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