Looking back at my life it has been a series of many different ups and downs that have brought me some of the worst pain and also my greatest happiness in my life. As a result of these many ups and downs in my life I have been able to learn a few important things that I would like to impart to each and every one of you to help you along in your journey of life.
The first thing that I would like to impart to each of you is to surround yourself with people that you can trust in this journey we call life. These people are often not what we expect them to be but they are exactly what we need. One of the first people that ever came into my life in this way was my best friend Cherysh. Her being a tom boy, farm girl from Idaho and me being a big town girl that loved to shop, we were not exactly what you would consider fast friends, well at first. As a result of our situation in Nursing school we were somewhat forced to get to know each other and what we found is that on the outside we were completely different but on the inside we were the yin to each others yang and she was the better half that I never thought I would have in anyone outside of my future husband. We would die for each other and there isn't anywhere we would not go for each other if the other was ever in need.
These are the kinds of friends that each of you must search for in your lives. It is these people that will stick by you through your highs and your lows and help you get to wherever you want to be in life.
The other important thing that significantly changed my life for the better was finding something outside of work that brought me joy and happiness. Yes I know that everyone's family and loved ones bring them joy and happiness but in order for all of us to stay sane we must have something that is just for us and us only. For me those things are my relationship with God and exercise. Believing in a higher power and having a personal relationship with God has allowed me the ability to love others more deeply, know myself better and have something to always anchor my life in. On the other side going to the gym and doing yoga on a regular basis has allowed me the time to disconnect from everything that may be going on in my life and help my to do something just for myself. It has brought me peace in some of my darkest hours and helped level me when the going got tough.
So I urge each of you to find something in your lives that is just for you. Whether it be cooking, fast cars or even serving others find something that brings you joy and do it as often as you can.
The most important thing that I would ask each of you to remember is how vital your family and loved ones are to this journey that you go on. All the money and success in the world will mean nothing to you if you have no one to share it with. Making time for your family members and loved ones no matter what and always telling them how much you appreciate them will allow them to know their significance in your life and how much you love them. Never ever forget just how important they are to you and hold them close whenever you can.
I hope that as each of you embark on your own journey of life that you remember what I have told you today and find the things that matter most to you so you can share them with others along the way.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Week 12: Work Life Balance
This being one of the last blog posts I will get to write for this actual class I wanted to write on something I have been reflecting on quite a bit thanks to the books and talks we have been reading in this class and as a result of my personal life experiences. This is having a work-life balance as many people may refer to it as.
Work-life balance to me is being able to work a full time job with the flexibility to work from home or somewhere else when needed. Along with this that the company believes in the importance of family and the time and energy it takes to raise one. This last week I have come to realize just how important this is to me. My now fiance just took and started a job that takes him to a different state in somewhere in the country for 5 months out of the year and earns a very good living. It also allows him to do whatever he pleases for the other 7 months of the year with minimal work in between. This is a huge blessing for our family except for him being gone for 5 months out of the year.
This proves to be a problem in that I do not want to have to always be away from my husband for 5 months out of the year without being able to see him. Having the ability to and spend time with him during those 5 months of the year is extremely important to me even if it is just a few weeks out of every summer that he is gone.
At the same time I am also searching for and in the process of accepting a new job. A huge portion of my choice of job depends on this work life balance to be able to travel with my husband for a few weeks out of the year and work remotely during that time.
I know that no matter what as I continue to make my family a priority then I will be able to have a happy marriage and a happy family. I want to always remember this when it comes to jobs I choose and how I move forward in any career that I choose.
Work-life balance to me is being able to work a full time job with the flexibility to work from home or somewhere else when needed. Along with this that the company believes in the importance of family and the time and energy it takes to raise one. This last week I have come to realize just how important this is to me. My now fiance just took and started a job that takes him to a different state in somewhere in the country for 5 months out of the year and earns a very good living. It also allows him to do whatever he pleases for the other 7 months of the year with minimal work in between. This is a huge blessing for our family except for him being gone for 5 months out of the year.
This proves to be a problem in that I do not want to have to always be away from my husband for 5 months out of the year without being able to see him. Having the ability to and spend time with him during those 5 months of the year is extremely important to me even if it is just a few weeks out of every summer that he is gone.
At the same time I am also searching for and in the process of accepting a new job. A huge portion of my choice of job depends on this work life balance to be able to travel with my husband for a few weeks out of the year and work remotely during that time.
I know that no matter what as I continue to make my family a priority then I will be able to have a happy marriage and a happy family. I want to always remember this when it comes to jobs I choose and how I move forward in any career that I choose.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Week 11: Being a Finisher
This class is coming to a close and I am sad that it is almost of for everything that I have been able to learn. I want to be able to continue to learn in this manner on a regular basis. As I do this I know that I will be able to continue to grow both personally and in my business knowledge as well.
This week reading the talk by President Monson really hit home to me in that I was able to think about the kind of person I am in the workplace and in my person life. As a result of some awful things that have previously happened in my life I had been left with the mindset of thinking that I could not accomplish many of the things I wanted to accomplish in my life. Then a little over a year ago I decided to make a change in my life to decide to go back to school and go after many of the things I have wanted in my life such as getting an MBA.
Reading the talk "Finishers Wanted" reminded me yet again of my goals in school and also in my personal life. I absolutely loved the poem in the talk that reads:
“Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place and praise
Will always come to the one who stays.
“Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too;
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life’s victories after a while.”
I want to me able to always remember to be a finisher in my life no matter what I am doing. It reminded me of the book "The Dip" and how if I am going to actually do something then I need to do it 100% and be willing to make the sacrifices to make it work instead of giving up when the going gets tough. I know as I give my all to the things that I want to do in my life I will be blessed in many ways that I will appreciate in the long run both personally and in my professional life as well.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Week 11- Family First Always
This week I was able to realize whole heartedly what really is important to me above all else things. That thing is my current family and my future family. When we were listing our concerns that we had about being and entrepreneur and that affects it may have on my life that main thing that came to my mind was my family and my future children.
I know that I want almost nothing more then to be able to have a business of some type of my own someday. The only thing I want more then that is to have a happy, healthy family that is close and loves each other. To me the most important thing is to have this. There are a few ways that I want to make sure that this happens in my life now and in the future.
First, I want to make sure that I set a consistent schedule of things that will always be consistent with my family. I will make sure that I am home for dinner every night of the week to be there with my husband and my children. Along with this I want to make sure that every Saturday afternoon and Sunday is dedicated solely to family.
Second, that no matter what my family comes first at all times. When my children have sporting events or concerts and such I will make sure that myself or my husband is at every single on of their events and to take them to every single practice. I want my children to know how loved, appreciated and supported they are in all things.
I know that as I support them in those things and always make time for them one on one they will be able to be supported. They will also become the people that they are meant to become and I will be able to have a great relationship with my husband.
I know that I want almost nothing more then to be able to have a business of some type of my own someday. The only thing I want more then that is to have a happy, healthy family that is close and loves each other. To me the most important thing is to have this. There are a few ways that I want to make sure that this happens in my life now and in the future.
First, I want to make sure that I set a consistent schedule of things that will always be consistent with my family. I will make sure that I am home for dinner every night of the week to be there with my husband and my children. Along with this I want to make sure that every Saturday afternoon and Sunday is dedicated solely to family.
Second, that no matter what my family comes first at all times. When my children have sporting events or concerts and such I will make sure that myself or my husband is at every single on of their events and to take them to every single practice. I want my children to know how loved, appreciated and supported they are in all things.
I know that as I support them in those things and always make time for them one on one they will be able to be supported. They will also become the people that they are meant to become and I will be able to have a great relationship with my husband.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Never Settling For Less Then I Am Capable
This week I had a realization about myself and what I am capable of that I want to make sure and always keep with me. The book put it fantastically when it
said “People settle. They settle for less than they are capable of.
Organizations settle too. For good enough instead of best in the world.” (p.13)
This is something that I want more then anything is to not settle for something
but instead to be the best in my field at something that I love. This is not
always easy and requires a large amount of time, energy and sacrifice that in
the end is worth it. “How dare you settle for mediocre just because you’re busy
coping with too many things on your agenda…If you’ve got as much as you’ve got,
use it. Use it to become the best in the world, to change the game, to set the
agenda for everyone else.” (p. 74) Never before had I realized that importance
of not just looking to fit in but to stand out in my field of choice and in my life in general. I think often times the easy thing is to not be the best but instead to be mediocre just to get by in life. This is not what I want, instead I want to be the best at whatever I do in my life whether it be in a job, as a mother or in a business of my own. I hope that I can remember this at all times in my life and not just now.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Week 9- How to be a Rowan
Yet again I am learning something week after week in this class that has continued to help me grow and learn as a person both for my personal life and my business career moving forward.
As I may have explained before I just recently lost my job to lay offs in the company I was work for that was going under. When we were reading the article this week it made me think of the person that I am, the person that always gets the job done. I was always taught to never quit and you always get things done in our family. Failure has never been an option for me in my life.
The entire reading to me focused on doing everything you can to be that person people can trust to get the job done and get it done right. I loved how is was put when the article said “The secret to such success lies not within the IQ that you were born with but with having the character and courage to accept a worthy mission and get the job done. If you want to live a life full of interesting challenges, focus on the action-oriented steps above until they become habits.” I want nothing more then to be that person who has a life full of interesting challenges. I want to know how I can continue to challenge myself and find those challenges daily.
For me one of the ways that I am going to do this is by starting in a position at a new startup company. This was an opportunity that presented itself when my boss at my old company met with me to offer me a new position. He offered it to me as a result of me always getting the job done. He rarely to never had to correct me on the jobs I was assigned and I was always the dependable one to get the job done. This idea of having this Rowan mentality has lead me already in my life to have so many great opportunities and I cannot wait to see where it leads me in the future. I want to be a name that is known to get the job done in all circles.
As I may have explained before I just recently lost my job to lay offs in the company I was work for that was going under. When we were reading the article this week it made me think of the person that I am, the person that always gets the job done. I was always taught to never quit and you always get things done in our family. Failure has never been an option for me in my life.
The entire reading to me focused on doing everything you can to be that person people can trust to get the job done and get it done right. I loved how is was put when the article said “The secret to such success lies not within the IQ that you were born with but with having the character and courage to accept a worthy mission and get the job done. If you want to live a life full of interesting challenges, focus on the action-oriented steps above until they become habits.” I want nothing more then to be that person who has a life full of interesting challenges. I want to know how I can continue to challenge myself and find those challenges daily.
For me one of the ways that I am going to do this is by starting in a position at a new startup company. This was an opportunity that presented itself when my boss at my old company met with me to offer me a new position. He offered it to me as a result of me always getting the job done. He rarely to never had to correct me on the jobs I was assigned and I was always the dependable one to get the job done. This idea of having this Rowan mentality has lead me already in my life to have so many great opportunities and I cannot wait to see where it leads me in the future. I want to be a name that is known to get the job done in all circles.
How can each of us find the interesting challenges that will continue to build our character regularly?
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Week 8-No Matter How Long or Hard the Road
This class never ceases to amaze me in that I continue to learn something fantastic every week that I am in this class. I have loved it and I am sad that it is already half way over. This week I have been reflecting on my life for the last few years as I have some life changes coming my way very soon.
I am getting engaged here very shortly and will be getting married this Fall. Along with this I am starting a brand new job in the next few weeks, buying a duplex and purchasing a dog. All of this will happen in the next 6 months. My path to get to this amazing place I am currently in has not been an easy one though. I have never shared this before in a public place so I ask that you be sensitive with what I am writing. I am writing this for more my own record then anything.
Some people say bad things come in 3's and I am living proof of the talk by Elder Holland on hanging in there even when the times get tough because God will always reward us.
This August marks 4 years since my brother and I were in a fatal ATV accident that almost took our lives. Just above Cedar City my brother was driving us up on a red rock gravel road to the water reservoir with my parents just a little ways in front of us. In his competitive nature he was speeding up the roads as fast as he could in order to catch up to our parents. As a result of this instead of going left on a turn we went right and our ATV became sandwiched in a large fence and we were thrown from the ATV. My parents were able to find us shortly after the crash and we were blessed to be able to get one phone call out to our family that we were staying with as their was little cell reception there. Following this a man came in truck that happened to have Onstar that was able to contact emergency services and 2 life flights came to our rescue.
I was life flighted to a level one trauma centre in Las Vegas, Nevada after I had passed out and they found that I had suffered a subdural hematoma (a severe quick bleed on the surface of the brain), broken most of the bones in the left side of my face and a severe concussion. After a blessing from my Dad when they arrived in Las Vegas and what was a sheer miracle my brain bleed subsided on its own (which is extremely rare) and I was released from the hospital a little more then a week later.
A week after that I had reconstructive surgery done in the left side of my face and I now have 4 plates and 12 screws that were placed in my face. I had a small amount of short term memory loss but was able to have a full recovery within about 6 months to a year.
My brother on the other hand suffered a compound fracture of his femur (his bone had broken and punctured through his skin) and was taken to St. George to have a titanium rod placed down his leg. As a result of improper care given to him at that hospital he proceeded to get a severe infection. From this he almost went septic (where the infection is so severe it begins to shut down your organs) and we almost lost him multiple times over the course of 2-3 months. As a result of this infection he had 9 surgeries, 3 different titanium rods
placed down his leg, 3 PICC lines placed and removed and was in out of the hospital for over 3 months.
There came many points where we did not know if my brother would make it but yet again through a lot of spiritual inspiration, blessings and pure miracle from God he made it through. The road to our recovery was not an easy one at all but throughout the process each person in my family received inspiration to know that he would be okay. He is now surviving a mission in Ghana Africa and will be home this coming Fall and I could not be more stoked.
Shortly after our accident I started dating a guy that less then a year later would become my husband. I knew without a shadow of a doubt through inspiration that he was the person I was meant to marry and be with forever. We were married in June 2012 in the Seattle Temple and I could not have been happier.
Right after we got married he flipped a switched and the man I had dated and known for over a year was not the man I was married to. The day after we got married and moving forward he became both emotionally and verbally abusive on a regular basis. I was expected to not only work full time to provide for our bills but to also go to school part time, take care of all of the household duties, cook all the meals, and do anything else he asked me to do, all while he only went to school with 12 credits.
If I did not do exactly what he believed I should I was told how worthless I was. That I would never be a good mother, that I was a terrible wife, I would never finish my degree or amount to anything in life. Along with this he punched holes in walls and threw things when he was angry.
After seven months of marriage he came to me after returning home from the temple and said that God has given him the revelation that we were meant to get divorced and we were no longer supposed to be together. Shortly after he left me and filed for an annulment of our marriage, along with our temple marriage in 2013.
To say the least it was the most awful situation of my life. I had done exactly what I was prompted to do and we both had received clear inspiration that we were meant together and yet my ex chose a different path for both of our lives. Although our marriage was hard I made a promise to God to do everything I could to make it work and that is exactly what I did. Upon my ex deciding to end out marriage I was blessed with immense amount of peace by our Father in Heaven that I had done everything God had asked me to do and I was able to move on knowing I had done all God has asked of me.
After everything that my family and I have been through we are close to say the least. About 3 months ago I had a very scary dream where in that dream one of my parents became very sick which I though was just a dream and shook it off until I was at home for Christmas two months ago. Shortly after being home my parents told me the news that my Mom has stage 2 breast cancer.
This completely rocked my world to say the least and my initial reaction was to be angry with God for having put me and my family already through so much. Then my Dad said something that resonated with me in that "God blesses us with these trials to make us stronger and to help us grow individually and as a family" and that completely changed my perspective.
She just started chemo 2 weeks ago and with her treatment plans she has an over 70% chance at a 10+ year survival rate. Similar to the situation with my brother through a lot of prayers, priesthood blessings and other things we all know that my mom has a very long life ahead of her.
If you read this far I am more then impressed and you may be wondering why this is important. To me this is important because these experiences have allowed me to become the person I am today, which is a better person then I could have ever imagined being at this point in my life. This quote fits perfectly as to the last 3 years of my life.
"As you wage such personal wars, obviously part of the strength to “hang in there” comes from some glimpse, however faint and fleeting, of what the victory can be. It is as true as when Solomon said it that “where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18). If your eyes are always on your shoelaces, if all you can see is this class or that test, this date or that friend, this disappointment or that dilemma, then it really is quite easy to throw in the towel and stop the fight. But what if it is the fight of your life? Or more precisely what if it is the fight for your life, and your eternal life at that? What if beyond this class or that test, this date or that friend, this disappointment or that dilemma you really can see and hope for all the best and right things that God has to offer. Oh, it may be blurred a bit by the perspiration that keeps running riverlike into your eyes, and in a really difficult fight one of the eyes might even be closing a bit; but faintly, dimly, and ever so far away you can see the object of it all. And you say it is worth it, you do want it, you will fight on."
No matter what the situation in my life whether it is personal or in business I will never give up because I know and have seen that faint, dim object of it all. I will never quit, never surrender and always continue to push on with the help of those that love me and my Father in Heaven. I am beyond happy with where my life is right now and I look forward to what is next.
I am getting engaged here very shortly and will be getting married this Fall. Along with this I am starting a brand new job in the next few weeks, buying a duplex and purchasing a dog. All of this will happen in the next 6 months. My path to get to this amazing place I am currently in has not been an easy one though. I have never shared this before in a public place so I ask that you be sensitive with what I am writing. I am writing this for more my own record then anything.
Some people say bad things come in 3's and I am living proof of the talk by Elder Holland on hanging in there even when the times get tough because God will always reward us.
FIRST:
This August marks 4 years since my brother and I were in a fatal ATV accident that almost took our lives. Just above Cedar City my brother was driving us up on a red rock gravel road to the water reservoir with my parents just a little ways in front of us. In his competitive nature he was speeding up the roads as fast as he could in order to catch up to our parents. As a result of this instead of going left on a turn we went right and our ATV became sandwiched in a large fence and we were thrown from the ATV. My parents were able to find us shortly after the crash and we were blessed to be able to get one phone call out to our family that we were staying with as their was little cell reception there. Following this a man came in truck that happened to have Onstar that was able to contact emergency services and 2 life flights came to our rescue.
I was life flighted to a level one trauma centre in Las Vegas, Nevada after I had passed out and they found that I had suffered a subdural hematoma (a severe quick bleed on the surface of the brain), broken most of the bones in the left side of my face and a severe concussion. After a blessing from my Dad when they arrived in Las Vegas and what was a sheer miracle my brain bleed subsided on its own (which is extremely rare) and I was released from the hospital a little more then a week later.
A week after that I had reconstructive surgery done in the left side of my face and I now have 4 plates and 12 screws that were placed in my face. I had a small amount of short term memory loss but was able to have a full recovery within about 6 months to a year.
My brother on the other hand suffered a compound fracture of his femur (his bone had broken and punctured through his skin) and was taken to St. George to have a titanium rod placed down his leg. As a result of improper care given to him at that hospital he proceeded to get a severe infection. From this he almost went septic (where the infection is so severe it begins to shut down your organs) and we almost lost him multiple times over the course of 2-3 months. As a result of this infection he had 9 surgeries, 3 different titanium rods
placed down his leg, 3 PICC lines placed and removed and was in out of the hospital for over 3 months.
There came many points where we did not know if my brother would make it but yet again through a lot of spiritual inspiration, blessings and pure miracle from God he made it through. The road to our recovery was not an easy one at all but throughout the process each person in my family received inspiration to know that he would be okay. He is now surviving a mission in Ghana Africa and will be home this coming Fall and I could not be more stoked.
My brother on the left with one of his converts being a goof as usual :)
SECOND:
Shortly after our accident I started dating a guy that less then a year later would become my husband. I knew without a shadow of a doubt through inspiration that he was the person I was meant to marry and be with forever. We were married in June 2012 in the Seattle Temple and I could not have been happier.
Right after we got married he flipped a switched and the man I had dated and known for over a year was not the man I was married to. The day after we got married and moving forward he became both emotionally and verbally abusive on a regular basis. I was expected to not only work full time to provide for our bills but to also go to school part time, take care of all of the household duties, cook all the meals, and do anything else he asked me to do, all while he only went to school with 12 credits.
If I did not do exactly what he believed I should I was told how worthless I was. That I would never be a good mother, that I was a terrible wife, I would never finish my degree or amount to anything in life. Along with this he punched holes in walls and threw things when he was angry.
After seven months of marriage he came to me after returning home from the temple and said that God has given him the revelation that we were meant to get divorced and we were no longer supposed to be together. Shortly after he left me and filed for an annulment of our marriage, along with our temple marriage in 2013.
To say the least it was the most awful situation of my life. I had done exactly what I was prompted to do and we both had received clear inspiration that we were meant together and yet my ex chose a different path for both of our lives. Although our marriage was hard I made a promise to God to do everything I could to make it work and that is exactly what I did. Upon my ex deciding to end out marriage I was blessed with immense amount of peace by our Father in Heaven that I had done everything God had asked me to do and I was able to move on knowing I had done all God has asked of me.
THIRD:
After everything that my family and I have been through we are close to say the least. About 3 months ago I had a very scary dream where in that dream one of my parents became very sick which I though was just a dream and shook it off until I was at home for Christmas two months ago. Shortly after being home my parents told me the news that my Mom has stage 2 breast cancer.
This completely rocked my world to say the least and my initial reaction was to be angry with God for having put me and my family already through so much. Then my Dad said something that resonated with me in that "God blesses us with these trials to make us stronger and to help us grow individually and as a family" and that completely changed my perspective.
She just started chemo 2 weeks ago and with her treatment plans she has an over 70% chance at a 10+ year survival rate. Similar to the situation with my brother through a lot of prayers, priesthood blessings and other things we all know that my mom has a very long life ahead of her.
My Mom and I shortly after I received the news of her Cancer
THE WHY:
If you read this far I am more then impressed and you may be wondering why this is important. To me this is important because these experiences have allowed me to become the person I am today, which is a better person then I could have ever imagined being at this point in my life. This quote fits perfectly as to the last 3 years of my life.
"As you wage such personal wars, obviously part of the strength to “hang in there” comes from some glimpse, however faint and fleeting, of what the victory can be. It is as true as when Solomon said it that “where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18). If your eyes are always on your shoelaces, if all you can see is this class or that test, this date or that friend, this disappointment or that dilemma, then it really is quite easy to throw in the towel and stop the fight. But what if it is the fight of your life? Or more precisely what if it is the fight for your life, and your eternal life at that? What if beyond this class or that test, this date or that friend, this disappointment or that dilemma you really can see and hope for all the best and right things that God has to offer. Oh, it may be blurred a bit by the perspiration that keeps running riverlike into your eyes, and in a really difficult fight one of the eyes might even be closing a bit; but faintly, dimly, and ever so far away you can see the object of it all. And you say it is worth it, you do want it, you will fight on."
No matter what the situation in my life whether it is personal or in business I will never give up because I know and have seen that faint, dim object of it all. I will never quit, never surrender and always continue to push on with the help of those that love me and my Father in Heaven. I am beyond happy with where my life is right now and I look forward to what is next.
My boyfriend (soon to be fiance) Kyle and I at his work Christmas party
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Week 7-Integrity and Honesty
This week as I was reading the article from the Harvard Business Review and answering the questions in our reflection for this week I was really able to contemplate more on the concept of honesty and integrity.
I have always considered myself someone that was honest and full of integrity. It has not been until recently though that I have realized how important it is to me in the people I choose to both work and associate with. Working at the previous company that I worked for after I was let go I found out some shady things had occurred at the company with our previous CEO. These things were sad to me and did not sit well that I was a part of a company that allowed for those things to happen. In the end though it made me appreciate people like my boss who are upfront and honest with you and tell you how things are and not just want you want to hear. He helped to show me what true honesty and integrity look like when done correctly. Not just for their benefit but for everyone's benefit long term.
Moving forward I always want to do anything and everything I can to be upfront and honest in everything that I do in life. Not just on a personal level but on a business level as well. I know that as I do this as I set my standards high that God will reward me in the long run and I will be much happier as well.
I have always considered myself someone that was honest and full of integrity. It has not been until recently though that I have realized how important it is to me in the people I choose to both work and associate with. Working at the previous company that I worked for after I was let go I found out some shady things had occurred at the company with our previous CEO. These things were sad to me and did not sit well that I was a part of a company that allowed for those things to happen. In the end though it made me appreciate people like my boss who are upfront and honest with you and tell you how things are and not just want you want to hear. He helped to show me what true honesty and integrity look like when done correctly. Not just for their benefit but for everyone's benefit long term.
Moving forward I always want to do anything and everything I can to be upfront and honest in everything that I do in life. Not just on a personal level but on a business level as well. I know that as I do this as I set my standards high that God will reward me in the long run and I will be much happier as well.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Week 6-The Dip Continues
This week was really good for me in that I was able to
finish the book called The Dip and it could not have come at a more perfect
time. As a result of some turmoil at my job they have decided that they were
going to shut their doors. As a result of this change in business decisions
they let go of multiple people this last week, including myself early this
week. This did not come as a huge shock to me though as the company had been
evicted from its office as we had not been able to pay our bills there. Thanks
to being able to finish The Dip this last week it really helped to give me
perspective on my situation for a few different reasons.
First, I found that the book helped to teach me that
sometimes it is a good thing in order to move on for an opportunity or business
to just quit. This it seems is exactly what happened with my opportunities and
me with the company. It was very hard for me to have the feeling of letting
something go that I have worked on for the better part of the last two years. In
some ways it was good thing because it allowed me to finally move on in my
career.
Second, it helped me to realize the times when it is okay to
quit and move on. In the companies circumstance I believe that they should have
quit a while ago instead of continuing to get the business more and more in the
hole. As a result there is a large amount of monies that are still owed. In all
reality they probably should have quit sooner when they saw the signs that they
were going to fail.
In reality, although I am sad I am grateful that I am able
to finally move on to something else in my career. It will be something with
more opportunity and definitely more pay as well.
Week 6-The Dip Continues
This week was really good for me in that I was able to
finish the book called The Dip and it could not have come at a more perfect
time. As a result of some turmoil at my job they have decided that they were
going to shut their doors. As a result of this change in business decisions
they let go of multiple people this last week, including myself early this
week. This did not come as a huge shock to me though as the company had been
evicted from its office as we had not been able to pay our bills there. Thanks
to being able to finish The Dip this last week it really helped to give me
perspective on my situation for a few different reasons.
First, I found that the book helped to teach me that
sometimes it is a good thing in order to move on for an opportunity or business
to just quit. This it seems is exactly what happened with my opportunities and
me with the company. It was very hard for me to have the feeling of letting
something go that I have worked on for the better part of the last two years. In
some ways it was good thing because it allowed me to finally move on in my
career.
Second, it helped me to realize the times when it is okay to
quit and move on. In the companies circumstance I believe that they should have
quit a while ago instead of continuing to get the business more and more in the
hole. As a result there is a large amount of monies that are still owed. In all
reality they probably should have quit sooner when they saw the signs that they
were going to fail.
In reality, although I am sad I am grateful that I am able
to finally move on to something else in my career. It will be something with
more opportunity and definitely more pay as well.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Week 5-The Dip
So this week has been extremely interesting to me in that I did not have the next book for our book reports that was due so I started reading The Dip as I had received it the week before in the mail. The ironic thing was that recently I have been going through a dip of my own in my current job.
As I have alluded to before about the current struggles with my job in that I am not sure how much longer I will have a job or the stability of the job that I do have. I love what I do but there has not been a lot of stability in the last few months with a lot of uncertainty. I have wondered for the last while if staying at the company through this "dip" was still going to be the best choice for me in the long run and it was worth my time and energy.
I have been underpaid and overworked for quite some time and before the last while it has been for a vision and plan that I wholeheartedly believed in. Then recently the vision and plan moving forward has changed drastically. As a result my perspective on this "dip" has changed significantly in that I believe that it may be time to quit and move on to something else.
Quitting is not something that I take lightly and to be honest never planned on quitting from this job or company that I am currently at. Even if I do choose to leave and start new ventures in my life it will be because the "dip" was something that I had to quit and not just because it was the easy route out. It is vital for me to remember both now and in the future how vital it is to stick it out through the hard things and not just quit when the going gets tough.
As I have alluded to before about the current struggles with my job in that I am not sure how much longer I will have a job or the stability of the job that I do have. I love what I do but there has not been a lot of stability in the last few months with a lot of uncertainty. I have wondered for the last while if staying at the company through this "dip" was still going to be the best choice for me in the long run and it was worth my time and energy.
I have been underpaid and overworked for quite some time and before the last while it has been for a vision and plan that I wholeheartedly believed in. Then recently the vision and plan moving forward has changed drastically. As a result my perspective on this "dip" has changed significantly in that I believe that it may be time to quit and move on to something else.
Quitting is not something that I take lightly and to be honest never planned on quitting from this job or company that I am currently at. Even if I do choose to leave and start new ventures in my life it will be because the "dip" was something that I had to quit and not just because it was the easy route out. It is vital for me to remember both now and in the future how vital it is to stick it out through the hard things and not just quit when the going gets tough.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Week 4- My Greatest Strengths
This week was fantastic for me in that while I was finishing reading and writing my book report on the book called "The start-up of you" I realized something really great about myself and I would like to include an excerpt from my paper so I can remember it later.
First, my greatest strengths, I would like to think that I have many but this book allowed me to realize that in reality in my current point in my career I have a few very important ones. The book put it as
“you may not see inexperience as an asset to highlight, but on the flip side of inexperience tends to be energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to work and hustle in order to learn.” (p. 33). Little did I realize that my inexperience (I have only been in business for 1.5 years) in turn has actually allowed me to be able to have all of those qualities listed above. There is not one person in my entire office that will work harder to learn and do whatever it takes to get my job done. One of my favorite quotes says “it’s not about your age, it’s about your effort and it’s not about your experience, it’s about your attitude.” This to me is a huge asset that anyone can use in their career currently or down the road. It is important to confidently know you can complete any task that is placed in front of you. Realizing your strengths and what is most important to you is vital in the process of finding out what career options suite you best now and in the long run.
I have now been able to realize that something I thought was my greatest weaknesses has now become one of my best assets. In the future I want to always approach situations in such a way that I always have this amount of energy, enthusiasm and willingness to work and hustle in everything that I do not just now early in my career.
First, my greatest strengths, I would like to think that I have many but this book allowed me to realize that in reality in my current point in my career I have a few very important ones. The book put it as
“you may not see inexperience as an asset to highlight, but on the flip side of inexperience tends to be energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to work and hustle in order to learn.” (p. 33). Little did I realize that my inexperience (I have only been in business for 1.5 years) in turn has actually allowed me to be able to have all of those qualities listed above. There is not one person in my entire office that will work harder to learn and do whatever it takes to get my job done. One of my favorite quotes says “it’s not about your age, it’s about your effort and it’s not about your experience, it’s about your attitude.” This to me is a huge asset that anyone can use in their career currently or down the road. It is important to confidently know you can complete any task that is placed in front of you. Realizing your strengths and what is most important to you is vital in the process of finding out what career options suite you best now and in the long run.
I have now been able to realize that something I thought was my greatest weaknesses has now become one of my best assets. In the future I want to always approach situations in such a way that I always have this amount of energy, enthusiasm and willingness to work and hustle in everything that I do not just now early in my career.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Week 3- Skin in The Game
This week I was able to reflect a lot about my current job situation. This happened to be exactly what I needed to do this week especially when it came to Jan Newman's comments about having Skin in the game.
I currently work for a small company and have for the last year and 8 months. I have put in any amount of time and effort needed to help this company succeed. This has meant anything from taking before and after hour phone calls and texts to working 70+ hour weeks on a salary pay with no extra incentive or bonus. To top it all off I was promised a raise over 9 months ago that has yet to be given to me even though I am paid about 50% less then what I should be paid for my current position and responsibility. The reason I have stayed is because that is what I was the right thing to do and also because I saw the vision and upside of the companies vision long term which I have believed in since day one of working at this said company.
Watching these videos this allowed me to be reminded of the long term benefit of having skin in the game will have for me in the long term from the large amount of time and effort I have put into this company. I have an amazing boss that is extremely loyal to me and helps me in more ways then I can even count to mentor me and teach me how to be the best business person that I can be. I also work with some other amazing co-worker that I love working with on a regular basis. Lastly, the long term possibility for where this company is going is huge. All those things together and many more have helped me to realize that putting in extra time and effort is only something that can help me now and in the long run.
I hope that this will be something that I will continue to remember in any job that I have in the future. Making sure that I have skin in the game is going to be something that I have in every job that I hold in the future in order to make sure I am invested in whatever endeavor I am pursuing at that time.
I currently work for a small company and have for the last year and 8 months. I have put in any amount of time and effort needed to help this company succeed. This has meant anything from taking before and after hour phone calls and texts to working 70+ hour weeks on a salary pay with no extra incentive or bonus. To top it all off I was promised a raise over 9 months ago that has yet to be given to me even though I am paid about 50% less then what I should be paid for my current position and responsibility. The reason I have stayed is because that is what I was the right thing to do and also because I saw the vision and upside of the companies vision long term which I have believed in since day one of working at this said company.
Watching these videos this allowed me to be reminded of the long term benefit of having skin in the game will have for me in the long term from the large amount of time and effort I have put into this company. I have an amazing boss that is extremely loyal to me and helps me in more ways then I can even count to mentor me and teach me how to be the best business person that I can be. I also work with some other amazing co-worker that I love working with on a regular basis. Lastly, the long term possibility for where this company is going is huge. All those things together and many more have helped me to realize that putting in extra time and effort is only something that can help me now and in the long run.
I hope that this will be something that I will continue to remember in any job that I have in the future. Making sure that I have skin in the game is going to be something that I have in every job that I hold in the future in order to make sure I am invested in whatever endeavor I am pursuing at that time.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Week 2-Having a mission and career
This week has been very interesting for me as I have had a lot of changes happening in my life. First off my boyfriend and I are getting more serious and making plans which is great and I love it. Second, there have been a lot of drastic changes at my work from people being laid off to changing of the business all together. Both of these things have allowed forced me to think about what is most important to me in my life and where I see my life going now and in the next 5, 10 or even 50 years.
So.....this lesson and the article called Stars and Stepping Stones could not have come at a better time for me. Towards the beginning of the article where the teach gives the student advice and states that he needs to find something that needs to be fixed and go fix it so he can not just have a good job but a career and a mission. This is not something I had thought about before when picking what I would like to continue to do for the rest of my life. My new plan is to reflect on this more in this new year and see how I can best apply that to my current job or what job would best help me fulfill that goal in the future.
Along with this I wanted to apply this to every facet of my life, including my personal, at home life. I strongly believe that as I work backwards to the present and make goals accordingly I will have a great path to follow now and in the future.
So.....this lesson and the article called Stars and Stepping Stones could not have come at a better time for me. Towards the beginning of the article where the teach gives the student advice and states that he needs to find something that needs to be fixed and go fix it so he can not just have a good job but a career and a mission. This is not something I had thought about before when picking what I would like to continue to do for the rest of my life. My new plan is to reflect on this more in this new year and see how I can best apply that to my current job or what job would best help me fulfill that goal in the future.
Along with this I wanted to apply this to every facet of my life, including my personal, at home life. I strongly believe that as I work backwards to the present and make goals accordingly I will have a great path to follow now and in the future.
This is a picture of my boyfriend Kyle and I right before Christmas at his work party.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Introduction/ Week 1
This week has been and interesting one being able to learn an introduction to this class and learn more about the ins and outs of how to best succeed in this class. This week I did not learn a ridiculous amount of new things but it was great reminder for me of things that I need to make sure that I continue to remember. This week I was able to be reminded of two different things.
First, I was able to learn how important that it is to communicate with others in online classes. This is not only to be able to create relationships with people in the class but to be able to learn things from them. If I do not take the time to get to know others and communicate with them regularly I am going to miss out on so many great opportunities for learning.
Second, my ability to not be able to do everything but that I could do most things if I was organized and put my priorities in order. Putting the Lord first in all things and making sure that I am reading and praying every day will help me to be able to align my life with the proper priorities and that the rest will fall into place. I was able to be reminded of this during the week because while I am working full time, have an important calling to attend to at church and also am in a serious relationship with someone that I need to have as much "balance" as possible in my life. For this I am extremely grateful for the gospel and the peace and center it brings to my life.
I am extremely excited to be taking this course as anything to do with start ups has been extremely interesting to me. I have also had the privilege of being able to work in a start up currently and with other start ups in my work currently.
First, I was able to learn how important that it is to communicate with others in online classes. This is not only to be able to create relationships with people in the class but to be able to learn things from them. If I do not take the time to get to know others and communicate with them regularly I am going to miss out on so many great opportunities for learning.
Second, my ability to not be able to do everything but that I could do most things if I was organized and put my priorities in order. Putting the Lord first in all things and making sure that I am reading and praying every day will help me to be able to align my life with the proper priorities and that the rest will fall into place. I was able to be reminded of this during the week because while I am working full time, have an important calling to attend to at church and also am in a serious relationship with someone that I need to have as much "balance" as possible in my life. For this I am extremely grateful for the gospel and the peace and center it brings to my life.
I am extremely excited to be taking this course as anything to do with start ups has been extremely interesting to me. I have also had the privilege of being able to work in a start up currently and with other start ups in my work currently.
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