Week 9

"A man may possess all the gold, silver and precious stones in the world, which are called wealth and yet starve to death.  Wealth does not give true greatness. It will purchase medical aid in case of sickness; it will purchase food, clothing and shelter; but true wealth consists in the skill to produce those conveniences and comforts from the elements.  All the power and dignity that wealth can bestow is a mere shadow, the substance is found in the bone and sinew of the toiling millions.  Well directed labor is the true power that supplies our wants."  Brigham Young

Brigham Young really speaks of what is true wealth.  It is the hours of work and sacrifice that we put into making something great.  First and foremost is our relationship with our Savior and being obedient, then in our responsibilities to our spouse and children and then to those things that bring us joy.  To think there is a time to just relax is in conflict with the teachings of the gospel.  We are to always be anxiously engaged…even if we are old…we can still be anxiously engaged.  As I think about owning my own business I realize that the hard work and sacrifice will be worth it, if I keep things in correct perspective.



Elder Dallin H. Oaks
The Challenge to Become

All of this helps us understand an important meaning of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, which the Savior gave to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like. As you remember, the owner of the vineyard hired laborers at different times of the day. Some he sent into the vineyard early in the morning, others about the third hour, and others in the sixth and ninth hours. Finally, in the eleventh hour he sent others into the vineyard, promising that he would also pay them “whatsoever is right” (Matt. 20:7).

At the end of the day the owner of the vineyard gave the same wage to every worker, even to those who had come in the eleventh hour. When those who had worked the entire day saw this, “they murmured against the goodman of the house” (Matt. 20:11). The owner did not yield but merely pointed out that he had done no one any wrong, since he had paid each man the agreed amount.

Like other parables, this one can teach several different and valuable principles. For present purposes its lesson is that the Master’s reward in the Final Judgment will not be based on how long we have labored in the vineyard. We do not obtain our heavenly reward by punching a time clock. What is essential is that our labors in the workplace of the Lord have caused us to become something. For some of us, this requires a longer time than for others. What is important in the end is what we have become by our labors. Many who come in the eleventh hour have been refined and prepared by the Lord in ways other than formal employment in the vineyard. These workers are like the prepared dry mix to which it is only necessary to “add water”—the perfecting ordinance of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. With that addition—even in the eleventh hour—these workers are in the same state of development and qualified to receive the same reward as those who have labored long in the vineyard.

This parable teaches us that we should never give up hope and loving associations with family members and friends whose fine qualities (see Moro. 7:5–14) evidence their progress toward what a loving Father would have them become. Similarly, the power of the Atonement and the principle of repentance show that we should never give up on loved ones who now seem to be making many wrong choices.

Instead of being judgmental about others, we should be concerned about ourselves. We must not give up hope. We must not stop striving. We are children of God, and it is possible for us to become what our Heavenly Father would have us become.

Week 8

Last night I had the opportunity to visit with my husband about entrepreneurship and what it means for us as a family.  As I have already described growing up with self-employed parents and his parents worked for a college educated position, we discussed why we have the lives we have and why others are owners of their own businesses.  My mom never liked the ups and downs or feast or famine state of being self-employed and she spoke to her children a lot about the importance of education and its "benefits."  My husband was asking do we have the "benefits" or do our friends who are entrepreneurs have the "benefits?"  I said, "it all depends on what you feel are the "benefits."  Although it is hard to give a detailed description of the feelings we are experiencing anyone who has thought about leaving one life to begin another knows what I am describing.  We have a family in our ward who own their own business and through my friendship with the wife, my husband and I, were able to discuss a lot of the aspects of their life compared to ours.  And I posed the question, "would you want to deal with his bag or your bag?"  As we ask ourselves these questions it helps us see a clearer picture of what it is we want and it also allows the spirit to teach and guide us in the correct path for us.  Each path has different challenges and different blessings…which path do we want?  These are the questions that help determine which path we will take and to what degree we will develop our business.



Loyalty

Pres. Hinckley

When we look for the worst in anyone, we will find it. But if we will concentrate on the best, that element will grow until it sparkles.

Brethren, be loyal to your companion. May your marriage be blessed with an uncompromising loyalty one to another. Find your happiness with one another. Give your companion the opportunity to grow in her own interests, to develop her own talents, to fly in her own way, and to experience her own sense of accomplishment.

President Heber J. Grant, then President of this Church, had pleaded with our people against voting to nullify Prohibition. It broke his heart when so many members of the Church in this state disregarded his counsel.

Leadership with a small L

Pres. Clark

It is leadership with a small “L”—the kind of leadership that builds and lifts and inspires through kindness and love and unselfish devotion to the Lord and His work.  It is the kind of leadership that we need at every level of every kind of organization in the world and in every ward and stake in the Church.  It is the kind of leadership you will need to build an eternal family.

Principle 1 Lead by Example (In your family, your most powerful influence on your children will be the example of your life.  That example includes the actions that you take and the principles and values that guide you.  Your children will watch you very, very closely.  They will learn from you and follow your example—(eventually!).

Principle 2 Lead with Vision  (He gives us the vision of what we should do in our daily lives and what we might accomplish eternally if we will follow Him.  One of the most important things that leaders do is to help the people they lead understand the larger meaning and purpose of their daily work.

In your family this means teaching your children how cleaning their rooms, doing their homework, keeping the commandments, and learning to love each other is connected to exaltation in the celestial kingdom as an eternal family…But it may also mean leading your family through times of grief and pain caused by death or illness.  It may mean teaching them and showing them that staying the course, moving forward despite the pain, is deeply connected to your family’s eternal destiny.

Principle 3 Lead with Love  To you mothers and fathers and prospective mothers and fathers, the very most important thing you can do for your children is to love each other and support each other and help each other become everything Heavenly Father wants you to be.  You stand before God and your children as husband and wife, father and mother, equal partners in the sacred responsibility of creating an eternal family…You will support them and encourage them and love them enough to put structure and discipline in their lives.

Trust(I must be able to trust FIRST) Bakers are trusting of people Eaters want it all for themselves.

A Message to Garcia (Acton Foundation)

Make no mistake about it. You have a choice. You can blame your parents, teachers, coaches or bosses. Or you can choose to start developing the attitudes, habits and instincts so your name will be called when success hangs in the balance.

Week 7

I have included some of my favorite quotes from our readings this week.  Our bees seem to be doing well this week, in fact, my sister-in-law and her family purchased some bees.  It will be fun to see how each hive does and maybe in the future we can breed the two hives.  Our weather is still cool so it will be interesting to see what happens at the end of June, by then things usually start warming up.  The first have we have had four years ago was very successful, then we went through some painful learning experiences with the bees.  We purchase our own property last year and are excited to be working on our own place to establish a healthy bee population.  I am still surprised at how much I enjoy having the bees and I really hope we can be successful in getting our "bee" business started.

Looking Back Moving Forward

Pres. Monson

Throughout the journey along the pathway of life, there are casualties. Some depart from the road markers which point toward life eternal, only to discover the detour chosen ultimately leads to a dead end. Indifference, carelessness, selfishness, and sin all take their costly toll in human lives.

May we also demonstrate kindness and love within our own families. Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries; they should also be places where God’s Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells.

We are waging a war with sin, my brothers and sisters, but we need not despair. It is a war we can and will win. Our Father in Heaven has given us the tools we need in order to do so. He is at the helm. We have nothing to fear. He is the God of light. He is the God of hope. I testify that He loves us—each one.

However Long and Hard the Road

Elder and Sister Holland

“Only a small portion of what we are [is developed] and there is enormous potential in the human being” (Leo Buscaglia, Love [New York: Fawcett, 1982], p. 19).

Be all that you can be! If you have oil in your lamps, you will find how often you get a chance to light them. If you have cared enough to prepare, your light will attract many, both men and women who will seek and cherish your companionship.

My concern this morning is that you will face some delays and disappointments at this formative time in your life and feel that no one else in the history of mankind has ever had your problems or faced those difficulties. And when some of those challenges come, you will have the temptation common to us all to say, “This task is too hard. The burden is too heavy. The path is too long.” And so you decide to quit, simply to give up. Now to terminate certain kinds of tasks is not only acceptable but often very wise. If you are, for example, a flagpole sitter then I say, “Come on down.” But in life’s most crucial and telling tasks, my plea is to stick with it, to persevere, to hang in and hang on, and to reap your reward. Or to be slightly more scriptural:

Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. [D&C 64:33–34]

The baking of life’s best cakes takes time. Don’t despair of tarrying and trying. And don’t “burn your lips” with impatience.

I pray that your life may be “a monument to Mormon perseverance” “however long and hard the road,”…

Week Six

I am so grateful that I have two business classes this semester.  They seem to be playing off of each other which increases my understanding and strengthens my testimony.  I was ask in my Bus 211 class to write a personal code of ethics.  I have a copy on my computer, I plan to print a copy for my journal and I want to post it to this blog.  My thought process is that if I put it in a number of places I will come across it more often and will be able to do an evaluation of how I am doing.

1.       To live my life in such a way that if the Savior was to visit me any given day I would be able to welcome Him unashamed.
2.        To enjoy people for who they are and not for what I want them to be.
3.        To listen to others and allow them to express their feelings even if those may be different than my own.
4.        To be honest and have integrity so that the gospel of Jesus Christ is evident in my life.
5.       To have the courage to face the brutal facts so that decisions can be based on reality.
6.       To never lose faith even when the brutal facts say I should.
7.        Enjoy each day of life, knowing that it is gift.
8.         Daily express love and appreciation to my husband, children, extended family and friends.
9.        To remember that happiness comes from learning, so I will commit to being a learner for eternity
10.      Appreciate the beauty that God has blessed me with and do all I can to protect it and share it with others.

    As I study about being an entrepreneur I feel that the lessons we receive will not only help

us achieve our business goals but we will have a foundation that is so very different

than what we see in so many businesses today.  This morning I was watching the 

new and I was very impressed with a company in North Caroline.  It is requiring unplugged

time for its employees so that they are able to have down time.  This is allowing their

employees to spend time with their families without the pressure of receiving work calls or 

emails.  I feel like this is a company that has the kind of focus that would be pleasing in 

the sight of the Lord.  They are remembering that it is not only about the 

bottom line but it is about caring for your employees and their families.  I think 

this will bless the lives of not only the employees

but the lives that they touch in their homes and in their communities.  It is my hope

that other companies will learn from and work to implement these kinds of benefits

into their company and it is my goal to do the same if I ever become a business owner.