Money, money, money...

What is my attitude toward money? Throughout my life I have had very different views and created various "lenses" through which I saw it. Luckily I have had the opportunity, particularly in the past few years, to read, hear, and learn from those who had a healthier view of money. They weren't scared of money like I was, I was scared to have it and scared not to have it. The lack of money in my early marriage and our fear of drowning in a sea of bills and debt created a very hostile environment for us. We were unhappy with each other and blame was spread around. Those  individuals who knew better then me have taught me some important things to help guide my view. First, they taught me to stop being afraid of it, money is just an object, albeit an important one, and there are more than a million ways to get some if you want it. Second, they taught me that by giving it away, I would be more likely to succeed. Giving, not being greedy with the money we get, is the best way to live and provides the best breeding ground for financial wealth. Plus, we must remember that our life on this earth has no set time frame, we never know when it will be over and our physical money will not accompany us to the other side. However the good works we are able to accomplish with it and the people we can touch for the better can be our legacy forever.

So of the 6 rules that Stephan W. Gibson gave for prospering,
"Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him
  Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.
  Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.
  Rule 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. Rule
  5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated. Rule
  6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held captive."

I believe rule #3 is where I am working on right now. Using what money we have to create an environment which is self reliant, is my next big financial goal. There are so many things that lend themselves to this like, year supplies and gardening, learning skills like sewing and repair, creating a financial reserve and investing smartly, staying out of debt and sticking to a budget, and so many other areas that can help.

Humble

          I love how Taylor Richards of Taylors boats was so humbled and surprised each year that they made the it onto the top 100 boat dealers list. I would say that many people would be thinking they were, or at least hoping that they were number one. And even thought they ranked near the top ten percent, they were humble and grateful for it.
           As successful as I hope to become I don't ever want to "expect" to be number one. I want to strive for number one, but I want to always remain gracious and hopefully delightfully surprised if I were to be told I was near the top. Humility in business combined with an ethic of hard work and integrity feels like a winning combination.

     I loved reading, "A Message to Garcia" from the Acton Foundation. I will definitely refer back to this as I engage in leading my own business and hiring my employees. I liked some of the advice they offered like making employment conditional, making sure to only keep those who have proven their worth. They said, "Underachievers may change over time, but only if they make the decision to change themselves. Your assignment is to get the job done, not run a counseling service for underachievers". I thought this was insightful, having been on the hiring, and being hired end of an employment situation. There were times when I have had to continually coach, cheer-lead, and at times drag an employee through their own daily tasks. I am also sure that there have been instances that I have been under-qualified and unassertive enough to be that employee as well. In both instances, time, energy, and moral were lost. This need not happen to any company who is able to put more thought and quality into hiring new human resources.
     I also loved the advice to, "Find a “deep burning need” you care about. Your lifelong mission will be more fulfilling if it serves the needs of others. Look for opportunities or injustices that speak to your heart. Find where your gifts, tasks you enjoy and a “deep burning need” intersect and you will have found your calling." This has been the biggest idea I have been pondering this semester. There are many ways to make money, but I want to find the right one for me.

Human problems

I love the perception that all technical problems are really human problems at their core. How true. If we could truly dig the very start of a problem, how often would we find a human error or problem? And if we were to find and correct each "human problem", how much less would "technical" ones occur? After listening to Eric Ries talk about his "Five Whys", I would like to set a goal for myself (my future self) to be the kind of manager/business owner that doesn't just deal with the immediate problems but seeks to find the underlying human element to it. I want to acknowledge every level of my company and those people that keep it going, or slow it down. To work this way, is similar to a doctor diagnosing a disease opposed to just treating  and catering to symptoms. I also think that this type of system would really make myself and employees responsible for their actions. If they, or I, are not preforming duties well enough then we can diagnose and seek to fix that. I hope I can continue to learn new and better ways to manage a business and the people who are so needed for its survival.

Habits

          It is hard for me to choose just one habit among the all important seven which will be of most use to me in the future. They each seem to need each other. And in a world where there is SO many ideas, habits, and information, Covey has narrowed it down to only seven.
          I like the concept of win/win. Especially in business it can be made to seem that if we want to be successful, you must beat out others. What a game changing concept, that to reach our goals we should help others to feel good and "win" as well. Our employees can win, our partners can win, our customers can win and even other business can win if we have the right attitude. This particular attribute reminds me of how the Savior would conduct a business. And if I can feel that the savior would approve of my business plan and conduct, then it is full steam ahead in my eyes.
         Another habit which could have heavenly attributes would be to begin with the end in mind. When I think of this, I think of having an eternal perspective. Can we see where we want to be, are we heading down that path? Not only in our personal life but in our business dealings. I want to be able to forego the instant gratification of the now and see the big picture.

As short and sweet as it was, I really felt moved by Jan Newmans talk. I definitely fall into the category of people who think that I will be successful and use that success to build the Lords kingdom. Newman helped me to see that it's the seemingly smaller acts like being a home or visiting teacher that really count. By doing these things we show the Lord who's side we're on. Not to say that we shouldn't strive for success in business, but we can realize that it isn't the most important thing, or even the second most important thing. Our spouse, our family, and most importantly the Lord are of the highest value as they are the only things that matter eternally. One of my favorite quotes from M. Russell Ballard  says, "What

matters most is what lasts longest, and our families are for eternity." I want to remember to always be willing to take a calling extended to me, be a valiant visiting teacher, and to never "crunch" my family in pursuit of worldly aspirations. 

Already from hearing this talk, I was reminded to check up on some woman in my ward and help them out. And when my daughter came asking if I could lay with her, I was able to walk away from my compute and schoolwork and do just that. So grateful to have an eternal perspective!

Hero's Journey

After watching "A Hero's Journey", I was left reflecting on the key questions that those people interviewed over 65 deemed important near the end of life. Who did I love? I can only hope that at the end of life I can say with confidence that I loved my family, my husband, my children and that they knew it. Who loved me? As much as I hope that my family feels of my love, I can only hope that I have lived in a way to deserve their love as well. We may be sealed together forever, but I want them to want to be with me forever as well. Was I a good person? I hope I can be remembered as someone willing to easily give service, someone honest, trustworthy and full of integrity.

"It's not about you, it's all about you", I know that I have gifts and talents that if focused. could help others. I want to figure out what comes easy to me. I liked the idea of asking other people what our gifts are, as others will notice things about us that we don't or that we take for granted. This would be a valuable insight to getting me one step closer to my "calling".