The Last Lecture

Throughout the course of this past semester, I have learned so much about entrepreneurship and what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Some of the things that I learned surprised me, other things I had already considered. I would like to share a few of those most important items that I am taking with me from this class that have impacted my future plans and influenced my decisions regarding my future and what type of career I would like to pursue.
First, set goals! I struggle with goal setting. I tend to go with the flow but I realized that an entrepreneur cannot simply go with the flow and see where life takes them. While it is good to be flexible, it's so important that you have short term and long term goals set that will guide you and help to motivate you to push forward when times are difficult. Having goals puts things into perspective and helps you to make the correct decisions.
Next, have a personal constitution. This was something that really stood out to me. I had never even heard of a personal constitution. The world of business can be scary to some people because they feel it is full of greed and causes people to do things they wouldn't normally do because of money. That's why a personal constitution is so important. This is the perfect referral point anytime your values may be compromised. This states who you are and what you want to be. Whenever you find yourself doing something that is maybe questionable you can ask yourself if those actions align with your personal constitution of the kind of person you want to be. If they don't, then you can switch gears and make sure that you were moving closer to the person you want to become rather than further.
Another important thing to remember is that balance is key. You do not have to lose your family to be an entrepreneur and you don't have to lose your business to have a family. Learning the ability to sacrifice, set boundaries, and communicate are all things that help those who juggle entrepreneurship with a family. It's very possible to have a happy family life as well as a thriving business but it takes effort.
Being okay with failure is something that many people struggle with but if you're considering entrepreneurship then you better prepare to experience some failures and setbacks, it's almost inevitable. Having the ability to accept the failure humbly, learn from the failures, then rebound and try again is vital. Don't get down on yourself because you failed. Move forward with more resolve to do better the next time. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world faced failure and then it was followed by great success.
The ability to overcome failure is dependent upon you believing in yourself. Stay positive and trust that you know what you're doing and can be successful. You have to have a strong sense of self-confidence to do well as an entrepreneur and that all begins with believing in yourself and your talents and abilities.
Finally, include the Lord in everything you do. Pray over important decisions, trust revelation you receive and act promptly, put the gospel first, and never do anything that would compromise your relationship with him. If you do that, you will be guided and directed and see success.

Opportunities

Throughout our lives we have many different experiences. We meet people that influence our lives. We go places that teach us new things, and the majority of us will have several different jobs as well. All of those things are opportunities and it's so important that we take advantage of them. We should never see anything as a coincidence or as something that is non-consequential. Rather, we should see everything as a chance to learn more knowledge and develop skills that will bless us in our future careers. By doing this, we will be better prepared for the future and have the necessary skill set.
Setting goals is another way to ensure taking advantage of all the opportunities we are given. Having goals gives us a motivation to work hard and make use of all of our resources. It gives us a sense of direction and helps us to know where we want to be in the future so that we make the correct decisions along the way.
Our attitude is another thing that greatly influences how we take advantage of our opportunities. Having a grateful heart helps us to stay positive even during some opportunities that we may see as trying and difficult, or are maybe things we don't really want to do. Also, believing in ourselves and seeing our potential will allow us to make the most of all the opportunities we are given because we will know that we can conquer any task we are given and make the most of it.

Instruments in the Lord's Hands

I believe that all inventions and ideas the Lord gives us are to inspire change for good in the world. Whether that is through the Lord hastening the spreading of the gospel, or inspiring people like Muhammed Yunus and his idea for micro lending that has completely evolved ways that we are able to help those living in extreme poverty.
For years and years, the world has faced the same problems. Poverty, hunger, human trafficking, fatal diseases, and more. The list could go on of the wicked problems. The world has tried the same solutions over and over again but to no avail as these problems simply continue to spread and grow. More recently though, entrepreneurship has taken a turn and people are finally starting to realize that if we want to fix these problems, we must start doing things differently. From Sarah Endline who has used a candy business to make social change and Muhammed Yunus who has been connecting with other businesses to help move his cause forward, we are starting to see a turn and I believe it is inspired of the Lord.
The Lord loves all of his children and doesn't want them to suffer. While he can't be here with us making change, he can make us instruments in his hands. As we make the gospel the center of our lives and pray for inspiration, the Lord will help us to know how we can make our entrepreneurial ventures used for the benefit of others. I loved this quote from Elder Gay's talk which basically sums up how I feel about the current changes in entrepreneurship and social impact.

"The time must come when the talent of men [and women] of business shall be used to benefit the whole people not for individual benefit alone. Not for individual aggrandizement alone, but for the benefit of the whole people to uplift the masses to rescue them from poverty."

-President George Q. Cannon

I feel that integrity and virtue are extremely important in business today because so many people now lack it. In what's a business for it said that 90% of Americans feel that leader of big corporations can't be trusted which is sad. Business used to be about the consumer and now its become about the personal gain of the business owners. By being a person of integrity, it will set you apart in the world of business as someone people can trust.
"something" is the real justification for businesses now a days. He basically saying, if you want to be dishonest in business, you will always be able to find "something" or some reason to justify your actions but that doesn't mean they actually are justified. 
One solution is measuring success in terms of outcomes for others and ourselves. This makes business less self-centered and about money and more about what it's doing for other people. If we didn't set such a high value on being rich, maybe less people would be dishonest to achieve those means. Also, protecting the personal life of the employee is another way to help change the way things are in business. He talks about how people should not be forced to work long hours completely losing their personal home lives. They should not be seen as human resources. By protecting their well-being outside of work, they will be able to perform better at work as well. 

Priorities

Prioritizing is a task that many struggle with. There are so many demands in this life and often times it's difficult to know what is urgent, and what can be put on the back burner. Lack of prioritizing accounts for many problems in the work place and in the home as well. We saw most often though, the family suffering because of failure to prioritize, or placing the family lower on the scale when prioritizing duties.
While maintaining a happy family life along with a successful career is a difficult task, it's not one that's impossible. I have seen many families that have hard working parents that still manage to find time for their children. One thing all of these families that I've seen have in common though is that they're centered on Christ and the gospel. President Thomas S. Monson included filling out minds with truth, filling our hearts with love, and filling our lives with service as the formula for success and I feel that is because if we are doing those things, we are building our foundation on Christ and when we are built on Christ, we cannot fail. That doesn't mean that it will be easy to balance everything, but it does mean that we will have the support of the Lord through the trials. It's so important that we maintain an eternal perspective and put what's most important first. Then, have faith that the rest will follow as we strive to live the gospel and put our families first.

Becoming

From the readings this week, I found the talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks titled "The Challenge to Become" the most impactful to me. I love that the gospel is a gospel of change. Without the ability to change, we would never progress or learn. We would be stagnant. To me, the knowledge that I have a great eternal potential that I can reach has always been a source of great hope and comfort to me. I know that I can become something much better than what I currently am and that motivates me to work hard. It inspires me to keep the commandments and serve those around me knowing that if I do my part, Heavenly Father will keep his promises to me as well.
When I think of being an entrepreneur, I think of all of the many necessary attributes that I lack. It can be overwhelming when I think about all of my imperfections. Then I remember that my imperfections don't have to stay that way. I can overcome the many things that pull me down and change. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, I can become a completely different person and reach the eternal potential my Heavenly Father has given me. While change requires time, patience, and dedication, it's one of the purposes of this earthly life. Whether it be changing things in order to become an entrepreneur, a better friend, or a better disciple of Jesus Christ, it's so important to set goals and always remind myself that I can become whatever I want to be if I set my mind to it. Having that mindset is something that will greatly bless me not only as an entrepreneur, but in every other aspect of my life as well.

Being a Trustworthy Person

When I think of people in my life that I looked up to as leaders, one thing they all had in common is that they were trustworthy people. I sincerely trusted them and knew that they trusted me. Trust is a very important element in all aspects of life. It's extremely important in the work place as well. It's important to not only be trusted but to also be able to trust those around you. If you are trusted, then your employer will be able to delegate work to you, rely on you, and it will help in moving up in the work place as well. As a leader, being trusted by your employees means that your employees will be able to confide in you and be honest with you which will make your job as a leader much easier. Guy Kawasaki used an analogy for a trustworthy person and untrustworthy person. He compared them to a baker and an eater. An eater is someone who just uses people and is always thinking about what that person can do for them. However, a baker is always thinking about what they can do for others. They give more than they take.

In the article "small l leadership" we learn that Christ was the ultimate example of this. He went about doing good. Although he was someone many people looked up to, rather than having them serve him, he served them. He was trustworthy and he trusted those around him. He loved and he led by example. By loving, serving, and leading by example, you will be seen as a trustworthy person in not only everyday life, but in the workplace as well. Being trustworthy is something that will bless every aspect of your life and is one of the most important attributes someone can develop. 

Shoot for the Stars

There is no such thing as a goal that is too high. It's normal to feel intimidated when thinking of a goal that's a bit lofty. However, that should never stop us from trying. All successful people have failed multiple times in their lives because achieving big goals requires risk and risk is usually always accompanied by falling down a time or two. The most important thing though is to never let that failure stop you from trying again and again. Elder Holland shared his story about his repeated failures as a young father but he never let those failures be final. He learned from them then pressed forward and we must learn to do the same.
I think another important aspect of setting your goals high is trusting in the Lord- both his abilities and his timing.  I really liked how Taylor Richards used the example of Nephi building a boat. Was that a lofty and seemingly impossible goal to reach? Of course it was! However, Nephi trusted that if it was what the Lord wanted him to do, then it was possible. We should always involve the Lord in our goal setting to make sure that we are following his will and relying on him for help. With the help of the Lord, anything is possible. While we might not reach our goals right away, or at the exact time that we want to, we will reach them when we need to and the Lord is the only person who knows when that is.