The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture

I’m really having a writer’s block as to what to write here. I have learned a lot about what it takes to be an entrepreneur. I’m even excited to tell the world that I can actually spell the word entrepreneur now! That was tough for me. Anyway, I guess one of the last things that I would want to say and leave a hefty impression to a class of baby entrepreneurs is, don’t underrate the importance of balance in life.

We only have one life. We have one chance to live, once chance to love, one chance to explore, and once chance to get it right. All of us have to go through the inevitable. We will all die and return to our greater purpose. It is important to be successful in how we provide for our families, but providing for your family is an earthly thing, not eternal. Families are eternal. Relationships are eternal. Knowledge is eternal. Testimonies are eternal. These are things that we need to remember to set aside daily time for. Nothing else matters.

I’m sure we have all had experiences that teach us how short life is. I sure have. There was a time in my life when I felt like my house needed to be perfectly clean. I felt my children needed to be in every sports team, every chess club, and they all needed to be an Eagle Scout. I needed to be involved in all their classes, coach cross country, and lead the young women in our ward to higher and better heights than all the other wards. But, in a matter of literally seconds, I learned that one of my children was dying. After 3 years of trying to save his life, he took his last breath. Suddenly, everything that used to be important to me meant nothing. Things that I spent a lot of time doing suddenly seemed pathetic.

Our careers are important. Knowing how to do them the best we can is important. Choosing something to put your heart and soul into brings a feeling of pride and success. But never forget what is eternal. Things that are eternal deserve the time and attention to fully develop them. Things of eternity are the things that truly bring joy.

Because of my life experience, this would be my last lecture I would want to give to my baby entrepreneurs.

Week 13

This week we learned more about life long learning and getting over hurdles. Our world is constantly changing. If we cannot change, learn, and grow with it, we will get left behind. Randy Haykin utilized his opportunities of learning and growth for his benefit. By using these opportunities, he created stepping-stones to a greater career in the long run. Life long learning seems to be a common attribute between entrepreneurs. As I read about different successful entrepreneurs, it is common to see that they have taken 3 steps forward and 1 step back, and then again, 3 steps forward and 1 step back. The people, who see those step backs as failures, usually are the people that give up. But, when you see the step back as a learning opportunity for growth. That is an entrepreneur’s spirit. The entrepreneur can see that he still moved forward. This is life long learning. I know that if I use this example life long learning, it will help me throughout my career as well. I must be willing and able to learn the new things that our world is constantly capable of.
 

In the article What's a Business For? I learned that virtue and integrity are vital to the economy because they are what make an economy a great and thriving. The economy works on rules and the rules depend on trust and honesty. If there isn't trust, then you see events such as The Great Depression.
 

Handy says in the article, “The purpose of a business, in other words, is not to make a profit, full stop. It is to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better. That ‘something’ becomes the real justification for business. Owners know this. Investors needn’t care.”

One solution I agreed with was that we companies need to be more honest in their reporting. This causes a lot of problems, and the general public looses their trust in business. 

The second solution I agreed with is that a company shouldn’t exist simply to make money. They should seek to make contributions to society. This doesn’t mean that businesses should give up trying to make a profit, it just means that they should have a more of a purpose.