Week 6 – Breath And Enjoy The Journey

I have to admit, I am struggling a bit with my classes at the moment. I am enjoying the readings and the exercises we participate in for our “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” class, but I don’t know if this is the path I see myself on long term. I have never considered myself to be an Entrepreneur. I am learning, though, that I can apply the things I am learning to my personal life as well. Maybe as I focus on that, I will discover my inner Entrepreneur and will be ready then, to take on the world.

I especially loved the talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand True and Be Faithful”. As a young adult I made some pretty bad decisions, and have struggled with them for years. After reading his talk I was given renewed hope and encouragement. He says “Repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel. Forgiveness is a mark of divinity. There is hope for you. Your lives are ahead, and they can be filled with happiness, even though the past may have been marred by sin. This is a work of saving and assisting people with their problems. This is the purpose of the gospel” (Hinckley). We also received some not-so-good-news about my mom’s health this week, and as I was reading this talk I was reminded how special and important my mom is to me. President Hinckley said “Your mother is your best friend. Never forget that. She gave you life. She cared for you, nurtured you, nursed you when you were sick, and looked after your every need. Listen to her now. Talk with her candidly and confidentially. You will find that she will keep your confidence and that her wisdom will prove to be wonderful.”

This week we also learned about Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Although each of the habits is logical and makes sense to me, the one I most need to work on is number 7 – “Sharpen the Saw”. I don’t take the time to care for myself. It’s amusing to me, because I will always share with my friends and family, that they should slow down a little and take care of themselves; but I don’t follow the same advice. Sometimes I think I stay busy, so that I won’t have to focus on myself. However, I must remember to do this, if not entirely for myself then for my family too, they need me as much as I need them. Other times I think, if I slowed down, I would realize I’m just running in a circle. Time to breath and focus on my journey, not just the race to get where I am going. 

Week 5 – The Lord and My Family

Each week we are asked to reflect on what we have learned, and what we are excited to accomplish in our lives. We had really great talks to refer to this week, and each one of them mentioned either being our best selves, and, or our family priorities. In his talk “Success is Gauged by Self-Mastery” Elder N. Eldon Tanner reminds us what is important. How we chose to live our lives in the present has eternal consequences. He said “Narrow is a very meaningful word. Often people accuse us of being narrow-minded if we are following the straight and narrow path, which certainly does require self-restraint and self-denial. We must realize and be prepared to accept the fact that it confines us, restricts us, and limits us in certain areas. But let us fully realize that it does not fetter or shackle mankind. On the contrary, it is the way to emancipation, independence, and liberty” (Tanner). How grateful I am to have read this talk, to be reminded that sometimes I have to make a decision to forego something which I might enjoy here, but will be blessed by the outcome in eternity.

In the videos we watched this week, family and not sacrificing them for our goals of Entrepreneurship was stressed. Steve Blank shared that he and his wife set rules for their family, and they stuck to them. If we don’t do this, we could easily lose sight of what is important. I am saddened sometimes when I think back to my sons early years. I took a new job and quickly promoted up through the ranks. With each promotion additional responsibilities were added, as is typical. I would bring work home with me, or would even “run to the office for a short while” on a Saturday or Sunday, only to look up and realize a whole day had gone by and my son was growing up in my absence. My son is now a man of 21 who has a great work ethic, but I am even more proud of the fact that he puts his family first. It may be in small ways, but it’s in ways that count and are important. I am grateful that I realized the mistakes I was making, and although I lost valuable time with him, I didn’t lose all of it. I made sure I stayed focused at work, even if I had to go in a little earlier each morning, so that I could set aside the evenings and weekends for my family. 

Week 4 – Things learned and things remembered….

Wow this week was cram packed with so much wonderful information. Every week, we learn so much, but this week, really struck home for me. One of our readings was a case study about Erica Mills and her company “Warm Fuzz Cards”, and one of our videos was “A Hero’s Journey” by Jeff Sandefer. These 2 items in particular grabbed my attention.

I am a very creative person, so I was attracted to the story about the greeting card company. I enjoyed learning how Mills had an idea, but when she received feedback about her cards, she didn’t swim against the current, she adjusted her idea and made the necessary changes. This lead to her success and ability to grow her business.

In his talk “A Hero’s Journey” Jeff Sandefer reminds us what is important. He said “Live every moment like it matters, because it does…” (Sandefer). He also encourages us to “…choose [our] fellow travelers well, for [we] only take this journey once” (Sandefer). I was reminded of how important my loved ones are. This journey of life, is not just about me, it is about them, and how we travel together. It is my desire to live a life of service, to be a good person, and to be there for those who need me.

I have thought a lot this week about those things I admire in others, and how I can learn from them and grow personally. I also thought about the things I admire in myself. I don’t want to sound conceited, but I think it is good to recognize the best in ourselves. So often we focus on the things we want to improve, but we must not forget that we too can inspire and help others on their paths. 

Week 3 – What am I afraid of…..?

This has been a very interesting week for me, not a particularly enjoyable week, but interesting. I have been completely overwhelmed this week. I know many people are struggling with their personal demons, but I feel mine got the best of me this week. I don’t mean to complain or whine, but this is my blog, and I feel I am entitled to share. Work has been very busy lately, school is just overwhelming me, I have a new calling in the Relief Society Presidency in my ward, I am looking for a new home, I am not getting enough rest, and I know my eating habits have turned topsy turvey.

Part of this week’s class was “Deconstructing Your Fears”. This is when my light bulb went on, and I bet if I listened carefully I would have heard a “ding, ding” too. I am afraid of EVERYTHING. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true, fear has me paralyzed. I am afraid to make decisions, in case they are the wrong ones. Then I read something in our readings this week “FEAR THRIVES ON SECRECY” (Acton Foundation for Entrepreneurial Excellence). This is so true, when I fear something, I feel inadequate, and who wants to share their inadequacies with anyone. So I keep my fears to myself. If misery loves company, fear loves solitude. It is time for me to speak up and share my fears. There may be someone else out there who has the same fear, or has found a way to cope with it or, better yet, overcome it. Maybe my experience, could help someone else. I don’t have to climb the mountain and shout my fear from upon high, but just sharing it with those I trust, will help me confront my fear in the light of day, and may also help me realize, it’s really not as scary as I first thought.

This is my time, and I choose to be in control. 

Week 2 – What have I learned so far?

I think my biggest take away to this point is that the strategies and techniques we are learning about in this course, do not only apply to the business world. We can apply these same things to our personal lives. From Jim Ritchie’s presentation “The Formula and Happiness” he teaches us the formula for success and happiness, which he learned from J. Paul Getty and David B. Height.

• Get up early
• Work hard
• Get your education
• "Find Oil" (find your product, a service project or follow an idea)
• Make your mark
• Prepare to serve and give back

Another thing I learned this week, from Frank Levinson, in his presentation “Top 10 Must Haves for a Start-Up”, is to choose a good partner. This is valuable in both our business and our personal lives. With good partners we know who we can trust. Good partners will always be honest with us, even if they tell us things we may not want to hear.

We were also tasked with making a “Personal Code of Conduct” list this week. I know what my lines are and which lines I will not cross, but writing them down, made me pay close attention. I think everyone should make a list like this, and add to it over time. By taking this from an abstract thought to a concrete list, it makes it all the more real. Kind of like a goal – it’s just a dream, until you verbalize it.