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!

The Right People & Dreaming

As I read my coursework for the week, there were some themes that kept popping up, which kept my mind pondering them throughout the week. The first: set goals and plan out the future you want. I remember my dad telling me, quite a few times, that "a goal is only a wish unless you write it down." One of the assignments for the week was to create a bucket list of 50 items. You know what, it was a lot harder than I anticipated to come up with 50 things that I want to accomplish in my lifetime. When I first saw the assignment, I was a little jealous of all the 20-year-olds in the class, since they could list items that I've already completed like "get married" and "have children." But as I wrote my list, I realized that some of the things I chose to list were things I probably wouldn't just happen to do, without having written it down and made it a goal. Will "having my own hive of bees" change the world? Probably not. But it's something I'd really like to try, especially when it comes time to harvest some honey.
The second theme that I noticed through the week is that I should surround myself with the right people. If the popular saying, "You are what you eat" can be assumed to be true, then I think it's even more true that "You become like those with whom you associate." I've seen this to be true in my life, whether it was the kind of boy I was dating, or the fact that I've inherited my parents' corny sense of humor. About a year after I started my Etsy shop, a friend from high school sent me a message. She was working full time in marketing and just wanted to give me some friendly advice. She told me I wasn't charging enough for my products. She told me that my time was worth more than what I was charging and that what I was making, not everyone can do. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and gave me just enough of a push to have the courage to raise my prices. And you know what, I made more that year than I ever dreamed that I would. I had more sales, more positive reviews, and more custom order requests. As a thank you, I sent that friend a custom book garland for her baby's nursery.
So, my themes for the week:
1. Set goals, plan for the future
2. Find the right people (networking, socially, and personally)

After watching and reading about Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, I believe that he was able to accomplish his childhood dreams because he had amazing people around who built him up, encouraged him to follow his dreams, and loved him even when he failed. He also kept things fun. I love how he said that "You just have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore." Our experience in life is definitely shaded by our attitude. If we expect bad things to happen, we're definitely going to see them. But if we're looking for the good, we'll find it. If we expect to accomplish our dreams, eventually we will, mostly because we'll keep trying until we do.

I believe that dreaming is an important part of life. Without dreams, where would any of us end up? Technological advancements begin with an inkling of a thought and then someone dreaming that it can actually come to pass. I do think that we should consider our dreams with a pinch of salt. I can dream all I want of living on the moon, but if I focus all my energy on an unreachable dream, what am I missing out on during the rest of my life. It's difficult to draw a line, and say, "You should stop dreaming here, or that dream is unattainable." It's a personal choice, but one that should certainly be considered.

When I was around 5 years old, I was crazy about bugs and wanted to be an entomologist. I collected bugs of all sorts: butterflies, caterpillars, beetles, praying mantis, and anything else I could find, except cockroaches, because they're disgusting. As I grew up, other dreams crowded in and became the focus, but I've retained a love of little critters. Even though I'm not technically an entomologist, I'm still drawn to study the insects I see in nature. If I can't be an entomologist, I can at least pass a love of insects on to my children. I recently made butterfly nets for my girls, and I always make sure to bring a jar or two along on any camping trips. Our dreams shape us, whether they come to full fruition or not.

1st week of school musings

I step into this journey of obtaining a degree in Business Management with a different goal than many of my peers. I'm not planning to run a huge business, create a few startups, or become a manager of a franchise. I don't really plan on making large amounts of money. My first goal is to simply earn a degree. My other goals have more to do with simply improving my mind, learning new skills, becoming a better wife and mother, and learning some things that will help me manage and grow my small business.

In this, my first week of study, a few quotes from the readings stood out to me and spoke to my soul. Elder David A. Bednar said, "As we live the law of consecration, we are willing not only to offer anything and everything we possess for the sake of the gospel, but we also promise to develop and devote our best selves--our time, talents, and strength--to the building of the kingdom of God on the earth. Consecration includes and encompasses sacrifice and much more. We are not only willing to offer up our possessions, but we will become the best we can be and assist however possible in building the kingdom in righteous ways."

The other advice that stood out came from Guy Kawasaki. He teaches that you should "do what you love and the money will follow." I've definitely found this to be true. I began my little shop with some handmade items that I simply enjoy making. It's gradually grown, and I've added more products, but they are all things that I enjoy creating. I love having my craft time every day, and I love even more that I am able to contribute monetarily to my household while doing something that brings me so much joy. I know that my greatest calling in life at this time is being a mother and homemaker. I have a large role in raising righteous daughters, and I know that I am setting a wonderful example for them by pursuing my education. I know that the knowledge and experience that I will gain through this journey will help me to be a better and more well-rounded person, which will help me to serve my family and serve the Lord in better ways.