Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Thoughts on Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

I have been reading this stupid book for some time now. I think if Phil Knight realizes that I called his book “stupid” he would appreciate it greatly.

I am enjoying it so much because it is primarily for stupid people.

People who aren’t sure. People who don’t know the way. People who are willing to enjoy the journey as part of the reward.

A lot of authors write a book after they’ve found the “ultimate”, “most effective” or “surest” way to do things. Not Phil Knight. Even as you read the book, his narrative tells you that his man still doesn’t know the way. He does not shy away from explaining to us that he is just like any of us here, unsure of the way and uncertain of what to do in this world that is so full of people who have opinions and want to influence us.

Maybe this sense of uncertainties is the main reason I like this book. Because I am unsure myself. Unsure of how to get to my future. Phil was a Shoe Dog, but he was shy. He couldn’t build a company, he never thought that he would build one. His shoe company is currently one of the best in the world, it called “NIKE”, the god of victory.

The sarcastic tone of many passages in the book are also relishing to me! Oh, how I love sarcasm. And Bork, with his Buttface heroes, never spared any.

If I ever get the chance to write a biography, I hope that it ends up to be something like Shoe Dog. Of course, I don’t celebrate everything in that stupid work. The drinking, the spying and etc.

As I read the book, I couldn’t help but reflect on the story of Steve Jobs when he dropped out of Stanford. Did he know at that point what would happen to him? Did he know that he would be part of a revolution that will change an entire culture, generation and the whole world? He didn’t. Steve said so himself when he had the chance to deliver the commencement address some years later.

For Steve, for Bork and for any of us, we cannot know the full story from the beginning. We have to keep going. Especially as a Christian, the assurance is worth holding onto! Life will be great. The journey is the reward. We don’t have to know all the steps and process, we only need to keep going and trusting God that we are going to get there someday! The journey is the reward.

Lengdung Tungchamma, 2019.