Put First Things First

    This week, the focus in my class was on developing good habits, as outlined in 7 Habits for Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey, as well as how to stay on the path to mastery as I finished reading Mastery by George Leonard. I've been impressed with the ideas that Leonard outlines in his book, and I have certainly seen areas in which I can improve myself and the way I approach my every day tasks. He basically says that in order to truly become a master, at any skill, the key is to stay on the path. The moment I decide that I've reached the finish line in any skill, and stop progressing, my skills will deteriorate, until I find myself back at where I started. He also suggested that a master's journey can be applied to any activity or skill, even the mundane tasks that tend to fill our days, like washing dishes, or doing laundry. If I decide to approach my life with that mindset, I can find satisfaction in a job well done, no matter how small the job may seem.
    Those ideas tied nicely into the 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, and the habit that jumped out to me as something I'd like to work on. The third habit is "Put first things first." Organizing myself and my schedule so that I have time for the most important things means that I will accomplish necessary tasks before they become urgent. I tend to be a procrastinator, but I know that I definitely do not do my best work when I'm rushed, so I'd like to focus more on putting first things first. Some days, that may require that I spend a large portion of my time folding laundry, or washing a pile of dishes, while other days it may mean taking time to play games with my children.
    I've found that I do my best when I take the time to create a list of tasks that I need to accomplish the next day. I have 3 different types of tasks: habits to develop or break, daily tasks, and to-do items that need to be done once. Having a small reward for checking off an item is a huge motivator for me, and having responsibility to others for whether I accomplish my tasks, or not, helps to keep me honest about how I do each day. I know that as I employ my daily checklist and focus on doing first things first, my life will be much more organized, and I will have the time and energy to serve more, and spend quality time with my family.

More on Mastery

One of my favorite study materials this week came from the book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard. In the book, Leonard lays out the path of mastery for any type of skill. In the chapter on practice, this idea stood out to me, "The people we know as masters don't devote themselves to their particular skill just to get better at it. The truth is, they love to practice--and because of this they do get better. And then, to complete the circle, the better they get the more they enjoy performing the basic moves over and over again." When I read this, several examples immediately popped into my head. The first comes from my littlest sister who is currently 17. She has played the piano since she was little, and has gradually become quite masterful at the art. She loves to sit down at the piano and play songs from memory, tweaking them, and changing them here and there. She's also been trying her hand at writing her own music lately. For her, playing the piano is not a chore that she has to do, or a box she has to check, it's something she loves to do. She loses track of time while playing, & even has her own piano, which my parents moved into her bedroom.
I also thought of my own life and many of the hobbies I enjoy and skills on which I work. When I was first married, I wanted to learn to crochet in order to make some lacy snowflakes to hang on our Christmas tree. I started with a basic washcloth in order to learn the stitches, and once I had mastered those, I moved on to the snowflakes. They were challenging, but I pressed on. I loved making them, and even had a few people ask me to teach them how to do it. I taught a large group of women from church how to make the snowflakes, and I know that they've gone on to make them as gifts for others. It was something that brought me joy, and I loved passing on the knowledge to others.
The only way we get better at something is by practicing. When my children come up to me and ask for my help when they haven't even tried to do it once on their own, I usually encourage them to try it, reassuring them that if they try and can't do it, I will be more than willing to help. Often, they are surprised when they can do it on their own, and enjoy that feeling so much that they continue to do it. I am excited to learn more about the path to mastery. I am by no means a master at everything in my life, and I certainly see areas in which I can improve. Hopefully Leonard will have more good advice for conquering my lazy habits.

Find your calling

This week, during my Entrepreneur class, the subject of Mastery was a bit of a focus. I think many of us have heard the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practicing something before you can become a master at it. When I originally heard that number, I thought, "Holy cow! That's a lot of time! That would take forever!" But, as I've discovered my favorite activities in my adult life, I've realized that when you love to do something, love it so much that you don't even notice how much time you spend doing it, it's not about the time, it's about doing what you love, and enjoying the time you get to spend doing it. I'm sure some people might look at how much time I spend sewing and think, "I could never spend that much time at a sewing machine!" But for me, I find my flow, forget how much time is passing, and get into the groove of creating something beautiful from unrelated bits and pieces.  I'm looking forward to learning more about mastery, and how to become better at following through with goals I've set.

Another focus from this week was an address titled, "A Hero's Journey." What stood out to me from the talk were three questions that Jeff Sandefer said that most people ask themselves at the end of their lives:
Have I contributed something meaningful?
Am I a good person?
Who did I love and who loved me?

Those are definitely important questions, and I think they reveal the most important things about life. As I make new goals, I will keep these questions in mind.
The great advice that Sandefer gave was about finding a calling that fits your special gifts. He said, "You'll find that your gift is something you assumed was easy, because it is easy for you." Asking people who know you well what you do better than anyone will help to reveal your gifts and aid you as you search for your calling. I know that the things I love doing the most are things that I find easy that others might not. And I've been able to find a calling that utilizes those gifts, giving me the opportunity to earn money doing what I love most!

The Business of Motherhood

This week, as I've studied the articles, books, and videos, the thought that keeps coming back to me is, "It's up to me. I decide how I spend my time. The choices I make today affect my future." Choosing each day to accomplish tasks that put me on track to reach the goals I've made and to become the person I want to be is completely up to me. Some of the topics for the week touched on doing what you love, making effective choices, the little things are important, and how we measure our lives. As I read all of these things, I kept thinking about my own purpose and the most important things that I should be doing with my life. While I do have my own small business, which brings me great pleasure, I believe that my most important "job" at this point in my life is to be the best wife and mother that I can. In the article How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen, he says, "Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people." I believe that this applies so beautifully to motherhood. I'm not sure how much prominence is really available to the average mother, but if I measured my success based on how well-known I am, I would have to measure myself as a pretty poor mother. But, if success as a mother is based on how many individuals I have helped become better people, I would look at my achievements far more positively. Teaching my children to live righteously, to treat everyone with kindness, and to serve others and love God, will have a much farther reaching effect than almost any other action I could take. My business is raising children, and I will do the very best that I can, with the help of my husband and my Heavenly Father.

The Formula for Happiness

This week, as part of my study, I read chapters 4-6 of the book The Ministry of Business by Steven A. Hitz and James W. Ritchie. In those chapters, they present the formula that they follow to achieve happiness in their own lives. The steps are as follows:

1. Get up early
2. Work hard
3. Get your education
4. Find your oil
5. Make your mark
6. Get prepared to be of service

I certainly have room to improve on many of the items on this list. Surprisingly, I've actually been doing pretty well with getting up early. It's amazing what having a child in all-day school can do for motivating me to get up on time in the morning. I'm obviously working on getting my education, in the formal sense of the word. But I love learning, and when I come across a topic which I find interesting, I will do my best to learn all I can, checking out library books, searching on the internet, and discussing the topic with friends and family. I feel like this is a great way to get an education on things that aren't necessarily taught in school.
The other items are ones at which I have worked for many years. Finding oil means finding a product or service which you can offer the world, and for which people will be willing to pay. I think I stumbled onto my oil when I began my Etsy shop and began getting custom orders for the party decorations for which my shop is popular.
I do believe that the items on this list, while helping to ensure a happy life, can also be a great guide for entrepreneurs as they try to create their dream job. I hope to be able to keep this list in mind as I expand my entrepreneurial knowledge and advance my own dreams!