What it takes to be a hero!

This week I got to reflect on a book I read called A field Guide for the Hero's Journey by Jeff Sandefer and Rev. Sirico. The book is amazing! Honestly, if you are the type of person that has goals and dreams then you should absolutely read it. It not only gives you the tools you need to know how to overcome the road blocks, but how to come out stronger in the end. Sometimes we get in this mode thinking that we aren't good enough or can't accomplish something. We are all children of God, which means that we have infinite potential. If you think that you can't do something, remember that God wants you to succeed, and because you are His child nothing can stop you from achieving your goals (so long as they are pure). Take some time and either get the e-book or just read it because I loved learning about myself, what I want to accomplish, and ways to get there. 

Money Money Money

This week in my entrepreneurial journal, I was presented with three questions to answer. I wanted to share the three questions and break down my thoughts on what I learned and what was shared and hopefully give you something to think about in your own view of the questions. 

• What is your attitude toward money?

      I think that as long as attaining money is not your primary goal in life, it is a completely fine thing to work hard for. Money does a lot of good in the world in the sense that it helps feed the homeless, provide homes, speed up research for cures, relieve others from unexpected struggles such as natural disasters, pay for church supplies and keep the buildings running for a there to be a spiritually safe space for people to worship, and many other things. Money shouldn't be a priority in life, other than to ensure you can provide for your family and keep them safe from the craziness that exists in the world, but again there is nothing wrong with making more money or setting a goal to make more money, especially if you intend to do good with it. 

• How can your view of money affect the way you live?

      Some people view money as the most important thing in life, because they feel it brings them happiness. The problem with thinking this way is that there are a lot of people with that way of thinking that do illegal or shady things to obtain more money. Sometimes money brings out the absolute worst in people, which is why you have to be sure your intentions are pure when you make a lot of money or are working hard to make more. Heavenly Father knows our hearts. He is more likely to help those with pure intentions make more money than those who are making more money and simply stacking on their own greed and pride. 

• What rules are recommended for prospering?

      I feel it is important to note that there are some rules that are for everyone, and other rules that apply on a person to person basis. I am going to list a few that I feel apply to everyone and then some that depend on the person.

 

Rules that apply to everyone:

1. Never let money become more important than your family (spouse or kids at the bare minimum)

2. Be honest in all of your dealings with your fellow man, both in business and personal life. Those who lift up others, will be lifted up by others as well. 

3. Do everything with the intention of bettering yourself and the world around you. When the world around you is prospering because of your efforts, then things typically turn around for your good as well. 

Rules that apply to a person-to-person basis:

1. If you have no family (spouse or kids) to be accountable to, then find a good cause or source to put above money. Money should never be your primary goal, even if you aren't religious or have no family.

2. Not everyone is given the exact same resources to be prosperous. We all have the tools in some shape or form to get there, but the tools change person to person. Find what your available tools are and work with them so long as they are honest and sincere and aligned with the Lords will. 

Entrepreneur Interview Update

I am excited to share that I went through my entrepreneur interview this week, and it went great! I learned some things about starting a company that I had never thought about before. It turns out that the entrepreneur that I chose actually decided to start their business, because the first time they saw their daughter roll over was via a video call and it made him feel that he needed to be closer to home. At the start of making of your own business, it takes a lot of hours to get it off the ground, but once you do, you can be more flexible for family and other important aspects of life. He runs a healthcare consulting company that does very well, but learned some valuable lessons along the way. One of the lessons that stuck with me is that he suggests not running finances in house, but instead putting the liability on a third party company. The first year he started the business, he tried to do the finances in house and ended up getting tax penalties that were quite hefty. This makes sense to me, especially since I personally hate doing anything with finances. It is interesting that every entrepreneur gets into business for different reasons, and it seems one of his main reasons is to be closer to family but also provide for his employees. Speaking from first had experience, my boss does an amazing job running his business because he puts a lot of love and a faith towards his employees. I think that is such an important part about running a company. Too many companies forget about their employees and think too much about less important factors. I loved the advice that the entrepreneur gave about sticking with whatever motivates you when starting a business, because it doesn't help to do something you can't stand. If money motivates you, then use that motivation. If making employees and other people happy motivates you, then use that instead. It is whatever floats your boat and helps you get the work done. This interviewing process has been awesome and eye opening. I'm grateful for opportunities like this in school, because these are the true learning experiences for me. 

Entrepreneur Interview Preparation

Sometimes school is a pain and feels like busy work. This week, I had a really nice experience talking about how I can prepare for an interview with an entrepreneur. This class is all about learning how to master myself and prepare myself if I were to every decide to start my own business. One of the best ways that I can think to do that is to actually talk to an entrepreneur and learn how they started the process from the very start, even meaning how the business became a thought. There are a few specific questions that matter most to me. The first question that comes to mind is how much time does starting the business take away from family. Family is the number one most important thing to me, and I understand that some new business owners are drowned in work. That is not something I am overly interested in, but would love to know how it effected their time management in all aspects of their life. Another question I think would be important to know is what the risk was to them. If you think about it, a lot of business owners take out loans to get things started up, but others are financially backed by family or some other means. I would want to know if they had risk, or if someone took a chance on them to start the business. If there was risk involved, I would like to know what preparations the entrepreneur took to offset them if future problems occurred. I'm grateful for school when I feel like the lessons actually apply to a real life scenario that could happen in my life, and am excited to really get into the interview this week.