My Last Lecture…

Now that we are in the end of this course, it is time to recap. There has been so much great, inspirational, and motivational information that I have learned. I am not about to write all the wonderful information I learned throughout the course, but I will share the great insights that stood out to me and I know that if every one of us applies these things we will have a more meaningful life. So this is my last lecture to any one who is pursuing a career as an entrepreneur, or anyone who wants to make some changes and living a life with more meaning.

My first piece of advice is to be careful whom you surround yourself with. I know this is may seem of common sense to some of us, but we do not really understand why it is important to do just that. We tend to become the people we associate ourselves with. For this reason we need to make sure we surround ourselves with great people we would like to become like. This will be very important in your entrepreneurial journey because you will need to build partnerships or teams, and you want to make sure that the people whom you choose are as passionate as you are in some aspects. When we choose to hang out with the wrong crowd we find ourselves being influenced to doing things we normally would not do, and end up picking up bad habits. Lets refrain from doing that, and instead choose to become better versions of ourselves. So again it is crucial in business as well as life to choose our friends wisely.

Second, believe in yourself even when all odds are against you. This is a very important piece of advice that many of us seem to fail to remember in trying times. In your entrepreneurial journey as in life, there will always be obstacles, or challenges that we are going to face. No one is safe from this. As human beings we will always face people who put us down, or people who do not believe in us, or our own worst critic, which is within each of us. So when the though gets going, do not give up or do not falter, but instead believe in yourself. Know that in order to get others to believe in you, your company, or your product, you first need to believe in yourself.

This brings me to my third advice, which is to stick with it. Again things will not come easy. They will not be handed in a silver platter for you or I, so we need to make sure that we are always working towards our goals. It is easy to give up and just call it quits, but when you give up on your goals and dreams you rob yourself from growing and reaching your full potential. The people who usually reap greatness in life are usually the people who had a vision and who stuck through the ups and downs and endured till the end.

Everyone one of us can follow these three simple pieces of advice. I can guarantee you that if you apply these three things in your life, you will not only succeed in pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams, but you will also live a more meaningful life. I encourage everyone to apply these three things into your life, as I have been trying myself and reap from the success that they will bring. 

These are just some of the few insights I gained from starting my entrepreneurial journey, and I hope that they will serve you well, as they have served me. Thanks for your time, and best of luck in your journey! 

Balancing Life

“We have the responsibility to be prepared, to be productive, to be faithful, and to be fruitful as well (Thomas S. Monson).” How do we do all of this? How do we maintain balance in our lives with the many responsibilities we have? A way to balance our lives and careers successfully is to love what we do. Ann Miura-Ko, in her video “Is Work/Life Balance Possible,” stated that it is always a struggle to balance work and life, but that when we are passionate about our work, and we believe that what we are doing will be worth it in the end, then it will feel like taking time away from family is a “worthy trade off.”

This week helped me reflect on what entrepreneurial life will be like. It helped me reflect on what I need to focus on in order to be a successful entrepreneurial. There will be challenges no doubt, but if I prepare myself ahead of time to know when to cut back or press forward I will save myself and others a lot of trouble. Being that keeping a balance between an entrepreneurial career and life will be a struggle, I need to make sure to figure out now how I will measure my success now. I need to figure out what combination of family time, and wealth will be the most rewarding for me. The reason that I need to make sure I make this point clear is that when I am faced with adversary I can evaluate where I am at and make the necessary changes to maintain a balanced life and keep everyone as happy as possible. I hope to get this figured out early in my entrepreneurial journey so I can save myself a lot of future trouble.

The big entrepreneurial dream...

This week we were faced with the question “what is at the heart of entrepreneurship?” In their article, The Heart of Entrepreneurship, Howard H. Stevenson, and David E. Gumpert, explained “everybody wants to be innovative, flexible, and creative,” yet many fail in their pursuit. So why might this happen? What I understood to be the answer to this question and to the question of “what is at the heart of entrepreneurship” is a person’s mindset and behavior. It is okay for us to want to be innovative, flexible, creative, and to dream big dreams, but if we do not examine our behaviors and mentalities to be in par with an entrepreneurs then we are setting ourselves for failure. In order for us to be successful entrepreneurs it is necessary for us to seize up opportunities, and to accept change and make the most of it and find ways to profit from it. When we learn to apply these principles to match entrepreneurs we contribute ideas and innovation that help bring about competition and productivity in our society.

         In pursuing our big dreams and entrepreneurial dreams, when we have the positive mindset to grow, sacrifice, and persevere, we need to make sure that our behavior is responsive to these thoughts. We can want and dream many things, but if we don’t actually act then we will most likely never attain those things. In the article, The Challenge to Become, Dallin H. Oaks mentioned that it is not just enough for us to believe, but that we must seek to become it. He went on to say that, “What is important in the end is what we have become by our labors.” This was one of my favorite quotes this week. I agree that in the end what will matter the most will be how we decided to spend our days doing, and what we ended up becoming. This motivates me more to continue to dream big and pursue my entrepreneurial dreams. 

Loyalty & Leadership

This week as I was reading about loyalty and leadership, I reflected a lot on my level of loyalty and how I was able to lead because of it. Thinking back, due to my high level of loyalty and willingness to get the job done, my employers had felt confident in giving me more tasks to fulfill, and entrusted me with the power to lead. As I read this week, I realized how essential loyalty is to leadership. We must be true and loyal in all of our dealings with others and with ourselves. When people come to know that you are a person that can be counted on to get the job done effectively, they will gravitate towards you. This is essential in entrepreneurial leadership, where we will be required to perform effectively. I gained great insights about the ability to execute from the reading, “A message to Garcia.” There is no greater feeling than being entrusted to take on a new task or project because you can be depended on to take on the job and run with it. Part of properly executing a job is to learn to delegate important tasks to others who are capable. For some of us this may be a difficult thing to do, but we need to teach and lead to the best of our ability and trust that things will get done. Leaders who are honest and loyal are always sought for. As mentioned in “Leadership with a Small ‘L,’” the three great principles that we will need in life to successfully lead are, lead by example, lead with a vision, and lead with love. These three principles will help us lead in our homes, in our communities, and in our own entrepreneurial ventures. I know that I will continue to strive to be loyal in all of my dealings and to lead by example, and with love. I hope to always remember these key principles and use them in my entrepreneurial journey. 

Overcoming Challenges

Overcoming challenges is not an easy task for me. I always tend to sell myself short. This week taught me why it’s important to overcome challenges and not give up. When we give up we rob ourselves from achieving our true potential. The readings this week motivated me to not give up, despite how long or hard the journey may be. The one quote that I loved the most from the readings that helped me put this in perspective was the one by President Thomas S. Monson that stated, “in the private sanctuary of one’s own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential.” This defines that it is only me verses me. It is up to each of us individually to make the sacrifices required to persevere. We each have within us what it takes to master ourselves, and engage ourselves in the path to achieving our true potential.

            Now achieving our goals and maximum potential will not come easy. Jeffrey R. Holland said, “Excellence does not come easily or quickly.” It requires sacrifices, and hard work, but when we overcome these obstacles, we learn and grow.  It is said that the only limitations we have are those we set on ourselves. We have all the necessary tools and information right in front of us it is just a matter of us looking and using them to our advantage.

            This week taught me the importance of not underestimating myself. I have all the necessary tools to succeed, especially the most resourceful help which is Heavenly Father whom I should especially not underestimate. I need to trust in the Lord, and in myself and know that I can do amazing things. This gives me comfort and excitement in moving forward in my entrepreneurial journey. 

"Moving Forward with a Driving Passion"

 This week I learned valuable lessons that will help me move forward in life with more passion. I have been learning about sacrifices and the qualities it takes to become an entrepreneur. This week I was able to focus on why going into the business world would matter. It helped me reflect on the real reasons behind pursuing a business degree. It also helped me think about my goals in life and measure the passion I have towards them. 

The accumulative lessons I learned that will help me strive with a deeper passion are:

(1.)         “Be true to yourselves and the best you have within you.”

(2.)         “Your goals should be about changing the world.”

(3.)         “Trust, too, is fragile. Like a piece of china, once cracked it is never quite the same.”

As simple as these lessons are if I ponder and strive to always have these in mind, and apply them to my life, I will live a more fulfilling life. These lessons are something that is easy to forget or look over, but these lessons are the motor to keep us going in the right path in pursue our life long dreams. These three quotes are great lessons that I needed to be reminded of. Not only do I need to live life righteously, but also I need to make sure that I stay true to myself and to others. I need to be a person who can be trusted upon and stay that way because people will feel most comfortable around me and be willing to help me. I also need to think that in everything I do, even in business, I need to keep in mind that my intentions should be to change the world for the better. I need to find ways to better serve others and better serve the Lord.

I am grateful for the simple, yet vital lessons I learn in my entrepreneurial journey that will help me not just in business career aspect, but in life as well. I am excited to learn more lessons that can help me like this one. 

So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur...

This week had very great lessons to be learned. As I was watching the videos and reading the assignments, I wrote down a couple of things that stood out to me the most. As I reviewed my notes, I noticed that they all described what it is to be an entrepreneur. Many people want to start-up a company or to be an entrepreneur, but yet do not realize the demands and sacrifices that come with it. Additionally, majority of these people usually tend to want to do start-ups for wrong reasons, pursue of wealth, prestige, and unfortunately end up unsatisfied and unhappy. As stated by Wences Casares, “entrepreneurship is a calling that chooses us…it is inescapable.”  With this said entrepreneurship is not for everyone.

For those of us who feel like this is what we are meant to do, we have to be aware of the demands entrepreneurship requires, and learn to adapt and assume all of our responsibilities as a whole. In reference to time, Casares states that “time is our most valuable asset.” Entrepreneurship will require a lot of our time. With this in mind we need to realize the costs, or the other things we may be giving up for this, like family time. For this, in his video The Entrepreneur and the Family, Steve Blank suggested to “set rules” if we have families or to stay single if you are single. He says that, start-ups can consume all of our time and it is important to make sure we are managing ourselves appropriately between all of the responsibilities we may have with the allotted time we are have.

All of these are things that need to be taken in consideration when considering being an entrepreneur. It is possible if we are in it for the right reasons, and if we learn to discipline, and master ourselves. When we learn to do this, we will learn to find more balance in our lives, and be successful people, spouses, parents, and entrepreneurs.

Again, this week brought great insights about becoming an entrepreneur, which I am grateful because they have caused me to ponder on my decision. I am looking forward to the additional insights I will gain to help me in my entrepreneurial journey. 

Inspirational Quotes

This week for my journal entry, I figured I would do something a little different. Instead of writing the lessons I learned from readings and videos, I decided I would write down some of the quotes that stood out to me the most, that I feel will serve as inspirational quotes and guides in my entrepreneurial journey. The quotes that I pondered and reflected a lot this week were:

“It’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time. If you give in to the “just this once… you’ll regret where you end up. You’ve got to define for yourself what you stand for and draw the line in a safe place.” –Clayton M. Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life?

“Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people.” –Clayton M. Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life?

“The metric by which God will assess [our] lives isn’t dollars but the individual people whose lives [we] have touched.” –Clayton M. Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life?

“The question is not one of managing time, but one of managing ourselves with the time we have. Each minute is a little thing and yet, with respect to our personal productivity, to manage the minute is the secret of success.” –Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Little Things Are Important

“Do what you love. You’ll be better at it.” –Francis Ford Coppola, from Do What You Love by Tom Kelly

“Success is not necessarily just about working hard. It’s about making the right choices, the right decisions.” –Jeff Hawkins, Effective Choices, Not Longer Days

These quotes serve as a reality check. They help me focus on my goals and priorities. With so much going around, and with everything that we are taught, it is easy to loose touch of what our true purpose in life is. We tend to mix up our priorities and devote a lot of our time into things that deviate us from what is really important to us. I hope to use these quotes as inspiration and daily reminders to reflect on what is important to me, help me to make the right decisions, and make sure I am using my time wisely. This will make my life more meaningful and help me be successful in my journey into the entrepreneurial world. 

Honesty goes a long way.

Always do the right thing. This should be simple thing to do, right? Not exactly! In her talk, True Blue, Through, and Through, Sheri L. Dew stated that, “living with integrity isn’t necessarily easy, but it is far easier than the alternative.” This statement speaks volume in regards to the importance of ethics not only as a personal trait, but in the professional aspect.

From the readings and videos this week, I learned the importance of ethics. Some lessons that stood out to me as important lessons to consider in my entrepreneurial journey were, always strive to do the right thing and treat people the right way, never compromise your honesty, integrity, and character, be honest in all your dealings, and keep your word at all times, never do anything dishonest because it always comes out, and no profession is exempt from Satan’s influence.

These are all great principles that we as people and businesses should strive to have. These principles are not new to me, because these are similar to the teachings of the LDS gospel. We are told to always be honest and true in all our dealings. When we do so, we gain others respect and trust. More people will want to work with us. Employers and others will actively seek for our values because we will prove that we can be counted on.

On the other hand, when we are not honest people, we will have little success. People will take us less serious and label us as incompetent people.

One key thing to always remember is to always be honest, because even though we may sometimes feel like no one is paying attention, or no one will know there is always someone watching. The truth will always come out, so it is always better to make and live an honest living. 

Reflection...

September 28, 2013

When it comes to setting lifelong goals, many of us were told to make a list of specific goals and to work towards them. We were even told to make measure, attainable, and time-bound goals. But have you ever thought of starting with end in mind and working backwards? I know I didn’t.  

In the article, Stars & Steppingstones by Jeff Sandefer, Sandefer suggests to start with a vision or goal in mind and work backwards from there. His advice is to set time frame (age) for when we what to have accomplished this goal, and back up decade-by-decade mapping out smaller goals (stepping stones). Doing this help us reevaluate the decisions we make each day to measure what changes or sacrifices we need to make to reach that goal.

This may seem as an abstract way of thinking, but can be effective if thought thoroughly.

This week’s lessons, not only gave me new perspectives on setting goals for myself, but also helped me reflect a lot on how I am living my life. Am I taking risks? Do I know what my calling in life is? Am I following my dreams? Is what I am doing today beneficial to my lifelong goals? These were some of the questions that I asked myself through this week readings.

Pondering this questions help me realize that I need to follow Sandefer’s advice and map my life out to the best of my ability. This will help me put in perspective what is exactly important in my life. We never know when it will be our time to leave this world, so it we need to follow our dreams now and live a gratifying life. 

The Start...

September 21, 2013

Officially a blogger! I am so glad that I was required to have a blog because I probably would have never looked into blogging. Please bear with me as my blogging journey begins today.

Anyways, my first week of class and I have already learned many important lessons that will help me in my entrepreneurial journey. Way to start the semester if you ask me.

The assigned readings and videos had plenty of helpful information but I compiled a short list of things that I felt would help me the most down the road.

The four principles that stood out to me the most are: (1) prepare to be a Disciple of Christ, (2) have faith and be competent and there will be nothing you can’t achieve, (3) study and do what you love, (4) always do your best and don’t sell yourself short. 

These teachings were simple but so inspirational and serve as a guide for me. First, I need to work and prepare to become a Disciple of Christ. As I do this I will build discipline and leadership skills that will help me in my journey. Second, I need to seek to have a solid faith and be competent so I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. Faith and knowledge together can be a powerful tool. Third, study and do what you love. In his video, entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki, discouraged people starting a business based on what’s trending. He suggested we follow what we love to do and it will be more rewarding. (4) Lastly, always do your best, and don’t sell yourself short. This is a great principle for me to remember since I tend to forget my potential because of the minimum effort I may put into a task.

I know that as I strive to apply these principles today, they will help me build confidence in my future business endeavors. I am excited for what is to come!