Wk 01 Reflection: It's Time to Begin!

 This is the first week of Bus 110: Introduction to Entrepreneurship with Kathi Milton. This is my second semester at BYUI after Pathways. As part of this class, I am required to write a blog to analyze and share what I am learning. Keeping an entrepreneurial journal is meant to serve as a way to track my progress and also a way to reflect and build upon my knowledge as I work towards my career goals.

    This might be a great place to write down my career goals. It seems that I need to interject with a bit of history to make sense of it all. I started college in 1990. I quit in 1993 after getting married and beginning our family. We have since raised our 5 children, moved 4 times, become grandparents (x2), and are now looking forward to an empty nest. I started painting houses years ago to help a friend and was able to roll it into a part-time business. It has been a blessing to be able to contribute to the family financially while my children were in school. I was also able to start an event planning business years ago. After helping a friend with her daughter's wedding reception, I was hooked! I love to create unique events for my clients and the physical toll of painting is becoming more than I want to give. Thirty years after starting my college education, I am back at it. This time I am focusing on gaining the skills I need to grow my event business. I will earn certificates in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Entrepreneurship, and Graphic Design in order to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Professional Studies in April of 2022. 

    So back to Bus 110. Each of these articles and videos made thought-provoking points. I appreciated Elder Bednar's counsel on being faithful and competent in both our spiritual and academic endeavors. We must be diligent as students and in life, never settling for minimum effort. This diligence takes "tenacious persistence about, an engagement in, and a love for the process of learning." The following quote from President Romney struck a cord. In our RS presidency, we have planned to focus on preparation in 2021. I plan on sharing his thoughts with the sisters. Self-reliance is vital to my educational pursuits as well as becoming a disciple leader in my home, my ward, my community, and my work. "Can we see how critical self-reliance becomes when looked upon as the prerequisite to service, when we also know service is what Godhood is all about?  Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there?  Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves.  Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse.  Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved.  Teaching cannot come from the unlearned.  And most important of all, spiritual  guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak."  (President Marion G. Romney. Conference Report, October 1982, pg. 135) 

    Of course, I was also touched by President Hinckley's words. I have seen this video clip before and feel strengthened by his counsel and encouragement every time.  Guy Kawaskai shared great advice as well. Doing what you love seems to go against what society has been pushing for decades. Success has looked a certain way - formal education, public accolades and awards, financial excess. It is important to remember that success means a life fulfilled, becoming the person that God has in mind for me, and providing a service that makes the world a better place for all. I want to explore my entrepreneurial tendencies. As a mother and grandmother, working for myself makes sense. I am excited to better understand my abilities and skills that can become professional stepping stones. 


Your Whole Souls as an Offering Unto Him. Elder Bednar. Jan 5. 1999
https://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/transcripts/devotionals/1999_01_05_bednar.htm

Living Your Life as an Entrepreneurial Hero. Jeff Sandefer file:///C:/Users/lcprs/Downloads/bus110_document_livingLifeAsAnEntrepreneuialHero%20(2).pdf

The Startup of You. file:///C:/Users/lcprs/Downloads/bus110_document_theStartUpOfYouExecutiveSummary%20(1).pdf

What is the Introduction to Entrepreneurship Course?file:///C:/Users/lcprs/Downloads/bus110_document_whatIsTheIntroductionToEntrepreneurshipCourse%20(1).pdf

Do What You Love. Guy Kawaskai. 
<iframe title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/411509295" width="640" height="459" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

President Hinckley BYUI building dedication. October 2002
https://youtu.be/w_B6ad6stHo

The Start-up of You: Rediscovering the Entrepreneurial Spirit. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF3zSo9jFuk&feature=youtu.be


Location: Bonney Lake, WA, USA

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