Week 7- Moving Forward With a Driving Passion

This week I was reminded of a conversation I had with a person about what our goals in life were.  I wanted to get a degree so that I could use it to better my career and to actually find a way to do something that I loved doing.  He wanted to make money.  Listening to Guy Kawasaki discuss passion vs. money I realized that

This week I was reminded of a conversation I had with a person about what our goals in life were.  I wanted to get a degree so that I could use it to better my career and to find a way to do something that I loved doing.  He wanted to make money.  Listening to Guy Kawasaki discuss passion vs. money I realized that money isn’t everything and that guy was wrong to put it bluntly.  I also realized that he was never going to be happy.  Our conversation went something like this:

Me: I’m going to school so I can get a degree that will help me no matter what I do; which will some day be something that I absolutely love and where it doesn’t feel like a job.

Him: I think I’m going to get my masters or even higher?

Me: do you need it for what you want to do?

Him: I need it for what I do, but I don’t love it.

Me: so why do it?

Him: because I can make good money.

Me: money isn’t everything.  Especially when you hate your job.  You’ll spend 8 hours a day or more doing something that you hate, just so you can have toys to pay with for 3 hours every night, or less?

Him: yes. Cause I want the big toys- a boat, exotic vacations, nice house.

Me: why don’t you find something you love doing and get a job in that field.  You can make money in any field, you just must work for it and network.

Him: I want to watch sports and there aren’t any jobs that pay enough in sports.

Me: yes, there are- recruiters for colleges and pro teams can make big bucks, sports agents. You just need to work hard in those jobs and network with people.

The topic of networking got us on a completely different topic for another day.  But basically, this man wanted to do everything all on his own, didn’t want to network, and thought life was all about making money. 

Kawasaki’s Porsche was exactly what this man was after, except he hasn’t realized yet that life isn’t about money.  Sure, you can make a lot of money in your life- there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  But how are you going to use that money?  Are you going to use it to have lots of toys that really bring you no real happiness in the end or are you going to use is to better the world around you? I have never been one to strive to make a lot of money.  I understand the importance of having money, but I guess I am one of the lucky ones who don't value money above happiness and doing something that I love doing.

Week 6- So You Want to be an Entrepreneur?

I've been struggling.  I always seem to be struggling.  Its been weeks since I posted or thought about it.  Why do I struggle?  It's not that I'm not smart enough to do the work.  I am fully capable of doing my work.  Maybe that's what my problem is, I know I can do the work. So how do I overcome this problem of mine?  Try something new.  One of the readings was a talk by President N. Eldon Tanner in April 1975- "Success is Gauged by Self-Mastery".  In this talk President Tanner says

                    "those who fail to keep their goals in mind and fail to discipline themselves find 
                      that they are following detours and paths that lead to failure and destruction."

 I realized that I am not keeping my goals in mind.  Just like on a road trip... if I don't constantly put my destination into my navigation system than I will lose my way.  I won't ever get where I want to be. 

And I don't just do this with school work. I do this with every goal I "have"- fitness/health, work, social.  It all ends up the same.  I give up. Albert Einstein said it another way "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  I am insane. I need to change and do something different. 

Mastery discusses The Five Master Keys to mastery.  Key number 4 is Intentionality.  Masters visualize their goals.  They see themselves in the moment they accomplish their goals.  So for my goals I need to visualize myself in a cap and gown at graduation.  I need to see myself with a diploma in my hand.  I need to see myself having reached all the goals I have.  This should not just be pictures in my head but I need to physically see them and look at them every day.  If that means putting my head on others pictures so that I can visualize my goals than so be it. I'm not good at Photoshop so it'll be old school cut & paste.