What It Means To Be A Hero

This week was a packed and interesting week. I've been asked to answer a few questions regarding an article I read about economics.

• Based on what you read in the first two pages (pages 3 and 4), why are virtue and integrity so vital to an economy?

     Virtue and integrity are vital because that is what this economy is based on. We have become so caught up in trying to get ahead and become something more for nothing that we lose sight of the morals we originally acted on. We must choose to display these qualities to make our economy an honest place to do business.

• According to Charles Handy, what is the "real justification" for the existence of businesses?

      I am not 100% sure, but I believe the answer would be that the rich get richer. I sense a strong sense of negativity towards those who lie, cheat, and deal dishonestly. These people seem to run business, but they are not fit to do so. It is sad, but that is why we need more truth and honesty. 

 

     Questions like these were some of the difficult and challenging moral dilemmas we deal with. My biggest learning experience this week was finishing the book "A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey". This book was excellent and full of simple concepts and principles that most of us have learned, but many of us forget. The book is progresses through old stories like "King Midas" and "Icarus". These stories have commentary surrounding them providing each story with some insight and an idea of what should be taken from them. This makes the concepts and principles excellent ways to improve ourselves as people and I am so grateful for what I have learned. This has been my favorite book thus far.

What Does Money Do?

This week was another challenging, insightful, and spiritual journey  into entrepreneurship. Rarely is there a dull moment and I feel as though I am truly learning things of great worth. One of the many learning moments I had was on a couple of case studies that rather difficult to find answers for. I studied two separate scenarios and was asked to come up with answers to each issue. The first scenario I was asked to answer was me being put in the role of a father. In this role I have a daughter who has a dance recital that I have been promising for weeks I will attend and "wouldn't miss it for the world". An hour before the recital I get a call from my best customer that there's been a fire and I am wanted in person immediately. If I do not go I will lose the customer. I struggled with this, but I quickly realized I made a promise to my daughter and cannot break it. If I do she would grow up knowing I don't keep promises. My family is more important to me then a customer. In a second scenario I am a football coach (whose name I forget at the moment). I am finally moving up in my position as a coach and am asked to coach a high profile team. The same day my wife files divorce papers and threatens to move with our daughter if I don't change my profession. I am on the road too much and the wife doesn't want that kind of life. My answer to this was more difficult, but I still had one. I would try and reconcile things and see if we could work things out. If not then I would pray, but most likely find another job. I wouldn't lose my family over a career choice. These scenarios taught me important lessons in my life. I will always do what I think is right for the most important people in my life. Another valuable topic is an article I read titled "Attitude On Money". This reading was well presented and offered a logical look at how money isn't evil or good, but rather dependent on how an individual uses it. I am in agreement with this mind set. Money is not good or evil, but it is a symbol of how we live. If we waste our money then we waste our resources. If we use our money to better the lives of the people around us, or use it to stay financially stable then I believe we are using it wisely. If we live believing that money is good or bad then we limit our potential to use it and see it for what it really is. I think as long as we use it the way the Lord would have us use it we are in the right and have successfully used it. These things are so valuable and we must never lose sight of these truths.

Dream Big For the Right Reasons

This week was another great lesson. Even if my posts start to sound the same, I assure the reader of this blog I am learning something new each week. I can't quite express the gratitude I feel for each new lesson or nugget of truth learned that helps me on my path to achieving my goals and dreams. The main focus for me this week was on an interview I conducted with a local entrepreneur. This was an assignment, but I found it to be very insightful and applicable to my personal life. The things I learned in my time talking with this entrepreneur helped me realize the purpose of why I want a good job. I realized that I want to be successful so that I may provide for a family, and help maintain a good healthy lifestyle. With this in mind it makes choosing a job a little more specific. It causes that a more careful examination be placed upon what we choose for a profession. This is a lesson I can see myself using in day-to-day life. It helps me assess whether or not I am on the right track. God wanted me to have this interview to learn this lesson, and for that I am truly grateful.

Strength in Trust

This week I felt a strong emphasis of trust in the material I studied. Trust is vital to success in business. Trust is what bonds employees and employers together, and offers a solid relationship to make successful strategies. With this principle in mind we can better ourselves and those around us by showing others the courtesy of trust. It isn't easy to do so in this world, but without it, it becomes significantly harder to produce good and effective results. It is so important to lead by example. One example of trust that I found very insightful this week is a video of Guy Kawasaki titled "Aspects of Building Trust". In this presentation Guy refers two types of people as an "eater" and a "baker". The "eater" represents someone who is concerned with only helping themselves, while the "baker" is concerned with helping everyone he can. I think this concept is excellent at portraying what kind of attitude is most effective. If we have the attitude of helping everyone we will be significantly more successful, both in our personal lives and our careers, than we otherwise would. We must be willingly to help and trust others and we can trust we will receive that treatment in return. I feel strongly that following this counsel will make our world a more kind place to live.

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.