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.