The Last Lecture -- Some of My Takeaways

As I began this entrepreneurship class in September, I wasn't sure what to expect. After a couple of weeks, I wasn't sure if I could do it or if I even wanted to. The assignments were all about introspection and that frightened me. I am the kind of person who likes to get the answers right and there didn't seem to be any right or wrong answers. It was all about ME . . . what I thought, how I thought, and why I thought. However, I am so grateful that I stuck with the class even though it was hard for me because I have gained a wealth of knowledge not only about business and entrepreneurship but about myself.

The "takeaways" I have will play a major role in how I live the rest of my life. One of these is the importance of having guardrails. Some questions to ask yourself are: What am I willing to do or not do if my life depended on it? What attributes are most important to me in life and also in business? I enjoyed learning from the person I chose to interview about their entrepreneurial journey. Even though I knew him well as a friend, it struck a bit of fear in me to ask him about his business. However, I learned so much and am grateful for the experience. One thing he said to me was that "integrity is more important than business." Trust and honesty are two guardrails that are very important to me, whether in a business setting or in a personal setting. I love the saying from Handy, "Trust . . . is fragile. Like a piece of china, once cracked it will never be the same."

Another important thing to remember is to keep balance in your life -- work, family, personal, health. This is something that was mentioned almost every week of the semester. Randy Haykin reminds us to set limits so we don't let work/business cross over into our family time. It's not really worth it to have a successful business, a lot of money, or a big name for yourself if you are alone in the end.

Stephen R. Covey's advice to put first things first has already begun to help me:

One of my favorites from Randy Pausch
(The Last Lecture)

    1) Important and Urgent

    2) Important and Non-Urgent

    3) Urgent but Not Important

    4) Not Urgent and Not Important

I loved Covey’s advice that the heart of effective personal time management is to spend the maximum time possible doing important jobs in a non-urgent atmosphere that increases your efficiency. Wow! Not everything is a #1 and as I have done this I have felt less stress and have been able to accomplish more than when I was viewing everything as needing to be done all at once.

In the book Launching Leaders by Steven A. Hitz, the formula for success resonated with me and has stuck with me over the past months. In the book, Jim Ritchie explains the formula from what he learned from J. Paul Getty and David B. Haight. The formula is rather simple but will take discipline to make it work:

1. Get Up Early
2. Work Hard
3. Get Your Education
4. Find Your Oil
5. Make Your Mark
6. Give Back

In a talk I studied titled "Formula for Success", President Thomas S. Monson gives a similar formula for success but in a different way. He reminds us that we have the responsibility to be prepared, to be productive, to be faithful, and to be fruitful in all aspects of our life.

We must always be improving ourselves and helping others:

1. Fill your mind with truth: Search where truth is found; Turn to the truth of God; Learn the word of God, understand the word of God, and then live His word; When the Lord commands, do it! Truth can come when we seek help from our Heavenly Father
2. Fill your life with service: Missionaries particularly have a wonderful opportunity to give of their full time in sharing with all the world that commodity of such priceless value—a testimony of the gospel; Missionaries should go forward knowing that they are in the service of God, that they are going to share that most precious commodity—their testimonies. Remember, a testimony is perishable. That which you selfishly keep, you lose; that which you willingly share, you keep. All of us benefit when we remember to magnify our callings
3. Fill your heart with love: Love prompts miracles

A final takeaway that I want to share comes from President Thomas S. Monson. He reminds us to be FINISHERS. He shares the marks of a true finisher:

• Vision: We are constantly making small decisions, of which determine success or failure; at least look ahead and be prepared when the decision comes
• Effort: Vision without effort is daydreaming; effort without vision is drudgery; but vision, coupled with effort, will obtain the prize
• Faith: Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same place at the same time
• Virtue: Have clean thoughts and actions
• Courage: Have the courage to dream the impossible dream and reach the unreachable star
• Prayer: Communication with our Heavenly Father provides peace; sometimes God’s help comes silently but with a dramatic impact

As I listened to President Monson, I thought about my own life. I pondered the question: Do I prefer the comforts of earth to the treasures of heaven? I am always so concerned about finishing projects and know that I must be just as concerned about being a finisher in God's eyes as well. He wants me to live my best life as I continue to help others live theirs. I definitely want to finish strong and have the Savior tell me "Well done. You finished strong!"

These concepts and so many others have had an impact on me and will go with me on my own journey, whether that is becoming an entrepreneur in the business world or as a wife, mother, friend, and daughter of God.