Gifts and Common Sense

Jan Newman said (paraphrasing here) that the gifts and talents we have been given which include our careers are meant to build the kingdom of God. I wholeheartedly believe that the gifts and talents we possess not only work for our good, but work for the benefit of others and building the kingdom of God. That is probably my favorite message from this week's readings and videos.

The article from Harvard Business Review is quite an eye-opener. It felt a little verbose but was critically insightful. It reminded me of a book by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic, that presented this concept that ideas are meant to be seized upon and if you don't seize them right away, the idea will find another person as their medium. I have a tendency to over-plan and it is good to know that over-planning is not always beneficial. I think in order to execute without overplanning, it is important to have an abundance of self-confidence or arrogance, which this article also emphasized. It reminded me of a boyfriend I had several years ago. Things did not end well and he was and might still be a total and complete jerk. However, he is also incredibly good at his job- very successful and will probably remain successful because of his decisiveness and arrogance. It might not be so good for his personal life, but it has boded well for him in the business world.

I look forward to applying the concept of mastery and applying it in my life.

This week was a great learning experience for me. I learned that perseverance and faith can bring about miracles from President Faust. I also learned that "Entrepreneurial success isn't a destination, it's a journey" (Sandefer p. 5).

I like that Sandefer interviewed successful entrepreneurs that made their fortune in ways that people don't typically think of. To me, that is part of the American dream. They had good advice and once again, I think a common theme is perseverance. Having been in sales before, I know that it can be challenging to the point that you want to give up. One entrepreneur said, "Perseverance is far more important than skill or talent. You have to have a mindset that never gives up, no matter how tough it gets. A little talent and a lot of hard work are the foundation for learning any skill, and are far more important in the long run." When I think of perseverance I think of my Mother. I often wondered throughout my life if my mom overworked herself and just didn't know when to quit. It might be a little bit of both, but I know that she has been my greatest example of perseverance. I guess you can't be a mother of eight children and run a contracting business without persevering. I should add that my Dad is no exception to this either. I am blessed to have their example in my life.

The final video (also by Sandefer) about choosing a heroes journey also had some great advice.  He talked about mentors. (I really need to get on the ball with this mentor thing...) Sandefer's suggestion to write a letter to someone you are truly grateful for but have never thanked. I was thinking about that last night for a while and the more I thought of it, I could only think of two people that I would like to thank: my grandparents. I was younger when they passed away, but I doubt I ever thanked them for how they influenced me. I learned more about their lives after they died than I did when they were alive and that makes me sad. They were also great examples of perseverance.

My husband reminded me the other day when I needed a good reminder that I just needed to keep going. I was tired and had my third miscarriage this year a few weeks ago.  He said "Remember how hard it was to keep going this year and you did? You were so glad to finish Pathway. Remember how that felt." It was a good reminder. Sometimes I think perseverance and endurance go hand in hand.

Time

"The question is not one of managing time, but one of managing ourselves with the time we have." -Joseph B. Wirthlin

This week, I learned a lot about creating meaningful experiences in the right way. I also learned that it is important to be happy in your career (a given), keep our family relationships sustainable, and how to stay out of jail. I also learned about some sound personal financial advice in Launching Leaders, probably my favorite budgeting advice I have heard so far!

But, I think the most important thing I took away this week was a lesson on time. What do we do with the time we are given? I have seen a common theme in my reading and that is to wake up early and how to manage time.  I think that Elder Wirthlin said it best that we don't manage our time, but we manage ourselves with the time we have. This theme really resonates with me, but...I have been unsuccessful over the years trying to be a morning person when I feel like I am biologically wired to be a night person. One thing I found challenging when trying to apply this advice of waking up early in the past was being able to function even after a full night of rest.  I don't know. That is something I will have to mentally prepare for before I even attempt to wake up early by choice.

Another theme in the reading this week spoke of serving others. I loved it. We don't need to donate money to a variety of causes to serve people.  Just being there for others is a form of service. I took this to heart this week. I had a thought to send some soup over to my neighbor who recently came back from the hospital. My initial reaction was, "Oh, she might not be able to answer the door. She might feel like I am being intrusive." I ignored the thought and put some of the potato soup I made in a container and walked over there. She appeared happy to receive it. I know that while it wasn't a giant thing, by performing an act of service I was able to share some of the love that Christ has for her. I know that if I can continue to apply that concept to my life, it will be a part of who I am and resonate in my professional life as well.

Musings Week 3

If I could take away one thing from everything I have learned so far in this class, it would be that entrepreneurs are positive and persistent.  They are also restless, which is a trait that I find wholeheartedly relateable.

I am looking forward to finishing the book "Launching Leaders." Steven Hitz is able to weave the importance of spirituality with a career in such a way that makes me less afraid to pursue my dreams. His advice is sincere, simple, and not overwhelming. I look forward to learning from more entrepreneurs and their experiences.

I learned that Magdalena Yesil is a lifelong learner. She is an example to women (and men) everywhere. I learned that the consumer does not believe that a product is a great idea. They want it to work. They have a need for the product and have expectations. Everything I learned was valuable and felt important enough for me to read through after I watched the video.

I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from entrepreneurial veterans.  Their ventures at times seem so surreal- they mostly stick to technological endeavors- something I have no interest or knowledge in, so I feel undereducated, but I reminded myself that my gifts and interests lie in different areas and I am not so sure that I would want to trade those gifts for anything else.

All in all, I have been actively absorbing the material and I know it is valuable and important for me to retain.