Is it worth it in the end?

This week we had some case studies to look over and decide what we would do in these situations. Without going into the actual details of the case studies I wanted to record my answers here so I could reflect on them as I get more and more into my entrepreneurial career and I hope that  you will also be able to apply them into your career.

"The first mini case study really hit home for me. I grew up with a entrepreneur father. He worked in disaster restoration so whenever someone had a flood, fire, wind or mold damage he would get the emergency call and have to leave right then and there wherever and whenever that may have been. As I read the case study I reflected back on my growing up years. My dad was gone for a lot of things. Dance recitals, band concerts, choir concerts, plays, musicals, art shows, dances etc. But I have never resented him for that, because he never let a day go by where he didn't hug me, kiss my head and tell me he loved me. After he would get home from a job, where he had missed some sort of event, he would always ask how it went and tell me how proud he was of me.

This reminds me of a quote by David L. Beck in "Your Sacred Duty to Minister". He says, "As you love His children, Heavenly Father will guide you, and angels will assist you. You will be given power to bless lives and rescue souls.""

We also watched a few videos that hit home for me as well. Ann Miura-Ko of Floodgate said that many of her entrepreneurs also have families, whether that me just a spouse or also children. No matter what career you choose there will always be the conflict of balancing home and work life. Overall it is important to ask yourself, "Will this be worth it in the end?", and if the answer is yes then do it! You must also have a passion for what you are doing. If you don't, it won't be worth it, you won't enjoy it, and your family life will suffer because of it.

She also mentioned that work can be life and death. You can feel like dying while you are doing a project. I relate very much to this right now as I am working full time at a desk job, studying full time at school, and working on alterations projects in my "free-time". I feel like dying and giving up most of the time. But honestly, it is so worth it in the end. I love what I do in alterations. I enjoy it and I feel so good after I finish a project and the client is so happy with the way it all turned out. :)

So right now, it is so worth it. :)

80% Have to 20% Want to

I was really inspired and impacted by Google's policy of 80/20.

Where 80% of your work time is spent on projects given to you and 20% of your time can be spent on working on whatever you want to!

I have a small alterations business going right now and I never get time to do the projects I want. This policy would give me the creative outlet I need to continue loving what I do, maybe coming up with new projects or techniques, and still getting my clients projects done! I am beginning to see how beneficial this could be for my own business.

The other thing that really inspired me was what Taylor Richards said. He said, "Be Great! Don't settle for being good." I think I tend to settle for mediocre or good enough and I never reach my full potential. It is time to focus, buckle down, and be great!

And lastly, what I got out of Elder Oaks talk was that I cannot be "convinced" of what I want to do in entrepreneurship, I need to be converted. One of my biggest takeaways from my mentor interview was that I MUST have a passion for what I'm doing or I won't be truly successful. This correlates with Elder Oaks talk. When I am graduated from college I will be focusing and converting wholly to my passion for alterations and will not settle for good, but will strive for great!

Trust

This week I really appreciated the part of the lesson where we learned about trust.

Frank Levinson and Guy Kawasaki summed it up perfectly for me in their own ways.

If we want others to trust us, we first need to trust them. If a client or a customer comes into your store or your business feeling as though you don't trust them, you will lose their business. Zappos.com trust their customers enough to be willing to pay for shipping both ways, when they buy and if the product doesn't work out and they want to send it back.

My dad is my entrepreneur mentor. He has started businesses and come up with countless successful ideas. He hired this man to basically be his apprentice believing one day he would buy him out and take over. My dad taught him EVERYTHING. Years of experience, training and expertise in this particular field. Then when it was coming down to buy him out, this man quit and started his own competing company, taking all of my dads knowledge and tricks with him.

My point in telling this story is that if we want to be able to freely trust those we may not know as well as we'd like, it would be important for us to put the legal matters first and get them taken care of right off the bat so that we can sleep with a clear conscience, not needing to worry.

But I 100% believe that if we want others to trust us, we must first trust them.

However Long and Hard the Road

Is it worth it?

Will you make it?

Are you willing to work for it?

Questions like these haunt our mind as we plan for the future. The thought of failure won’t leave our mind. But the possibility of success keeps us going.

These and so many more thoughts cross my mind as pursue my dreams. The part that is hardest of all is that while you are working to pursue your dreams, life is still going on. Problems other than career problems arise that bog you down. There is no escaping the heartache and weight of the world. As much as we’d like to only have to focus on one thing, that will never happen.

But that doesn’t mean you give up.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.

D&C 64:33-34 says, “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 wiling mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.”

In the end it will all be worth it. As long as your desires are just and you put in an honest days work you will be rewarded.