W08 - Don't Give Up!

The overall theme of this week seems to be perseverance and ways to prepare ourselves against ourselves. That may sound like a convoluted sentence, but the idea is that we can be our own worst enemies and we should prepare for that. As easy as that may sound, it’s proven to be far more difficult than I imagined it would be.

Many of my successes in life are because I know how to work, and I don’t like wasted time or inefficiencies. As a Six Sigma Black Belt I’ve made many career advancements simply by isolating and fixing gaps, issues, and problems simply by determining the root cause of an issue and applying standard tools and methodologies to correct them. Doing that to yourself is a little bit harder. Fears aren’t always rational, but they are real.

For example, I have a fear of putting my family in a compromised position. My first marriage ended in disaster and I promised God and myself I would absolutely not allow that to happen again. I am firmly convinced my wife is the greatest personal gift my Father in heaven has ever blessed me with, outside of my savior, and I intend to take care of her. But there have been times when the desire to play it safe, in the name of protecting my family, has caused me to miss an opportunity.

I don’t actually believe God wants me to miss those opportunities, and I know for a fact that he won’t always put up a figurative neon sign that says, “this is a blessing for you!”. I know I need to be faithful and to work. So, facing those fears and balancing my responsibilities with opportunities is something I’ve had to continually work on.

This week has been a lesson in preparation for those famous words by Elder Holland “Don’t you give up!”. I don’t intend to give up, I just need to prepare myself, in spite of my own fears, to know when to take a chance and when to stay safe.

W07 - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The first time I read about the 7 habits I was 20 years old and preparing to go into the mission field. I still remember it. I was fascinated by the simplicity and directness of Stephen Covey’s words. It answered a very specific question that was on my mind and my heart, why can’t I seem to get things done?

See, if you were to use three words to describe me from the ages of 12 to 18, those words would have been: Athlete, Lazy, and unaccomplished. If it didn’t happen on a baseball field, I didn’t care about it. But after high school, I was lost. I had no plan, no direction, and way too much time to think. It’s not that I didn’t have ambitions, it was that I had no idea how to get myself together. So, a month before I put in my mission papers, I read a book I saw on my dads’ desk… 7 habits of Highly Effective People. Then I read it again (I’ve always been a very fast reader). In fact, I read it 3 times the first week. Then… I went out and bought a notebook and made my own planner.

It was the only book I read, other than the scriptures, for more than three years, and I’ve read it many times during the last 25 years. If I was going on a trip to the moon and I could only bring 5 books with me, 7 Habits would be on the list.

For me, the habit that I have been most aware of in my life is number 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. The more I’ve applied this habit in my life, the stronger and better relationships I’ve developed. A more recent development is that I've been able to listen to the spirit more effectively than I ever have before. I think it’s because I am trying to be an active listener to the Holy Ghost and God recognizes that. I’ve learned that people have different perspectives and ideals and that it’s far easier to learn empathy when we truly practice habit number 5. I’ve also learned there is no point in arguing with someone that is just listening to reply.

These 7 habits have helped my on the journey of becoming a better person. While I believe that habit number 5 is the one I have had the most positive change with, every single habit has helped me improve myself in individual ways and when I focus on putting them together. I’ve learned the power of proposing mutually beneficial solutions (think win-win), on partnering with diverse people (synergize), and, most recently, learned the value of sharpening the saw during a period of where I simply focused on showing more gratitude in my prayers.

Perhaps I’m looking at things too simply, but I will testify that the 7 habits were inspired of God for all mankind. That they are a way for use to develop ourselves in this life and become the best we can. I believe God reaches out to his children in many ways, not just in obviously spiritual ways and the Steven Covey’s book is evidence of that.

W06 - The correct use of time

     The theme that stood out to me during this week has to do with time and the valuable use of time. For an entrepreneur, time is critical the success or failure of meeting your goals. But time is also critical in the Lord’s plan of happiness. Time is the great constant in everyone’s lives. IT don’t stop, it doesn’t change, and it’s not repeatable, time is time.

     One of the major themes that stood out was understanding the value of time and how to prioritize the use of time in our lives. Several speakers spoke about the value of time. Several of them spoke about spending time the right way. But one speaker spoke specifically about the purpose of our lives and how time relates to it.

     Jan Newman, in the video “Loyalty to God and Family”, talks about time and how we spend it correctly through all the different parts of our lives. He talks about family time, time for church callings, work time, time for diversion and hobbies, etc. Then he explains the biggest mistake people make with time is pertains to times. When life gets really full, and there’s not enough time, we tend to compress and crunch down our engagement time in really important areas like family and church, so that we have time for work and hobbies.

     Jan refocuses us on the eternal perspective by explaining that there are two areas we can never compromise on: loyalty to the Lord, and our loyalty to our families. A specific example he gives is that we should never be too busy to take a calling in the church. He even goes so far to call rejecting a calling because are to busy at work, “the biggest mistake you will ever make”.

When talking about life, he clearly puts the components of our lives in the correct order with a single sentence. He says “Think of this a thousand years from now, no one is going to ask you what company you built, how much money you made, your greatest legacy will be your family and your service in the Kingdom of God.”

     Legacy is a powerful and precise word to use there.  A legacy is literally a gift or a bequest, that is handed down, endowed, or conveyed from on person to another. I asked myself would I want to hand down a company or a testimony to my children. The answer is obvious. Luckily, I am able to hand down both to my children is I manage my time well.

W05 - The Hero's Journey

I found the video “A Hero’s Journey” to be very inspiring on many levels. But the most significant things said, in my eyes, was very early in the talk. The speakers said something that I kept coming back to over and over again…

“I believe you have a very special mission to perform on this Earth, a mission that will succeed beyond your wildest dreams, but ONLY if you have the faith and the courage to find your entrepreneurial calling”

This really struck a chord with me… that being an entrepreneur is a calling.

You see, I never viewed the entrepreneurial spirit as a “calling” but more of a desire. For me, I’ve always likened callings to opportunities and mandates given to each of us from God. A calling as an opportunity to serve and it results in more opportunities to learn and grow, to serve others, and come closer to Christ.

I’m afraid I had a very limited view of what being an entrepreneur really is.

To think of Entrepreneurship as a calling that I need to put effort into discovering, made me look at it in a new light. I’m not someone that wants to work for myself so that I’m the “Master of my own destiny” and I have no aspirations to achieve a billionaire status. I already have a career, a successful side business, and a plan for career 2.0. What I want is to work for myself so that I can do the important things that I still feel like I need to do. I want to be able to retire and go on missions with my wife. Not just one mission, but several missions. I want to be able to walk away from corporate America with the knowledge and ability to continue providing for my family but to also be able to spend time with them.

To consider that being an entrepreneur may also be something that God has for me in his plan, is a little difficult to grasp. I always assumed God didn’t really care what career I chose for myself as long as it was honorable, that it didn’t lead me astray of the gospel path, and I worked hard and honestly. But the more I thought about it, being an entrepreneur can be considered a vehicle to obtain the things God has in store for me. I hadn’t thought of it in those terms before.

I still don’t believe God has material riches in store for me that require me to select a specific career path. If there are blessing in store for me, I’ll get them. But now I believe there are different blessings in store based on decisions I make and opportunities I create. I think that is what having an entrepreneurial calling really is. It’s about having faith and courage, working hard, and trusting in God. And that sounds a lot like a calling to me.

W4 - Core Values and Fears

When I was a young boy, I had no concept of the fragility of life and, therefore, no fear of death. As I grew older, I developed a sense of arrogance about myself, believing that I was above such concerns. I was a good person! I held the Aaronic priesthood and “knew” so much more than my friends! I carried that sense of entitlement for far too many years. It took my life, and faith, almost falling apart to realize the true significance of Like 12:48 “…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…”. I now understand that having a concrete set of beliefs, principles, and ideals that will guide me to be the best person I can be is a critical step in building a life of discipleship and success.

The process of defining and documenting my core values was a great experience. I’ve had my core values in another format for quite some time, but this exercise really made me focus on how things are going and how much progress I am (or am not) making. I will absolutely plan to review this document for frequently in the future than I have in the past.

I was also inspired by activity where I addressed my fears. It’s become clear to me that, while I do intend to prepare for “career 2.0” in the coming years, I don’t really believe I want to start over from ground zero. For me, that means moving certain objectives up and beginning earlier than I originally anticipated. I think that’s a good thing. I wasn’t really planning on changing my career until my youngest son was out of high school (he’s currently in kindergarten) so I have time to really think and plan. But the fears worksheet got me thinking about risk mitigation and contingency planning a lot more than I have up to know.

Ultimately, I think the biggest lesson I learned this week is that I can’t let fear derail my plans. But instead of just “overcoming” my fears, I need to recognize and address them. I need to use my fears to help plan and prepare myself for the difficulties that could arise as I transition careers and lifestyles in the coming years.