Entrepreneur Interview

I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to interview an entrepreneur this week. There are so many things that I learned about being an entrepreneur from interviewing my brother, Cameron. Although I have somewhat followed his entrepreneurial journey, I haven’t seen it from the same perspective as he has and in as much detail as he has. He is certainly one of my mentors to learn from and who I can go to for advice as I embark on my own path as an entrepreneur.

In conjunction with the material we covered in this week’s lesson, my brother told me to “go big”. Why settle on an idea that will make you $5M-$10M when you can “go big” with an idea that could make you $50M-$100M! Be ambitious and really go for it. You can be risky and logical at the same time, so you take more of a calculated risk, rather than just throwing your ideas with the wind and seeing if they stick. In my brother’s experience, he has found that venture capitalists want to invest in people who really think big and shoot for the stars. With enough drive and passion anything is possible. Truly, the sky is the limit! So what am I waiting for?

A Disciple Preparation Center

I am always inspired each time I read the talk from Elder Bednar, “A Disciple Preparation Center”. His words motivate me to take advantage of the opportunities I have to learn at BYU-Idaho. Not just as an educational learning experience but also a spiritual one that can elevate me to be a better disciple of Christ. Even though I am an online student and don’t take any classes on the actual campus, I can still feel the spirit that BYU-Idaho is known for.

I am fortunate enough to have the Boston temple just 30 minutes away from me. I certainly don’t go as often as I should. But after reading Elder Bednar’s talk and the advice from the temple presidents who have visited him, I want to make more of an effort to go and worship there more often. I want to have the same wisdom and perspective as Elder Washburn when he said, “I have come to better and more fully understand the protection available in the temple and through our covenants. I have come to better and more fully understand what it means to make an acceptable offering of temple worship. There is a difference between church-attending, tithe-paying members who occasionally rush into the temple to go through a session and those members who faithfully and consistently worship in the temple.” As I attend the temple more regularly I’m sure I will gain a better understanding and feel the protection he speaks of.

Good Things to Come

The video shared, "Good Things to Come" with Jeffery R. Holland, was inspiring and comforting. We often can see beyond our trials and hardships. It's hard to believe that we will come out of them a better and stronger person. Elder Holland's counsel and encouragement give me the hope that good things truly are to come. Their will be help for us along the way and blessings to be had, if we just keep trying and persevering until we get to the other side. I have felt those feelings of despair and loneliness at different times in my life. Moments that I didn't think I would ever be able to get through. But, as I look back now, I have become stronger and I have been blessed because of those hardships. I certainly wouldn't want to live through them again, but I know I am better because of them. I have grown in ways I never thought possible. I have become a much stronger and independent person having gone through these experiences. Just as Elder Holland shared with us his story, I have a story to share and inspire others to know that they too can press on and endure through the trials life throws at them. There absolutely are good things to come.

Habit 5

Of the 7 habits presented by Stephen R. Covey, the one which had the most meaning to me was habit number five, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood". I think this is an area that I need to personally work on. I used to be a really good listener and was the one my friends often came to for advice and was more attentive to them. But, as I have grown older, I have become less patient and too preoccupied with other things that I am only half listening when others are speaking. I have definitely become one who is at the ready with a response without totally listening. I'm going to start to give others my full attention when they talk and try to understand what it is they are telling me. Then my response will be more genuine and likely to be more helpful, because I have listened and given the other one hundred percent of my attention.

I will be able to practice this habit when I conduct my entrepreneur interview this week. I am really looking forward to the insights and lessons learned from the one I interview. This is a great opportunity for me to learn from them what things have worked for them and what pitfalls to avoid, so that I can have the best chance at succeeding in whatever business I pursue. 

Ministry of Business

I have really enjoyed reading The Ministry of Business. I love how the authors, Steven A Hitz and James W. Ritchie, have been able to outline how we can incorporate our spiritual lives with our temporal lives. It seem like it would be an obvious thing, but as the authors point out, we sometimes try to keep them separate. But, if we are true to ourselves and true to our beliefs, the two lives will be one and the same. We will be consistent with who we are whether we are at home, at work, or at church. If we are a person of integrity, we will not be one person at work and another at home and church. Our behaviors and attitudes will eventually bleed from one area to the next.

I appreciated Mr. Hitz pointing out how our spouse plays a key role in our entrepreneurial journey. Whether they are your business partner or not, they are going to be your biggest cheerleader and support through it all. Our spouse can give us a different perspective on how to see things or give ideas on how to handle certain situations. My husband and I have often talked about starting a company together and after reading Steven and Ginger's story, it gives me hope that we can do it as we really balance each other out with what we bring to the table. I'm grateful that we have their example to follow.

Hero's Journey

As I have been reading and watching the lesson materials each week, I have continued to ponder "What exactly is my mission in life? What is my calling?" I have a few ideas of what it could possibly be, but it is hard for me to see that there could be another calling for me in addition to being a wife and mother. Being a wife and mother is all I have really ever wanted to be. I've thought about taking a career path in the business world, but I'm not sure I will ever really feel that there is any other calling for me than the one I am fulfilling right now as a wife and mother. Maybe once my children become adults I will feel differently as there is a time and a season for all things. I whole heartedly believe that this is my time and season to my calling as a wife and mother.

Watching and listening to the video, "A Hero's Journey" I was impressed by so much of what the speaker said. The three questions he posed for us to assess our life by caused me to reflect on how I would answer them at this moment. "Have I contributed something meaningful?" "Was I a good person?" "Who did I love and who loved me?" There are many days when I feel like I have not contributed something meaningful. Maybe I did unintentionally without realizing it, but this question made me realize that I need to be more intentional in making sure that I do contribute something meaningful each day. As for the second question, I like to think I'm a good person, but honestly, I know there is so much more I can do to be a better person tomorrow than I am today. The third question made me ponder a little harder and question if those I love know that I love them. I might say it to them often, but do I show it? I think these questions are a good way for us to periodically reflect on what we are doing to progress and if we are creating a life of meaning. I know I will be using these questions for myself to gauge where I am at.

Taking Control

One line in Elder Wirthlin's talk,  "Little Things are Important, really struck me. He said, "The question is not one of managing time, but one of managing ourselves with the time we have." We here a lot about how to improve time management in our lives. When really, time management is self management. So what we are really saying when we need to improve our time management we are saying we need to manage ourselves better with the time we have. No one is given more than twenty-four hours in a day. There is no way to increase that fact. What I need to improve is how I am spending those twenty-four hours. Am I doing the things that are of most importance for that day? Or am I wasting away the minutes playing on my phone, browsing social media, or just plain being lazy and doing absolutely nothing?

Jim Ritchie touched on this in the Launching Leader video, "Take Control of Your Life". He reminds us that, assuming we are asleep for seven of the twenty-four hours, we have one thousand twenty minutes available to us a day for productivity. The power of our productivity comes in doing the things that will help us get to where we want to be tomorrow. He said, "Your personal productivity will increase each day. As you gradually reach these goals, you will become the type of human being you've always wanted to be." 

It is time that I take control of my life and manage myself in a way that maximizes the one thousand twenty minutes I have been given each day to become the person I have always wanted to be. 

Practice and The Formula

In reading chapter 6 of Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard I learned the real meaning of practice. Practice as a noun is not something that you do, but something that you have and is who you are. My understanding of this is that practicing leads to practice. The more we do something, the more it becomes second nature for us to do whatever it is that we've been practicing, and then it becomes a part of who we are. So practicing as a verb, leads us to be the noun, practice. With this in mind, from here on out, anything I practice will have so much more meaning to me.

The Formula and Happiness that was shared with us in the Launching Leaders video is something I am going to take to heart. Some of the elements in the formula to success I had heard before, but to see it as a comprehensive list, helps me to know exactly the things I need to concentrate on to succeed and find the happiness in my career. I've printed out the formula and have put it on my fridge, so that it is a constant reminder to me of the things I need to be focused on to achieve success and happiness in my callings and careers.