Attitudes About Money

    This week, the lessons that stood out to me are how important it is to maintain a balance between family and work, as well as the need for quality rest. I think I do a decent job of maintaining a good balance between family and work, especially since I can just put my business on hold for however long is necessary. I have a rule that I never work on Sundays. At times, it is definitely tempting to answer a customer's question, or do a quick check, but it's more important to keep that day sacred and set apart from the rest of the week. I want my Sabbath day observance to send a clear message that I love the Lord, that I honor His day, and that there are more important things in my life than making money. 
    I've also tried to do a better job of balancing my daily tasks around my home with creative endeavors (work). I have a daily checklist of chores that need to be done, which motivates me to actually accomplish those tasks first in my day, and then, when I'm finished, the rest of the time can be spent doing things that I want to do. When my life is less chaotic and more organized, I find that I am more creative, and that I am able to focus on one task at a time much better.
   Quality rest is something that has become a bit of an endangered species. In today's technology-filled world, moments of quiet contemplation have been replaced with the latest game app or Facebook post, or constant texts being flung back and forth. Bedtime is forgotten and pushed back several hours as we get distracted by a trending story, the latest pin, or an inflammatory tweet. Contemplation, pondering, and true rest is essential to our spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being, and without it, we can become overwhelmed by work and daily to-dos.
  Finally, I was asked to contemplate the following questions:

• What is your attitude toward money?
• How can your view of money affect the way you live?
• What rules are recommended for prospering?

    I feel like money is definitely a necessary part of life, and something which we should be learning how to acquire and manage wisely. I recognize that money is necessary to live in the world today, especially if I want to serve others in any capacity. It's hard to focus on giving back if I'm constantly worrying about how I'm going to provide food, clothing, and shelter for my family. Recognizing that all blessings come from Heavenly Father helps me to not focus so much on acquiring as much money as I can, but to be able to earn enough to live comfortably, and then look for ways that I can use that money to bless the lives of others.
  Some of the rules that are recommended for prospering include planning how to become self-reliant, gaining education, keep the commandments, and serve those in need. If I learn how to use the money with which I'm blessed to become self-reliant, making wise and righteous decisions with that money, I will be able to live a fulfilling life, and help those who may not be so richly blessed.

Doing and Becoming

In recent months, as I've gained more experience managing my own business, I've come to understand something that I think is significant. It's not exactly profound, but I think it can be overlooked because it is so simple. Here is what I've learned: not everyone can do what you do, or even wants to do what you do, discovering something that you love to do and figuring out how to make money doing it will bring success and happiness. This light-bulb moment came for me as I interacted with a customer who wanted a custom designed birthday invitation. Creating the card took a minimal amount of time, and made me think about the fact that we may not see business opportunities because we don't realize that people are willing to pay for skills that we may find extremely easy. Not everyone can do what you do! I need to remember that as I expand my own business.
One of my favorite articles from my study this week is called The Challenge to Become by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. He says this, "The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts--what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts--what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."
I read this quote during one of my institute classes last year, and it has been on my mind a lot recently. Ultimately, I want to be found worthy of eternal life, because I have become like the Savior. I want His image to be reflected in my countenance. I want people to recognize Him when they interact with me. I hope to be a true Christian, not just at church or when I go to the temple, but during my business dealings, while I'm driving on the freeway, when I encounter someone with whom I disagree, and when I experience difficulties. This road requires dedication and humility in order to learn how to be like the Savior, and ultimately to become like Him.

How to Lead

One of my favorite articles from my study material this week was an article by Kim B. Clark, former president of BYU-Idaho, called Leadership with a Small "L." The points that stood out to me were the three principles of leadership that we should apply in our lives. The first is Lead by Example. I feel like this principle is one that I learned quite suddenly, when I heard my small children first start saying something that I didn't realize I said often. My husband and I learned very quickly that we needed to be more mindful of what kind of example we were setting for our children (not that we were doing anything horrible, we just could have been doing better). They learn so much more quickly by observing what we do and say, rather than just listening to what we tell them they should be doing and saying.
The second principle is Lead with Vision. I feel like this principle encompasses the "why" of what I'm teaching my family. If my children don't understand the underlying reason behind what I'm asking them to do, they are much less likely to do it. For example, my younger daughter went through a phase of getting out of her carseat belt while I was driving. It wasn't until I explained the safety reasons, and the laws of the road, that she finally understood that she should stay in her carseat. It wasn't just that I wanted her to do it, she needed to know why it was important.
The final principle is Lead with Love. This is probably the most important. Ultimately, I want my children to feel loved, and to want to share that love with others. I want them to love going to church, to love the gospel, and to love the Savior. I know that I can teach them the right things to do as I minister to them in love.
I'm looking forward to learning more about leadership, and how to apply it not only in business, but in my home, as well.

Learning by the spirit

I have to say that taking classes through a church college is a vastly different experience than the one I had when I went to college after high school, over ten years ago. My study is filled with articles by church leaders, scriptures, and other inspirational literature. The entire experience has been quite uplifting, and I'm looking forward to this style of learning in future classes. Since we are encouraged to invite the spirit to be with us while we study and learn, I find that many of the things I learn while studying have absolutely nothing to do with the course material, and much more to do with my own personal struggles and my daily circumstances. I will have an idea pop into my head for how I can be a better mother, or something I can do to better serve in my church calling. I feel that these insights are just as important as whatever material I am studying for the class.

I feel like these thoughts struck me as I studied this week from conference talks, especially one by President Monson when he was first called to be the prophet after President Hinckley passed away called "Looking Back and Moving Forward." I felt, as I read, that he was teaching me that it is important to learn from, though not to obsess over, past experiences and struggles. I should use those as a springboard for jumping into a future that is hopeful and bright. Yes, more struggles are certain to come, but planning and preparation can help me to be ready, and to have a positive attitude when those trials come. I am looking forward to also implementing these ideas into my business life, as well. Not every product that I've designed has been a huge success. In fact, some have been complete failures. But I've probably learned more from the failures than from all the successes. I know that I can do better, and that drives me to be more creative, try new techniques, and branch out into new avenues. I am excited for the future of my business, especially once I learn all the tools that the business management program has to teach me!

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!