What I Must Be True To

One of the readings this week in class that really moved me was the talk “Stand True and Faithful,” by President Gordon B. Hinckley in April 1996. President Hinckley urges the Young Women of the LDS Church, and truly all of us, to be true. In this talk I learned the things that I must be true to as I go along in this life.

First the prophet admonishes that I need to be true to myself. I have a divine birthright and therefore I should “cultivate a good opinion” of myself and be honest in all that I do or say. "Shakespeare said, 'To thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man' (Hamlet,act 1, scene 3, lines 78–80)." As I am true to myself, I will be true and honest to others. 

Also, I need to be true to others by looking for the good and reaching out to help them. We all need trustworthy friends and I can be that for somebody if I would only show Christ-like kindness and reach out.

Being true to my parents is also important. Though they are from a different generation, they have insights from lessons they have learned and their own experiences that can help me to know the path I should take; their insight is invaluable.

To LDS Church, and the truths taught therein, I must also be true and it will become an anchor in my life. “The truths of this gospel are everlasting and eternal. Philosophies change. Customs change. Culture changes. But with all of these changes, there are gospel fundamentals that have never changed and never will change.” What a comfort those words are. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and is led by Jesus Christ.

Finally, I must be true to my Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. I am a child of God, He loves me, and when I pray to Him, He will listen and answer. The Lord Jesus Christ will never fail me, and he is the light and the truth.

To all these things I must be true. This was a wonderful talk and I am grateful that it gave me the chance to reflect on what I have a responsibility to be true to. I need to remember this lesson in my role as a wife, as I prepare to become a mother, as well as in my career. Truth and integrity are important to every aspect of my life. 

God and Family Come First

This week I really enjoyed the short video clip called "Loyalty to God and Family," a lecture given by Jan Newman. I really appreciated how he said that our families or our dedication to God should never be compromised because of our career or other hobbies. Mr. Newman discussed how crucial it was to not cut out time we have set aside to spend with our families, or to serve and worship our Heavenly Father. I could not agree more. Lately, being so busy with school I feel I often cut out time with family, or time I could be spending on my calling in the LDS Church. I am working to manage my time better so that I can not compromise time for my family or for God.

Also this week, our class watched a talk by Steve Blank and his remarks were titled, “The Entrepreneur and the Family.” He was asked how to balance time for family and entrepreneur endeavors, he answered that you have got to set rules. He talked about setting aside specific time for family and service and then not breaking those rules. Mr. Blank discussed how this was difficult at times and that it would be more realistic to pursue endeavors while single. This is a very important topic to me as my family is my first priority. Right now my immediate family is just my husband and I.  But when we grow our family and have children I never want to compromise time with family.

Motherhood - My Calling

After watching all the videos and reading all the articles for this week of class, I have come to understand that above all my calling is be a mother. While I love entrepreneurship and it fascinates me, it is not my calling in life. The reason I am getting a bachelors degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Entrepreneurial Studies, is because I love to learn, I value my education, it is a subject I am very interested in, and I want to have a degree so that if I need to work I can. All the readings reaffirmed to me that my ultimate vision and goal for my life is to be a mother.

I was inspired especially by the talk by Jeff Sanders, “A Hero’s Journey.” He talks about how important it is to find your calling in life, to make sure it is something you love, that uses my God-given talents, and that satisfies a need in the world. The world needs strong faithful mothers, that is my calling. I feel the Lord has blessed me with gifts and experiences that will help me to be a great mother. I know I will grow and be changed in the process, and this is what I want to do. Perhaps one day when my children are all grown I will start a small business, as that would make me happy. This week has been extremely reflective for me and wonderful in helping me make decisions about my life.

Life's Measuring Stick

I absolutely loved the readings this week on how we can live a good life as well as how we should measure our success. I especially appreciated the reading "How Will You Measure Your Life?" by professor Clay M. Christensen. He introduces 3 questions that we should ask ourselves...

1. How can I be sure that I'll be happy in my career?

2. How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness?

3. How can I be sure to stay out of jail?

All three of these questions caused me to reflect on what I do to be sure of these 3 things. One point that professor Christensen makes is that we need to allocate our resources, or our time, energy, and talents to what matters most. My goal is to allocate the majority of my resources to my family, for I know that will help me to build genuine relationships with them and have an enduring source of happiness. Then I will allocate time to building my career; a Human Resources director, a secretary, a teacher, or a mother, or whatever it may be at the time. With the enduring source of happiness from my familial relationships, I will have more strength to give and be happier in my career. As to the last question, I have to say I had never really given it much thought before. But professor Christensen teaches that we must live a life of integrity and hold our principles 100% of the time. It is true, integrity will protect us from getting into trouble. The last point professor Clay Christensen makes is that God measures us by the individual people whose lives we've touched. My goal to from here on out measure my progress by those whom I serve and influence for good.

Integrity

I believe that the lessons I learned this week in class about honesty and the importance of business ethics will prove to benefit all aspects of my life. In a talk by Sister Sherri L. Dew, “True Blue, Through and Through,” she says that integrity is a virtue that “is just plain smart and that will have as much impact on your happiness, your peace of mind, and your ability to fulfill your life’s mission as any virtue I can think of.” I believe those words to be true. As I move ahead in my career I want to make sure my integrity is never compromised, and that I am always trying to do what is right.

Another reading that truly inspired me in this weeks class readings, was a talk by Elder Lynn G. Robbins titled “Making a Living and a Life.” I especially love how he teaches a lesson using two main characters from one of my favorite movies “It’s a Wonderful Life.” There are hard workers like the protagonist, George Bailey (pictured above), with a love for his fellowman and he is sincerely seeking to help families. Where as the antagonist, Mr. Potter is cynical and only cares for money. I look to George Bailey as an example of high moral character and integrity. I look to other leaders in business like him, including my father, and even Jesus Christ. I learned wonderful lessons this week.