Seven Habits

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is one of those books that I have seen at work, at home, in the stores, even at the gas station. I have never had the desire to read it as I despise self-help books. I  am grateful for the chance to read a summary of the book this week and it interested me enough to buy the book at the grocery store today.  Although some of the habits were common sense, it is so hard to master them.  I am weak,  Although I keep busy, sometimes the important things don't get done.  I liked habit 3- Put first things first.  It breaks down each task into 4 categories.  I am a total "to do" list girl.  I make one every day and enjoy marking things off each day.  But, often times the non fun but essential tasks keep getting pushed to tomorrow's list.  I like the idea of categorizing the things on my "to do" list into these four categories.  Once all the items in category 1 are done, then I can move to category 2 and so on.  I think I will try this this coming week.  I bet I accomplish much more of the big important things.

The other habit I focused on was Habit 5- Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I am a good friend and try to listen and care about others.  But, often, I find myself listening to a friend's problem and then telling them what has happened to me similar and how I fixed the problem.  I think that this is focusing the conversation on myself.  If I listen attentively and ask them questions, I can better help my friends solve their problems without bringing the conversation back on me.

Master, Dabbler, Obsessive, Hacker?

In Mastery, Leonard outlines 4 different categories of the way we approach different activities in our lives.  I have always said, "I am a jack of all trades, master of nothing."  Reading Chapter 2 about the different categories made me think of all the times I have said this.  It is true.  I get excited about a alot.  I try new things, crafts, sports, baking skills, cooking, etc. always learning a great deal but really never becoming exceptional at anything.  This is the art and way of The Dabbler.  How can I change myself and join the path to Mastery?  I think focusing on so many things at once, makes it difficult to become a Master.  Maybe if I focus my free time on one of my talents, I could become a Master?  I am looking forward to continuing my reading and learning more about how to truly become a Master.  What should I focus on first?  Baking?  Tennis?  Piano? School?  I have so many balls up in the air yet I am not catching any of them!

Fast Forward

In a Hero's Journey video we watched this week, my biggest take away was about priorities.  In a survey of 60+ year olds, when interviewed how they measured the success of their lives, the responses were humbling. 3 things were mentioned:

1.  Who did they love and who loved them?

2. Did I contribute something meaningful in my  life?

3.  Was I a good person?

Here is what I hope to respond to these three things...

1.  I hope my family loves me to the end.   They love me despite my bad moods and short temper.  They love me when I am lazy or fun.  I am sometimes not very physically affectionate.  I feel like I need to work on this so my children and spouse never doubt how I feel about them.

2.  What do I consider meaningful?  How will I reach this goal and measure my success?  I consider my family making righteous choices as they grow a contribution to society that is meaningful.  I can teach them the commandments and help them stand for the right.  I can make Christ the center of our home.  In business, I want to measure success by being able to financially support my children on their missions, through school and getting married.  I do not need a million dollars to be a success, just enough to help my children reach their dreams.

3.  Was I a good person?  I want to be the type of person who fulfills my church callings whole-heartedly.  I want to be sensitive to the spirit and know when I can help serve my fellow men.  I want to be the kind of friend people can always count on.  I want to be an instrument of the Lord and that is how I know I will be a good person.

My Personal Constitution

Interestingly enough, I did not think much about ethics when I declared my major to be business.  I did not think I would be pondering much about Christlike characteristics and integrity or such things in my studies.  How refreshing attending BYU Idaho is!!  I am loving the optimistic, moral approach to business that our studies have taught the last two weeks.  It makes me want to stand out in my future business endeavors.  I want to be different.  I want to follow in the footsteps of mentors like James Ritchie or Clayton Christenson and be successful, yet Christlike.  They are bold in their beliefs and attribute their success to the Christian way they live their lives.  Family is important.  Religion is important.  They let that be known.  I want to be a humble example as I pursue my business dreams. I liked what I read from Elder Christensen in the Harvard Business Review  that people should "keep the purpose of their lives front and center as they decided how to spend their time, talents, and energy."  The purpose of my life is to return to my Heavenly Father.

Integrity and The Formula

This week our readings were quite informative.  I soaked it all up like a sponge.  I have always tried to be honest in all my doings.  I have been focusing this semester on doing my best work and working my hardest.  I think that this is part of integrity.  The mastering of this skill can benefit all areas of my life.  It can make me a better mother, a better ward missionary, a better wife, a better student and a better business woman.  From Frank Levinson's Top10 Must Haves for A Start Up, my favorite was a supportive family.  It is true.  If my kids and husband are not up for helping me with my adventures, I do not do them.  I have always been my only financier.  I like the list of best places to get your money from : customer first, then use your own money, then bank money , and last VC investors.  I am enjoying reading from The Ministry of Business.  I like to hear the author's personal stories.  I like the list they came up with especially "get an education" (since that is where I am at in the process) and "get up early" because I have always been an early riser.  I get more done before 10 a.m. then I do the rest of the day...easily!  Grateful to have one thing on the Formula List that I am already a master at!