Attitude on Money

I really appreciated the article “Attitude on Money” by Stephen W. Gibson. As I read this article, I found myself thinking about how I view money. I realized that my ideas regarding money have definitely changed a few times during my lifetime. When I was a teenager and young adult, I worked really hard for the things and the money I had, but I didn’t worry about money because I didn’t have a lot of expenses and always had money for what I needed. This view changed as I got married and my husband was going to school. He worked part-time and I was working full-time. We began to have children, my husband graduated and began working full-time, and I was able to stay home with our children. We were in a good place and building our home when a life threatening illness hit one of our boys.

It was during this time that my view of money took a drastic downward turn. I realize it was because with all of the expenses we had going out, I felt like we were drowning. I didn’t want to think about money. I didn’t want to talk about it. While I tried to keep a positive attitude and cheerful countenance, I was always stressed and worried and sad inside and it was mostly about money. We made it through many rough years and are finally out of the debt that was incurred during that time.

At this point in my life, I have a new love for money. It is not that we are extremely well off financially, but as a couple we are able to help others and it is very rewarding to me. I love the good that money can do. I am grateful I have had the opportunity to experience these different facets and ideas regarding money. I have a great working budget and the first thing I pay is my tithing. This has always been a top priority and I definitely know that I am where I am in my life because of this priority. I feel that some of the rules that will help us prosper are creating a good budget, paying tithing/charity, and living within our means.

Some key points that resonated with me from the article “Attitude on Money” are:

• We all have filters in our minds which change the way we "see" things
• What is the right way to look at money?
• Money is not evil
• It is not good or bad
• The love of money or the obsession with accumulating money from others unrighteously, no matter what the method, may be evil
• Money has great power
• Money often reveals the kind of person we are
• Making money is a talent and some are born with that ability but just because you weren’t born with that ability, doesn’t mean you can’t learn
• We are warned about materialism, which is concentrating on accumulating money just to accumulate things
• Some people look through their filters and believe it is righteous to be poor and suffer but we are taught to be self-reliant so we can take care of ourselves. We can’t do this without money and we need to earn it ourselves

If you want to prosper:

1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him
2. Keep the commandments, which includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings
3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant
4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters. Education, as President Hinckley has taught us, is the Key to Opportunity
5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated
6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held captive

Dream BIG and Become

Through my studies this week, I greatly appreciated Dallin H. Oaks' talk "The Challenge to Become" from October 2000 General Conference. He talked a lot about becoming and how the gospel challenges us to become something rather than just know something. He shared that it is not enough to be convinced of the gospel, we need to act and think so we are converted by it. Elder Oaks' comment that conversion is often achieved more readily by suffering and adversity than by comfort and tranquility really hit home for me. When I have gone through some really hard times in my life, I grew the most. I grew closer to my Father in Heaven and feel like despite the challenges, I was becoming more of the person that I am meant to be.

Elder Oaks talks about how Nephi describes the final judgment in terms of what we have become rather than just by what we have done. Most of us can do good but why are we doing it? He reminds us that we can't just go through the motions of doing what's right. We also need to do it for the right reason . . . for the pure love of Christ, which he tells us is a condition not an act. Elder Oaks' reminder that the final reward for each of us is not based on how long we have "labored" in the vineyard but on whether or not our labors have helped us become something. This was comforting to me because we each have different paths back to our Father in Heaven and it may take some of us longer to get to where we need to be, but as long as we are learning and becoming along the way, that is what is
going to matter for us. Like Elder Oaks said, "We do not obtain our heavenly reward by punching a time clock." We should never give up hope for ourselves or those we love.

Another reminder from Elder Oaks that really resonated with me is that exaltation is an eternal family experience and our mortal family experiences are best suited to prepare us for eternity. When my boys were young and would fight and argue, I would ask them the question, "If we can't get along on earth, how are we are going to be able to get along in heaven?" This made all of us stop and think.

Elder Oaks reminds us to never stop striving [trying] and if we are losing our desire to do evil, we are progressing toward our heavenly goal. When we are proceeding towards conversion, we begin to see things as our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ see them. We hear His voice instead of the voices of the world.

Taylor Richards reminds us to "Think Big." Some of the things that resonated with me from his talk are:

• 
  Don't underestimate yourself
• You CAN do it
• Involve the Lord and you can do the impossible
• It's a lot more fun to be great than to just be good or mediocre
• It's no harder to be great than it is to be good
• Pursue your goals and dreams
• Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it
• Dream HUGE!
  

I also loved the talk "License to Pursue Dreams." The 20% time concept where you do what you want for that amount of time, really made me stop and think. I am so focused on my lists and my projects and getting things done, that I don't really take the time to do what I REALLY enjoy. In fact, sometimes I can't even remember what I like to do in my spare/free time. She talked about giving people the time and tools and then trust then to explore. I think this can be applied to each of us at any point in life, not just in business.

"Your Emotional Fingerprint" made me stop and think about my life and my emotions. Jim Ritchie talked about how we need to develop a blueprint for our feelings and emotions because it will help explain why we respond the way we do to situations in our life. He says that becoming aware of your emotional fingerprint or emotional DNA helps a person make effective decisions, overcome challenges, and achieve personal and financial goals with more effectiveness. Wow! I definitely want to pursue my own emotional fingerprint. Some other things that also had an effect on me are:

• What you feed grows and what you starve dies
• There is a battle inside each of us
• Learn to validate your emotions internally and you will be able to overcome challenges  and accomplish goals because you won't be at the mercy of external influences
• When a person learns what the key driving forces are in their life, they can begin to take control of their future
• Unleash your creative power
• Be quick to observe

A couple of questions that Ritchie talked about caused me to think about myself and my own life. These are: What makes me feel important? What drives me? These are important questions that I need to have the answers for, so that is what I am striving for after this week's learning.

Disciple Leadership

As I studied disciple leadership this week, I really appreciated Elder David A. Bednar’s description of a Disciple Preparation Center. I loved his advice that when are building a disciple preparation center, we prepare a little harder, dress a little nicer, act a little better, and think more deeply about things that really matter. He also reminded us that ultimately the best disciple preparation center is located with the walls of our own homes. This is a wonderful reminder of those things we need to do to build and strengthen our own families. As he talked about the temple, I appreciated the reminder of the importance of the temple as the temple becomes the bridge from this life to the next. During this time when temples are not as easily accessible because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, I have been missing the opportunity to be in the temple. This is an especially critical time for us to have a current temple recommend to remind us how we want to live.

In “A Message to Garcia” I was impressed with the following information from the article of leadership:

• Accomplish tasks quickly and efficiently
• Do the work when no one is watching
• The ability to execute is more valuable than education or talent
• Delegation is critical, even if it’s easier to do it yourself
• Have the courage to make a difference
• 90% of life is just showing up, so the most important 10% of life is execution (Woody Allen)
• Everyone longs to be called to an important mission so that they can make a difference
• The greatest challenges always come from within
• Sometimes the biggest obstacles we experience are quiet voices whispering destructive thoughts that hold us back
• You can choose to blame others, situations, etc or you can choose to start developing attitudes, habits, and instincts so that when success hangs in the balance your name will be called

I also appreciated tips to help me move toward action. I feel these can be applied to many areas of life, not just business/entrepreneurship:

• Accept the mission and get started
• Be curious – ask the RIGHT questions first and then seek the answers
• Immediately sketch out a plan and then move forward; break down into VSPT framework  (vision, strategies, projects, tactics)
• If you need resources, don’t be afraid to ask
• Enlist help when needed
• Report back and show your work
• Underpromise and overdeliver
• Expect to make (small) mistakes
• Put results before schmoozing
  
  
  
• Replace the voices  in your head with positive actions

This quote has always resonated with me: “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but rather the ability to act in the face of it.”

Some other things I studied this week that really stuck with me are:

• Begin to see your life as a “calling” toward a Hero’s Journey . . . “Why was I put on earth?”
• Develop gifts and talents into a discipline; become world-class at something
• Find a “deep burning need” that you care about; your life-long mission will be more fulfilling if it serves others needs
• Surround yourself with good people and role models
• The secret to success doesn’t lie within the IQ you were born with but with having the character and courage to accept a worthy mission and get the job done

I loved President Kim B. Clark’s talk “Leadership with a Small ‘L’”. I feel that the Savior was a great example of this kind of leadership. He led with kindness and love and was a wonderful example of how to treat others and lead. The principles that President Clark talked about that have stuck with me are:

• Lead by Example: The best way to lead someone (children) on the path we want them to learn is to be on that path ourselves
• Lead with Vision: Help others understand the larger meaning and purpose of their daily work. In family . . . teach children how cleaning their room, doing their homework, and loving each other is connected to exaltation in the celestial kingdom as an eternal family. It may also mean leading your family through times of grief and pain caused by death and illness. It may mean teaching them and showing them that staying the course, moving forward despite the pain, is deeply connected to your family’s eternal journey
• Lead  with Love: Learn to energize those around you through love in action

Other things that resonated with me this week are:

• Be like Moroni: Take a stand and lead; stand up for something
• Sometimes leaders have to take a stand AGAINST something
• Stand up and make a difference
• Leaders cause things to happen and motivate people with their conviction
• Good is the enemy of great – don’t be in your comfort zone so long that you forget to strive for greatness
• Get the right people on your bus

I loved Jim Ritchie’s last comments in the “Good to Great” video. He reminds us that we weren’t  sent to earth to be a mediocre player. We are here to learn lessons to be great and use these lessons to help take ourselves and others to a higher ground. Sometimes I need these gentle reminders that help and encourage me to move forward instead of staying in my comfort zone. Often it’s scary to leave that zone and reach for something hirer for fear of falling, but I have found that even when I fall, I still come out ahead because I have learned new skills and developed myself into being closer to the person my Heavenly Father wants me to be.

Hang In There . . . Good Things Will Come

I really appreciated the things I learned this week from the various videos and talks.

Some of what resonated with me from Jeffrey R Holland’s and Patricia Holland’s talk/video that they did together entitled “However Long and the Hard the Road” are:

Patricia Holland

    • Keep a sense of energy

    • Retain your goals

    • Put your energies into becoming

    • Don’t spend your time “walking on your lower lip” about what is not happening

    • Be excited about your chance to grow and develop and become

Sister Holland talked about Marilyn Funt’s book and the question “Are you anybody?” Funt said that she used to think that being somebody meant public recognition of your efforts but realized that being in control of her life allows her to answer “YES” to the question. I love this because when I am in control of myself, my finances, and my nutrition everything goes better and I feel more confident in myself.

I loved Sister Holland’s reminder that the only limitations you have are the ones you put on yourself. I have always told my children this but it is harder for me to remember this for myself and apply it. I loved the advice that we need to learn through our heart not just our head. She also reminds us to be all that you can be!!! If you are prepared and have oil in your lamp, you will find that you get to use it often. If you have cared enough to prepare, your light will attract many who will seek and cherish your companionship. Sister Holland was talking about dating and marriage, but I try to apply these principles in every area of my life. I want to be the kind of person that people want to be around because of the way they feel when they are with me.

Jeffrey R. Holland

    • Nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice, effort, and patience

    • Stay in the harness and keep pulling . . . especially when things get hard

    • Where there is no vision, people perish

    • Hang in and hang on

    • Have dreams and vision – even if you have a glimpse of what victory will be like, it will help you keep going

    • Almost every worthwhile endeavor requires determination

    • You must not give half-hearted compliance to your marriage

    • Persevere no matter how hard it is

I loved the quote by Robert Browning that Elder Holland mentioned, “ . . . the best is always yet to be.” Sometimes I want life, marriage, family, work, etc. to be easy and it just isn’t always like that. I loved Elder Holland’s reminder that nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice, effort, and patience. Most of the time in my life, it is the patience part that I struggle with and that is the area I am working on the most.

Acton Hero David Carrington

He mentions how tragedy caused/forced him to step back and reassess things, look at his balance. When I have gone through challenges in my own life, it definitely allows me to reassess where I am and where I want to be. Even though I don’t hope for challenges, I am grateful when I truly take the time to look at myself and how I can benefit from the challenge. When I allow myself to do this, I come out a better person on the other side of the challenge.

The 5 Whys

In this video, it is talked about the fact that behind every technical problem there is a human problem. I think this can be applied to pretty much every situation in life, not just business. We are all different and that can cause challenges if we are not willing to understand those differences. It was also mentioned that we should find at least one improvement and invest our time wherever the problem is. When we strive to understand each other, I think we find that we are more alike than we realized in the beginning.

Taylor Richards

I appreciated the reminders from the video “You Can Do Anything” with Taylor Richards:

    • Always keep moving forward

    • Never quit

    • Do the right things

    • Involve the Lord and He will open doors for you to do great things

    • Take advantage of opportunities

    • Don’t underestimate yourself and the Lord

    • Don’t doubt yourself and what you can do

Good Things to Come

I never get tired of this video/talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. I find myself relating to the story he tells not so much in the situation he experienced but the things I experience in my own life that sometimes cause me to feel defeated. His reminders are definitely what I needed to hear this week:

    • We all have times when we need  to know that things will get better

    • Don’t quit . . . there is help and happiness ahead

    • Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven, but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come

    • It will be alright in the end

    • Trust God and believe in good things to come

We have had a couple of suicides of young people in the last few weeks in our community. They are students who were at the school I work at just a couple of years ago. I have really thought about them as I listened to Elder Holland’s talk again. If they could have truly known that things would get better for them on this earth, they would have been able to make it through. My heart hurts when people of any age don’t remember the things that have touched me through my studies this week. I am grateful for each of these reminders for myself because none of us are exempt from the feelings of discouragement. I feel that when we know these things, our Heavenly Father is trusting and expecting us to share our knowledge with all that we come in contact with.