10/7/15
“How
will you measure your life?” This was
the important question asked during this week’s learning. Throughout my lessons learned, lessons not
yet learned and references I have pondered this question in regards to my own
life.
Lessons
Learned:
The
Ministry of Business provides yet again, more incredible insight into living a successful
business life, combined with living the gospel principles and living a
fulfilling life.
Chapter
seven discusses personal constitutions.
It all starts with the productivity pyramid. The base is full of the governing values,
next comes long term goals, from that comes short term goals and at the top of
the pyramid are daily tasks. Creating a
personal constitution will help guide your life and be a key piece in times
where you must re-asses or re-align yourself with your goals and who you want
to be in this life.
Chapter
eight is about giving back. When we are
blessed and can recognize those blessings we must give back by serving others
and sharing God’s love and blessings with them.
I truly loved this book because of the example that Jim Ritchie and his
wife provided of all their years of service and giving back in life. I have a personal love for serving others and
take advantage of volunteering my time in my local community whenever
possible. My husband and I like to
volunteer at local shelters and even at the animal shelters.
Chapter
nine is called the unseen difference.
This chapter dives so much deeper into chapter eight, devoting your life
to making an unseen difference in the world.
I loved the diagram that states “You lift me… and I’ll life thee… and we’ll
ascend together”. Live out your
passions, remain humble, recognize your blessings, give back and most of all
dedicate your life to serving others and making the world a better place.
Lessons
Not Yet Learned:
I
am still learning what my deepest fears are and how to overcome them. I personally deal with anxiety, and I do not
want to let that anxiety stop me from pursuing all of my dreams and achieving
success in all aspects of my life.
A
Reference and Categorization Method:
Personal
Constitution (Ministry of Business chapter 7)
Governing
Values
Prioritize a list of personal values and qualities that you want to
possess. Always use “I am” statements to
provide a positive and direct language to direct you toward the action instead
of merely wishing.
Long Term
Goals
Write out goals in “I will” statements in order to commit yourself to these
goals
Short Term
Goals
Focus on short term goals that will get you to your long term goals. Use clear, direct “A will” statements.
Daily Tasks
Begin with “Today I will” and write down your daily task list of things that
will move you closer to achieving your goals.
These will provide incredible personal productivity and lead your way to
your goals.
Be The Unseen Difference (Ministry of Business page 164)
Tom Rath’s eight roles to be filled by people in relationships: builder,
champion, collaborator, companion, connector, energizer, mind opener and
navigator.
Deconstructing Your Fears Reflection
Questions
1. If you pursue your calling with
discipline, intentionality, and the help of fellow travelers, what are the
chances that your worst case scenario will really happen?
I believe that we are our greatest enemies. We allow self-doubt into our lives and
prevent ourselves from reaching our greatest potentials. If I pursue my calling with all of the
principles and things listed above, my chances of achieving my goals are extremely
high. My worst case scenarios will
probably only happen if I allow them to happen.
Although some things in life are out of our control, we can control our
ultimate outcomes by the choices that we make each and every day.
2. As you look at your list of fears,
what themes emerge? What is at the core of what you really fear? Financial ruin? The judgement or disapproval
of others? Physical harm? Endangering
the ones you love? Embarrassment?
The biggest theme that emerges from my list of fears is personal
disappointment. I set very high standards
for myself and I am so afraid that I won’t live up to my own standards. I beat myself up and am way too hard on
myself and my many short comings. I need
to accept that I do have short comings, as we are not perfect, and learn to
overcome them with the power of my strengths.
I wish to live a balanced life with my family and then working when my future
children are all in school, and in order to have the best of both worlds I need
to accept now that I will experience some disappointments in life. And that is okay!
3. What is the risk of taking no action –
not following your calling? How do you
plan to deal with fear when it pops up on your entrepreneurial journey?
It is impossible to achieve any joy without sorrow. It is impossible to achieve the success and
fulfillment of following my calling without taking the risks and action to get
there. If I do not try I will always
wonder and question if I am even capable of achieve the goals I have set for
myself. And if I do not achieve every
single goal I need to recognize that the Lord has a different path for me and
that my journey led me to where I was supposed to go, regardless of if the end
result was the same as I initially thought.
I will accept fear during my entrepreneurial journey and face it head on
instead of pretending it is not there. I
will address the realistic possibilities of that fear, and then write out real
ways to overcome them.