Shades of Mint

  Good morning,  It isn’t easy to sum up the life lessons one has learned over their lifetime or even the last few months. I have spent a lot of time wondering how these lessons that have been taught in class apply to me and my life. I have had a more in-depth look as to what constitutes an entrepreneur and what risks and sacrifices need to be made.  Is what constitutes of an entrepreneur the amount of knowledge he or she possesses? What about having wealthy connections? Or the skills and abilities they are gifted with? No. None of these things are what creates a great innovator. The core of being a great entrepreneur is the mindset and character of the individual. At the end of the day, it is going to be the ability to get up after you’ve been defeated for the hundredth time. It’s going to be the connections you make on the journey and the mentors who’ll teach you. It will be choosing your priorities wisely and allowing short term setbacks for long term success. This is ...

 For this journal entry, I wanted to record my thoughts on social entrepreneurship.  Social Entrepreneurship is when an individual sees a need in the community and develops a business or other institution in order to combat the need. They may sell products and donate the money to charity or start a bank to give out loans to those in need. It is a very direct way of serving and impacting the world. It doesn't have to be a large scale operation, but the focus does need to be on the community.  The article, Irresistible Opportunities and Great Injustices, discusses things that need to happen in order to find those problems. First, they say to slow down and take time to look at the world around you and be in tune with your emotions. Second, practice gratitude daily. Third, spend time with someone less fortunate than you and try to understand and serve them. Last, pay attention to your instincts and intuition when you feel an opportunity coming. As you become more in tune, you...

 In honor of the upcoming holiday, I decided to write on the importance of freedom in order to enjoy entrepreneurial pursuits. When The United States of America was founded, the Constitution allowed certain freedoms that were difficult to find or nonexistent elsewhere. As one of my favorite books, The Making of America  by Cleon Skousen explains, Americans have the freedom to try,   the freedom to buy , the freedom to sell , and the freedom to fail.  Without these opportunities, Entrepreneurship would not exist, and neither would America's economy as we know it. All of the worlds progress in innovation, technology and so forth from the last two hundred years wouldn't be possible. America was founded with an entrepreneurial spirit and it is the sole reason we enjoy the world that we do. I'm in awe just thinking about it. It is a shame that more Americans don't realize just how blessed they are and how much potential they have that they waste.  Things I have learn...

This week's entry is focused Chapter 8 of the Launching Leaders book we have to read in class. Money should have a purpose. It shouldn't be the end goal, only a means to achieve the end goal.  The book teaches the 5 following principles: 1)  Make sure whatever goals you have aligned with God's. Don't allow the desire for wealth to change you or make you forget God. Always remember that it is God who helped you to become who you are and to bring you to the success that you have. Remain humble and the Lord will continue to bless you.  2) Know your context, what is the world like around you? The rules that applied to the economy thirty years ago may no longer apply to today. The world has different opportunities and different challenges than in the past. Learn from the lessons others have learned, and decide which ones will apply best to your current state.  3) Be a good steward. The chapter tell the account of the three servants who were given talents from their master...

This week one of the things I want to focus on in my journal is small "l" leadership. This is a form of leadership that is not in the public eye. It is essentially being a leader in your individual circle of influence. There are many public figures and leaders, but leaders are needed on every level. Small "l" leaders stand for what important and motivate others to stand with them. They aren't just out there at the head of big firms and businesses, rather, they are the people who work in offices, warehouses and in construction companies. Most big "L" leaders are one's who were once small "l" leaders.  Things I have learned: How to be a leader and influence those around me for good. Books like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , and How To Win Friends And Influence People , have helped to teach me how to be a leader to my peers.  Things I am still learning: How to be a leader and influence those around me for good. Just because I...

 This weeks readings and lesson were on perseverance and having a tolerance for ambiguity. Ambiguity is doubtfulness or having unsurety. It is something that every entrepreneur needs to learn how to do. They need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to take risks and succeed. Perseverance comes from accepting setbacks and choosing to move forward. There's an awful lot of people in this world to back down too quickly and easily and it takes character to keep going when things get tough. The secret to perseverance is being able to see the end goal. If you can see where it is that you want to go, that hope of being able to reach it will push you and keep you from quitting.  Things I have learned  I have learned that mental stamina is very important to success. Being able to sacrifice what is less important in order to gain something that is more. Making decisions and then learning to stick with them.  Things I am still learning  How to be ok...

 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is one of my first self-help books I ever owned and is one of my favorites. The principles are timeless and reliable. These are the principles in order: 1) Be Proactive 2) Begin With The End In Mind 3) Put First Things First 4) Think Win/Win 5) Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood 6) Synergize 7) Sharpen The Saw (take care of yourself) I love how the focus of the first three principles is winning the internal victory. It means creating the habits and lifestyle and deciding on your core values. I wanted to record my strengths and weaknesses in these here.  Things I Have Learned: Focus your life on your core values. Too often people tend to place their self worth and how they live their lives based on others opinions. The only reliable source to be happy is to build your life on solid moral ideas. I'm still learning the habit of being Proactive in all aspects of my life. I am proactive to a certain extent, but it comes in w...

 This week, the readings were about self-mastery, creating a good lifestyle and surrounding yourself with good friends. Creating daily habits that push you to be productive and happy creates a lifestyle that leads to success.   Habits like going to bed and waking up early, working hard, and taking care of yourself all contribute to create the maximum amount of energy and productivity needed to pursue an entrepreneurial lifestyle. entrepreneurs have to put in a lot of time, energy and work and it can be very taxing on one's mental and physical health. Along with that is keeping your priorities straight.  Also, one big key to finding success is to find the niche where you excel at. It doesn't have to be anything grand, but it should be something that you are good and and enjoy doing.  Things I have learned: Your choice in friends is very important. There are studies that show that you are heavily influenced by the 5 people who surround you the most. I have seen th...

 Today for my journal entry, I wanted to cover a few things that stood out to me as I read about various entrepreneurs and considered the question of whether entrepreneurs are born, not made. Personally, I think that entrepreneurs are made, but some people are born with skills that make it easier for them to succeed down that path. They have a knack for leadership, working with people, or naturally have a good work ethic. One person in particular that I like to point to when it comes to a good work ethic is Thomas Jefferson. I have always admired his work ethic. He never allowed himself to relax and have fun, even when he was old and finally decided to play some card games he feel guilty about doing so. He was so on top of his work that he gained a very good reputation and it paid off. He invented so many things that helped others and started many successful businesses but never took the credit for them.  Lessons I have learned: You are in charge of your own success. The chanc...

 This past week in class we did a case study. It was intriguing to see the examples and what the business manager did to save the business. It was an interesting mental exercise to guess what I would've done in that situation.  We also read a lot about habits, and lots about the little things making a difference. That is something I realized the hard way, that often the biggest changes come from little consistent efforts every day. This actually goes against my nature- I'm the type that likes to get things over with in a big flash, I don't like having to do the little things day in and day out.  One thing that I remembered learning before, and was reminded of when I read Chapter 8 of the Hero's Journey, is that your greatest moments won't be on the day you receive the prize, it'll be on the hardest day when you are spent and feel like giving up. When you push through those days, those are your greatest moment's.  Lessons I have learned: Habits can make you o...

  This past week, we discussed being ethical, having integrity and staying true to your convictions. I have already decided that these things are important to me and it was nice to recap them. I especially enjoyed the talk, Making a Living and a Life by Lynn G. Robbins. It demonstrated the different types of businesses and what their priorities were. The very top tier businesses had their customers as their highest priority, and making money second. I want whatever business I run or work for to be one of those businesses.  I also was reminded of an experience I had within the last six months of working for a warehouse. My supervisors are very nice, good people and I never said anything about them swearing around me. Not long after working there, they began apologizing and trying to avoid cussing around me. I was honestly so surprised the first time my supervisor apologized for swearing that I didn't respond. I didn't expect them to do that so I was very touched.  Things I...

Lessons I Have Learned: I really enjoyed the reading material this week, especially the article, "What is Your Calling in Life?" by Jeffrey Thompson. One of the fallacies listed was that your "calling" doesn't have to be the same thing as your job. I think I knew this logically, but reading it again felt profound. In college, everyone is always talking about what they're majoring in and what career they want. Many college students want to feel like they're doing something meaningful with their life. They think, 'I could become a doctor that saves lives" or "I could become a scientist that makes incredible discoveries" and so forth. Of course, all those careers certainly make a difference but often people don't find their interests or skillset lie in those careers. College students especially don't know what they're doing and change their majors often until they settle on one that they either like or don't dislike as muc...

This journal isn't my first "entrepreneurs journal". I've used journaling over the past two or three years to analyze myself and record life lessons and powerful teachings. I picked up my very first 'self help' book at the young age of seven. It was an abridged, simplified version of the bestselling book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale G. Carnegie. Since then, I have been an avid self-improvement enthusiast and am constantly looking for ways to improve myself and the environment around me. I could write pages and pages about the life lessons I've learned thus far. For the time being, I'll just record two of the most powerful.  This week in my Intro to Entrepreneurship class, we had several assigned readings and videos to watch. I found them very enjoyable, and similar to other things I'd read and studied in the past. I enjoy the inspirational "You were meant for something bigger!" messages and I become very mo...