Week 14: Final Blog

For my final blog, I'll be answering some questions about my experiences and thoughts from the entire semester.  

• If you had one final lecture to share with a group of students on what you have learned from this course, what would you share?

This course was like the course Cynthia 300.  I thought we'd be learning about business techniques but was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the study was about me as a person.  We went into having personal integrity and honesty, what our core values were, applying safety boundaries that we would never cross, going through scenarios that we can prepare for.  It encouraged a healthy overall life balance between our relationships with God, self, family, and others.  We studied beautiful books, videos, and talks about all things virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy.  The process of mastery, habits of success, words from great minds through time...it was all wonderful.

• What would be your last bit of advice to someone wanting to begin the entrepreneur journey?
• What words of advice, direction, or caution would you give him or her if you had only one chance to give your own last lecture?

Make sure you have a clear "Why" to the way you're spending your time and attention.  Make a plan to handle the worst case scenarios and take the steps to make sure they don't happen.  Make sure your priorities stay in line with your values.  Live in integrity with God and yourself, and your entrepreneurial experience will be beautiful.  Keep site on your eternal goals and give your best.  Keep God as your #1 business partner.  

Week 13: A Journey of Gratitude

The only talk I felt was about gratitude this week was president Monson's talk, Attitude of Gratitude, which was beautiful, but the rest of the study materiel was great anyway.   

Here are a few things I liked: 

First from the video titled, Avoid the Wrong Job-  Don't take a job just to move forward to get to another job, pain outweighs the pros.  Career or job is not necessarily a long term decision now days. Specialization is not always the way sometimes you'll want to be a generalist.  Have fun with different projects and wide variety of knowledge and experiences.  Be ready for opportunities as they arise.

Next was from a case study about Randy Haykin. (I posted this in the class discussion feed about what was most meaningful about the case study).

1. Balance:  You lose balance when you forget the little things.  During times of high stress and time demands, it's helpful to understand that you don't need huge amounts of time or energy to have special connections and experiences with those you love, keeping your relationships alive and well.   I need to remember that paying attention to the little things can help each loved one, including ourselves, feel cared for and  important.    I like that Haykin talked about setting limitations being crucial.  He reminds to pace yourself or you'll eventually crash and burn.  I also liked the idea of finding people with different strengths to balance your perspectives and alleviate frustration points.  Others can fill in the areas you are weak, the Savior being the best one to "yoke" yourself with and make you whole. 

2.  Living Your Values: Match your day to day actions with your values.  Wow this one is powerful.  It's so easy to live life in the area of urgent but necessary, or even urgent and not necessary.  It is important to evaluate your life often to make sure the things you're spending your time on are those things that matter most to you.  

3.   Fun: Leaders have charisma and an element of playfulness.   The idea that people like to see other people having fun struck me.  I see this in the natural day to day life with children.  Children naturally find fun and excitement in the smallest of things.  Seeing those we love having fun, brings us joy.  I can see how a workplace environment or leader that encourages others to naturally have fun in what they are doing, would be enjoyable and successful.

Week 12: Becoming a Changemaker

Wow, like always, the study assignments this week were phenomenal and inspiring.  First Lets look at the article by Charles Handy titled, "What's a Business For?"

• Why are virtue and integrity so vital to an economy?

I like how the first couple pages of the article explains that rules and laws depend on truth and trust, and that questionable personal ethics is an "American disease".  Thought I don't believe this to be only an "American" disease, I do see it as a disease.  It puts the person, business, and society at large at dis-ease, fostering a spirit of distrust and suspicion to others.  I see the cycle of pride and greed that comes when people are dishonest to get ahead of others, instead of taking care of those around us/our neighbors.

• According to Charles Handy, what is the “real justification” for the existence of businesses?

"to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better" people working together in a virtuous and honest company can do a lot more good than a person alone.  

• What are two solutions proposed by Handy that you agree with? Why?

1. I really like the idea of treating an organization as a community of people and putting safeguards to make sure the businesses have high accountability and loyalty to their employees as human beings, not just revenue generators.
  
2.  I also love the holistic look that comes from less time expected at work.  Less time working for a paycheck leaves more time for family affairs, individual interests, and rest, instead of the "long-hours culture".  I believe this makes for healthier happier families, and a more well rounded, creative, and satisfied people all around.

 Next I'll talk about Elder Robert C. Gay's talk "Entrepreneurship & Consecration" which was super powerful!  Some of the thoughts that hit me:

• God gives to man the challenge of raw materials...that man might know the joys and the glories of creation. (He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth, the cities unbuilt...)
• True pioneers solve problems, and rise to bless others by...finishing he undone work [of] God. Pioneers always break the traditional patterns, thought, and deeds to create new beginnings.  (We're doing this as we are homeschooling, Ryan's trying out working from home...not the traditional pattern).
• If we just do what our resource and talents and what others suggest we do...were going to miss the mark very badly.
• look inside for answers on how and where to invest their time, talents and energies. "step outside what is the logical voice of the world and hearken to the voice within"
• Cure for poverty: bring tithes unto the storehouse that there may be meat...prove me now if I will not open the windows of heaven...
• The world does not factor in the power and mind of Heaven into business.
• "it is not what you have, but who you are, and who you are is not what you say, but what you do."
• What the Lord would call success is quite different than what the world...therefore it is highly unlikely that the world's model will yield what the Lord expects of us from our business entrepreneurship.  
• But the laborer for Zion shall labor for Zion.  And if they labor for money, they shall perish
• Shetobreyono: "In the days of service, all things were founded, in the days of special privilege, they deteriorated, and in the days of vanity they are destroyed."
• Allow the voice of God to have place in matters of business.
• Lord told Martin Harris if he could get his heart right he would be able to bless him with a blessing greater than the treasures of the earth.
• When you begin to make service to meet others needs your constant practice, you are beginning a program that will make you successful in your chosen field and your needs will begin automatically to take care of themselves.
• Business: To PROVIDE FOR BASIC NEEDS and to RESCUE OTHERS
• Before we can receive the full hand of His assistance in our labor, the Lord will prove us to see if we're not only willing, but able servants.  To see if we will remember the purpose for which we have received His resources.
• You are prepared from the foundations of the world to lift this world....This is about real people and real lives.  Don't look to yourselves in all that you do...
• The whole purpose of business is SERVICE & RESCUE.  

Wow, I wonder what all I have been prepared for.  In a recent blessing the lord told me that the choices and things I'm choosing to do now will bless myself and my children and family in the future.  I guess I'm on the right track.  I do feel the desire to bless the world around me but have really been protecting my time and focus on being a mother and focused on my family and home.  I feel that we're not strong enough yet to focus anywhere else.  I know my biggest job and role is to teach and bless my family but I wonder if there is something more...I wonder if there is a way, with my family, to serve others and it WILL bless my family and help us be stronger.

I have been thinking a lot about Entrepreneurship and why I am so interested in learning about it even thought I have no ideas or thoughts of what I specifically can and should even look into doing with it.  How can I serve others with all my weaknesses.  I'm not very organized in time or space...My home life feels pretty hectic and disheveled most of the time.  I really liked the thoughts about not trusting in/turning to look to myself in all I do.  To my flesh I am weak and quick to forget... The arm of flesh is weak.  The Lord is my strength, with him I can do all things.  Now to have a heart and mind open and willing to act on the promptings of the Lord.  I want to be able to consecrate myself fully to his service and the rescue of others.  Right now I am rescuing our children from the mediocre expectations of public schooling.  I want them to be self motivated, inspired, greatness & learning loving, God fearing, confident, spiritual leaders in this world.    

Week 11: Measuring the Cost

This week was Fascinating! (as always).  I studied...

1. The Formula for Success talk by Thomas S. Monson (March 1996), 
2. An article by the action school of business titled, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,
3. A few videos about balancing work and life/family  
4. Lesson 6:Financial Fitness, a Launching Leaders video
5. And an article Attitude on Money, (Stephen W. Gibson, Jan 2017) which is what this weeks post will be focusing on.

What is your attitude toward money?

The article talks about Filters in our minds (ideas, beliefs, opinions, teachings we picked up when we were young) that color our perception of money.  In the process of becoming independent thinkers, we get to choose which lenses to accept and continue using, and which to let go of. 

I feel like I'm on a continuous journey in my view of money.  I learn enlightening principles, and feel motivated and healthy about that view when I am highly aware and focused on it, but I tend to revert back to the "ignore the problem and maybe it will go away" or a passive, lack of personal responsibility view, "the Lord will take care of us, so I don't have to think about money" way of thinking as soon as I let go of that focus.  For example, Ryan and I participated in the Church's "Personal Finance for Self Reliance" Class.  While taking the class, money was at the forefront of our thinking, how to attain it, manage it instead of being a slave to it... We set monetary priorities, (Tithing/Fast off., Pay self, pay off debts, Savings...that's what I remember, since it hasn't been my focus since the class ended...).  We made plans, even did a cash envelope system and were being consistent with our daily tracking and spending of money in a tangible way.  BUT...as soon as the class was over and we reverted to a digital format of tracking, within a month, our old habits, past views, and the natural man ways of thinking kicked in and we stopped paying attention, which has taken us on one financial roller coaster after another.  I'm trying not to be too hard on ourselves as we continue to become educated and follow the process of mastery in this area of life.  

How can your view of money affect the way you live?

"Money has the power to make good men better but also makes bad men worse", "Money often reveals the kind of person we are".  We can mange our money with agency, having self reliance as a priority and using it as a tool to better our lives and the lives of those around us, or we can be a slave to money, thinking it as a kind of magic, never really understanding how to attain it or manage it.  our view on money very much affects the way we live.  Living in financial ignorance and debt, fosters anxiety and fear, while living a self reliant life encourages peace, and opportunity.     

What rules are recommended for prospering?

1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him

2. Keep the Commandments and be faithful in paying Tithes and Fast Offerings

3. Think about and plan how to become self reliant

4. Take opportunity to learn-continue seeking education.

5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of money are predicated.

6. Do not send away the naked, hungry, thirsty, captive.  (education releases the ignorant and captive).

The beautiful reminders this week have motivated me to again get on the same financial page with Ryan.  We've talked about having a fresh start after we get home from this Thanksgiving travels and family adventures.  We want to sit down and refresh ourselves on the finance course we took, setting goals and priorities, and schedules to keep track and again become wise stewards of our finances.  

Week 10: Dream Big Dreams

Things I liked about this week's studies:

The Heart of Entrepreneurship (Howard H. Stevenson & David E. Gumpert 1985)

• All they need from a resource is the ability to use it
• Avoid owning equipment or hiring people
• Using rather than owning enables the company to reduce its risk and its fixed costs
• Leasing or renting reduces risk
• Using instead of owning a resource lowers the cost of pulling out of a project
• THE SEARCH FOR PERFECTION IS THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD
• Keep their organizations learning-effective Entrepreneurs who are effective make the sparest allotment of resources.   necessity is the mother of invention, make imaginative use of their limited resources. Do more with less.
• Most of the risk in entrepreneurial management lies in the effort to pursue opportunity with inappropriate resources, either too few or too many.  (large corporations tend to make the basic error of over committing resources.)
• A multistage commitment allows responsiveness; a one-time commitment creates unnecessary risk.

I loved everything about the talk The Challenge to Become, by elder Dallin H Oaks (Oct 2000 Gen Conference).  Mostly that it matters more about who we are becoming than about who we are now.

 Your emotional fingerprint by Woody Woodward sounds like a fascinating book that I'd love to read.  I am very interested in understanding myself at a deeper level; what makes me feel important, how I respond, and what my key driving forces in life are, so I can better take control of my life.  I like the idea of validating inward emotions and letting go of outward stimuli and validation.  What motivates and drives me to feel important and accomplished?  This is a real question that comes back continually in my life.  What is my definition of success?  How can I feel accomplished and important in what I'm doing and not feel that I'm always "not quite there yet"...

Week 9: Disciple Leadership

Disciple Leadership: Learning from and faithfully following Jesus Christ, and bringing others to higher ground.

Wow, this week has been amazing, like every week!  Though I feel  anxiety over the deadlines and assignments, I absolutely LOVE learning from the inspired truths we've been studying each week.  The books, videos, and articles from entrepreneurs, prophets and other spiritual leaders, and great minds through the ages of time.  These people understand true underlying principles that govern all areas of life, not only business, which is why I find things so applicable to my life right now, even though I'm not in the market to actually start a business.  I apply the entrepreneurial principles to myself, my life, and my family. 

Being a great entrepreneur starts with being a great person.  We are studying about overcoming human nature and working on ourselves.  It is not about the details of running business as I thought it would be.  I am fascinated by studying human nature, how one forms and changes habits, and builds character.  I'm gaining new insights and understanding that help me be patient with my process to greatness.

I'm constantly evaluation and inspecting myself.  In the Hero's Journey book this week I read stories like the parable of the talents and wise stewardship, about Icarus who's wax wings melted because of his neglecting to heed his fathers warning, about the emperor and flower seed where the girl told the truth that her flower didn't grow and she was the one to become the next emperor because of her honesty, greedy king Midas with his golden touch, the lion and the mouse... each motivating, inspiring, making my heart burn and grow, hungering for more. Constantly fueling my mind with great ideas and truths, I'm sure it will help in my journey to become my best self.

I learned about 3 principles of leading with a small L: Leading by Example, Vision, and Love.

Example: I gained heart and adjusted my focus from "getting my kids to do things" to being reminded that they are watching me closely and my example speaks louder than any lecture I try to teach.  I only need to live, respond, and be, the way I want them to live, respond, and be.

Here I recognized some things to work on.  I expect them to react and respond to each other calmly, say ok or disagree appropriately, and have good attitudes about their responsibility.  Regretfully, my reactions, responses, and attitudes can be at times curt, annoyed, overwhelmed, and I tend to be easily discouraged...  I realize I need to address and work on my own health and wellness in this area so that my kids will know how to respond and react to each other, and their responsibilities in healthier more productive ways.

Vision:  Where there is no vision, the people perish!  Leading with vision just makes so much sense!  I'd like to do better at that, and making each task meaningful/purposeful instead of focusing so much on the tasks at hand needing to get done.

Love: "we love him because he first loved us" (John in bible)  Energize others with love in action.  care and nurture, have family home evening, teaching to love and serve others and keep commandments.  Support and encourage by having structure and discipline.  LOVE THIS!

What!?!?!!!
I was dreading studying the summary of Good to Great It seemed long and boring. (I should know by now that boring is a state of mind unwilling to learn...rarely do I find learning anything truly boring.  I think I was more overwhelmed by the sheer amount of readings and videos I needed to get through the beginning of this week;)  I applied my family anywhere it talked about business and WOW! it was amazing how much sense each step made.

The 3 elements that create a standard of excellence.

1. Disciplined People, 2. Disciplined Thought, and 3. Disciplined Action

These 3 elements broken down into 6 key concepts in the good to great transition process: 

1. Level 5 leadership:  Are Ryan and I level 5 leaders?

2. First "Who" then "What":  I Can't really choose the who, we have the children we have, but the idea of "getting the right people on board" hit me hard!  I need my whole family on board with the family we want to create and where we want to go.

3. Confront the True Facts:  Looooooong sigh, I know.  Openly face the realities without losing faith  (the loosing faith part is where I struggle.  I am really good at observing and pointing out what's wrong).  Analysis, leading discussions with questions, genuine dialogue and debate, with moderators/mediators, continue until a consensus reached.  mistakes turned into learning experiences...Wow, just all of this idea of confronting the facts was amazing when I thought of applying it to our family.  I've been working so hard and so long to find the perfect ideal family I want and push the others to join my vision but seem to be pulling all the weight myself.  I felt these quotes deeply:

" leading from good to great does not mean coming up with the answers 

and then motivating everyone to follow your messianic vision." 

"They didn't use discussion as a sham process to let people 'have their say' 

so that they could 'buy in' to a predetermined decision.  the process was 

more like a heated scientific debate, with people engaged in a search 

for the best answers."  Jim Collins

The inspiration of this book kept going but I might as well write a novel if I wanted to address them all.  I'll just wrap it up with a short explanation of the last few concepts.

4. Hedgehog Concept:  focused on exactly what you want, not distracted.

5. Culture of Discipline: Building a culture of freedom and responsibility within a well defined framework. 

6. Technology accelerator: balanced viewpoint, only use if it would accelerate their progress. Technology used as a TOOL to further hedgehog principle.

Week 8.5 More on Overcoming Challenges (2 of 2 posts)

I've been noticing a lot of frustration, chaos, bad attitudes, jealousy, anger, fighting, pessimism, critical words, unkind body language, distraction and short fuses in our home lately...by ALL of us. I keep trying to change things that I know are problems, trying to work on home management skills, healthy communication, cause and effect with extra chores given for negative behaviors...but I feel that my efforts are getting me centimeters of progress, or backsliding further. I have been quick to forget even when I make a plan and start to implement, the natural man in me is so strong trying to stay where I am and not change even as my spirit reaches and longs for the needed change in myself, my home and family.

After feeling the decline of the spirit in my home, and praying and pondering about a solution for a while, I woke up with these specific words in my mind. Upon searching, I found that they originated from a talk given by Boyd K Packer in 1986 in a talk titled, "Little Children", (before I was born). The scripture is true that says that the Holy Ghost shall "teach you all things, and bring all things to your rememberance" (John 14:26), and "by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know that truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5). The spirit did bring this to my mind whether I heard it quoted from someone else or I remember it from before I was born;)

Specific spiritual direction:

• Study Come Follow Me as a family
• Have FUN together, (In Family Home Evening and else wear)
• Make family meals a priority
• Take the time to pray fervently with and for my family.
• Take turns reading aloud and discussing together the Book of Mormon with Jenna and Hannah specifically. (help with learning doctrines, changing attitudes and behaviors, building faith, and reading skills as well)
• My friend April at TJED commonwealth school brought up the idea of a morning basket with morning family devotional items in it. I could keep J, H, and My scriptures in there to read at the table, along with a friend magazine, and poetry, family read aloud...I like the idea of having it all in one place. (Just checked on my friend magazine subscription ordered end of September, It should be coming soon! I miss having it laying around the house to be picked up through the day;)

We have been neglecting to study come follow me as a family, I have been listening to conference talks each morning but it's before anybody is awake. We have half-hearted family prayers at night and the meals that we actually sit down together, not that often lately either. I've been going to sleep with kids while Ryan stays up doing homework/work, I wake up at 3-5am to do homework before kids are awake. I am feeling like a negative Nancy and am having a hard time noticing and feeling loved and blessed. I've been feeling really bad about myself and am taking out all my frustrations on my family. (Especially since Hannah's dentist appointment and finding out her teeth are rotting around many old cavity fillings and all over her mouth...eek! this scares me).
I feel like we need to change our home environment in many ways. I go back and forth from overwhelmed to hopeful and know that satan and his angels are working on me overtime...I must be doing a great work! I also know that My Savior and His angels are more powerful and are working together to lift me. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to strengthen me and help my small and simple efforts become something great! All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me. I can do this! I can strengthen my family by my example, by my mothering, managing and nurturing efforts and call upon every angel who can be spared to protect me from evil as I pray, show my faith, and work hard to be humble and guided by the spirit and implement a healthier faith-filled happier lifestyle with my family.

Another cool thing! Since that day (Thursday 10/31/19 last week) that I woke up with those thoughts, another was right out of reach in my mind. I know I read it recently about strengthening the home and family by coming unto Christ and that instead of teaching what not to do, "don't think you're better than your sister, stop doing this, stop doing that"...bring the children unto Christ...something like that, I couldn't even figure out how to search for it and just couldn't remember who had talked about it. This morning! I remembered it was President Eyring, with a quick search, I found it! A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells April 2019 General Conference! I'm so happy! Here are a few lines from the talk I loved:

• You could have limited success by calling a child to repent, for instance, of pride. You might try persuading children to share what they have more generously. You could ask them to stop feeling they are better than someone else in the family. But then you come to the symptom I described earlier as “They began to diminish in their faith in Jesus Christ.”
• As you help them grow in faith that Jesus Christ is their loving Redeemer, they will feel a desire to repent. As they do, humility will begin to replace pride. As they begin to feel what the Lord has given them, they will want to share more generously. Rivalry for prominence or recognition will diminish. Hate will be driven out by love. And finally, like it did for the people converted by King Benjamin, the desire to do good will fortify them against temptation to sin. King Benjamin’s people testified that they had “no more disposition to do evil.”3
• "So building faith in Jesus Christ is the beginning of reversing spiritual decline in your family and in your home. That faith is more likely to bring repentance than your preaching against each symptom of spiritual decline."