Moving Forward with a Driving Passion

Here are some of the things I have learned from the videos and readings this week.

First, from President Hinckley's talk, "Stand True and Faithful," he said, "The Lord has said by way of commandment, “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly” (D&C 121:45). He is saying to us that we cannot even think about immoral matters. Why? Because evil thoughts lead to evil deeds. Then He has said that if we will let virtue garnish our thoughts, we shall stand with confidence in the presence of God. Think of that. He goes on to say the Holy Ghost shall be our constant companion. Our dominion shall be an everlasting dominion. (See D&C 121:45–46.) What marvelous and remarkable promises these are, and they are given to those who walk in virtue." After reading this, and "What's a Business For?" by Charles Handy, I was reminded of how vital it is to have virtue and integrity in the workplace/business world.

Also from "What's a Business For?" I thought this part was really important and gave great advice. It said, "A good business is a community with a purpose, and a community is not something to be “owned.” A community has members, and those members have certain rights, including the right to vote or express their views on major issues." It then went on to talk about business's should actually treat people like a person, with individual talents, skills, and needs, instead of viewing them as a resource. I have noticed in my workplace, when people feel appreciated with their skills, the work they have done, and the efforts they have put in, morale is boosted, and employees are motivated to try harder to help the business succeed. However, when they don't feel this way, things get done in a not so great way, people are unhappy, and overall, things seem really negative.

From the videos, I learned to do something you are passionate about, that our goal as an entrepreneur should be to change the world, and that the drive for continued learning is what keeps people "vibrant" throughout their lives.

 

 

So you want to be an Entrepreneur?

This week I feel like I have learned so much about entrepreneurship. Through reading "So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur" I realized that not only have I believed so many of the top 10 myths and was glad to see and learn from a different perspective, but also that really anyone can acquire the neccessary skill set it takes to become a sucessful entrepreneur. I also have found that I actually maybe acquire more of the characteristics of an entrepreneur than I have ever thought!

One of my favorite parts of this week's lesson came from Elder Tanner's talk, titled,
"Success is Gauged by Self-Mastery"
My favorite part of the talk was the story he told of his oldest grandson being a "hundred percenter."

 What an awesome example, he even gave up going on a trip to an island. Then, when he broke his leg, to think that that is what he was worried about, missing church, wow---what a great kid! I hope to always remember this story because there is so much to be learned from it. I realized how important  it is to set goals, and then work hard, using self-mastery, to get where we are going, and to stay on the straight and narrow path. Why take the detours? Why make it that much harder on ourselves? This can also be applied to business and entrepreneurship. It will take self mastery and self discipline, and a vision and goals to get to where we want to go.

 

Another part I loved from this lesson, comes from the video titled, "Loyalty to God and Family," given by Jan Newman, where he talked about our time. He said that we only have a set amount of time, and certain things are going to have to be "crunched" however, we should NEVER crunch down on our time with our family or with the Lord. We must always take time for these things, which are most important. In 1000 years, nobody will care what kind of money we made or what company we worked for, but what will matter is our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with our family members. Time is our asset in everything, and in the video "Three Lessons About What it Means to be an Entrepreneur" by Wences Casares he talked about this.

 

Mastery: Skill, Character, or Luck

The following are things that stuck out to me from this weeks videos, reading, and assignments.

First, from the reading, “Are Successful Entrepreneurs Born or Made?” I loved the quote that said, "Entrepreneurs become successful, one small investment at a time, in a never-ending process. Because entrepreneurial success isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. A journey taken one determined step at a time, in a way that builds lifelong treasures." I thought that this is important to realize that it's all about the journey that matters. It was also interesting to read the opinions of different successfull entrepreneurs and what they thought mattered. One said that it was skill, the other said it was personality. I feel like it takes both of those, plus hard work, dedication, and perserverance. Which leads me to another important part of this lesson.
In his talk, "Perserverance," President Faust told a story about young missionaries in Hawaii, including one named Lorenzo Snow. There was a bad storm, and basically Lorenzo Snow drowned. His body was rescued, and the other young missionaries tried everything they could do revive him, but he appeard to have died. Others told them it was too late, nothing could save him. However, they kept going, and had an impression to do CPR (something completely unheard of in that time), and eventually brought him back to life. They kept going, even when others told them to stop. My favorite quote from this talk said, "Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges. Perseverance is demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don’t give up even when others say, “It can’t be done.”" I liked that and feel that it is so important with anything we do in life, whether business related, or just dealing with situations that come up in life.

 The last impression I had came from the video "“How Do You Find Your Passion and How Do You Pursue It?" I liked how Randy Komisar asked focused on values and what one cares about. He then asked, "What is the ultimate question? What is the ultimate thing to make of your life?" It made me really think about what I want my life to be like. I also really enjoyed the video "A Heroes Journey" for this reason too. It really got me thinking about life, and when all is said and done, what truly will matter.