I was extremely impressed by the video we watched in our class this week featuring Stan Christensen. Much of my mental energy has been expended on trying to find out what I'm going to do for my career. This proposition is especially daunting with my impending graduation on Wednesday. Stan reassured me, many don't stay with their first job out of school. He also taught that the whole idea of a 30 year career is one that is largely changing. It is becoming more common for people to work for multiple companies or try many ventures through their working life. One of my biggest fears int he working world is getting stuck in a rut, being settled, especially in one where I am unhappy with the career I'm involved in. So, hearing that multiple ventures is a refreshing idea to me.

One of the other most comforting things, preparing me to step into the next chapter of my life is Christensen's counsel to not try and guess what future employers want from you. Find the areas in which you're passionate about and along the way you'll find like minded people and find a place where you fit in. There is so much pressure to find a job where we get paid a nice salary, or ones that our in-laws will be impressed with. I'd much rather be bombarded with comments like, "I can't believe you get paid to do that." or "You're so lucky to be doing something you love." These would mean I'm following a path that will allow me to remain happy in my work life. 

One of the greatest lesson I have learned through the readings and videos and experiences of this week is that there is so much more to entrepreneurship than money. When money is your focus, you are likely to get it, but just as likely to lose a part of yourself to it, a part that my or may not come back. 

Instead, entrepreneurship is a service. It is a means by which I have personally been able to see people look at the problems that we face as a society or even as the human race, and do their best to improve the lives of as many possible. It is so much more than having a job. It deals in the currency of purpose and passion. It allows those dedicated to its cause to do things that they believed to be outside their capacity. 

I wonder what I have to offer up to the world. One of the many things that I've kicked around in my head, something that I'm passionate about, it recreation. Everyone has to work. Its almost a certainty in life. Often the stresses of that work can be attempted to be dulled by things that are detrimental to future success, such as alcohol, drugs, pornography, promiscuousness, the selfish use of time, unplugging from those around us. My dream it to create a camp for families, where recreation can be a positive, energizing, family building time. If I could dedicate my time, effort, and means to such a cause (while being able to provide for the needs of my family), I would sign up in an instant to dedicate my life. That is more important than all the money in the world. Such an endeavor would pay me handsomely in a purpose and passion, and I intend to be blessed as a set out on such a cause.

This week has provided me with a lot of time to reflect. One of my professors, Dr. Steven Stokes, passed away on Thursday. During each of my classes on Friday, we all had the opportunity to reflect on his life and in turn our own lives. Brother Stokes taught me much about balancing the various aspects of life. He taught classes with many heavy, difficult topics such as Social Problems, Juvenile Delinquency, Race and Ethnic Relations, Law and Society, and Drugs and Society. He seemed from a student perspective, that he was always learning, and by so doing, he was showing an incredible amount of love and compassion for people caught up in unfavorable life situations. From what I've learned, he truly lived a life that was focused on helping others. He adopted children that he knew would be able to have a better life. He truly found balance in his work and family life.

My point in sharing this is that I have reflected on the life of this great man. I look around at how many people's lives I can see that he's touched and can only imagine the unseen number. It has caused me to reflect on how I can live a life that has meaning, that can influence people around me. I realize that there are many important things that are going to compete for our attention. I must strive to make sure that I'm taking care of the most important, like my friend and mentor Brother Stokes.

Now on to answer the questions assigned from the reading "Attitude on Money."

1. My attitude on money isn't really strongly that its good or bad, but much like the article, that money is a reflection of who we have already become and what priorities we've established in our lives. I would like for my money to be able to allow me to provide great experiences for and with my family.

2. The way you view money is everything. If money is at the top of your priority list, you may not give other aspects of your life the attention it deserves. Your family life, your health, your happiness, and spirituality may all suffer if you have an unhealthy expectation on the power of money. While powerful, money still cannot buy everything. Money must be something we do prioritize, just now above some of the essential things mentioned above.

3. The rules for prospering are as follows:

1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him.
2. Keep the commandments, including the temporal ones of paying tithing and fast offering.
3. Think about money and how to become self-reliant.
4. Take advantage for chances of learning so you will not be ignorant.
5. Learn the laws on which the blessings of wealth are predicated.
6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty, or the sick or those who are held captive.

This past week has held a lot for my by way of pondering on the future. I from the time I'm writing this, am 3 weeks away from finishing my college career. While there is plenty of excitement for that day, I also harbor a bit of apprehension and anxiety about what the future holds. One of my biggest fears is getting stuck. Many call it security, being able to work for the same company for 30-40 years, but I don't know if I could accomplish that feat. It sounds suffocating.

This week's videos talked about dreaming big. We learned about Google's understanding of what happens when you provide an environment of trust and imagination to a group of people. If you don't know what I'm talking about, each Google employee has 20% of their work time that they can dedicate to working on any project that they'd like to create. It was later told that of the new product launches, 50% came from that 20% time. That is the kind of stuff that I'm looking for in a future career. I want the ability in my job to dream big, to be able to take limits off what I can accomplish and see what my imagination is able to accomplish. I would much rather fail at dreaming big than succeed dreaming small.

One of the messages from this section of readings that stood out, quite significantly, was the idea of execution. This quote from "A Message to Garcia" gave my mind a lot to ponder. "The ability to execute is more valuable than education or talent, because it is far rarer." The entire idea brought back to my mind a talk that I had heard last year at a TEDx event held here in Rexburg, Idaho. The speaker Bill Crawford spoke of his time as a pilot in the military (a more full report of what I learned from him can be found here). He reminds us that execution is sandwiched between two other very important factors - planning and debriefing.

He spoke of mission he flew for the US military and how the execution of these missions started long before and lasted long after their time in the aircraft. Most people understand planning is an important part of having successful execution. The point that stood out to me and the point Mr. Crawford emphasized was the portion of debrief that often gets overlooked. Often when I set forth to accomplish a goal and am successful, that is often the end of my time with it. It was explained that the real nuggets of learning were found in the time after execution was complete, the debrief, an account and questions that were answered while the events of the execution were fresh in your mind. This is when you can point out what things went well, what went poorly, how to fix things for the next go around, all these things feed directly into the next planning session. So, the principle of planning, execution, debrief is one that anyone who desires to accomplish a goal, whether it's starting a business, flying a mission, or accomplishing any other goal in life. We can become extremely valuable if we strive to label ourselves as an 'executor'. 

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the things has changed but that our power to do has increased." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mastery has been the focus of our studies this week. In our society, if something isn't quick or easily accessible, it is often tossed aside as something we can do without. As I ponder on how I fall into the trap of living a life following the path of least resistance,  and how when I'm doing that in my life, I feel less enjoyment and successful. Its because when I'm following the path of least resistance or looking for a quick fix, I'm not challenging myself. 

Think of the goals we set for ourselves. I have a goal to become a good father to my children and a good husband to my wife. There is no quick way to become either of those things, but often we think that if we buy a book, or watch a video with the "5 Marks of the Perfect Dad," title, we will somehow be able to handle all the stresses and frustrations that come along with it. It takes study, application, intuition, persistence over a long period of time in order to be able to become a good husband and father.  If I am willing to make small, incremental changes and continue to strive to give 100% effort, I will begin to realize the truthfulness of the Emerson quote that I shared at the beginning of this post.

I believe it all starts with a vision. Whatever we want to become, whether it be a perfect father, a successful entrepreneur, or better in a skill or hobby, we have to be able to imagine a world in which we have perfected that skill. We will then, mentally, be able to recognize if the effort to get there is worth it in the first place. If it is, we will have the why behind it all, ready to assist us when we are met with resistance and struggle to move forward. It will allow us to persist for years, because we've seen the end, even if only in our minds.  

This week, we examined a case study that gave us a glimpse into the decision on whether to have a business follow a slow growth pattern or move it at a faster pace. Personally, I chose slow growth and the reason comes down to one of the other reading that we had this week. 

In an experience given by Jeff Sandefer, he spoke of sitting in front of a group of entrepreneurs to ask them about what contributed to their success. Among the many things that were born out of that conversation, the one the stood out most to me was the reason many begin their entrepreneurial ventures. Here is the excerpt that really had me thinking:

The used car tycoon agreed, “Entrepreneurial success isn’t about money; it’s about freedom. The goal isn’t to make more than you need, it’s to spend less than you make. Because that way your free time belongs to you.”

Whether I knew it or not, this was the reason that becoming an entrepreneur has become so enticing to me. I've been going to school for 4 years now and have worked the entire time, minus one semester. As my wife and I started our family, I felt sad when I would have to leave them for large chunks of the day only to see them for a half hour or so before leaving for work that evening. I imagine a life where I'm working full time for a company and imagine either being so pressed for time, that I can't see my family grow, or being so drained by the soul sucking work that can so often take over lives, that I wouldn't be able to enjoy the time that I do have with them. In contrast to this grim reality that I paint in my head, the freedom of entrepreneurship excites me.