Final Lecture Journal Entry

This week's journal entry is meant to share what I have learned from this course as though I was giving a "final lecture" to a group of students. Here it goes! What do you think of when you hear the word "entrepreneur"? One of my first thoughts has always been the freedom that entrepreneurs enjoy by being their own boss. My mind initially goes to small business owners. I rarely consider the idea of having large business growth. But being an entrepreneur can mean so many things. What always scared me about entrepreneurship was that I had to be creative, something that I am not. This class has taught me that hard work and dedication in any given field will show you where improvements can be made that can provide an opportunity for a new business to thrive. Another common thought about entrepreneurs is that they never stop working, which detracts from their family life. This may happen often, but it doesn't need to. It is important as a person considering starting a business to decide now what your priorities are and not to let the pressures of business overtake other important parts of your life. I am not sure I have the passion or drive to build a business that will grow and become something great, but maybe that's because I haven't found what I am passionate about yet. It is important not only to find a business idea with potential for growth, but also something you are interested in, otherwise it would be difficult to put the time and effort in that is required to start a business from nothing. Throughout this course, one thing I have enjoyed the most is reading about those people who made a large impact on the world without letting it go to their head, or at least who recognized their pride and made a change. These are people who not only have a lasting impact on the lives of their consumers, but knew that God intended for them to use their money to better the lives of others. The humility of these leaders is something I will not soon forget. Their attitudes and choices have made a large impact on my life, and I hope to live a life similar to theirs, no matter how much or little money I may earn in my lifetime.

Week 13 Journal Entry

I enjoyed reading President Monson's talk this week, "An Attitude of Gratitude". He mentions some of the people that we need to be remember to be grateful for. I love reading talks about gratitude, because it causes me to reflect on what I am grateful for. We also read about Randy Haykin this week and had to consider whether or not an entrepreneur life was something that was for us. I have thought about that a lot through this class, and I'm not sure it is right for me. When we learn about people who have these great ideas, I've thought, "I'm not really that creative. I don't know if that's something I could do." Today, I was reading Harvard Business Publishing's Core Curriculum on Entrepreneurship, and it talked about that very thing. Having a great idea doesn't necessarily just happen to some people and not others. Most of the time, it is when you are learning and growing in an industry (or in anything) that you find the ways things can be improved. I loved the advice to just keep learning and improving, and anyone can be an entrepreneur.

Week 12 Journal Entry

This week was so interesting with the focus on making a difference in the world and becoming a social entrepreneur. I am very interested in non-profit work, so this appealed greatly to me. Having an article written by Muhammad Yunus was good to read. My mission president has mentioned him to me, because Unitus, that helped found, was based on the principles of Yunus. Also, I really loved the talk given by Elder Gay. I didn't know that he was one of the people who helped found Unitus as well! What an inspirational man. I love that he talked about having the picture of the Martin Harris farm on his office wall as a reminder to not covet and to consecrate our wealth to the building up of the kingdom of God. There are a lot of lessons that I learned from this talk, but it was especially emotional to me to hear the story of the young woman in Darfur. I hope that I remember not only how blessed I am, but that Heavenly Father intends for me to use those blessings to help rescue His children.

Week 11 Journal Entry

I really enjoyed the mini case studies this week. What a great opportunity to think ahead to a difficult situation and figure out the better decision to make before it happens. It made me consider being a youth and how we were taught to make difficult decisions before the situations came up, so we wouldn't be pressured by our peers to make a wrong choice. I think even though we are not youth anymore, that doesn't mean we aren't pressured by our peers, though the pressure may come from different places and the choices are not as black and white as they were back then (though not all of them were even back then). This was definitely one of my favorite assignments so far.

Week 10 Journal Entry

This week I most enjoyed my entrepreneur interview. Getting the opportunity, with the push of the assignment, to reconnect with my mission president and get his advice on business matters was really inspiring to me. He had some great thoughts that helped me get a more grounded perspective on what non-profit work is really like and that it's not always (or even usually) as glamorous as it's made out to be. I also really enjoyed Elder Oaks's talk about conversion vs. testimony. This is something I've contemplated before, but something I needed to be reminded of. Who I am becoming? Am I letting the Gospel of Jesus Christ really change my life, or just going through the motions? I definitely felt the Spirit telling me there are things I need to change.

Week 9 Journal Entry

This week (a lot of it anyway) felt a lot like a review week for me, which is a good thing! In one of my previous classes, I read the book "Good to Great", and I have read the talks "Brigham Young University - Idaho: A Disciple Preparation Center" and "Leadership with a Small l" multiple times for different classes, so I knew what to expect. It also helped me to focus on my mentor interview and prepare for my essay next week since these were principles I had previously learned. I love the principles of the book "Good to Great". I love that it focuses so much on a person's character to become a great leader, because that is something anyone could work at and do. It is inspiring to me to think about, although when I think of it I realize how far I have to go to become a great leader (and that includes for me being a great leader for my children, not just running a big company). Still, it humbles me and makes me draw closer to my Savior, recognizing that I have divine potential that I can only reach with His help.

Week 8 Journal Entry

This week's lesson was entitled "Overcoming Challenges". I loved the multiple aspects that this topic brought up: business challenges, life challenges, relationship challenges, etc. When reading the devotional by Elder and Sister Holland, I was struck by the changes I can make to improve the relationships I have with those I love. I LOVE my husband. I love being around him, talking to him, just really doing anything with him! I think the amount of time I try to spend with him shows him how much I care about him, but there is a lot more I could do for him. He really appreciates a clean house (and he sure helps me out with it!) but I think if I did a better job of having it ready for him, I could show him how much I care about the things he cares about. When it comes to business, of course there will always be challenges, but I liked the video we watched called "The Five Whys". Every problem needs to be looked at and taken back a few steps to make sure we actually get to the cause. I like that he said not to spend too much time on it, but maybe an hour, and then if the problem recurs, put in another hour, and so on, until there is a solution. If the problem wasn't something that comes up a lot, you won't have wasted a ton of time on training for a rare issue, but if it is something more complex and common, you can slowly put in the time and effort needed to correct the problem.