January 29th Week 3

Deconstructing fears was a good thing for me this week.  It helped me gain the courage needed to stop thinking and start acting.  Because if all I was going to do was think about starting my photography business and not start it, I needed to just drop it.  Facing my fears helped me feel like if something went wrong I could easily back out and try something different that works better.

I feel like this week was really centered on having the courage to just do it.  To have the faith to step into the dark even if it's scary.  It has really got my excitement up and motivation going to want to start my other business idea.  And it's helped me feel like my first business has been a success and was a good decision for me.

I really liked the video that showed the three circles of what to look for in careers and business.  One was, "What am I good at?"  Another was, "What was I born to do?" and "Who will pay me to do it?"  This made me think about what it was I really wanted to do, and what made me the happiest.  Not just what would pay me the most.  I came to the conclusion that even though quitting my job and starting my piano teaching business is earning me a little less money, I am so much more happy doing it.  I'm excited to work now because I  don't feel like it's working, I'm just playing with kids at the piano and teaching them what I absolutely love to do.  It also made me realize that I have been waiting too long to start my photography business.  I need to just up and do it and set aside my fears of people not liking my photos.  If I don't try I won't know if I have photos people like or not.  It is something I love to do.  I am most happy when I'm at a piano or behind a camera, so why not try it?  Now because of this week I am determined to try and find some clients willing to try out my artistic style and get going with my photography dream!

January 23rd Week 2

I learned a lot about integrity this week.  I think integrity is one of the most important things as we go through this life.  As we deal with our fellow men we need to be honest and know who we are.  I learned that during life we will be tested and tried and our integrity will either get stronger or fail us.  I know that I always want to have a stronger integrity.  Integrity isn’t just being honest with others.  It is being honest with yourself, knowing who you are, and standing up for that person.  That is one of the hardest things for me, but I’m working on it.  I am a people pleaser and like to do things so others will like me, but really all I need to do is stand up for who I am inside.  That is a big thing I’ve learned this week.  I am going to practice doing that so I can get better and better.  In the case study Magdalena showed integrity all the time.  After switching companies, and making her own.  And because of that everyone wanted her.  Her example showed me how having integrity helps people respect you and want to work with you.  So I am really going to try hard to have better integrity.

January 16th Week 1

So far in this course I am learning that it is important to set goals.  Long term goals and short term goals.  And not just to say you are going to do them, but setting little goals in order to achieve the bigger goals.  That has always been hard for me.  I am the type of person that just goes with flow, whatever comes come.  But I'm learning that there is a happy medium between setting goals and going with the flow.  With no goals your life can't go anywhere.  But when you aren't willing to say you can't achieve a goals when you wanted then life is going to miserable and stressful.

I think Randy Pausch was able to achieve a lot of his dreams because he found that happy medium of goals and going with the flow.  He made a lot of goals with his dreams and accomplished them.  But when he couldn't completely finish all of the goals it didn't stop him in his tracks.  He just made more.
I do think it is very important to dream.  That's where goals come from, and that is what makes us happy.  When we dream we are essentially having a goal in mind.  The next step is just figuring out the details.
It's always been a dream of mine to be able to take really good pictures of flowers or landscape and sell them, or make a calendar of them and sell the calendar.  I dreamed once that I was an amazing temple photographer and my pictures were sold in Deseret Book and Seagull Book.  I would still like to accomplish that dream.  But I realize it is going to take more work than just taking a good picture.  I need to be able to find someone or a company that will buy my pictures.  I would love to be able to be a famous photographer. And I think I can some day.  I just took one step closer to doing that by getting a really nice camera for Christmas.  So I can take some better quality pictures.  Now I have to set a goal of finding where to sell my pictures.  I can do it.

January 8th Introductory Week

I am pretty excited to take this entrepreneur class.  While watching all the videos and reading the articles it made me even more excited.  And pumped up to start new things!  Something that really stood out to me when I was watching the Jim Richey video were his 'friends'.  When he first started talking about having a lot of friends I assumed he was going to talk about networking or getting to know a lot of people in a lot of different fields.  So when he started mentioning a bunch of books I was surprised.  But I agreed with him.  Books really can be best friends and can be the means of so much knowledge.
I also really loved David A. Bednar's talk.  He said a lot of inspirational things in it.  But I especially liked the part where he talked about not taking the easiest path of resistance.  I have heard that a lot, and it really is hard for me to not take that path.  I like to do whatever is easiest.  But after serving a mission, and getting married, and now preparing to be a mother, and getting a leadership calling, I'm realizing and learning that the hard path is the best path.  Because that is where you can learn the most.  That is where you find your weaknesses so you can make them strengths.  And that is where God can help form you into who He wants you to be.  I'm going to try my best to not take the path of least resistance.  Instead I am going to review all the paths I have and ask God which one I should take so he can shape and mold me into a more perfected being.