Week 10: Entrepreneur Journal

This week I learned about balancing my life among all the different things I may be involved with.  Balance is essential for true happiness.  The Acton Guide on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness shared some shared some simple, yet critical, truths concerning happiness.  One of the most widely believed myths is that future changes will make you happier.  People believe that they will be happy if they have more money, a bigger house, lose more weight, drive a nicer car, get another promotion, etc., but the reality is that if you are not happy now, you probably won’t be happy in the future.  The guide showed research evidence and graphs that show this fact.  It helps me to remember that happiness is an attitude – a state of mind.  We are the ones who decide our level of happiness, not our achievements, possessions, etc.  We must learn to be happy in the present and with the lives we have and stop chasing after future happiness.

We must prioritize the things that are most important to us in our lives because, eventually, we will need to decide between one thing and another (and sometimes more).  If we decide now what is most important to us, those decisions won’t be as difficult when we are faced with them.  If I decide that being there for my family is the most important thing to me, then I will do everything I can to do that – even if it means making sacrifices or turning down opportunities at work or school.

Week 5 - Entrepreneur Journal

Lessons Learned:

There were a couple of things that stood out to me this week.  First is the importance of maintaining an eternal perspective, especially concerning wealth.  God does not care how much money I earn or what I buy with that money.  Wealth is an opportunity to help and serve others.  I want to apply this principle of generosity in all aspects of my life – everything I have is a blessing from God and I should share my blessings with others.  This not only includes money, but also time, talents, and other resources.  I want to have a more giving heart and to reach out and serve those around me -  and wealth is not a requirement of doing so.

I also want to develop self-mastery in my life.  I was impressed by the examples given in Elder Tanner’s talk “Success is Gauged by Self-Mastery.”  I know that living a self-disciplined life with commitment to goals and improvement will lead to self-mastery.  I read the book “Mastery,” by George Leonard, and we can develop mastery in all facets of our lives - including daily chores and routines.  We must live each day to the fullest and use every opportunity we can to constantly improve ourselves.  If we become complacent or stop striving to improve, we end up taking steps backwards.

I am a firm believer of setting goals and developing self-discipline to achieve them.  We need to act now to achieve our goals and become the people we hope to be.  Elder Tanner said, “If you want to be successful or outstanding in any field of endeavor, it is important that you determine while young to be a great boy, and not wait to be a man to be a great man; and then have the courage and strength and determination to discipline yourself, apply self-control and self-mastery.”  As we make decisions and commit ourselves to our goals, we can achieve so much and become inspirational people who can influence the world for good.  There is one thing that one of my former bishops shared with my ward a few years ago.  It has always stuck with me and I still apply what he shared into my life on a regular bases.  It is something that I think can help us apply the principles of self-mastery and know how we can continually improve our lives.  He told us to:

1. Write down something you should start doing
2. Write down something you should keep doing
3. Write down something you should stop doing

And he said to do this on a regular basis and to evaluate how you are doing.  Ideally, I would love to do this exercise every week, but I think I do this every month.  It is so interesting to see how things build on each other.  Doing this helps me to identify little things that I should or shouldn’t be doing and motivates me to set goals to do so.  It helps me to waste less time on Facebook, to remember to pray and ready my scriptures, and helps me to use my time more wisely.

Week 2 - Entrepreneur Journal

Lessons Learned

I learned how useful and important it is to review journals!  This week I looked back on my past two entrepreneurial journals and I feel like I relearned what I previously studied.  I think that reviewing my thoughts and what I am learning will reinforce the information I am obtaining.  It will help me to remember what I want to learn and help me to see if I am using that information.  For example, last week I wrote some thoughts about Randy Pausch’s lecture and I was reminded to see the best in other people.  By simply scanning what I wrote last week helped me to remember that important principle and encourages me to use it in my daily life.  We need reminders to know where we are going, what we want to do, and why we are doing things.

I also learned the importance of putting God first in all aspects of our lives.  Elder Lynn G. Robbins’ talk “Making a Living and a Life” discussed the importance of being motivated by the love of God – rather than being motivated primarily by money.  Money isn’t a bad motivation – it simply shouldn’t be the primary one.  As we put God first and act out of our love for Him, He will bless us and help us to prosper.  Elder Robbins encouraged me to always be an A-level person.  I believe that his teachings are applicable at home, as well as in the professional world.  I can be an A-level wife and mother as I strive to live a Christ-centered life.  I shouldn’t act out of selfish motivations.  If I act with the love of God as my primary motivation, I can enjoy peace, harmony, and the Spirit in my life and home.