Hang In and Hang On

My favorite quotes from my readings and videos watched this week. There is great focus on hanging in there and hanging on to hope and relying on God. If we keep God by our side, anything is possible. 

"Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end—no dawn to break the night’s darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea “Is there no balm in Gilead?” ⁶ We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face."
-Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "Looking Back and Moving Forward", April 2008

"It’s interesting to me that the rest of the world does eventually discover what was given long ago in the scriptures. I recently read this: “Only a small portion of what we are [is developed] and there is enormous potential in the human being” (Leo Buscaglia, Love[New York: Fawcett, 1982], p. 19).

In his book, The Politics of Experience, R. D. Laing said, “What we think is less than what we know: What we know is less than what we love: What we love is so much less than what there is, and to this . . . extent, we are much less than what we are” (R.D. Laing inLove, p. 19). Without being smug, we’ve known that since the dawn of the Restoration. Surely that ought to be our own exciting challenge toward becoming—of growing, seeing, feeling, touching, smelling, hearing, believing."

"A common man or woman will hear only the commonplace, but a man or a women connected to the powers of heaven will learn to be an inheritor of those powers."

-Patricia T. Holland, "However Long and Hard the Road", BYU Devotional January 18, 1983

Hang In and Hang On

"We speak about excellence a great deal..these days, and, by definition, excellence does not come easily or quickly—an excellent education does not, a successful mission does not, a strong, loving marriage does not, rewarding personal relationships do not. It is simply a truism that nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice and effort and patience on our part. Perhaps you discovered that when you got your grades last month. Maybe in other ways you are finding that many of the most hoped-for rewards in life can seem an awfully long time coming.

My concern this morning is that you will face some delays and disappointments at this formative time in your life and feel that no one else in the history of mankind has ever had your problems or faced those difficulties. And when some of those challenges come, you will have the temptation common to us all to say, “This task is too hard. The burden is too heavy. The path is too long.” And so you decide to quit, simply to give up. Now to terminate certain kinds of tasks is not only acceptable but often very wise. If you are, for example, a flagpole sitter then I say, “Come on down.” But in life’s most crucial and telling tasks, my plea is to stick with it, to persevere, to hang in and hang on, and to reap your reward. Or to be slightly more scriptural:

Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. [D&C 64:33–34]

I am asking you this morning not to give up “for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.” That “great work” is you—your life, your future, the very fulfillment of your dreams. That “great work” is what, with effort and patience and God’s help, you can become. When days are difficult or problems seem unending, I plead with you to stay in the harness and keep pulling. You are entitled to “eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days,” but it will require your heart and a willing mind. It will require that you stay at your post and keep trying."

"Though nothing in our lives seems to require the courage and patient long-suffering of those early Latter-day Saints, still almost every worthwhile endeavor I can imagine takes something of that same determination."

-Jeffrey R. Holland, "However Long and Hard the Road", BYU Devotional January 18, 1983

"I want to help you understand the importance of not underestimating yourself, and the Lord, and what great things you can do. Don't doubt yourself and what you can do. As an entrepreneur, as you start a venture, you are going to have all kinds of people laugh and say, "You can't do this!", just like Nephi's brothers, "You can't build a ship!". Nephi knew he could, and I know you can do whatever it is you set your mind to. With the Lord, you can do amazing things."

-Taylor Richards, "You Can Do Anything", March 21, 2011

Life as an Entrepreneur

My thoughts on life as an entrepreneur:

Being an entrepreneur would provide me with the flexibility I desire while also allowing me to follow a strong passion. I am a very passionate person and would love to create more value doing something that I love. Being an entrepreneur to me also means striving to make this world a better place, even in a seemingly minimal way. We may feel like our small efforts aren’t worth something but if we persevere, we can accomplish big things. Being an entrepreneur makes me think of the little train that could. The train was tiny, the little train had never gone over the mountain before, let alone pulling a bunch of train cars with it, most other trains would have doubted the little trains ability to do so, and yet, the little train did it. The little, blue engine pulled the toy cars over the mountain all because she thought she could. There is so much that can be accomplished if we put our mind to it, and that’s what being an entrepreneur means to me.  Life as an entrepreneur would be difficult. During the difficult years, it would most likely put some strain on our family. Family time is important to me and a self-owned business is a stressful endeavor, and it becomes a family endeavor. That can be a harmful factor if the family is treated accordingly. I would always do my best to put my family first, as they are what are most important to me. Life as an entrepreneur would be time-consuming; if I feel like my life is busy now, I probably can’t even imagine how busy my life would be as an entrepreneur, especially starting out. I probably would be lacking on sleep, but I would be doing something that I love. I would find joy in my pursuits. I also imagine that I would make a lot of new friends in my endeavors, connecting with other entrepreneurs like me, especially other mom entrepreneurs. I feel like life as an entrepreneur would be difficult, yet also thrilling and satisfying.

Mastering Self-Mastery

If we hope to accomplish all that we set out to do then we need to master self-mastery, self-discipline, and self-control. N. Eldon Tanner gave a talk titled, "Success is Gauged by Self-Mastery". He quoted Plato in saying, “The first and best victory is to conquer self; to be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and vile.”

And da Vinci once said: “You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself.” Then he goes on to say that “the height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment. … And this law is the expression of eternal justice. He who cannot establish dominion over himself will have no dominion over others.”
He continued on to say that, "There are two important elements in self-mastery. The first is to determine your course or set the sails, so to speak, of moral standards; the other is the willpower, or the wind in the sails carrying one forward. As I said before, character is determined by the extent to which we can master ourselves toward good ends. It is difficult to say just what builds good character, but we know it when we see it. It always commands our admiration, and the absence of it our pity. But it is largely a matter of willpower.

Christ probably gave us more definitely and clearly the answer as to how to succeed when he said:

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:13–14.)

As we think of this, it is so evident that those who keep on the straight and narrow path leading to their goal, realizing that the straight line is the shortest distance between two points and that detours are very dangerous, are those who succeed in life and enjoy self-realization and achievement. This requires self-control and self-discipline.

On the other hand, those who fail to keep their goals in mind and fail to discipline themselves find that they are following detours and paths that lead to failure and destruction.

There are those who complain that to follow the straight and narrow path requires limitations, restrictions, overcoming, and doing without things that are very tempting. We must remember, however, that it guarantees victory and achievement of our goal, which is gained by setting a goal and being able to concentrate and follow an undeviating course.

Narrow is a very meaningful word. Often people accuse us of being narrow-minded if we are following the straight and narrow path, which certainly does require self-restraint and self-denial. We must realize and be prepared to accept the fact that it confines us, restricts us, and limits us in certain areas. But let us fully realize that it does not fetter or shackle mankind. On the contrary, it is the way to emancipation, independence, and liberty."

Again, if we hope to accomplish all that we set out to do then we need to master self-mastery, self-discipline, and self-control. How do we do this exactly? I love what N. Eldon Tanner said where first we need to determine our course and then we need to exercise willpower. Willpower can be difficult. There are a lot of things in life that tempt us and entice us, but we need to be strong and master ourselves. We are in control, not our cravings and desires. People may see us as narrow-minded because we restrict ourselves, but it's not really limitations, it's a way to enhance and build us up into something better, and more successful. By overcoming ourselves and our selfish way, we are able to free ourselves and open up better possibilities than we ever could have dreamed of.

Personal Finance was another topic studied about this week. I love the simplicity of perspective in regards to finance. Perspective is that, "Wise money management is simply living the gospel of Jesus Christ." It's as simple as that! If we live the gospel fully, God will bless us. If we pay our tithing, God will bless us. I am sure we have all had and heard stories of faithful people who paid their tithing, even when it was all that they had left, and God blessed them and made it possible for them to get by. It shouldn't be so difficult to pay tithing, especially when we remember Principle #1: Ownership. "Nothing we have is our own-it is all God's. I also love how Principle #2 ties in, because it is true that being blessed with material things should not be seen solely as a blessing, but also as a responsibility. We are responsible for the things we ave been blessed with, we are accountable of our stewardship to our Father in Heaven and the things He has blessed us with. Will we be found faithful? Will we be proud of our accountabilities?

We also need to determine "Why" we should take care of our personal finances. If we don't have a why, then we won't do it. I love the innocence of a child and how they ask "Why" in regards to everything, but it's such an inspiring thing because there should always be motivation behind everything that we do, and hopefully it is a good motivation. It can be hard to do finances and many other things in life, but as long as we know why we need to do it, and we keep our motivations pure, then we will be helped along the way and blessed for our efforts.

God truly has blessed us with so much and we need to be accountable for all of those things he has blessed us with. We need to exercise our agency wisely and show Him why we deserved to be blessed with those things and show Him that we can be responsible with those tender mercies He has bestowed upon us. When I first heard the story of the talents that the master gave to his servants, I thought, "Why is it such a big deal that the one buried his talent? He was just trying to keep it safe." But instead, what he showed was a lack of faith and responsibility. He didn't show his appreciation for His master by trying to not only repay him, but show him that he was more than worthy of receiving that talent in the first place. We need to use our agency wisely, and work to make this world a better place using the talents and blessings that our Father has bestowed upon us, not hide away from the world hoping that we can make it to Heaven again without even trying. 

The Secret to Success

Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges. Paul Harvey, the famous news analyst and author, once said: “Someday I hope to enjoy enough of what the world calls success so that someone will ask me, ‘What’s the secret of it?’ I shall say simply this: ‘I get up when I fall down.’” 

^{"Perseverance is demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don’t give up even when others say, “It can’t be done.”"}

-"Perseverance", James E. Faust

Becoming an entrepreneur can be a difficult journey, but it can also be a fulfilling one. We just need to keep our priorities straight, our integrity strong, and our faith unfaltering. I listened to a speed about the Hero's Journey and the thing that stuck out to me the most was that a lot of us are worried about the wrong things. The Hero's journey is all about you, but it's not about you at all. Live every moment of your life like it mattered, because it does. 

Things to do:
Find great role models, and ask them great questions. 
(Ask about triumphs and regrets and things they wish they had learned sooner)

Questions to ask yourself at the end of your life:

• Have I contributed something meaningful?
• Am I a good person?
• Who did I love and who loved me?

Ask five people to tell you something that you are better at than anyone else?
Find your God-given talents and then intersect that with things you love to do, things where you lose track of time and love to practice for the sake of practicing it.

There was a great interview done with some successful entrepreneurs asking them about what it takes to be an entrepreneur. This was all done in search of the answer to the question, "Are successful entrepreneurs born or made?" So what was the answer? What's the big secret? The secret is perseverance. The secret is staying the course even when obstacles get in your way. 
"So in the end, what made them different from others who hadn’t been as successful and fulfilled? They had stayed the course. Day after day; year after year. Other would-be-entrepreneurs might have been even more talented, but they became bored. Hopped from industry to industry. Tried to get rich quickly. Relied on “who they knew” to attract opportunities and favors rather than mastering a skill. Tried to take advantage of others instead of doing what was right. The entrepreneurial heroes in front of me loved the great game of entrepreneurship. So they showed up, every day, in the same industry, with the same people. Through trial and error, successful and failed decisions, they made tiny deposits of industry expertise, business knowledge, and trust which built a web of assets that made running a successful business much easier and served as a formidable barrier to competitors. Are successful entrepreneurs born or made? Are entrepreneurs blessed with a rare gene or shaped by their parents and childhood? Turns out, these aren’t even the right questions. Entrepreneurs become successful, one small investment at a time, in a never-ending process. Because entrepreneurial success isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. A journey taken one determined step at a time, in a way that builds lifelong treasures."

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."  

-Earl Nightingale