The Last Lecture

I started attending college in April of 2009.This class in all honesty has been my favorite course I have taken in my entire time going to school. Today is the last day that I will be doing homework probably for quite some time as I will be finishing up my bachelors. This in fact, is the last assignment that I will be turning in to complete my bachelors. I feel that this class and the things I have learned have not only helped me to have the courage to go after my dreams but they have enlightened my understanding on alot of life's most important lessons. Often I find that the lessons we learn not only apply to a business setting but also to us a children of God striving to prove ourselves herewith while here on Earth. To try to write all of the things that have impacted me throughout this course would take me all through the night, but to sum it up. This class has helped me to have greater vision, greater passion, self confidence, and it has helped me to embrace the fact that I am young and even naive at times. I feel now at times that being naive about some things is a great thing, I have nothing in my mind telling me I can do this or that. I feel like I can do it because I can see no reason why I cant. This class has helped me also to learn about having smart courage and that being an entrepreneur is not about making big risks and sometimes getting lucky, but making smart calculated risks that can turn out good no matter what happens because you can will things to turn out good. The will the succeed and conquer is ultimate in this challenge to overcome fear and actually put your foot down and start walking the path of entrepreneurship. I thank those that put this course together and the authors of the wonderful books we have read for helping to set me on a course for my life.

Week 12

This week has been a really big week for me. I feel like this whole semester I have been learning so much from this class. This week has really helped to solidify my feelings about owning a business and being an entrepreneur. I loved reading the book because it helped me to think about the skills that I have that can help me to be successful and also those things that I need to work on. I liked the perspective that it helped me to gain about creating a business when it talked about the myths that exist or that people often think of that prevent them from being an entrepreneur. All of those things helped to contribute to giving me the confidence to create a business and to have the knowledge of the things I need to do to be prepared.

One thing that really stood out to me was analyzing your fears and breaking them down so that they are not fears anymore. There are so many things that can be done in owning a business to minimize risk and that's what I am going to do. Most of what scared me was taking risks and losing everything, but that's not how it needs to be. This book helped me to see a healthy approach to being an entrepreneur and to consider what its going to take to be one so that I can mentally and financially prepare myself for it.

Week 11

I really enjoyed the story we read about Mohammed and the life lesson he learned concerning economics and their application in real life. I took some time today to tell my wife about the things that I learned because I was so impressed with the article. I love the perspective that he has on our potential as human beings and how we should all be able to improve our circumstances and we should never forget our inherit creativity that we all have as human beings. Its something that is overlooked and maybe forgotten about. I also liked how he helped us to see one of the world views that are incorrect. Namely that the world sees us as laborers and there are only a select few that are the entrepreneurs. He helped to point out that this is simply not true and that we do not have to be a laborer unless we want to. Each of us has within us that innate creativity and the ability to create success. We just have to decide how much we are willing to put into it in order to be successful.

I think my favorite part of President Monson's story was about the father that was planning on spending time with his kids when something came up, he chose to spend it with his kids because he said there will be more opportunities for work but kids only grow up once. Its something we cant miss. Right now I have been so busy in my life that its been easy to miss time with my little girl and its been good to remind myself that nothing should be more important than spending time with my wife and my little girl.

Week 10

I think that one of the activities that I enjoyed the most were the cases that I had to determine how I would react in the situation. What was great about it was the introspection that followed and I was really able to see what kind of a person I was based on my decisions. Well, I also believe that there was alot of logic in my decision as well not just on feelings alone.

I loved that we talked about money and how we should think of it and how we should treat it. Its something that needs to be important to all of us and valued but never something that is more valuable than our families or those things that are valuable in our lives, the relationships around us. If we were to grow old and have all the money in the world but no family to share it with and to enjoy it with what good would it be? I am grateful for my perspective on money and that I understand its importance but I do not allow it to be the biggest determining factor in my life.

Week 9

I liked the mentor session this week because it helped me to analyze where I am at with my concerns and to think about possible solutions. Thinking about your concerns and writing them down is surprisingly helpful when it comes to being able to have the courage to overcome them. I was able to write out my thoughts and see the flaws and also to see what concerns were valid. Thinking about ways to reduce the risk and to make being an entrepreneur more realistic and less risky it helps you have the confidence to actually try it. I liked how in the book it talks about the fear of becoming an entrepreneur and it talked about the benefits of being young when starting a business. It was encouraging to see that some of the most successful people started companies when they were young.

I absolutely love the way that Google works with their employees and encourages employees to spend 20% of their time pursue whatever they want. I think this would be a good philosophy to carry out on my own and to try to set aside time to make sure I pursue dreams of my own and to try things out. Putting time aside and not worry about what I do with it can help me be more creative and inventive. I hope that I can create a company someday that I would be able to employ ideas like that and afford to create an environment of creativity like that.

Week 8

What I loved about this week was the reflection that I did in the Mentor activity. I loved the introspection and to think about the future as well. This idea of having a business one day fascinates me and excites me. I love the knowledge that we are gaining in the process because it helps me feel like I have the confidence to go out and to be successful.

I enjoyed the article that we read because it helped me to have a perspective between entrepreneurs and the government. Why we need each other. I thought about the idea of growing organically and I know its something that is good to do but you have to have your mind made up and be smart. I also want to make sure that my roots are deep and that I build a strong foundation for my business because I want to be able to last through the hard times and that is part of what having deep roots does for a business.

Week 7

Because I am seminary teaching right now the Good things to come stood out to me this week. The imagery it provides and the inspiration is great. Right now I am taking a full load for school and working two jobs. One of those jobs is seminary teaching. I am in the last phase of hiring and it has been grueling and difficult. The thing that they expect from seminary teachers are wonderful but they require alot of work and effort on our part. Its great for the kids because it means that they are only going to have the best teachers available for the kids. Its comforting to look forward knowing that good things will come.

Also going through the mentor activity and realizing the things that I know and the much greater list of things that I dont know was humbling and eye opening. I saw that there were so many things that I do not have a very good knowledge about and that I need to educate myself better if I wish to be a business owner. However, I feel that I have a great friend base and some excellent connections for the future. I feel that networking is something that comes naturally for me and that is one of the most important aspects of business.

I also enjoyed listening to Heath Bradley when he talked about wanting to go to school to better his future and how its a lonley road. I feel like that is something I can relate to in my life. I spend all week working and doing homework and then it just starts over every week. I spend about 12 hours doing home work on saturdays and it never ends. But I am preparing myself for the future and my sacrifices will soon pay off.

Week 6

I loved the book on mastery. One part stood out above all the rest for me and it was the quote that said " we sometimes choose a course of action that brings only the illusion of accomplishment, the shadow of satisfaction." that stood out to me because I know that there are things I could do that would outwardly look like I accomplished more, but I know that the career I am currently doing requires more mastery than most people think. That is why that stood out to me, I have chosen to do something that is very difficult for a career and outwardly its not looked like something that is a very big accomplishment.  There were so many things about that book that I liked but another one that stuck with me was understanding the process we go through and that often we plateau, understanding that plateau is part of the process we go through and huge breakthroughs of growth happen but its not every day. Understanding the process can help me understand the process of mastery so that I don't give up once I feel like I have stopped progressive. Ill just know to keep moving forward and keep enjoying the path that I am on and the learning will come.

This week I have also been able to reflect on what I think of when I think of being an entrepreneur and there were alot of thing that came to mind. One in particular is that entrepreneurs have a similar thought process that they go through. Being an entrepreneur requires a state of mind and an attitude about life that requires constant adjusting and constant search for knowledge and ways to improve. Its these things that I hope I can have myself when I become an entrepreneur.

 

Week 5

What I enjoyed from this week was looking over the qualities that I possess and those that I lack in regards to being an entrepreneur. This week I did alot of reflection by way of self mastery and it was pretty sobering to realize how much this is something that I need to work on. Not only did I realize that this is something that I need to work on but it is also something I realized is essential to my success not only in this life but in the eternities. I need to be able to control my appetite for those things which should be done sparingly and to be better with my priorites. Especially making sure that I put my family and my God first above all else. I must confess that I am guilty of wanting to be selfish with my time and do my own hobbies and those things that are pleasing to me. Unfortunately it gets in the way of not only my personal growth but also being able to spend time with my family and server more faithfully in my calling. I know that not only will this help me spiritually but it will also help me to be more successful when it comes to business.

I also enjoyed the video for the rich grad because I know that I am victim of believing that whats important is just income and expenses. I know its also important for me to get assets in order to get out of the rat race of life. I need to be smart with my money so that I can invest and save money and not just think of things as income and expense.

Week 4

Again I had a great time watching the videos and reading the articles. It was fun to tell my wife about the chances of becoming a rock star, we got a good laugh out of it. Its presentation was successful, it helped me to realize that most business are sufficient to provide for our needs but most are not a business that will make us billionaires. I also liked that he talked about the benefits of having a company you work for and trying to build something on the side. I feel like that is an approach I am most comfortable with. I also liked learning about finding your purpose in life and the approaches we can take to find it.

I thought about what my family and friends might say if I was to ask them about a skill that I have that is unique to me and something that they think I can offer to the world. Im curious to find out now what they might say. My first impression is that they would all say to work with people because I love working with people and helping people be happy.

I was intrigued by the story of Erica and impressed by the process that she went through in order to be successful. Whats great is that it was not a zero to hero story, it showed the slow process that she was going through for success and the creativity and ingenuity that she needed to be able to make things work and to progress. It drove home the importance of getting feedback from clients and family and friends in order to meet the demands of the people.

Week 3

This week has been alot of fun. Its been alot of fun to discuss the things we have learned and to see the different perspectives of the students in the class. That book was awesome and I feel like it gave me an excellent perspective on business and keys to success that I otherwise may not have ever discovered on my own. The insight and knowledge it offered was excellent.

I absolutly loved the stories from the book and the things they were able to teach you. Thats what history is all about, learning from the mistakes of others so that you dont make them yourselves. This book takes the successes and failures and points them out to you so that you can know what kind of mindset is necessary in order to succeed.

I also enjoyed the videos from this week. I too feel that I have pursued what I was born to do. There is no question that going after what you are born to do is something that everyone should be striving to do. It definitely makes  working alot easier to do because you enjoy your work and when you have to put in extra hours its not something that bothers you.

Week 2

I was sitting down with my wife and telling her that this has been the best class that I have taken at the BYU-Idaho. I have loved the material I have been reading and I feel like I have been learning alot.

 I was impressed by the videos from this week. I loved them all.  I was happy to see someone talking about integrity in the work place because it encourages us to continue to hold integrity not only as a value in our lives and to instill it in our children, but to emphasize its importance in the work place. It said to me excellent credentials does not make up for poor integrity. Integrity means alot and as someone that hopes to be an employer someday it showed me how crucial it can be.

I also enjoyed learning about getting invested in what you do. I put myself in the perspective of the person talking and its scary investing your own money into things. Its easy to get others to invest their money into the company because if it fails, you dont lose your money, they lose their money. He pointed out that you have to "get your skin" in the game. When you do that you will be more committed to the outcome and the success of the company you are investing in.

The story about Yesil I hope is one that will stick with my for a long time and point out to me the importance of knowledge and continuing to seek after it. There is no substitute for it and it takes alot of hard work. She showed me what we are capable of if we put our minds to something.

Week 1

The last lecture from Randy Pausch was such an inspiration to millions. What I love most about his story isnt that he was optimistic and happy even though he knew he was going to die, but that he set goals and he achieved them. Even when it seemed as if he would never be able to achieve them. Rejection after rejection, yet he persisted to his goals. This is something that I imagine that I will remember when there is something that I want and things keep going wrong or when I face failure repeatedly. I can remember Randy Pausch and the example he set of not taking no for an answer.

I also loved reading this weeks stars and stepping stones. Its great because the title leaves you to wonder what do stars and stepping stones have to do with business? Then as you continue to read it makes perfect sense and helps you get down to earth with your goal setting and expectations. Its ok to shoot for the stars, you just have to put a plan in place to move towards it little by little. Also, with stepping stones he had a great perspective by taking set backs and failures and remember that they are just stepping stones to getting to where you need to be.

I feel like the work we did this week helped for each of us set our sights and realize that goals and dreams are attainable if they are done correctly. If that doesn't motivate and inspire you, im not sure what would.

Intro Week

The story about the gentlemen that taught the class and met a student years down the road impressed me. It shows the importance of keeping notes and journals. Its frustrating to realize how many things I have likely learned and forgotten simply because I was unwilling to write them down. I think about how many wonderful life changing experiences that I have had and I wonder how many of them I bothered to write down so that I can remember the things I felt and learned from those experiences. It emphisizes to me the importance of keeping a journal so that I can always retain those things we learn.

I was also deeply touched by the video we watched from Gordon B. Hinckley. It was wonderful to listen to a prophets voice about our generation and what he expects of us and what our potential is. This was one of those things that I knew I needed to write down and remember. Especially as I will be teaching seminary I felt like this talk could not have come at a better time.