This week I started off really strong in all of my classes. In fact I was done with most of my assignments by Tuesday! It should be a major accomplishment until you consider the assignments that I had no desire to do. Yes, they were for B183 but I will get to that in a moment.
Application Activities
This week seemed to focus a lot on the need for perseverance in anything we decide to do. While some skills come naturally others may not. It is those skills and areas that we must focus our greatest efforts if we desire success. President James E Faust taught, "Perseverance is demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don't give up even when others say, 'It can't be done.'" This week's e-corner videos taught that it is important to determine what our passion are. This is more important that how much money can be made. There is always money to be made but if we are not doing something that that we are passionate about we are not benefiting anyone, least of all ourselves. One of the things that stuck out this week was learning about God given callings. The steps to discovery involve considering what you love to do, what you were doing the last time you lost track of time and asking 5 people that know you well, "What do I do better than anyone?". Using this information we can discover what our talents really are. Often they are things we do well and may take for granted. Jeff Sandafer in A Hero's Journey - Living a Life of Meaning explained that, "What matters most is not the prize at the end but how the hero has changed in the process." This life is a journey and it is all about who we become. This applies to our personal, professional and spiritual journeys.
Case Study
Our case study this week was Spreading Happiness: Warm Fuzz Cards. It was the story of Erica Mills who started a pen and ink card company and had to decide what to do two years into her business when she and her husband decided they wanted to start a family. She enjoyed the slow growth while her husband felt that fast growth was a good option.Ultimately she needs to determine what her values really are and what she is and is not willing to sacrifice. Taking the time to consider this will direct her path.
So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur
This was the assignment that I had no desire to do. I believe that entrepreneurs exist in many facet throughout the business world. They can be found in corporate careers, small business, start ups, families and even in civic organizations. An entrepreneur is really someone who takes on a project and runs with it. They are in control of their decisions, choices and destiny. I think this book focuses too much on entrepreneurs who are interested in being owning their own business. This made it especially difficult to complete the Mentor assignment as I have no desire to be this kind of entrepreneur. I have been there and know for myself that this is not what I want. I wish that this class and major focused more on the broad definition and less on the specific idea of owning a business. There are many people at BYU-I that are majoring in Business Management with an emphasis in Entrepreneurial Management not because they want to own a business or be their own boss but because BYU-I lacks a comprehensive on-line business program. There are few options for those interested in business and this just happens to be the path that many of us opt to take. While there is some good introspection. I am not looking forward to other Mentor interviews that focus on this type of Entrepreneurial spirit. It is disappointing that we are asked to be broad in our concept of what an entrepreneur is but we are forced to do assignments that are single minded. Needless to say, I completed this assignment but with great difficulty. The example in the book is from the prospective of someone considering a possible career as an entrepreneur. Her answers were unsure and full of trepidation, yet we are asked to answer in-depth as those this is our intended and chosen career path. That would be great as an end of course assignment or end of book assignment but not as the first assignment for this book. I felt that it was unfair and not an accurate representation of mirroring the book and fictional character, Jane.
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