Passion and Setting Guidelines

This week I realized that there can be multiple things I am passionate about.  The first step in Mastering something is looking for opportunities that align with my passions. This will be a good first step in finding success.

Jeff Sandefer interviewed Entrepreneurs and asked what was "The secret to their success skill, character or Luck" Although an argument could be made on each of these I think the deposits of these that Jeff discovered was where I learned the most from. Becoming a Master in an industry having good business judgement and forming strong relationships and reputation lead to success.  Lastly and above all else "Stay the Course" As we learned in the other readings we may reach a plateau or hit discouragement but its sticking with it day to day that over time success will be realized.

My biggest take aways from "My Hero's journey" was that we are in the process of becoming. And the process can lead us down paths we never thought possible if we do not but guidelines or guardrails in place. For work I travel and am in situations that I would not normally put myself in. On a regular basis I take a self assessment to ensure that I am within the guardrails the Lord has set to keep me safe and on the path to becoming like my Savior. There have been times that I have had to push against what was expected to stay within my guardrails. I have found that blessing come over time when I do the right thing.

Finally I also appreciated the perspective that there is opportunity in large companies to leave a mark. This has inspired me to look within the company I work now and find these opportunities and make a difference.

Dreams, Passions, and the Steppingstones of Life

This week taught me a lot about the importance of staying true to oneself throughout an entrepreneurial journey. Most often those ideas, feelings, or emotions that lead us to pursue an entrepreneurial journey are personal and derive from a dream or some event or lack thereof that comes from a deep core within our lives or the lives of those around us. However, it can be so easy to lose focus of those essential motivations and dreams as the minutia of business development encroaches on the journey. I’m sure in most cases the dream or passion falls off along the way and sight is lost of the end goal. 

I appreciated Randy’s perspective on the story of his folks allowing him to write on his walls growing up. Small and oversimplified but nonetheless a great example of not limiting our dreams and passions or constraining them to fit within the context of what we subscribe life or society to be. Is it okay to write on the walls??? Absolutely not I can hear my mom saying in my mind but sometimes it’s in our ability to flow outside the comfort zone that allows the dreamer to explore and develop the dream. His folks willingness to allow him the freedom to explore his dreams is obviously something that allowed Randy to achieve success.

One childhood dream I had was to marry in the temple. In 1998 that dream came true in the San Diego temple. Never losing sight of that dream from a young age was essential to shaping my life and ultimately achieving the goal.

I don’t know if I would always classify it as dreaming but I believe it is critical to happiness in life to be passionate about something and to pursue that passion. Those dreams or passions give our life meaning and purpose.

In really enjoyed the material this week. The stepping stones reminds me of the study conducted for decades where they took a large group of boys and tracked their lives over decades. As their lives evolved so did their dreams, concerns, and priorities. Ultimately it was family that mattered most on their later years. Everything else came and left but family was the one thing that remained constant and the one thing they wish they had done more with. Good perspective looking forward on the steppingstones for my life. 

A Day Late... And A Dollar Short???

So, I'm starting my entrepreneurial journal a day later than I'm suppose to but like starting an entrepreneurial journey there are speed bumps and road blocks along the way. Part of being successful is being able to adjust to the road... for example, when you learn that you weren't admitted to Summer semester and shouldn't have started school until Fall but the registration site let you register in error anyway or that you shouldn't attempt 15 credits during a condensed Summer semester. No problem! All is right in the world now and I've learned some valuable information to help me along my journey.

As I've learned from the various businesses my husband and I have started over the years, there are always unforeseen challenges. It's not that you avoid the challenges but rather in how to react to them that so often dictates success or failure.

I'm excited about the opportunity to keep this journal and track my thoughts, feelings, and the valuable information I learn throughout this course and hopefully beyond. There is so much to learn and so much that is failed to be learned by not writing down the valuable information that crosses our minds.

So, welcome to my Entrepreneurial Journal!

Barbara "Bobbi" Farrow