Colton Christensen

Lon Schiffbauer
12/4/15
Intro to Business
My Renaissance
Intro to Business was most assuredly not the most exciting class you could register for, in
fact one could argue that it isnt exciting at all. Initially I wouldnt have disagreed with that
statement but, after taking the class I can say with one-hundred percent honesty that yes, it in fact
is not the most exciting class. Having said that, I will also state that one should take this class.
Intro to Business is highly applicable to real life and to everyday situations and decisions. Its a
practical class and upon reading chapters I would find instant application to my daily life. It
focuses primarily on the use of Critical Thinking. Critical thinking is the first chapter I will talk
about. Natural selection is another chapter I found highly applicable to everyday life. The last
chapter I will discuss will be the Wealth of Nations, One of the most important and beneficial
chapters in the entire book. I will explain how all of these chapters directly correlate with real
life situations and how they can better prepare you for said situations.
It doesnt take long for the class to show you the real life application of the class. The
very first chapter we discussed in the class and read was the Introduction to Critical Thinking.
Critical Thinking is used every single day and will always be needed. It starts off by asking you
to define critical thinking, initially I defined it as the ability to think through difficult situations
and how to proceed through them. After reading the chapter I would define it as a way to think
about your thinking. What does that mean though? Thinking about your thinking? Its going

beyond what you know about your thinking, its about evaluating and analyzing your process of
thinking. It becomes a self-policing to raise your level of thinking. I would relate Critical
Thinking to problem solving. But they are rather different. For example Problem solving is the
ability to work through a problem or an error and find the answer. Critical Thinking is more
about how ones thinking led to that error, what thinking error was made to allow for the problem
to occur. Its about refining your thinking, you need to analyze how you are reaching certain
conclusions. What is your thinking error, not what the problem is and how to fix it. This was a
strange concept to me initially. After applying it to some of my ways of thinking I realized I
often jumped to conclusions based on prior information, instead of making sure that the
information is still pertinent, which allowed me to more effectively think.
Natural Selection is one of the more familiar chapters we discussed in class. The
information seemed relatively standard, but upon discussion in class I realized I was thinking
about from an outside perspective. I was thinking about how we as humans evolved or how
insects or animals will develop traits to make them more likely to survive. Prior to the class I
never really thought about how Im using it personally and every day. We shifted perspective, we
turned it on ourselves, what are we doing to separate ourselves in the business and professional
sector to increase our odds of surviving more successfully than our competitors. As a class we
discussed the obvious, such as attending college and getting an education. I thought a little bit
harder about it and tried to apply to my life. I thought about the things Ive done in my life to
separate myself or to better myself when compared to the competition Outside of some
naturally born characteristics that I feel provide me an advantage in most areas I havent done
much to increase my chances of survival. I applied that to my decision to enlist in the United
States Army. I chose this for several reasons. It instantly commands respect that others cannot

achieve. It will provide an excellent demonstration of my ability to work with a variety of

cultures and peoples. I also chose a job in the army that provides an excellent civilian
application. I chose Air Traffic Controller. Its a high stress job and shows any mistakes made.
Upon my completion of my contract I feel confident that if I chose to do so, I would have a far
superior chance of surviving in the field. I will have 6 years of work experience that was for
the Army. Which has a high chance of a heightened level of stress to do my base location. Say
Im anywhere near any combat that will absolutely heighten the jobs stress level. Showing that I
am able to handle that level of pressure will make the highest pressure situation in the civilian
world seem like a standard day. The military also has the most advanced technology, showing I
can handle and excel at the most advanced equipment will give an added edge in the evolving
environment.
The last chapter was something that I found extremely valuable and I feel that it should
be a required class in high school. The wealth of Nations chapter was rich with pertinent and
valuable information. Learning about Capitalism and the five keys to it was beyond beneficial.
Understanding more about our nations economy and how to take advantage of it was beyond
applicable. It has instant real world application, from understanding how to better invest your
money, to understanding how our economy can continue to thrive. The five keys to Capitalism
are Profit Motive, Capital, Free Market Economy, Laissez-Fare, and the Invisible Hand. Ill
focus on the first two keys as they had the most daily application to me. The Profit Motive is like
an addiction, its the desire to obtain something, and its a never ending thirst. Once youve
obtained something you desire, the profit motive shifts your desires to something even grander
and better. This applies to me in the sense that while growing up my reason behind doing much
of anything productive was to obtain a High School Diploma. After achieving that it instantly

switched to something even better, an associates degree. Im close to achieving that, and already
my profit motive has shifted to obtaining a career that will be worthwhile, it also has played into
my decision to enlist in the Army. Capital is also something that is very important and applicable
to everyday life. No one is helping me pay for my college education. Im taking out loans.
Someone provided me with access to Capital, to further myself and allow me to achieve more
Capital. It essentially is providing me an opportunity for growth. I will be paying for the access
to that capital later down that road, but by paying more for the capital than the access that was
provided, its going to allow me to produce more wealth via a college education.
Intro to business definitely wont be the most exciting or fun class that is available, but it
absolutely will have the most real life application. It doesnt take long to realize that either. The
very first chapter shows the importance and value of understanding and mastering Critical
thinking. As it can allow you to take your thinking to the next level. Natural Selection highlights
the importance of making sure you are currently and actively doing something to help yourself
survive in the ever evolving work place environment. It showed me the importance of doing
things that increase my chance of survival It helped me make the decision to enlist in the
Army. The Wealth of Nations chapter is beyond applicable to everyday life, specifically the
Profit Motive and Capital. As both affect my everyday actions, from attending college to paying
to attend college. This chapters and more attribute to my personal renaissance. It allowed for my
reawakening and understanding of the real life application and importance. Intro to Business
goes beyond a grade and a diploma. It was a class for everyday life.