Entrepreneurial Journal

This week as we studied about gratitude the talk "An Attitude of Gratitude" by Thomas S Monson particularly stood out to me. He said, "w e can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. He then went on to list some specific things we can focus on being grateful for. The first was gratitude for our mothers, he talked about how they sacrifice so much for their children and families. He quoted a writer who said, “God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.” Next is gratitude for our fathers, of this he said; “Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change.” Third, he liste...

  This week the study of an article entitled “Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” from the Acton School of Business had a profound effect on me. I do not feel a summary can do it justice, it contains so many principles and truths that contain such power and is something I will read again and refer to it often. I shared it with some of the people in my life that are most important to me as I feel it will be able to have a positive affect on them as well.   If pressed to share what stood out most to me, I would share the following thoughts and quotes: ·          Once you have abandoned a foolish quest for the ephemeral rewards of happiness, wealth, and power, you can begin to look for your true calling on this earth—a Hero’s Journey. To do this, you must first learn to lose yourself. Unbundling this paradox will require you to accomplish three tasks. ·          We seem to confuse enjoyme...

In Elder Oaks talk “The Challenge to Become” he talks about the greatest dream each of us should have the dream to live with God again and to become Gods and Goddess as He and our Heavenly Mother are. How though do we obtain this greatest of all dreams? It begins with who we are becoming. This becoming comes because of how we allow the gospel to change and convert us, as Elder Oaks said conversion “requires us to  do  and to  become.  If any of us relies solely upon our knowledge and testimony of the gospel, we are in the same position as the blessed but still unfinished Apostles whom Jesus challenged to be “converted.”   God has prepared a plan for us to help us on our path of becoming perfect even as He is, it is through living the gospel of Jesus Christ that this is possible. Elder Oaks said, “This spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right choices, and from continuing ...

  During a devotional at BYU-I in December 2007 President Kim B. Clark taught about what it means to be a disciple leader, in a message entitled “Leadership with a small l.” Of this principle he taught: “The call to be a disciple-leader is a call to minister and to serve.  It is a call to lead as Christ leads.  It is leadership with a small “L”—the kind of leadership that builds and lifts and inspires through kindness and love and unselfish devotion to the Lord and His work.  It is the kind of leadership that we need at every level of every kind of organization in the world and in every ward and stake in the Church.  It is the kind of leadership you will need to build an eternal family.”   President Clark then set fort the principles that illustrate how to live lives of principled leadership. The first principle is to Lead by Example. For our children, the ways we live our lives will teach them far more than our words. If we want them on the path that...

Some of the highlights for me from this week's studies- Think backwards, essentially beginning with the end in mind as Covey taught. Think randomly, come up with solutions others would not think of.  Successfully execute your brand.  You can do anything if you involve the Lord, and he will open great opportunities to you.  Do not doubt yourself and what you can do.  Behind every technical problem there is a human error.  Put your energy into who you are becoming. The only limitations are the ones you put on yourself.  Nothing valuable comes without significant sacrifice.  Hang in, hang on, and reap your rewards.  You are laying the foundation of a great life.  Where there is no vision the people perish. The baking of life's cake takes time. Good marriages require toil, tears, and commitment.  Marriage is the highest, noblest calling, and it r...

                Of Covey's seven habits, habit three "put first things first" is most meaningful to me. It is so easy to get distracted by all the noise around us, to feel as if you are obligated to do everything at once. The principle of putting first things first helps us to to say no to somethings and focus on what is most important to us. Of this Covey said, "Putting first things first means organizing and executing around your most important priorities. It is living and being driven by the principles you value most, not by the agendas and forces surrounding you."           By planning our weeks and looking at where things fall in importance, we can schedule our time so that we are using our time to ensure the things of most importance get the most energy and effort. In answer to the question as to why the 7 habits will help fill my life with passion and purpose as I seek to achieve both a ...