Showing posts with label Last Lecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Last Lecture. Show all posts

20 December 2013

Entrepreneurial Journal: Last Lecture

            I think the most important thing to do as a new entrepreneur is to set goals.  Don’t only think of goals you’d like to achieve, but write them down and plan the steps that are required to get there.  With specific goals written down, you will be much more likely to attain them.  Setting goals will help you to focus on what you want to accomplish.  Knowing what you want to accomplish will also help you to do so faster.  It is amazing how quickly your goals can become a reality when you stay focused and align your actions with what you want to accomplish.
            Another important thing to do is to believe in yourself.  Believe in your ability to be successful and to accomplish great things.  I think that people are often unsure of their abilities and are afraid to even attempt their big ideas or goals.  But that fear is what holds us back from being successful.  Dream big and make those dreams a reality. 
Be grateful for the people in your life and the experiences you encounter.  As we show gratitude to the things we have, we will be more content and satisfied with our lives.  This contentment can make it easier when we face challenges and difficulties. 
Learn from mistakes and don’t be afraid to try again.  Enjoy the journey to success rather than focusing solely on the destination.  Be generous and willing to help others.  Karma will take care of you as you care for others.
Always be honest with yourself and with others.  Never compromise your integrity, even if it means less success on the surface.  But if you are ever dishonest, your success will never be as satisfying as it would have otherwise.  Surround yourself with honest people that you trust and value.  Be willing to trust others and they will trust you in return.  This trust will lead to loyalty and you can build a wonderful network that you can rely on for a lifetime.

Be sure to do something that you enjoy – why spend your time and efforts on something that you don’t like or believe in?  Most importantly, maintain a healthy perspective of your work.  Being an entrepreneur requires a lot of time, effort, investment, and dedication.  But there have to be limits – especially if you have a family.  Don’t let your loved ones disappear into the background as you absorb yourself in your work.  Always make time for them and know when it’s time to “clock out” and be home.  Keep your life balanced.  A successful entrepreneurial venture isn’t worth much unless you have a supportive family that you take the time to spend time with.

28 September 2013

Week 1 - Entrepreneur Journal

Lessons Learned
This week’s assignments were very insightful for me.  I found Randy Pausch’s lecture to be inspiring and motivating.  He gave sound advice about following dreams – even the small dreams (like winning big stuffed animals).  I think he taught a great lesson about attitude.  He apologized for not being sad or morose due to his cancer.  He was lively, upbeat, positive, and even mentioned that we should choose to be Tigger rather than Eeyore.  A couple more things that stood out to me are to show gratitude and see the best in others.  Those are two things that I can implement more in my life.  I find myself easily irritated by my husband’s lack of help and support at home and with chores, but if I look for things to be grateful about and see all the things he does do, I would be a lot less irritated.  As I strive to see the best in him, I will have an increased appreciation and love for him.

Lessons Not Yet Learned

 Our assignments this week focused on following your dreams and creating a vision.  I need to figure out what my own dreams are.  I feel like I don’t know what my dreams or life vision are or how to follow them.  I stay very busy at home with my daughter, housework, homework, etc. and feel like I don’t even have time for following dreams, let alone take a shower or have a hobby!  I know there must be a way to balance everything and perhaps better time management would allow me to do more and be able to follow my dreams.  Creating a list of 50 things to do helped me to see what is important to me and gave me some great ideas for dreams to follow.  I also found the Stars and Steppingstones article to be very beneficial in determining how I want to be remembered and what I should focus on now to achieve that.