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.

Habits of Success

I really liked learning about the 7 habits of highly successful people this week. When I see entrepreneurs, or anyone in general that has become very successful, I often wonder how they made it happen and after learning about these 7 habits I realized that it's because there is an art to success. Success doesn't just happen by chance. As I studied these 7 habits of success I realized that there's several that I need to work on. Especially being someone that is considering pursuing entrepreneurship, it would be necessary that I work on developing those habits because it would require a lot of discipline because being an entrepreneur is not an easy task. 

For me, the two that stood out to me the most were learning to put first things first and sharpening the saw. Putting first things first stood out to me because prioritizing can be difficult with all of the duties we all have. He gave us a way to categorize things by important and urgent, important and non-urgent, not important but urgent, and not important and not urgent. This could be something that would come in very useful not only as an entrepreneur trying to manage and balance many different things but also in everyday life. Learning how to prioritize helps to prevent procrastination and helps to relieve stress as well. Sharpening the saw is another important habit to develop because it involves continually bettering yourself. Sometimes we just go through the motions and before we know it we aren't progressing anymore we are just stuck in a rut. Another common thing that happens is getting so preoccupied with other things that you forget to take care of yourself. By doing self-checks you can check how you are doing mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The one thing all of the habits have in common is that they require self-discipline and goal setting. 

Self-Mastery

Being an entrepreneur is not an easy task. It's one that takes dedication, lots of hours, and hard work. That's why we read so often that being an entrepreneur is not for everybody. There's a certain skill set that being an entrepreneur requires and it also requires a lot of sacrifice. That's why when embarking on this endeavor it's very important that you're prepared to do so and aware of what you're getting yourself into. I think from the lesson this week I learned that one of the most important ways to prepare to be an entrepreneur is to learn the art of self-mastery. In the talk by Eldon Tanner shared a quote from Plato in his talk that said-

"the first and best victory is to conquer self; to be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and vile."

This quote really hit me because it made me realize that if I want to pursue entrepreneurship, develop the necessary skill set, and be able to balance it all, I first need to learn self-mastery. I must learn how to conquer myself. One who has self-mastery has the ability to really do anything they put their mind to because they've learned the self-discipline necessary to make it happen.

Another entrepreneur talked about how he and his wife set rules that they would have dinner every night at 7 PM and that he would be there to help put the kids to bed. After that, he would go back to work for many more hours. Without self-mastery, it would be easy to make exceptions and miss dinner or bedtime in order to finish your work earlier but this entrepreneur was able to balance because he knew how to be disciplined. With discipline and self-mastery, it isn't hard to work long hours, manage your time effectively so that your family doesn't fall to the way side, or make sacrifices for the sake of your family or moral values. The most important thing any person could do for themselves is develop self-mastery because it will then in turn bless you in every aspect of your life.

The Reason Why

This week we watched a talk given by Jeff Sandefer entitled "A Hero's Journey". This talk was very impactful to me because it talked a lot about the "why" behind entrepreneurship. When thinking about pursuing the difficult and challenging, yet rewarding course of entrepreneurship, we need to self- assess why we are doing it. If we are doing it for the money or personal gain then that's not the right reason to do it. Having money as the only motivation when things get rough, makes it harder to carry forward. However there are many wonderful reasons that we can decide to pursue entrepreneurship. Whether it's a passion, your family, or for me, my desire to make a positive difference in the world we must have something bigger than money as our reason behind why we pursue entrepreneurship. 

One thing that really struck me that Sandefer said was that at the end of our life we will look back and ask ourselves three questions- Did I accomplish something meaningful? Was I a good person? Who did I love and who loved me? 

At the end of the day, those are the things that really matter. As I pondered these questions I realized how important it is to go on this entrepreneurial journey living by my personal code of conduct and with those questions in mind. Sandefer and people who knew learned this the hard way but we have the privilege of having this knowledge to guide us as we begin this journey. If anything I'm doing in the world of entrepreneurship is not meaningful, makes me a worse person and compromises my standards, or takes me away from my family and damages my relationships, then I'll know that I need to redirect my course. It's so important that we always examine the why behind all that we do so that when this life comes to a close, we will have no regrets and we will know that our life had impact for good. 

My Personal Constitution

Whenever I see a homeless person on the side of the road, or hear a story of someone who lived a perfectly normal life then ended up in jail, I always think to myself- "how did they get into that position? How did their life come to that?" Granted, for some people who end up like that, it is not always their fault. There are many different scenarios and circumstances for each individual. However, one thing each of those people, and every person in the world has in common is that they never planned to end up like that. As a child we all dream of success. We dream of money, jobs, and a happy family. We never see ourselves in jail, or living in poverty, so why are there so many people who do end up in circumstances that they never imagined themselves in? This unit really gave me a fresh perspective and opened my eyes as to why that might be. They neglected to set goals and ultimately lost view of what was most important to them.

A personal constitution is something that keeps us on track. It establishes goals, non-negotiable values, and daily things we can to become the people we hope to be. My personal constitution includes things like putting my family first, being charitable and honest, becoming financially stable, and more. Now that I have that personal constitution, I have a point of reference that I can always turn to in order to self-evaluate and see how my life is progressing. Everyone in life wants to be successful and happy and I truly believe that each person has the potential to do that. I know that because we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants our happiness and is willing to help us achieve that if we simply do our part. The little things that we do each day develop our character and our character ultimately develops who we become which then influences how our lives turn out. Whenever things start to get rocky, we should take a step back and do a self evaluation. Am I happy in what I'm doing? Is it fulfilling? Am I developing the personal attributes I want to possess? Am I progressing towards reaching both my long and short term goals? If the answer to any of these are no, then I know there's something I need to change. We all have a great potential but reaching potential takes discipline and planning. By establishing guidelines, we are able to keep our lives moving in the direction that we want them to go and can achieve a happy and successful life. We will never have to look back on our lives with regret and wonder how we ended up where we are. We will look back with satisfaction knowing that where we got to was not easy, but worth it. 

Stay True to Who You Are

In the world there are many voices now-a-days. Many of those voices are misleading. They tell us it is easier to lie and cheat to get our way. They tell us it's more important to have immediate gratification rather than to have patience and self-control. In the world of business there are many people that listen to those voices. They compromise their standards, or even don't set standards in the first place because of self-interest. However, this week I learned that cutting corners is only a temporary fix for things. While being dishonest and having poor businesses practices may seem like the best way to do things in the moment, it always ends up causing more grief and pain in the long run. So many businesses suffer because of poor decisions made by those in power. Loss of jobs, money, and even entire businesses being shut down can be the result of compromising your moral code of conduct. Sheri Dew said that integrity is the one characteristic that can either make or break us and I whole-heartedly agree with that. A person who has developed the attribute of integrity will never have to worry about losing their job because of dishonesty, hurting their family, or being caught in a web of lies because they live their life in a way that keeps them out of those situations. 

This week we had to develop our own personal code of conduct and as I made my code of conduct, it was a time of reflection for me. As I thought of things I will never do and things I will try to always do, I examined myself to see what standards I sometimes compromise and areas I need to improve on. If everyone had their own personal code of conduct, and relentlessly stuck to that, the world could be a much different place. Businesses have the power to do so much good in the world. By incorporating good ethics right now, and staying true to who we are, when entering the world of business we can be a force for good and help change the way business is sometimes viewed. 

Dream Big

Randy Bausch is an amazing example of someone who never gave up on his dreams. Often times, when we think of our dreams, we feel they are unattainable. Maybe it's because we think they're silly dreams, or maybe because we've taken a shot at them before and failed miserably. Not getting something right the first time often stops us from trying it again. Rather we decide to abandon the idea altogether. Randy Pausch achieved his dreams because despite failure. He  tried again and again. He was fearless and creative in his approaches.When one thing didn't work, he regrouped and simply tried again. Most importantly he believed in himself. He told himself that his goals were realistic and that he could accomplish them. He let himself dream and that ultimately led him to achieve so many of his goals and aspirations.

Dreaming is something that we should never stop doing. Although our dreams change overtime from being an ice cream man when were five years old to having a family and children and having our dream career as we grow older, they should never cease. Dreaming gives us something to work for. It causes us to strive to be something more. It pushes us out of our comfort zone and gives us hope in times when we feel like we can't go on. The word "dream" is so inspirational because it implies something so amazing it's out of this world. Dreams make us better people because dreams don't come true without hard work. When we go after our dreams, it changes our character. Our dreams give us something to look forward to and help us to remember we can be so much more.

When I was 8 years old I remember watching the news. Footage of some people in Kenya popped on the news of people that were completely emaciated. Parents and little infants with protruding ribs and sunken in eyes from hunger filled the screen and my heart broke. I burst into tears and ran home from my neighbors house. From that time forward I dreamed of going there one day and helping the people. I began making blogs and trying to raise awareness but I was so young and just didn't know how I could make an impact but that desire to help stuck with me through my whole life. It's something I'm truly passionate about and that's why I know that it's something that I can achieve. Passion is one of the most important aspects in entrepreneurship because one would only work so hard for something that they are passionate about. Passion paired with hard work is the perfect combination for fulfilling one's dreams. Making a difference in people's lives is something I've always wanted and something that I feel so passionate about that I'm willing to do what I have to in order to make that dream a reality. No dream is ever too big or unachievable if it's something we really want. 

Entrepreneurial Spirit

When I used to think of someone who is an entrepreneur I think of someone bold. Someone who isn't afraid to take a risk. I pictured a rich business man in a suit that wakes up ready to take on the world every day and never has any insecurities. Because of that image I had painted in my mind of what an entrepreneur is, I never thought of myself. I felt that I didn't really fit that mold. I thought that despite my  strong desire to see changes in the world, that it wasn't possible because I'm just not an entrepreneur. As I studied the videos and articles this week though I realized that if I want to change the world, it will require that I first change myself. I realized that an entrepreneur can be anyone if they are passionate about their cause and willing to put forth the work necessary to achieve their goals.

As David A. Bednar said, it is easy to take the path of least resistance and not push ourselves. However, when we stay in our comfort zone, there is no progress seen. While part of who we are is unchangeable, for the most part we as humans are very moldable. Now I realize that rather than tell myself "well that's just not who I am" I need to look at certain attributes and characteristics that I need to develop in order to fulfill my goals and simply set smaller goals to shape myself into that person. I realize that someone with an "entrepreneur spirit" isn't someone who is the biggest and toughest and richest. It isn't about money at all. Rather it's someone who is simply teachable and constantly seeking for ways to improve themselves.  

I'm excited to learn throughout this course how I can personally develop an entrepreneurial spirit and mold myself into a person who is prepared to make big changes in the world. After doing the readings I know that the journey of entrepreneurship is one far from easy. It requires endless effort, constant learning, and a strong love for what you are doing. There will be bumps along the road.  I look forward to learning how to cope with the challenges of entrepreneurship and studying more in depth what an entrepreneur is and how I can best prepare myself for all that entrepreneurs face. 

Despite the challenges of entrepreneurship, I know in the end it will be worth it knowing that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and challenged myself to become the person I want to be in order to see the change I wish to see in the world.