My Last Lecture

I wrote this as if I am at my journey's end and I am giving advice to new entrepreneurs.

As I conclude my journey as an entrepreneur I have to say I am grateful for the journey.  It has been a journey but when I began I thought it was really a destination.  When I began years ago I wanted something easy.  I wanted to create a business in which I could make money without touching anything.  I could go on vacation and have money coming in.  That was why I wanted to become an entrepreneur.  The reality is it takes a lot of work and if you don’t know why you want to be an entrepreneur then stop now!  You need to have a purpose you need to have a vision.  That vision can’t be a selfish reason.  It has to be a vision about others and how to help others, first!  Then you can dream about your life.

The key to having a successful journey is service.  I have found that the vision of going to the beach and having income rolling in doesn’t motivate me.  What does motivate me is to serve the Lord.  In order to serve the Lord I must serve others.

The next key I would give is to find a need that others have.  Find the gift to give to others.  When you have settled on a target market and found a need to fill, be generous.  Over deliver every time!!  When you over deliver you customers will feel the love you have for them, the concern and the genuine desire you have to serve them. In turn your customers will become loyal to you. 

The next bit of advice is to serve your family.  Don’t forget about them in all of this.  They will stand by you and you need to stand by them.  Serve them.  Find ways to serve them.  Come home early one night.  Make dinner.  Take your kids to have ice cream cones at the park.  This will show them how much you love them.

The most important bit of advice I can give to you is to have your heart set on the Lord.  Do not be overcome by your own pride.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, that you achieve or receive is because of you it is ONLY a gift from your Heavenly Father.  The greatest way you can remain humble is to give and have gratitude.  When you recognize the needs of those around you in this world you will recognize the gifts and blessing our Father in Heaven has given you.  Just today on Facebook I saw a story of a young couple.  He had open heart surgery and they discovered a blood clot that went to his brain.  He was without oxygen for 2-3 minutes.  They don’t know if he will survive. The story doesn’t end there.  His wife gave birth to their first child this morning!  What can we do to help?  How can we rescue them?  Does this make you grateful for your spouse or your children? How about your health? 

The Lord gives us gifts whether it be talents, family members or income to use it for good!  In the book of Matthew, chapter twenty-five verse twenty-one it says “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  Use your gifts wisely, whether they be few or many and the Lord will bless you!

Thanksgiving is Over, Can you Still be Thankful

At this time of year people show more gratitude.  They give more freely and they enjoy the blessings that come from doing so.  After the season is over can you still be thankful?  Can you continue to count your blessings?

Gratitude is something I have thought a lot about in the last six-eight months.  My life has not been the easiest to live in that time.  I had a baby, moved to a new house, four weeks later.  We then discovered that our income didn't cover our expenses.  This was discovered after very careful planning on my part.  Their were many tears and stress.  We prayed and fasted as a family.  I decided to start a new business but I knew I couldn't bring in that much money that month! 

During that time I thanked Heavenly Father a lot.  I thanked him that my father-in-law could buy a house for us and lower our house payment by $150 a month.  I thanked him for the six months prior when I couponed very heavily and created a large stock pile of food and other necessities!  I thanked him that I had a brand new healthy baby!  I thanked him that my husband had a good job and we have good kids that are healthy.  I was constantly counting my blessings! 

The answer to our prayers came one day in August when a sister in our new ward called and asked me to watch her little boy during the school year. She told me of how she had been praying to know who she could ask. I kept coming to her mind, even though she didn't know me.  I knew immediately this was our answer.  The next time she spoke she told me how much they could pay.  It is not much but it was the exact amount we needed for our budget.  In our family prayer and my personal prayers I thank Heavenly Father for giving me this experience.

I have "failed" several times in business.  I am grateful for those so called failures because I have learned from each one and it has brought me to the business I am in now. I am further ahead because of the experiences I gained! 

Each and everyday I thank my Heavenly Father for my blessings.  I believe in so doing I am happier!  I am excited to accomplish my tasks each day.  I am grateful to be alive!  That is what gratitude does for you.

Even though Thanksgiving is over I still can be grateful each moment I have on this earth!

Making a Difference

Since I started a new business this summer I have had an intention very different then when I started businesses in the past.  I want to make a difference.  I know everyone says that but in my core that is what is motivating me more than anything else.

This weeks material in class has moved me and brought me greater motivation.  I want to have a business that helps others but I also want a business that provides for others.  I have the desire to make a difference in the lives of children and people who feel there is little hope or love left in the world.

I believe with all my heart that if I have the desire to serve others that are in need the Lord will bless me with success!  This morning I read in the Book of Mormon in the book of Alma, chapter five.  In this chapter Alma talks of the mighty change in heart.  I believe that when you have this change in heart you do all things based on the will of our Heavenly Father.  In doing so we can serve others.  He will bless us.

The stories in particular about the girl and Darfur and those that die of smallpox.  These are things I want to change.  I want to make a difference.  In my mind I can't do it alone.  I have no way of understanding what I can do to change it but the Lord does.  Just as Elder Gay shared about the man in Guana, who twenty years before had had a vision of his brother.  He saw Elder Gay.  I want to be that instrument in the Lords hands to make a difference!

I know that if I am humble and faithful the Lord will bless me to accomplish what he wants done with his children!

Are you Happy

Today is Thanksgiving.  Happy Thanksgiving!!  This is quickly becoming my favorite holiday.  I am so grateful for all that I have be blessed with.  I even broke a tooth while I was a Costco the other day and I was bless to have that tooth break in a place on my gums that doesn't hurt and can wait until next week to be fixed.  Heavenly Father truly blessed me!

This week I set some goals for next year in my business with the assistance of my husband.  After having read the material from class we added a goal for our family.  More on that in a minute.

The thing that stood out to me in class this week was am I happy.  It was talked about in the guide "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness".  The thing I really learned was as we become more prosperous we will not be happier then we are right now.  Our happiness will remain the same.  This reminded me of something that I learned a few months ago.  We need to live our life now the way we want to when we reach our goals. When we reach our goals everything we do will be magnified.  For instance, if you gamble a little now, you will gamble a lot when you have more money!  If you give now, you will give more when you have more. 

Last night I was discussing with my husband that in order to have the life we want in the future we need to start living that way now. That doesn't mean over spending and living extravagantly but it means setting boundaries and standards for you life and knowing that when you have more money or a bigger business or more opportunities you will not ever cross those boundaries.

So as a results I have been thinking about what I can do now that I want to do in the future.  I have a strong desire to serve, to share what I have been blessed with. Next year my family and I are going to pick a project each year to work on.  Every month we will serve someone different.  Maybe we will create baby quilts or donate clothes to the shelter.  We have to brainstorm with the kids and see what they would like to do.  I am so excited.  It may not be a lot but we will be giving and when we have more of an income we will be able to donate a lot more! 

I am happy and it is mostly because of my gratitude for all that I have.  It is possible to be happy in whatever circumstance you are in!

Think Big

I had a conversation with my friend last night.  We were discussing how we were going to make enough money in order to go on a Beach Retreat with other people in our industry. Afterwards my husband and I went out to eat.  It was a business dinner to discuss the coming year.  I can't tell you how excited I am for this coming year!  We included the trips I am going to take for business and the family trips we will take. We also discussed the debt we want to pay off.  In all I need to make at least $14,000 in order to reach all our goals.

$14,000 is not pocket change!
$14,000 is a lot of money.  It is just over $1000 a month.  That is a lot of money for a work at home mom to make.  Well in the eyes of skeptics!  That is not true!  It is possible and it is very possible and doable for me.  Now this $1165 is above and beyond what I will need to make for our family.  That is not too much. 

Why am I telling you this?
I am telling you this for two reasons. I am excited.  I am excited to acheive these goals. I also believe that my goals are possible because I am thinking big!  I really liked the video this week about thinking big.  He shared a story about finding out he was the 11th highest selling boat dealership in the country and the next year he went up to third (If I remember correctly).  The point is he said if you build your business with the Lord it is possible!  It will be possible to accomplish anything!

Next year is going to be a fabulous year next year!

Loyalty and Honesty in Business

Would you like to have a liar for an employee?  How about a traitor? 

That doesn't sound good to me.  This week in class we watched videos about being Loyal and Honesty.  One of the videos I really appreciated.  The guy (of course I don't remember who he was) said "We hire nice people."  What a concept!  The thing is there are companies that don't hire nice people.

Another video talked about trust and the guy said that you have to trust first and that is why Amazon is so successful.  That is why Zappos is so successful.  I remember several years ago I called Amazon.  Now I am a long time Amazon customer.  I have had my account longer than I have been married!  I have been an Amazon Prime member almost since the program was launched.  I purchase one to five (sometimes more) items from Amazon in a month.  All the diapers my youngest baby has worn except two packages (small packages) have been from Amazon. 

When I called Amazon I was not happy. (This is the only time I have called them.)  I ordered two books, this was before the Kindle.  I have free second day shipping.  I was suppose to get my books the the Friday before labor day but instead I was getting them a week late. I was not happy!!  What happen was they shipped it and it went to the wrong location.  I ended up talking to a supervisor.  After speaking to him for a few minutes he refunded my money.  I got the books free! He knew that it was there fault and they weren't willing to lose me as a customer.

Trust, Loyalty and Honesty are essential in business.  I have been loyal to Amazon for years. On the other hand I do not and have not shopped and Walmart for seven years now.  My three youngest children have not been inside a Walmart before.  I know they have a great return policy but when you checkout at a Walmart the employees are not nice.  They don't take coupons if they don't scan on THEIR system.  They also in some instances have refused to allow people to shop at their stores.  There are a few problems with this.  People have given them (Walmart) the power to dictate how the market will be.  Since people think they are the least expensive, they have to listen to Walmart.  Well guess what Walmart doesn't trust you.  They tell you what to do.  In turn I don't trust them. They don't treat their employees well either.  There stores are not safe.  They leave palates on the store floor unattended.  They also sell Cheap merchandise!  Okay I will stop.  I can go on and on.  I have been happy to drive by Walmart for the last five years to give my money to stores I trust!

The point here is that in business you must be the one to take the first step.  You must show your loyalty to people and the city in which you serve.  You must trust them before they will ever trust you.  In everything you do you must be honest!

Victory at All Cost

Jeffrey R. Holland says: "The best things in your lives are worth finishing!"  This is so true.  The best things are worth finishing.  This is a little bit in contrast to the book I just finished called The Dip by Seth Godin.  He says it is good to be a quitter.  I agree with both.  Here is why:

In order to be the best at what you do you must be a quitter.  I know, I know that is not what you or I were ever taught growing up.  We were all told "Quitters never win and winners never quit.".  This morning my 12 year old son and I were talking about how the dip applies to him.  What I told him was that while he is at school he needs to try out different things and expose himself to different subjects to see what he really likes doing.  When he sees that something doesn't suit him then quit!  Take Spanish but if he doesn't like it after trying his very best then quit after one semester.  You will quit a lot of things by the time you find what you really love! 

The best things in life are worth finishing!  Your education is worth finishing!  Your goal to be the best piano player or violinist or artist or football player or fill in the blank!  These things are worth finishing.  In the process of finishing you have to quit a lot of things. 

I also appreciated a video I watched this week.  The man (I don't know his name) said if you involve the Lord you will see him do great things!  This is speaking in business but it really is in everything in your life.  If you involve the Lord in your business he will do things you never thought possible.  Also don't underestimate yourself!  You can achieve goals.  You can achieve huge goals, especially when you include the Lord.  People will laugh at you but you can still do it!

So the lesson this week is involve the Lord in all things, quit a lot of things before you find what you want to be the best in and finish the best things in your life!

Be True

There is something to be said for having integrity.  Integrity is more than just being honest.  I believe that it is doing what is right even when no one is around.  It is doing what is right because it is important to you.  It is being true to yourself and others. 

I learned about being true this week.  I believe we all want to be good.  I think that others distract us from that sometimes.  In business you must be true.  It is important to be able to lie your head down at night an know that you were true to yourself and true to your God! 

Thinking beyond myself it is important to be true to my clients and customers or my target market.  In order to be true to them I must know what they need and want.  If I know this I will be able to do my best to provide them or serve them. 

This reminds me of my mission.  Before I left on my mission I always heard how much you learn to love the people.  I did.  When you serve others you learn to love them and want the very best for them.  It is not about you or me in this case.  It was about meeting the needs of those I served in Tennessee!  I know that when you love your market you will serve them and you will be true to them in all interactions you have with them.  You will give your very best with no compromise!

Boundaries

 

This week I learned a lot of different things through the books I read, videos watched and articles I read.  The thing that stuck out to me most was about boundaries.

The most important things in my life are my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my family!  These people will always come first above and beyond what I do in my life.  That being said I am fully aware of my weaknesses and how I can easily get sucked into things that I think are "good".   In order to avoid this I must set boundaries that I am not willing to cross.  A boundary that I set long ago is I will not work on Sunday!  That is non-negotiable! That is my time for worshiping God and spending time with my family.  The computer gets turned off and we have an enjoyable day together.

Other boundaries I know I need to create.  This week was a really rough week.  I generally do my virtual assistant work first thing in the morning or in the evening.  I have never helped my client with blog posts before.  This week she invaded my time.  I do mean invaded.  She didn't ask permission.  When I told her I had to do homework that was due that night she would get on Skype and ask if I was working yet.  I do not blame her.  She is not at fault here.  I was the one that continued to help her and respond.  I am the one who didn't say I am available from 9am-11am and that is all I can give you today.  I have learned from that.  Since I didn't put boundaries up she did this three days in a row.  I have to make my boundaries very visible to her and all my clients so that they know what to expect of me.  I am more than happy to help but I have children, a husband and school to work around as well and if I don't keep to a tight schedule I will get behind.

The one other thing that really stood out to me from the video Loyalty to God & Family by Jan Newman.  He stated "Don't ever be to busy to take a calling in the church."  He went on to say that if you are to busy then you are showing the Lord where your Loyalties lie.  You must be loyal to your family and God.  That is the bottom line. 

In my life I feel like I am being tried and tested to see how much responsibility I can handle.  I just hope I choose the better part!

My Hero's Journey

In class this week we watched a video of a talk given by Jeff Sandefer at Brigham Young University Idaho.  It was so packed full of great advice I had to write fast!  He stated that at the end of your life the only thing that will really matter is four things:

1. Did I contribute something meaningful?
2. Was I a good Person?
3. Who did I love?
4. Who loved me?

Here are a couple things I wrote about each one.  In order to contribute something meaningful you need to do something you enjoy.  Think of the last time you lost track of time?  When I was praying about what to do when I finished my prerequisites for nursing school, I had a conversation with my husband and I said this: "I think nursing is going to turn out to be like a job for me.  One that I am not excited to go to everyday.  On the other hand when I do genealogy I get lost.  I lose track of my whole day because I love it!"  Of course my husband said "Well I think you know your answer." 

Jeff Sandefer also mentioned that we should ask 5 people that know me well, what I do best.  So far I have asked only my husband and oldest son.  I sent a message to my family on Facebook to see what their replies would be.  My husband said I am good at making good use of my time. I don't have much of a choice on that one.  Since I have five kids, babysit  another one during the week, have two businesses, am going to school full-time and I have a daughter that is taking classes from an online charter school, I don't have an option but to use my time well!  My son said I am good at being a mom!  What a good boy!  I told him I don't think I am good at being a mom.  He asked why and I said "I don't meet my expectations for what a mom should be." At least he thinks I am good at it!  He also said I am good at getting him and his siblings to do things around the house.  I said "So in other words I am a good yeller?"  He said "yeah..." with a smile.  My husband said I am a good motivator! :)  One of my sisters responded and said I am good at delegating.  I have to agree with that one!

One more thing Jeff Sandefer said on that subject was when you find what you love to do it also has to satisfy a burning need in the world.  A calling must serve others.  That is a lot of what I have been thinking about lately!

Number two is about being a good person.  He said to write down a list of "Will Not's", which are boundaries that you are not willing to cross.  He said we will have moments when we will be about to cross those boundaries.  This list will help us evaluate what our priorities are!  He shared a joke. This is a joke that a friend told him.  This friend reads this joke when he is wanting to cross a boundary that has been set. "What is the difference between you and God?  God never thought he was you."  That puts things into perspective.  It is kind of like the old saying "your getting to big for your britches! We have to remember who we are.  We are children of God and he knows what is best for us.

The third and fourth thing he mentioned was who did you love and who loved you?  He said it is not all about YOUR happiness!  It is about others.  Another thing he said that made me sit back and think was, "Using your gifts to change the world

changes you!"  You can't help but be changed when you see others grow or have their needs met because of you!  I firmly believe that if you consistently pray for someone (with your heart) and serve them, that Heavenly Father will bless you with a love for them.
He also mentioned how you must surround yourself with people of character because you become who you surround yourself with!

What a blessing that talk was to me.  This is about the journey and I want to be the Hero!  I love that I can choose what and who I want to be by setting boundaries, serving others, loving them and loving what I do.  I hope I can always follow the inspiration that  Heavenly Father has given me in order to make the lives around me better and in the end answer all the questions well!

How do You Measure Your Life?

This week was about how you measure your life.  That is a really interesting question.  When it comes down to how I will measure my life, I think about my family.  My family comes first.  I am a mother of five children.  I want my children to gain testimonies of the Jesus Christ and live worthy to return to Heavenly Father again someday.  I want my children to feel loved by me.  I understand that each of us feel love in different ways and so it is important that I, as their mother discover how each of my children feel love and give love to them in that manner.  I also want my children to feel of worth. That they are a child of God.

I really appreciated Clay Christensen standing up and saying that it God will as us at the end of our lives how we affected people’s lives.  I think that is true.  We must love and serve others in whatever capacity we are placed in.  If we don’t feel that love we need to pray so we do feel it! 

I also needed to hear the talk that Elder Wirthlin gave.  There is a quote that states “The days are long, but the years are short.” I am not sure who said it, but it is true.  Each day we feel like we have all the time in the world to get things done. Before we know it years have gone by.  This is very true as a parent.  Sometimes the days drag on when you are changing diapers, cleaning the house, helping with homework and trying to get the kids to do their homework.  Yet when you look up your oldest is 12 and entering junior high and before I know it he will be going on a mission.  Take advantage of the minutes you have.

At our house right now my kinds are on fall break.  It is a short break that the kids in Utah have in October.  My schedule has been crazy lately with taking 12 credits in school, having a virtual assistant client, orders for my hand printing business, helping my daughter who is now being home schooled and life as a mom of five kids.  I have some pretty demanding classes right now.  Our family was planning a trip to California during fall break.  I was supposed to get 2 weeks’ worth of school work done in order to go with them.  After a few episodes of tears I realized that it just wasn’t going to happen.  Right now I have to make each minute count.  I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass but it is still difficult to work through.  As I read Elder Wirthlin’s talk I realized I have been managing my minutes and not managing myself with the time I have.  I really need to use each moment to it’s fullest.

This week my 10 year old daughter and I were talking about her school work.  She is attending a charter school online.  We just started this a few weeks ago and she has not been doing well.  What I am finding is that she gets distracted easily.  She doesn’t remember what she has learned when she takes her assessments at the end of the lesson.  I shared with her the importance of living in the present.  When she is studying English her mind needs to be on English.  When she is eating lunch she should be focused on lunch.  I encouraged her to create a schedule of when she would learn each subject and use the allotted time for only that subject.  The next day when she was reviewing everything with her dad, she did great!  When she did the assessments she got 100%.  After having that talk with her I realized I need to take my own advice.  When I am feeding my baby I need to be present for her.  When I am working on my client’s website I need to be present for her.  This is really hard since I am a serious multitasker!  

This is something I really need to work on.  I need to my priorities in place and be present in the tasks I am completing!