she was afraid to do so. After she summoned the courage to travel; Pam found that the trip served