Never Give Up

This may seem like a somewhat strange post to see for a student studying business, but I feel the lesson I learned this week cannot be overstated or looked over. Never give up. Seemed to be the theme of the material I studied this week. It was very important to me. What I think is interesting is that this lesson was exactly what I needed in my personal life right now. Being an entrepreneur involves all aspects of life, not just being business focused. That's perhaps one of the most crucial lessons I have learned. Entrepreneurs are humans, and as such they can get bogged down by life and other things. Never giving up is just as crucial for an entrepreneur as it is for anyone. Knowing when to get back up and keep enduring is vital to life and business. It is the only sure way of keeping afloat in the world we live in. Putting our faith in God is imperative to staying strong. As I read  Jeffery R. Holland's talk and watched his video "Good Things To Come" I was inspired that no matter what life throws at us we can always persevere. This has been the most inspiring lesson I've had. I'll not soon forget the wisdom I have learned.

Effective Habits

This week was quite the inner look of who I was. That's not to say the lesson was about me, but that the concepts and things learned within the lesson were about becoming more effective in self. I take the things I learn personally, so a lesson about being more effective and becoming more gave me an opportunity for self-reflection. I had the very nice surprise to study from author Stephen Covey. I was already familiar with his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", but this allowed me the chance to fully delve into each habit and make them personally apply to my life and studies. The habit that always seemed one of the most important to me is being proactive. It cannot be overstated how lazy many of us have become in the last decade. With the way media is at the forefront of attention, and a cultural shift on pleasure and gratification of oneself it is easy to understand why it can be so jolting to be proactive. This was an excellent reminder that if something needs done then do it. To become effective with anything we do it only makes sense that half the battle is accomplishing the task. I think with this kind of principle, and the other habits mentioned like putting things first, beginning with the end in mind, and more we can truly be the most effective with what we do.

Self-Mastery

Another excellent week in the study of business. There were some minor complications in the fact that I had surgery this week, but I was still able to perform my normal tasks. I found the most vital piece of information in the talk titled "Success Is Gauged by Self-Mastery" by Elder N. Eldon Tanner. In his talk he gave a great example of his grandson who had mastered a form of self-control at an early age. He made a bet with his grandson that if he would never miss a Sunday for church he would fully fund his church mission. Sure enough the boy did it and surprised the heck out of Elder Tanner. I found this to be a strong testimony in my life. I always aim to be a "100% percenter" like Elder Tanner's grandson, but it is not so easy for me. This story gave me strength that if I apply myself I can master me. Mastering myself is perhaps my most difficult challenge. I come from a lineage of people who change their self-mastery on a daily basis, so the success rate is difficult. I believe if I take the things I learn from this course, and the things I read in the book I have been reading titled "Mastery" by George Leonard then I will be able t change my lifestyle up to the point of mastery. This has always been a goal of mine, and I believe this course is aiming me in the right direction.

Portfolio Your Passions

This week has been another incredibly helpful and insightful look into business. Perhaps that sounds like a cliché thing to say for a business student, but for someone who really enjoys this kind of profession it is natural. I feel every time I watch a Stanford video provided in my material my intelligence on the subject at hand grows about ten times. It is really amazing to me that many of the things I learn each week are really common sense. For example in one video I watched titled "How Do You Find Your Passion and How Do You Pursue It?" discusses the idea that it is ok to have multiple passions. That translates to if you are having trouble picking a career path because you have too many passions it's ok. Choose to put those passions in a portfolio and marry the passions with the opportunities in front of you. This was extremely beneficial to me. I am the kind of person who loves everything, so having a way to put everything I love together and choosing to act on the opportunity that best fits my passion that is perfect for me. This is really a smart and helpful way to organize the best decisions to choose when deciding on a course of action. This allows myself to see what opportunity is ahead of me to take advantage of and marry that with something I love. I really like the natural effect this has on career choosing. I feel very uplifted and more confident after this lesson. I know I am growing and learning as a person. The things I am learning are truly wonderful.