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.