Entrepreneurship and Gratitude

This week I read the article, "Identifying and Exploiting the Right Entrepreneurial Opportunity...for You."  I really liked the definition that was given about what entrepreneurship is.  Entrepreneurship is "The pursuit of opportunities is the essence of entrepreneurship.  We define an opportunity as a future state that is both desirable and achievable."  I believe that being an optimist must be an essential characteristic of someone who chooses to be an entrepreneur.  In order to have a vision of a "future state that is both desirable and achievable" you have to believe that it is something that CAN happen.  

The talk "Attitude of Gratitude" by President Monson is one of my favorites.  Gratitude is such an amazing gift in helping us see the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives.  From parents, teachers, friends, country and our Savior, Jesus Christ, President Monson shares how each is a fundamental part of who we are, and where we can go.  I'm so grateful for the lessons that I have learned through my life, and that in order to find I must give thanks to God for all I have been given.

Are We Not All Beggars?

I really loved the theme of service and entrepreneurship that was in this weeks lesson.  Elder Gay's talk was excellent as he taught of the Lord's expectations of us as we seek to serve and rescue others.
One thing he said was that we need to have the heart to rescue others before business.  If we have this mindset, then it is much easier to use our means to seek opportunities to serve.  He also said that, "Business is about service and about rescue."  When this is part of a company mindset then it is not just about making a profit, it is also about creating an environment where others can prosper.

I was able to read again the talk by Elder Holland, "Are We Not All Beggars?"  He shared the story of  Mary anointing Jesus's head before he was crucified with an expensive ointment.  Judas Iscariot made her feel bad because of the expense, but Jesus told him, "She hath done what she could."  I think that is the message that I needed at this time in my life.  I know for myself that I feel guilty when I don't serve as much as I think I should.  I believe that we are expected to do what we can to alleviate the suffering of our fellowman, but that might not need to be in extravagant and grand gestures.  Sometimes it can be a smile, or a phone call, but if we are in tune with the spirit we will know in what way we can be of service.

Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness

This week I read, "Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness (A Cautionary Tale)."  It spoke of the need that everyone has to achieve their goals and find happiness.  The older I get the more I feel like time is flying by, and I feel a greater urgency to make my mark in the world.  Instead of asking the question, "How Can I Be Happy?," we should be asking "How Can I Create Something Meaningful For Others?"  It is when we stop thinking of our own happiness, and seek to make others happy that we ultimately find joy.

I really loved the Buddhist quote to "Always act as if the future of the universe depends on what you do next, while laughing at yourself for thinking you can make a difference."  I don't yet know what my life calling will be, but I believe this life is a gift and my time here is limited.  My resolve is to wake up each day with the desire to seek out what I can do to make a difference in the world I live in.   I have unique talents and a hero's journey that only I can perform.  I will continue to develop my talents and pray to know how I can use them to bless others.

The Challenge to Become

This week I would like to focus on the talk we read in class this week from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, titled "The Challenge to Become."  In this talk he talks about how the Lord expects us to take the things we learn and instead of just knowing something, we need to become something.  This requires much more than reading a textbook and finishing an assignment.  It requires us to act on the things we learn so that we learn in our minds and in our hearts.

One thing in particular that he said really stuck with me, "Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."  I realize that I have been taught the things that I need right now, which are the essential elements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Now I need to be converted so that what I know is who I become.  This requires that I ACT on the promptings I receive to help and serve others.  It is only in the action that I will truly understand the lessons that I am being taught.

My studies this week focused on disciple leadership.  I was able to make connections between the things I was learning and other aspects of my life.  I was recently called to serve in the Relief Society Presidency at church.  I was initially terrified of this call, even though I have served as a Young Women president, and in numerous presidencies.  I think the difference is that I am now serving my peers, instead of youth and children.  

One thing I read this week has resonated with me, and given me a resource to help me become a better leader.  "A Message to Garcia," told the story of Colonel Andrew Rowan, who was given the task by then President William McKinley to deliver an important message to General Calixto Garcia. The point of the story was that when Colonel Rowan was given this task he didn't ask questions, he just acted and accomplished the task given to him.  The ability to execute a task without being told step by step instructions on how to do it is indeed a rare quality.  I have noticed, especially in my church callings, that not all actions have a guidebook attached to them.   Our Heavenly Father has given us the gift of reasoning and the gifts and talents to accomplish difficult things.  I will use those talents to start where I am so that I can act without having to be instructed in all things.

The theme of my assignments this week is perseverance in the face of sometime insurmountable obstacles.  I have felt the desire to quit many times since I made the decision to return to school and get my bachelors degree in business.  The reminder to look past the current crisis and focus on my goals gives me the perspective I need to keep moving forward.  I anticipate with the start of every semester that feeling of hopelessness that I will not be able to understand, or accomplish the required assignments.  But looking back I can reflect and see the hand of the Lord helping me and encouraging me to reach for my goals.

This week I read the devotional talk given by Elder and Sister Holland and was struck by something that Sister Holland said.  She said, "Sometimes we cannot recognize the real purpose and significance of the moment which is ours to experience.  That's because too many of us learn only through our head and not through our hearts!"  I felt like she was speaking directly to me.  I am a task oriented person and sometimes will focus more on the assignment than how I can apply that to my life.  I like to check things off a list, but realize that by doing this I miss out on some of the most important lessons in life.  It is my goal to live more in the moment and ponder the lessons I learn each day.

I was able to continue my reading of Mastery this week.  I am learning that mastery of anything is not easy, and the journey to mastery is never really over.  I am learning that it takes more than self-discipline and determination to become a master.  George Leonard lists the following 5 keys on the journey to mastery.  Key 1: Instruction, Key 2: Practice, Key 3: Surrender, Key 4: Intentionality and Key 5: The Edge.  He teaches that the key to mastery is recognizing that the journey to mastering anything is never really over.

I was also able to read the talk from N. Eldon Tanner, "Success Is Gauged by Self-Mastery."  I loved the instruction given in this talk.  Elder Tanner taught that we must master ourselves first in order to find success.  He quoted DaVinci when he said, "You will never have a greater of lesser dominion than that over yourself....'the height of a man's success is gauged by his self-master; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment...and this law is the expression of eternal justice.  He who cannot establish dominion over himself will have no dominion over others."  I was struck by the truth of this statement and how it relates to all aspects of my life.  The greatest thing we will master in this life is the mastery of ourself.  I'm grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and for His Atonement so I can continue to try to become more like Him and overcome the natural man.

Maybe I should change the title of my blog to "Become the Master of Something."  I was able to read the first few chapters of "Mastery" this week and have found so much of what I have been lacking for so long.  George Leonard is the author of this book and described three different types of people who aim to master something.  One of these is "The Dabbler," which describes a person who approaches any new hobby or interest with great enthusiasm, loves the process of getting things set up, but tends to fall off the plateau when the journey to mastery gets really difficult.  They tend to rationalize quitting with numerous excuses.

I have done this many times over my life, except in my family relationships.  I have always told myself when I quit something that I have simply lost interest in it. I haven't learned to love the plateau, which is something I am going to work on.  I know that patience is a virtue that I need to master, and that the process of becoming patient will be long and sometimes painful.  I need to learn to love the times when i'm learning and not expect instant gratification on my path of learning.

I finished reading the Ministry of Business, by Steven Hitz and James Ritchie this week.  I loved how this book demonstrated how we can successfully navigate and incorporate spiritual truths to not only make us successful in business, but also in our personal lives.  In one section of the book they talk about writing a Personal Constitution, which is essentially a plan for your life.  This assignment was an opportunity for me to ponder who I am and who I want to become, and set both long and short-term goals to accomplish those goals.  After you break down your short-term goals, you then turn them into daily tasks so you are consistently working towards achieving your dreams.

I am a pretty organized person, but have always struggled in the past to set goals.  I understand the importance of them, but I have a hard time implementing them into my life.  I know that finishing my Personal Constitution will take more time than a weeks assignment, but I am determined to do it.

This week I learned the importance of having integrity, and how it transcends all aspects of my life.  I learned that integrity is the first virtue we all must have, and that it is necessary for all other values to build upon.

There were seven things listed in the talk, "True Blue, Through and Through," that helped me to take inventory of where I am, and where I want to be.

1.) Decide today, once and for all, that I will be worthy of trust.
2.) Have faith that the Lord can and will help me, and then diligently seek His help.
3.) Make covenants and keep them.
4.) Stand up for what I believe.
5.) Expect my integrity to be challenged.
6.) Don't give up.
7.) Renew my covenants with the Father and His Son to do what I came here to do.

I also had the opportunity to write down ethical guardrails, by writing a list of three "I will never" statements, and three "I will always" statements.  Initially this sounded like an easy assignment, but it did require me to think about what is most important to me, and the legacy I want to leave behind.  My family will always be my first priority, and seeing it on paper solidified for me the commitment I have made to them.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to be deliberate and thoughtful as I plan out my life and the impact I want to make in this world.

After watching and reading Randy Pausch’s last lecture, I believe he was able to achieve his dreams because he kept trying and also because he had a support system in place.  Randy’s parents, wife, teachers and friends were all a part of helping him accomplish his goals.  Dreaming is essential to discovering our passion and talents, and ultimately to becoming an entrepreneur.  I believe it’s important to surround myself with people who believe in my and encourage me to follow my dreams.  I want to be that person for my family and friends as well.

One of my childhood dreams was to become a dancer.  My mom signed me up for dance lessons when I was little, but after we moved to Alaska we didn’t have the money to continue them.  I remember being envious of the girls in high school who were on the dance team.  They seemed to exude confidence and grace and of course they were always the popular girls.  I am in my mid 40’s and although a career in dance might not be possible, I do believe that I can learn to dance no matter my age.  I added this dream to my bucket list for this week’s assignment.

This week in class we were given an assignment to make a bucket list of 50 items.  As I was pondering this assignment on Monday, I learned that Jim Fox, a great friend in our ward, had passed away suddenly that morning.  I was stunned and saddened by the news, but it also gave me a different perspective as I approached this assignment.  Jim was only 73 when he passed away, but he was always doing something.  He was on the golf course playing golf when he died.  He was in the process of staining his log home, and had just been called as the High Priest Group Leader at church.  Most of us have no idea when our time will be up, but life is about continually learning and growing, overcoming fears, and following our dreams.

I added this class at the last minute and only had yesterday to read through the materials.  I don't know that I really understood what I was taking on or how it would make me feel.  As I read and watched the videos yesterday, I experienced a wide array of emotions.  I first felt fear, then stress and then excitement.  I prayed that I would be able to learn what it is that holds me back and that I would be able to overcome my fears.  

Organization and planning are two of my greatest strengths, but i'm finding that they can also be a weakness.  It is the unknown in being an entrepreneur that is terrifying.  I am also terrified of failure and being perceived as weak.  I guess the one thing that you learn as you get older is that failure and weakness are opportunities to break through the ruts that we get stuck in.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to face my fears, and make plans for my future.  In one of my previous business classes I read the book, "Good to Great" by Jim Collins.  In this book he explains how important it is to fill our bus with good people who support our vision and who add to it.  I am grateful for the support I have from my family and friends, and I know that they will be there for me as I move forward to accomplish my dreams.