Be Strong, Be Yourself and Never Stop Growing!

 

Week 5 (October 24 - October 30) 2021

This week I finished reading Mastery by George Leonard and I have to say that it was worth the read and I am glad I did it. I really enjoyed the stories and parables through out the book. They make it a lot easier to understand and remember the lessons taught, at least in my opinion.

This week I have been more in deep pondering and trying to figure out what habits I need to establish to make the best use of my days. My problem is that I love making plans, but I am horrible at follow them. So, to that I need to find a way to remedy that, hence the deep thinking this week. 

I really wish it was as easy as it sounds. 

I also listened to a talk by Gordon B Hinckley entitled "Stand True and Faithful" He was such a kind and loving man. He gave great advise to how to behave, and how we are important. It was a nice reminder of how strong I, as a daughter of God, really am. It reminds me that in God all things are possible. I think we all need a reminder of that occasionally. 

Another video was about the 7 Habits to be successful at a career in entrepreneurship

1. Be Proactive
• Don't wait for someone else to take the lead. 
  
2. Begin with the ending in mind
• You've gotta know what your goal is before you can head on your journey.
  
3. First things first
• Planing step by step your goals is important, and even planing contingency plans to those.
  
4. Think "Win-Win"
•  Do not "win" at the expense of others.
  
5. First seek to understand, then to be understood
•  To  make it a "win-win" situation you first have to know what the other person sees as a win.
  
6. Create synergy
• The creation of something that is greater than the sum of its parts.
  
7. Sharpen the saw
•  Do not run yourself to an exhausted point. Rest, and renew when needed.
  

the video went into more explanation to each step, but these are simplified explanations. 

I feel like the most meaningful step to me is the Think "Win-Win" because I don't ever want to win by making someone else fail in business. That is just awful to do to someone. I want to work together and make a good relationship or build my network and you can't do that well with being dishonesty or backstabbing.

These habits do help and give a good set of steps to keep focus in the future. They are also helpful because they can be repeated as needed. That is pretty cool to me. Passion and Purpose is always evolving and I hope these habits will help me to grow into an even stronger leader and "master" as the years come and go.

The quote I leave is from the "Mastery" book. Simple and sweet. 

 

"Practice is the path upon which you travel"

 

In order of Importance: God, Family, then Career

 Week 6 (October 17 - October 23) 2021

This week I read the second part of "Mastery" by George Leonard

This part of the book focuses on the "5 master keys" which are: 

1. Instruction
2. Practice
3. Surrender
4. Intentionality
5. The Edge

Every key described in the book opens a small window into another thought. That is the best way I can explain it. It isn't hard to understand at all. The concepts explained are simple; they are just something I never really thought about before. The journey to mastering a skill is long and sometimes monotonous, but the one who has discovered the calm of that repetition and joy of just continuing practice will be much happier and better at the journey. I have never been good at finishing anything. This book has made me look at things very differently.

 So far I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in mastering a skill. It is inspiring.

As most weeks I also watched some inspiring videos, and read some articles.  

They all had nuggets of wisdom to be tucked away into my brain to remember. The video entitled "Loyalty to God and Family" was very clear on prioritizing family, church callings, and how important those are over the path of making money. One thing I wrote in my notes was "No crunching time for God and Family", in other words, make them a priority not something you squeeze in when you can. Isn't that the truth!?

Another good one this week was the article, "So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?". This one was full of helpful information. for example:

The Three Areas of Knowledge (that are critical for starting a successful business)

• In-depth knowledge of the competitive structure of an industry and network of contacts within that industry.
• The skills to run the daily operations of a small, rapidly growing company.
• The ability to raise money.

THEN... it gives great examples of how to grow in each of these areas. Nothing specific to any business, but a lot of great starting ideas. Mostly it is about growing industry knowledge, network possibilities, and knowing how to raise funds and thinking about the consequences each source may come with it. Which is more important than I previously thought about. The more money someone invests in my business, the more power they can have to change or control things themselves. Good to keep in mind.

As most weeks I will end this post with a quote from this weeks material:

 

 "practice is the path of mastery. If you stay on it long enough, you'll find it to be a vivid place, with its ups and downs, its challenges and comforts, its surprises, disappointments, and unconditional joys."

 

"Mastery" by George Leonard, page 79 

Mastery and Perseverance

 

Week 5 (October 10 - October 16) 2021

This week I started reading the book "Mastery" by George Leonard

It is a small book, but it is full of insight! I have read the first part of three parts in the book and it is entitled "The Masters Journey". 

I have learned that mastering isn't an easy task. It takes time, dedication, and persistence. When a plateau is reached in the journey of mastering I need to embrace it and find joy in it instead of feeling annoyed or impatient.

Another lesson I learned this week was in a video talk at BYU by Jeff Sandefer named "A Hero's Journey"

In this video he mentioned a lot of great things like:

• Learn how to learn (Ask questions, don't be the smartest person in the room)
  
• Find great role models and ask great questions and then he gave suggestions on how to do this
  

 My favorite part of this video was when he said that those aged 60 or more will indicate the most important questions they ask themselves at the end of life is:

1. Have I contributed something meaningful?
2. Am/Was I a good person?
3. Who did I love / Who loved me?

Thinking of these questions really makes life choices a lot more clear. The other interesting suggestion he had was to ask five people that you know well:

"What do I do better than anyone else in the world?"

He said press for specifics, examples, and evidence to their answer. This was really good advice too. I haven't done it yet. I think I'm afraid everyone will say I bake cookies. lol

Another great part of this video was when he asked the question, "how do I find what brings me great joy?" 

To this is said it was something called flow.

In order to answer this question we need ask ourselves similar thought provoking questions:

• Think of the last time that you lost track of time doing something.
• Something you would practice merely for the sake of practicing alone.
• Something that can become a lifelong discipline that you're committed to mastering.

These statements really have been spinning around my mind since I heard them. It is no secret that I have struggled with pinpointing my direction and path for decades, really. I always feel lost. So I am really inspired and hopeful that with more praying and pondering that I will soon see a clearer view of what to pursue. 

The truth is I have also learned to just start and the answers will work themselves out as I grow and learn.

There were several other great videos and articles, but the above one was, in my opinion, the most inspiring this week. I'll end this weeks notes with a very interesting phrase that provokes deep moments of pondering on what my next step will be.

A wise person does at once,

What a fool does at last.

Both do the same thing,

Only at different times.

The question is, which are you?

 

 

The end of a book, the beginning a journey

 

Week 4 (October 03 - October 09) 2021

This week I finished reading the "Launching Leaders" book and it was so worth the read! I read chapters 7-12.

There was honestly a lot in those chapters. I learned about habits to begin doing to make my resolve stronger as I plan my future. Several inspiring quotes, but my favorite was:

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

 This was a quote I will ponder on often because it reminds me that if I have a strong enough reason to pursue my dream then I can think of very few hurdles I would not be able to overcome. Determination is key.

My favorite chapter was chapter 8 because it was all about "Financial Fitness". Doesn't that just sound scary? lol Trust me it isn't at all! It is all about knowing where your money is and what you plan to do with it. This chapter also had a great story about a fisherman and a business man. In it the fisherman was living his life and loving it. The business man tried to talk him into making lots of money just so the fisherman could do the exact thing the fisherman as already doing. haha  The point of it was that 

"Success" can only be defined by your unique life circumstances, desires, and goals.

So if you are happy just going out for a run every morning, then working on painting furniture to resell, and then selling at the flea market every weekend. That is what your desire. The fisherman was living his dream. He was happy in his life and what he was doing. I just need to figure mine out.

There as also a large mention of giving back and serving others and I love that. Life is not all about money. It is about serving Jesus and being his hands here on Earth. This doesn't mean I can't get that hot tub I always wanted, but everything has its place and time. The financial fitness chapter also covered that by laying out a saving and spending plan using 3 savings accounts and one checking. It is very structured and I really want to start using it in my future. I just have to teach my husband about it.

 

Then there was a video entitled "Do what you love"

 In this video a man named Tom Kelley, the General Manager of IDEO in 2008 talked about how we need to find that niche that works for us in our life. As the photo shows that is what you are good at, what you are born to do, and what you could actually get paid to do. Also the Who, which is who are going to work with, because no one wants to work with people that you dislike or that dislikes or disrespects you. These are all important to remember when making your personal plan for the future.

 

The last, but not the only other thing I learned this week, is a personal constitution. I think everyone should make one of these right now. This includes:

• Written description of you made in the "I am .... " format
• Describes the values that make up the ideal you
• Prioritize the values in order of importance.

I am actively working on this. I think it well help me when and if I ever come to a cross roads where I need to chose one way or another. When in question I can reference back to this.

I will finish this weeks post with a quote from a woman named Sharon Mays, well technically it was her mother. Her mother kept hearing about her idea to open a drive through salad restaurant. (which she named "baby greens") Her mother said to her:

"Either do it or stop talking about it!"

that is some great advise.   

Honestly in All My Works

 

Week 3 (September 26 - October 2) 2021

 This week in class we learned a lot of about integrity. This word is a very important word that I think the world has forgotten in many facets of life. Integrity often gets mixed up with honesty. Honesty is part of integrity, but it isn't the same thing. Integrity is:

•     the cornerstone of character
•     to be true to yourself and who you are
•     the foundational virtue upon which all other virtues are dependent

Heavy right? Yes. 

I also read about the formula for Launching Leaders and it is pretty inspiring

1.  Get up Early
• Take advantage of the "magic hours," and use them to connect with heaven
  
2.  Work Hard
• Working hard will help you develop the attributes you need for success
3.  Get Your Education
• Become a lifelong learning and remember that there are MANY other ways to learn besides the officially accredited ones.
  
1.  Find Your Oil
• Discover what you can become great at, what you're passionate about, and leverage that enthusiasm for the good of the world around you.
  
2.  Make Your Mark
• With humility, decide that the world will be a little better off because you lived.
  
3. Give Back / Prepare to Serve
   
• Giving back is what it's all about; show God your gratitude by joining in His work of love.

 

This is just one of the many reasons why I love this course! It is full of so many wise councils. I think the main thing I learned about ethics is that we need to be genuine and be the partner, boss, associate that you would want to have working with or for you. 

Every skill a person learns is part of the knowledge that they carry with them. This is why we must learn all we can because when we leave this world all we take with us is our knowledge. 

A verse that was shared and that I will hold with me through all my days is:

Job 27:4-6 

 "My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live."