Last Lecture

          Starting your own business can be the most rewarding thing that you will ever do, but it will require everything that you have to give.  You will be able to choose your own schedule, but you will need to work much longer than your typical eight to five if you are to be competitive, at least for the first few years.  There will be no boss to tell you what to do, but you will need to become that boss for yourself.  Have the self-discipline to make reasonable goals and to stretch yourself. 

Remember that you are only as effective as those you surround yourself with.  Find a good team, and work with them to reach your goals.  You can be a genius in your field but not do as well as an average person surrounded by above than average team.  Having a good team helps with problem solving, brain storming, building an effective personal and business network and maintaining order in your company. 

Before you start your own business, remember that you must choose something that you are passionate about.  If you choose to do something just for the money or for any other reason, when the going gets tough, you will lack to motivation to go forward.  Your passion to bring something to the world or change the world for the better will help you give 110%, and make critical decisions for the success of your company. 

Remember when challenges come, they are not obstacles in your path, but your springboard towards it.  Many people will try and go around the springboard or under it without seeing it’s potential for their own lives.  Challenges are places in your path so that you can solve them and learn from them.  This is the path to enlightenment and a personal education that lasts a lifetime.

            Just as important, gratitude in the business world is your source of happiness.  Most business people believe that to achieve satisfaction in the world of business you must make it to Silicon Valley or be the head of a fortune 500 company.  This is not true.  On my mission in the Dominican Republic, some of the happiest business owners I met were Haitian street vendors.  They always had a smile on, even though they were in the streets with their fruits in the hot sun.  When they were at home, they were happy with the family.  They had next to nothing.  They had a small house, little food, and no commodities, but they were grateful for what the Lord has blessed them with.  If you want to start your business, found it on principles of gratitude, perseverance, passion, networking, and sacrifice.  If you do this, you will not only be happy, but you are more likely to be successful in your endeavors in the end.

gratitude in business

This week I have been thinking of what makes someone happy.  Is it their circumstances?  Maybe their financial position?  Is it family or friends that love and support them?  Is it fame or accomplishment?  I think that these things have the same potential as sticks have to burn but without a flame, they are of little good.  This flame is gratitude and humility.  There are countless americans who hate going to work.  They spent their early adulthood preparing for the perfect career.  They dreamed of what it would be like when they landed that perfect job.  Many of them work hard to achieve these dreams, but even if they make it, they find themselves ever yearning for something else.  In a world that pushes instant gratification and instant accessibility, we have become impatient, restless and greedy.  This age is an age of opportunity and endless possibilities.  There is plenty of things that bring us happiness.  We don't need to have everything, maybe it is best not to.  We just need to see what the Lord has blessed us with and be thankful.  Be thankful for your clunker of a car that gets you to and from work every day.  Be grateful for that eight to five that allows you to provide for your family.  Be grateful for a roof over your head, food to eat, and police officers that will pull you over if you are going to fast.  Life is full of blessings, it all depends on how you want to see it.

Debt, its purpose, and its slippery slope.

We live in a world that seems to thrive on debt.  Most educated individuals go into debt to get through school.  Most people get loans to purchase a car or a house.  Most have multiple credit cards that are used constantly.  It seems that we live in a society that teaches "if you can't afford it now, you will tomorrow."  Debt has its purpose.  It allows people to invest in things that are necessary, but are unreasonable to pay upfront.  Like in most things, the adversary uses these tools to deceive and to enslave.  He tempts us by rationalizing wants as needs, or making interest seem harmless with small introductory rates that eventually grow to unbearable levels.  We are counseled to avoid debt at all costs.  Purchase a used car with cash if you can before investing in a new car.   Learn to be frugal with the financial blessings that you are given and the Lord will bless you with more.

This week has taught me that earning money and being successful alone can bring much unhappiness to an entrepreneur.  It is essential that I create a balance between business and everything else that I hold dear like, family, religion, friends and recreation.  I cannot afford to fall into the rut of seeking success no matter the cost.  There are people that make it to the top with that mindset, but they do so alone and lonely.  I must set time aside for family away from work.  Providing for my family is one of my basic responsibilities as a husband and future father, but it is not my only responsibility.  It is not designed to be easy, that is why happiness is so desirable.  It is through sacrifices made for the right reasons that happiness is achieved.  Sometimes you have to make the decision to lose money in order to balance your family life, but it is never the other way around.  Family takes priority because it is the source of true happiness, a happiness that is designed to last forever.  Entrepreneurship is all about making wise investments of everything, your time, talent, resources, and ideas.  I think that it is about time that we all commit to our families as well.