13A - Reading Reflection No. 1 - Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash

13A – Reading Reflection No. 1 – Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash

1.      About Mary Kay the entrepreneur:

a.      What surprised me the most? That the idea she used for her business was someone else’s original idea, and she just bought him out and took it on. Mr. Stanley of Stanley Products actually discovered that the products were keeping his hands soft and supple just like his leather he was using it for. He could have taken it all the way with his hostess or someone else as the spokesperson. I also thought it surprising that the products were originally for keeping leather supple and soft. I know from doing research on a past assignment that the FDA doesn’t really check on make up and lotions to intently. I can’t imagine putting lotions on my face for leather and just hoping it would be safe. I hope that the ingredients were natural.  It makes me wonder what other products we use where we are the guinea pigs that she mentioned the !! Obviously, the products work wonderfully well and must not have too many side effects. She said during the early years that she wanted to make the products better, so she did invest millions on research to improve each of her revenue drivers.

b.     What about her did I most admire? I most admire her tenacity, drive, and passion. She didn’t let others get in her way, instead, she saw it as a challenge that she ultimately overcame. There are always the nay-sayers. They can really bring you down if you let them, or you can just see if what they say has any merit or value, make any necessary adjustments, then move ahead as planned.

I also admired how she helped women to know that they “could do it” just like her mother had taught her. It was as if she passed that very message along to others throughout her life. She said that it wasn’t how much she could earn, but that she could help others to succeed. It was what she coined the Go-Give principle. Many people are under confident and she was a great remedy for that.

c.      What about her did I least admire? The only thing I can find about her that I wasn’t pleased with was the fact that she was so competitive, to a fault. She would run over others to win, every time. That, however, gave her the edge she needed to succeed, so I guess that was the price she had to pay.

d.     Did she encounter adversity and failure? What did she do about it? She opened the doors to her business exactly one month after her husband died. Not adversity, but for most, that would have stopped them in their tracks. But she knew it was still the right thig to do and that she needed to support herself. She pushed right through the hard times. Another example of her tenacity was when she sold the books “Child Psychology Bookshelf”. She had to sell 10 sets in order to obtain one free set for herself (and her children). She was so enthusiastic that her friends bought them from her. They however, ended up being mad at her because the books weren’t being used. Mary Kay just said, if they didn’t read them that wasn’t her problem, that the books were a good product. She turned that negative around and wouldn’t have it. It did not bring her down, she believed in herself.  

2.      What competencies did you notice that she exhibited? Exceptional enthusiasm, drive, passion, competitive spirit, wanted to help others, willingness to work very hard. She was confident in her abilities (thanks in part to her mom who constantly instilled that in her) and was driven by passion for her beliefs and her goals.

3.      What was one part of the reading that was confusing to me? I didn’t like how she went forward in time, back in time, and forward again during her writing. The chapters were in order, but as she thought back on what drove her and made her who she was, she would reflect back, and then come back to the present, etc.

4.      If I was able to ask her two questions, what would I ask and why? I would ask her how someone could tell if an idea was worth investing in? At what point do you know it’s worth the trouble and investment? I would also like to know how to secure enough of an investment to get started? Does it take money to make money?

5.      What do you think her opinion is of hard work? Do I share that opinion? She had an endless supply of energy geared by drive and passion. If she could have sold that, wait, she pretty much did sell that! She taught others how to have that drive by showing them that they would succeed, that they could do it. She was ready to retire when she started Mary Kay Cosmetics. She even said that she just didn’t have it in her to retire. After all, she worked hard all of her life. She knew no other way.

I do share her opinion for working hard. I just wish mine hard work paid off as much as hers did! I am working full time while taking online classes at night. I am also remodeling my house when I take a break from homework. Most people at my age are thinking of retirement, but, I have returned to school to freshen my abilities so I can continue to work to support myself. If I can retire on day, I will then paint. It won’t be murals, however, it will be Bristol board and canvas art.

Mary Kay Ash has inspired in me a since of “I Can Do It” and I have noticed a new enthusiasm I didn’t have as much of before reading the book. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something. Accept constructive criticism only, and forge ahead.