Quote of the week:

“God left this world unfinished for man to work his skill . . . God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finish things”,  President Thomas S. Monson

My Last Lecture

When I think about giving my “last lecture” I can’t help it but think of Lehi and the important counsel he gave his sons, or King Benjamin and the desire that he had for all to hear his instruction, or Alma and the important things he wanted to share with each of his sons.  Each of these men, inspired by the Lord had a desire to leave with some instructions and ultimately to leave sharing their own personal experiences and testimony.  I know we don't have the records but I imagine each of their mothers also expressed the desires of their hearts for each child as well.  It seems after many years of experience, successes and failures,  people become wise and want to pass on life lessons.  Here are a few things I learned this semester about entrepreneurship:

 Do what you love and be passionate about it – when we do the things we truly love doing we tend to do them well.

·      Be honest in all you do – when we are honest, when we prove that we can be trusted we will stand out as leaders.

     Work hard every day - people who are successful work hard every single day.  They get up with purpose for the day, they start with the hard things and don't stop until they complete the things on their lists.  The wise also know to take a day off each week.  They "renew", as members of the church we know the blessing that can come from observing the Sabbath day and the privilege we have to partake the sacrament.

     Take a few risks – we shouldn’t take wild, or thoughtless risks but we shouldn’t be afraid to try either.  With a little homework, a little faith and a few prayers we can minimize risks and learn to stretch ourselves beyond what we otherwise may have thought we could.

·      Be willing to give back – most successful leaders and entrepreneurs that we’ve studied share a need, maybe even considered a calling to “give back” as they have been so blessed.

Becoming an Entrepreneur comes with lots of blessings but it also comes with lots of responsibilities as well.  Learning to recognize those responsibilities and acting on them is what will set us apart.

“Beyond making ends meet, whether you have a little or much, of this world’s goods, will never be a fundamental determining factor of personal peace or happiness, but rather your attitude towards wealth that will be critical.”  By Elder Robert C. Gay, First Quorum of Seventy

Quote of the week:
One person can make a difference and everyone should try.
John F. Kennedy

After spending the time to read and watch the assignments this week, there were two that really had a profound affect on me.  The first was Elder Holland's talk, "Are we not all Beggars?"  I learned from Elder Holland that no matter what you have or do not have we are all responsible to help others.  My favorite story was the story about President Monson giving the shoes off his feet to help those in East Germany who had nothing.  We are responsible to help when and where we can and it seems like we may be able to help more than we do. 
The second address was from Elder Gay, I've never heard this before and I didn't even really know who Elder Gay was until this video but I felt the Spirit while listening to his remarks.  Elder Gay talked about what the purpose of business is really for. It's not to make men or their companies rich, it's not even so men can help others to get notoriety or recognition, it is simply to rescue others who could otherwise not rescue themselves.  God allows us to create with the talents he has given us and then gives us opportunities to rescue others. 
As I think about the temple and the covenants I made there and then I try to apply the things that Elder Gay taught it makes everything we do, even down to the way we make money seem so much more meaningful if we will use it for it's righteous purposes.  To rescue others.  As Elder Gay says, "We need to understand why God has put us here in America and not in Darfore."  The story he told about the little 14 year old girl who watched so many horrific thing happen in her young life was unbelievable, she is just one of so many who need to be rescued in this dark world.
I also really learned a lot from Elder Gay's lesson on why the plates were held from Joseph Smith for so many years.  He needed to make sure Joseph was not only willing but able to understand the purpose of the plates and that he was not tempted by the peculiar treasure that they were and that Joseph was not tempted by any monetary gain.  We also can learn from this in our own lives, before we can receive the full assistance of the Lord in our business we need to not only be willing but able servants to prove ourselves worthy to assist others according to the will of the Lord.