Life Decisions and True Happiness

It’s so hard to make decisions, especially at this time in my life. You have so many questions when it comes to making that choice. Will this support my future family? Will I be happy doing this everyday? What kind of money will I have to have for all of this schooling and education? 

There are so many unknowns. But a quote from The Start Up of You really made me think.

"Many failures in results can be chalked up to people trying to keep their options open ... To move forward in your career, you have to commit to specific opportunities as part of an iterative plan, despite doubt and despite inconvenience" because "great opportunities almost never fit your schedule."  

I think we really have to put our trust in the Lord. We have to stay in tune with the spirit so that he might help us with decisions that might make us doubt ourselves. When we have so many decisions to make that will take us down different paths we should turn to our Father in heaven for advice. 

After we make our decision we really have to remember to keep our priorities in check. Happiness in everyday life will come from balancing our lives. I think it’s important to remember that family comes first before everything. That's where our true happiness will come from.

Three Things of Importance

I learned three things doing the assignments this week. 

1. NEVER sacrifice your values and ethics to gain money and power. Just don’t do it. In one of the videos the guy mentioned that eventually the truth will reveal itself. And it will. We have been commanded to be honest in all of our doings. The gospel brings about true happiness and if we follow it’s guidelines we will be blessed with more than we can ever imagine.

2. If you want something, chase it. Magdalena Yesil dreamed of coming the the United States and studying technology. She sacrificed so much when she left her country to pursue her dream. She had no idea what she was doing when she came here. But with her determination she fulfilled more than she could have ever imagined.

3. Everything is a learning experience. Magdalena never stopped learning from every situation she was in. I should be looking at every experience and seeing what I can learn from it. We are on this earth to be tested and to see what we can learn. Our knowledge is something we can take to the eternities with us so it obviously should be something very important in our lives. 

Hard Work and Self Evaluation

The Start Up of You is seriously one of the best books I've read! I'm not even kidding! Usually I just get rid of books I have to read for classes but I think I'll make my brother read this before he graduates high school!

The Start Up of You has really taught me some great lessons that I can apply to my professional life and my business. It has inspired me to change a few things within myself and my business. For one I've learned a lot about developing a competitive advantage. That chapter has been one of my favorites so far. I've felt for awhile that I needed to evaluate something and change it but this identified it for me! I needed to be different than the rest and highlight that in my resume and how I run business. I also need to build up a professional network of colleagues.The questions at the end of each chapter are great tools that I will definitely use frequently!

I loved the "permanent beta" part in the book. Everything is always a work in progress because nothing ever becomes perfect. Especially in this era where technology advances so fast. There is no end to improving yourself because humans are made to be imperfect and that's what makes life meaningful.

This week's assignments have been great so far. I loved the Randy Pauch lecture. It's totally inspiring to see someone who really has a great work ethic and has got that far. It makes things seem so much more possible for me as long as I keep working hard.

I'm looking forward to improving myself using the tools I've learned already and the tools I have yet to learn! I'm also looking forward to reading and listening to more inspiring videos and learning from people who have achieved so much.

Introducing Me

Hi! I'm Kristy Patterson and I attend BYU-Idaho.

Ever since I was 13 I've wanted to run my own photography business. The Christmas where I got my first camera sparked a passion for photography that I didn't even know could exist. It became more of a necessity than a hobby.

I'm pretty sure the need to "be my own boss" runs in my family. My dad currently owns three businesses, my mom, my sister, and my dad help run each business to keep them thriving. My grandpa also ran his own cabinet making business for many years. So you could say it's in my blood!

One of my favorite videos this week was the one of Kawasaki where he says that if you don't do something that you love that you will end up miserable no matter how much money it makes. He mentioned that he can't promise that lots of money will come but he can promise happiness in work.

When I saw this class on the course catalog I knew it would be a perfect fit for me. I know from watching my parents that it's really tough to run a business. It takes hard work, passion, time, energy, and sacrifice.

On the first page of The Start Up of You it states "All humans are entrepreneurs not because they should start companies but because the will to create is encoded DNA, and creation is the essence of entrepreneurship." Being artistic, I think that everyone has some kind of creativity in them. Some express their creativity through actual art, some through movement, others through writing, and so on. Creation comes in MANY ways.

After reading and watching some videos I've learned that entrepreneurship isn't always about starting your own company. It's about providing, making your own way, taking opportunities, creating, improving and being YOU. There's more that I can learn in this class than just starting a business.

I've learned so much through the years watching my parents work hard building businesses. My dad has been such an inspiration to me because I can see how much heart he puts into what he does. He truly loves what he does. I've seen them succeed and fail. And there is so much to learn through those experiences that I can use in everyday life, not just my career. But they are only one example of inspiring entrepreneurs.

I'm looking forward to learning more about myself, finding opportunities, inspiring myself and others, and finding inspiration in the readings, videos, and my peers as I continue my journey as an entrepreneur.

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