October 28, 2015

Stand True and Faithful, Mastery, 7 Habits

This week I enjoyed a journey through three topics, Stand True and Faithful, Gordon B. Hinckley; Mastery, George Leonard and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven R. Covey.

 I learned it is important to remember and be true to yourself, faith, parents and heritage, the Church, and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Hinckley stated, “Be true to yourselves, my dear friends. Be true to one another, your friends and associates. Look for the good in those about you, and emphasize that good. Never go around gossiping about your associates or speaking unkind words concerning them.” He further counseled, “And finally, in all of living have much of fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” I love Pres. Hinckley, he was always positive and looked for the good in others, he was an example to me of how to live my life and lift others.

 I also read the book Mastery it has valuable information that I will incorporate in my life. Leonard, spoke of “how to master” whether it is a deep relationship, a sport or career, he gave five keys to becoming a master. 1) Instruction 2) practice 3) Surrender 4) Intentionality and 5) The Edge. He explained each key and the process one needs to go through in order to become a master. The one thing that stood out to me is in the key of practice he stated, “What is mastery? At the heart of it, mastery is practice. Mastery is staying on the path.” Learning to enjoy the journey is what will bring true joy, the goal is valuable. What happens when we reach that goal? Do we continue to learn and grow? Or do we settle and feel as if there is no more to learn? Leonard helped me understand the need for plateaus and what we can gain from enjoying them. He stated, “The path of mastery, exists only in the present. You can see it, hear it, smell it, and feel it. To love the plateau is to love the eternal now, to enjoy the inevitable spurts of progress and the fruits of accomplishment, then serenely to accept the new plateau tat waits just beyond them. To love the plateau is to love what is most essential and enduring in your life.”

This I will remember and implement in my life. I want to live and enjoy the plateaus in my life.

I really enjoyed Covey’s 7 Habits. The one thing that I want to better incorporate in my life is Habit 5, Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Covey stated, “The key to good judgment is understanding…When people have a problem and you really listen to understand them, you’ll be surprised how quickly and how fully they will open up to you… Seeking to understand requires consideration, seeking to be understood takes courage.” I will need to learn to be a better listener and focus on the individual, not on myself.

My take away from this week study... I have a lot of pondering and reflection to do regarding my future and what I want to do/become. With time and effort I will be rewarded in coming closer to understanding my "calling" in life.

I enjoyed my reading and the video’s this week. Randy Komisar spoke on finding your passion and pursuing it. He stated that “How to choose your passion?” can be paralyzing, especially when you have several passions. He suggested that you look at your values, what you care about, and the opportunities facing you. Then ask yourself, “How do they sync together,” Look at the intersections and them make a decision based on those opportunities. This has given me something to ponder and reflect on this week.

David Friedburg’s video was interesting, he spoke about “most entrepreneurs are not rock stars” meaning 99% of entrepreneurs are not rich. He said, “The reason to become and entrepreneur should not be for the income.” His question was, “What do you want out of life?” Again I will be taking time to reflect and think about his question.

I really enjoyed Jeff Sandefer, A Hero’s Journey video. He spoke of the paradox, “Hero’s journey is not about you – It’s all about you” it is about your happiness and using your gifts to change the world, when this happens you will be changed. Is that not beautiful! He talked about the three questions we will ask ourselves at the end of our lives, 1) Have I contributed something meaningful. 2) Am I a good person? 3) Who did I love and who loved me? With these questions in mind, how will I direct my course over the next few years? As I serve and love those around me I am sure I will find answers to my questions.

Life moves forward even when you are ill.

This week has been challenging I have had some family obligations that made it difficult to study and prepare. I learned that I need to make sure I set aside time to do the things I value. From Launching Leaders video I learned the value of time and using every minute of the day to my advantage. Time is a valuable product, Mr. Ritchie said, "we have 1,020 minutes every day to be productive". He spoke of the Tri-Quation which involves self-esteem, productivity, event control, when these three things are equal and maintained you are functioning at your greatest potential. When we include a personal constitution we have the complete package in preparing ourselves for success. A personal constitution includes Daily tasks, short term goals, long term goals, and governing values as the foundation of your constitution. Creating your personal constitution takes time and effort, beginning with your values you can prepare an outline for future success in your life. My personal constitution includes integrity and service to others. I will continue to refine and work on mine as I want it to reflect me as I continue to grow and learn. The values I have stated will not change, the way I go about doing things will improve.

I learned from Jim Collins, who wrote the book “Good to Great”, a way to find what I am good at, born to do, and people will pay me to do. He said when you put these three things in intersecting circles, the intersection of those circles is where you will find what you do best. He suggested you take a note book and keep daily notes of when you feel the best and most joy. I found this intriguing, I know I feel my best when I serve and help others. Whether they are family members or individuals I do not know.

I also worked on deconstructing my fears, I realized that many of the things I am concerned with are in regards to retiring, working, having time for my children. In each case there is a way to erase the fear. I will not fail, I may need to change course, but things will work out. This has given me relief and greater understanding of myself and will help me prepare for my future.

This week I created my personal guardrails. The following are guardrails:

Ethical guardrails

I will never:

Comprise my moral standards in

              Marriage

              Alcohol

              Smoking

              Searching the internet, television, movies or reading

Be dishonest

Choose career over faith or family

I will always:

Seek the Lord’s counsel and confirmation in my decisions

Put my family first

Serve others

Have integrity

These are important to me and I have tried to be guided by these though out my life.

James Ritchie shared a formula for success 1) Get up early 2. Work hard 3. Education 4. Find oil 5. Make your mark 6. Serve. He combined things he was taught from Pres Haight and J Paul Getty. I love these, I have had most of them as goals. Finding oil and make your mark were not on my radar. What is meant by find oil, is to find what works for you and is your oil well. We all things we are great at and when we utilize those talents and skills we will do well. Make your mark, is one I had not thought of in terms of my life, I can make a difference within the sphere I am working, that may be doing well in my assignments, influencing those I work with and keeping to the integrity I cherish. When we make our mark we are being true to ourselves as well as the goals we have set and are achieving.

I am taking another business class this semester and I am reading Good to Great by Jim Collins, in his book he tells a story about Jim Stockdale a POW in the Vietnam War held in the Hanoi Hilton for 8 years. The book Love and War tells the story, I am going to read that book this year. Jim Stockdale stated, “You must retain faith that you will prevail in the end and you must also confront the most brutal facts of your current reality.” This is known as the Stockdale Paradox, Jim Collins added, “Strip away noise and clutter and focus on the few things that would have the greatest impact.”

The Stockdale Paradox is an aha moment for me, this has been a challenging week, finding time to do school work and meet all the demands on my time has left me exhausted and with little patience. In some areas I succeeded in others I failed. So this week I will pick myself up and start over, focusing on those things that most important and letting go of the noise and confusion. I will look at my current reality and the facts and then make a plan and move forward.