I really liked the "Successful Entrepreneurs Born or Made?" article because of the way it stressed hard work in being successful. I think myself and my generation are really sick with the 'entitlement' trait and instant this and instant that. It makes it hard to be patient and difficult to be persistant.
In this culture of instant food, instant photos, instant mail, and just such a quick turnaround. Preserving and working hard to achieve something, I think, is one of the big differences between great success and just getting by.
This quote from Elder Faust's talk was one of my favorites:
"Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges. Paul Harvey, the famous news analyst and author, once said: “Someday I hope to enjoy enough of what the world calls success so that someone will ask me, ‘What’s the secret of it?’ I shall say simply this: ‘I get up when I fall down.’”
I am a good starter. I get good ideas and I love the start of them, I think it talks about this kind of person in the Mastery book. I'm a dabbler. I try this and that but then don't have the patience or perseverance to master it or finish or what.
So this week I really see that I need to work on that. That's what I've really learned. The question is how do I work on that, right?
I remember my mom telling me once that she had all these craft projects she had started and then stopped and started a new one. What she did was made herself an ultimatum. She said she needed to finish one project before she started any new ones, which meant she had to finish all these olds ones up. She also gave herself a deadline. She had to finish all her 'unfinished' projects by the end of the year or she had to get rid of them. I recall that it really worked for her. So maybe I need to do something similar to that.
I also learned that I am more prepared and more equipped to become and entrepreneur than I'd previously thought. Good news, eh?
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Do what you love...
In his lecture, Tom Kelley gives this quote:
"Do what you love. You'll be better at it." -Francis Ford Coppola
How true is that? It reminds me of the parable of the talents. Three men are given different amounts of talents. The first receives five, the next two, and the last one. The first two men go out and use there talents and receive gain but the third is afraid and buries his talent and has no increase. In the end the one who didn't use his talent looses it.
I think our talents really play into what we love and what we want to do, so we need to use them, develop them, and as we do that I think it's rewarding and brings us happiness.
I think about when I have a class at school that isn't my favorite, like algebra, it's rough and I dread going to it most of the time.
But when I go to a class I love, like sculpture or photography, it is much more enjoyable and I do better at it.
I think the reason we are better when we do what we love is because we're willing to put the work in. We enjoy the work and so we put more time in and are happier and more creative.
I just shut down when something is unenjoyable. I can do it but I just put it off and then I probably don't do the best job that I could if I loved what I was doing.
I also really loved how he talked about thinking like a traveler. When your'e traveling or seeing a new place your brain is going a hundred miles faster because you want to take EVERYTHING in. But at home we lose that because everything is so normal.
It reminds me of my driver's ed class in 10th grade. My teacher told us that a lot of accidents happen when people are on there way home. Why? Because they became complacent. They think, "I'm on my way home and I know the way now and everything is so familiar..." etc and they aren't thinking or watching as sharply. He told us to vary our routes. Think like a traveler.
USE YOUR WHOLE BRAIN! I like that.
"Do what you love. You'll be better at it." -Francis Ford Coppola
How true is that? It reminds me of the parable of the talents. Three men are given different amounts of talents. The first receives five, the next two, and the last one. The first two men go out and use there talents and receive gain but the third is afraid and buries his talent and has no increase. In the end the one who didn't use his talent looses it.
I think our talents really play into what we love and what we want to do, so we need to use them, develop them, and as we do that I think it's rewarding and brings us happiness.
I think about when I have a class at school that isn't my favorite, like algebra, it's rough and I dread going to it most of the time.
But when I go to a class I love, like sculpture or photography, it is much more enjoyable and I do better at it.
I think the reason we are better when we do what we love is because we're willing to put the work in. We enjoy the work and so we put more time in and are happier and more creative.
I just shut down when something is unenjoyable. I can do it but I just put it off and then I probably don't do the best job that I could if I loved what I was doing.
I also really loved how he talked about thinking like a traveler. When your'e traveling or seeing a new place your brain is going a hundred miles faster because you want to take EVERYTHING in. But at home we lose that because everything is so normal.
It reminds me of my driver's ed class in 10th grade. My teacher told us that a lot of accidents happen when people are on there way home. Why? Because they became complacent. They think, "I'm on my way home and I know the way now and everything is so familiar..." etc and they aren't thinking or watching as sharply. He told us to vary our routes. Think like a traveler.
USE YOUR WHOLE BRAIN! I like that.
It was really interesting how he talked about this book:
The Hare brain is the part of your brain under direct control. But he tortoise mind is where contemplation happens. He said that people will do things to address the tortoise mind with things like writing a question down before bed in the hopes that the tortoise mind will mull it over in your dreams. I think that is so cool! I want to try that, especially because he said that your tortoise mind has a hard time thinking when there is a billion things happening at once and so you have to find time to relax and daydream. I like that. I also believe it. I come up with good ideas when I daydream.
So I learned mostly from Tom Kelley this week and I liked it a lot and there are these two books above that sound interesting to read in the future.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Integrity,dear Watson!
Integrity will bring success. I think that some of the simplest things are the most important, I mean the Lord did say that by small and simple things are great things great things come to pass (Alma 37:6).
The story that Sister Dew told about Joseph F. Smith I have found to be true. In come a mob of people threatening to hurt any Mormons and where many ran and hid Joseph did not. He stood square and answered the men, "Yes siree; dyed in the wool; true blue, through and through." To which he was commended by his would be enemy.
In my life when I have quietly stood firm for what I know is right I have found that those who have differing opinions often become the first to stand up for me when I'm under attack. I think that integrity is just so attractive people. I think it's attractive because we all want to have integrity. It's not always easy because we are threatened on many sides. But I understand the principle that if you put God first all things will work out for your good. Sometimes I may have momentary amnesia on that but He reminds me, sometimes quietly and sometimes loudly.
In Elder Robbins' address he teaches that and I love how clearly he outlined it using the metaphor of grades. I want to be an A+ student and so I need to work to become an A+ person in everything I do. A lofty goal but what better goal to have than that?
I also am reminded this week that procrastination is a killer. I think that has a real direct relationship to integrity and being an A+ person. If I sign myself up for something then I need to set out and do it consistently and with the energy it deserves. In short, I need to start reading the books we're given sooner and consistently read so I don't have to crame it down last minute. Yep, here is my confession! I let myself put off reading The Start-Up of You and when I finally started it I found that I quite like it and am gaining a lot of insights.
Other things of note include the eCorner speaker this week, Frank Levinson. I really like the 10 things he outlined for success in entrepreneurship.
In short he taught:
The story that Sister Dew told about Joseph F. Smith I have found to be true. In come a mob of people threatening to hurt any Mormons and where many ran and hid Joseph did not. He stood square and answered the men, "Yes siree; dyed in the wool; true blue, through and through." To which he was commended by his would be enemy.
In my life when I have quietly stood firm for what I know is right I have found that those who have differing opinions often become the first to stand up for me when I'm under attack. I think that integrity is just so attractive people. I think it's attractive because we all want to have integrity. It's not always easy because we are threatened on many sides. But I understand the principle that if you put God first all things will work out for your good. Sometimes I may have momentary amnesia on that but He reminds me, sometimes quietly and sometimes loudly.
In Elder Robbins' address he teaches that and I love how clearly he outlined it using the metaphor of grades. I want to be an A+ student and so I need to work to become an A+ person in everything I do. A lofty goal but what better goal to have than that?
I also am reminded this week that procrastination is a killer. I think that has a real direct relationship to integrity and being an A+ person. If I sign myself up for something then I need to set out and do it consistently and with the energy it deserves. In short, I need to start reading the books we're given sooner and consistently read so I don't have to crame it down last minute. Yep, here is my confession! I let myself put off reading The Start-Up of You and when I finally started it I found that I quite like it and am gaining a lot of insights.
Other things of note include the eCorner speaker this week, Frank Levinson. I really like the 10 things he outlined for success in entrepreneurship.
In short he taught:
- Spend your money on good equipment and good people (you can have nice furniture later)
- Let people know you are a business
- Raising limited capital
- Take stock of your company and determine its needs
- Be open to opportunities!
- Have a supportive family (and be supportive to your family!)
- Target mass markets not just niche ones
- Have confidence in new ideas (and believe you'll have many more great ideas)
- Find and keep REAL customers (people who buy and invest in you, not just think you have great ideas and flap their jaws)
- Choose a GREAT partner!
Jan Newman taught to take risks and invest in yourself.
And Rich Grad taught to believe in yourself, which for some reason is a lot easier said than done for me.
A great week.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
I am going to only fail; unless I never give up!
Another week gone by and there were lots of great readings and clips.
I think there was a lot of great things that helped me in the venue of believing in yourself.
We had Randy Pausch's last lecture and here is a man who is dying and shares with us slices of his life. He is positive and he accomplished many of his childhood dreams. I think he is really inspiring. He was tenacious and happy and he got a lot done that way. It's something I can learn from and want to learn from.
He also shared great insights from things he's learned from mentors and friends like from Jon Snoddy about how you have to wait long enough so that people you meet get a chance to show you who they are and that's when you'll be impressed.
I love that and I believe it because I've experienced that moment when patience with someone pays of in making a great friend in life.
It's just a good reminder to really think about what you would say if it was your last chance and I think at the same time makes you think about what you'd really do with your life if you had a known time limit.
Which connected straight with the Bucket List activity we did. I actually have a list from when I was around 16 or 17 of a 100 things I want to do before I die and it's been neat to see how I've accomplished quite a bit of those. I didn't actually have access to it when I made this new list. I wonder if there are crossovers.
I was surprised at myself because it seemed hard to come up with that list of 50, harder than when Id made my 100 list. Maybe because I'm older I'm more cautious and take things too seriously. I'm pretty sure on my original list I have silly things like, "find Graceland."
I think a Bucket List is an important and good thing to have and update throughout a life.
I also really enjoyed Tom Kelley. I haven't had a chance to listen to all his clips but I hope to later on.
I watched the clip about thinking like a traveler and he made a good point about how when you're travelling your brain is on high alert. That you just SEE everything because you're trying to soak it all in. He shared this great quote, "The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes." -Marcel Proust
The clip about treating life like and experiment was huge for me too. I get so nervous about failure and success and I just love that he reminded me that lots of people fail and fail and fail again and then finally, because they didn't give up, they have a great success!
I really liked how Haykin talked about his strengths and weaknesses. It really reminded me of Elder Hollands talk in the April conference. Haykin gave himself credit for the things he is good at first and then commented on where he wants to improve. That's what Elder Holland admonished us to do. I love when connections like that crop up for me and I think it's something I'm pretty good at, but I need to work on giving myself credit for strengths first and then not saying how much I stink at this or that but looking at how I can improve.
So this week I think really helped me think about how I am going to fail at times and that is okay and also that I will succeed if I just never give up.
Being kind to yourself, especially while you're learning something new is important as well.
Good stuff!
I think there was a lot of great things that helped me in the venue of believing in yourself.
We had Randy Pausch's last lecture and here is a man who is dying and shares with us slices of his life. He is positive and he accomplished many of his childhood dreams. I think he is really inspiring. He was tenacious and happy and he got a lot done that way. It's something I can learn from and want to learn from.
He also shared great insights from things he's learned from mentors and friends like from Jon Snoddy about how you have to wait long enough so that people you meet get a chance to show you who they are and that's when you'll be impressed.
I love that and I believe it because I've experienced that moment when patience with someone pays of in making a great friend in life.
It's just a good reminder to really think about what you would say if it was your last chance and I think at the same time makes you think about what you'd really do with your life if you had a known time limit.
Which connected straight with the Bucket List activity we did. I actually have a list from when I was around 16 or 17 of a 100 things I want to do before I die and it's been neat to see how I've accomplished quite a bit of those. I didn't actually have access to it when I made this new list. I wonder if there are crossovers.
I was surprised at myself because it seemed hard to come up with that list of 50, harder than when Id made my 100 list. Maybe because I'm older I'm more cautious and take things too seriously. I'm pretty sure on my original list I have silly things like, "find Graceland."
I think a Bucket List is an important and good thing to have and update throughout a life.
I also really enjoyed Tom Kelley. I haven't had a chance to listen to all his clips but I hope to later on.
I watched the clip about thinking like a traveler and he made a good point about how when you're travelling your brain is on high alert. That you just SEE everything because you're trying to soak it all in. He shared this great quote, "The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes." -Marcel Proust
The clip about treating life like and experiment was huge for me too. I get so nervous about failure and success and I just love that he reminded me that lots of people fail and fail and fail again and then finally, because they didn't give up, they have a great success!
I really liked how Haykin talked about his strengths and weaknesses. It really reminded me of Elder Hollands talk in the April conference. Haykin gave himself credit for the things he is good at first and then commented on where he wants to improve. That's what Elder Holland admonished us to do. I love when connections like that crop up for me and I think it's something I'm pretty good at, but I need to work on giving myself credit for strengths first and then not saying how much I stink at this or that but looking at how I can improve.
So this week I think really helped me think about how I am going to fail at times and that is okay and also that I will succeed if I just never give up.
Being kind to yourself, especially while you're learning something new is important as well.
Good stuff!
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