BECOME

The theme I got from this week was to become. Become what? Become the leader, become the entrepreneur, and become the person that will make a difference in the world. How is that possible? There was a question posed to the class that goes like this, "What does 'success is not a solo project mean?'" As I thought about that I started thinking about all the people that have helped me get to this point in my life which I consider successful and blessed in so many ways. I first thought about my parents. Without them I wouldn't have the fundamental standards and principles I rely on every day. I then started thinking about my friend group. My friend Jake, who got me into videography has helped me become who I am today. I look at the small things that others do for me that they may not every recognize. For example, the other day I was contemplating which camera I should buy out of a few select cameras I was looking at. They are all expensive and so my decision was extremely important to me. I spoke with this one kid who took the time to sit down and talk with me about a camera I was looking at. He told me everything I needed to hear. He gave me advice on what I should buy. He opened my eyes at the possibilities I could take advantage of if I were to consider this camera. I knew he wasn't trying to sell it to me because first of all it wasn't going to benefit him in any way whether I bought it or not. Second of all I've seen him work and interact with people and I know I can trust him. I recognize that experience with him for those few minutes in helping me become a better videographer. Why is becoming a videographer so important to me? It is because I want to make it my career. I want to become the best I can be so that I can provide for a relatively large family and still have extra to help other out financially. The more I look into my future, the more I observe my present surroundings, and the more I observe the more I realize how blessed I am to have people around me that help me become and reach my full potential. So to go back to the question presented earlier, what does success is not a solo project mean? I would not be here without the few people I mentioned and more. They are the ones that build me. They are the ones that lift me up. They are the ones that inspire me to be my greatest. They are also the ones that give me challenges to conquer. Success is not a solo project.

Loyalty

This past week we focused on loyalty. What does it mean to be loyal? To whom are we loyal? It is so important that we are loyal to our co-workers, employees, boss, and clients. We have to look at our responsibilities and magnify our determination to work hard and effectively. As I put myself in each of these positions, I would want to receive loyalty from all ends. Imagine a company that was trustworthy and you know that the company wouldn't let you down. There would be no second thought of returning, it would be an obvious decision to go back to them again and again.
We had a guess speaker, Neal Cambell. He is the owner of Idaho White Glove. He spoke with us about how they "advertise" his company. He said that they don't spend any money on advertisement except the ad in the news paper every once in a while. The real way they are able to get more clients is through word or mouth. How is that possible to achieve that without advertising your company? It is because those would hire you know that you are trustworthy, easy to work with, you will work hard and bend over backwards to get the job done and then some, and they know that you will be consistent in your ability to get the job done. Neal Cambell focused on the concept of doing good quality work and how that separates them from other competing companies.
Hearing from  Neal Cambell was very refreshing. He said that the biggest misconception about starting a business is that you need everything to be perfect before starting it. He said that when you start your business and throughout the next few months is when you learn the most about what your business is all about and what the majority of its potential can be. He said to not be afraid to make mistakes while starting a business because that's how you will learn the most. For me, that was so good to hear because I think that would be a huge reason I wouldn't start a business, I would think it needs to be perfect before starting. Now I know that I just need to do everything I can to prepare and then just go for it, expecting failure and a massive learning curve. I appreciated Neal Cambells discussion.

Hang In and Hang On

This week we focused a lot of our discussion on quitting. Is it okay to quit? Why or why not? The book The Dip says it's okay to quit. Elder Holland, an apostle of Jesus Christ says its not okay to quit. Who's right?
In my opinion, I believe they are both right. Honestly, I think they would agree with each other as well. The Dip is saying that if we aren't progressing, then we have to stop what we are doing and find a better route that will enable us to grow and succeed. Elder Holland is saying don't give up just because the times are hard and it is difficult to pick out the silver lining in the situation. Depending on the situation and the circumstances, it is important to know when it is good to quit and when it is essential we hang in and hang on.
For example, when I was growing up I played three main sports; basketball, baseball, and football. In Jr. High I was the quarterback on the offensive team and the safety on the defensive team. There were a lot of big guys that tackled me, and there also was a lot of big guys I would face and tackle as well. It didn't matter if you were big or small, the way I understood it was that if you have the football you should be tackled. My dad saw that I had no fear and that I would go up against bigger guys without hesitating. He knew that injuries were common in that sport, so he didn't let me play in High School; I had to quit playing football. In his mind, he didn't want me to ruin my chances of playing basketball and baseball, nor did he want me to have bad knees, a bad back, or a bad head when I was older. I quit playing football so that I could succeed in other areas of life and avoid some dangers as well.
I also played basketball in Highs School. There was a lot of politics involved and for a kid in my situation, it would have made sense to just quit and give up, but I didn't. This was a different situation compared to the football experience I had. In this case, I was faced with a proposition. I could give up because I didn't completely agree with my coaches, a couple of the kids didn't want me as a captain, some of the parents didn't like me because of my religion, and I wouldn't participate in some of the religious beliefs the other players were participating in before basketball games. Or I could continue to play, learn what I really believed in, establish standards that enabled me to not give in to peer pressure, grow mentally and emotionally while fighting through the contention of parents and teammates, and develop a leadership mentality that would allow me to lead others in future days.
See the difference? In both situations I either quit or didn't quit because I wanted and needed to grow and continue to develop. So, in conclusion I believe that you have to think things through. Sometimes it will be obvious to quit and do something else that is more meaningful. Other times it will be hard to decipher whether it is better to quit or just hang in and hang on. You decide, but remember to think of how it will benefit you and those around you. Can you come on a better person? Will you grow and develop physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or spiritually? Think of what the consequences could be and start your decision making from there. Everything will work out in the end.

Passion

In class it was said that "passion is what keeps us in the fight." When I heard that, for some reason I wanted to think more about that statement. I thought about what I'm passionate about. A huge passion I possess is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I always look for opportunities to show my faith, change and become someone better, remember my Savior, and in whole: endure to the end. I love to teach the Gospel and when I get the opportunity, I can't help but to bare testimony of the things I've come to know are true. I thought about what else I'm passionate about. Videography is something I love to do and spend my time and thoughts with. I wish to give people hope, inspire the unmotivated, make people aware of certain issues and dilemmas, and in the end I hope to change peoples lives through the power of video.
If I'm not passionate about the Gospel and I face a challenge in life that could make me inactive in my commitment to the commandments, those challenges would win and I would lose. If I'm not passionate about the Gospel, I'lll look for excuses not to go to church. I'll look for opportunities to be offended.
I'f I'm not passionate about videography and someone tells me I'm not good, then I'll be done with it and move on to something I might be better at. If I'm not passionate about video then the next time I accidentally erase all the footage for a video I'm making it will be so easy to give up on that video and maybe even the video world itself.
If I'm passionate about these things then I will keep going and win the fight. If I'm passionate about it then there cannot be anything that will stop me from moving forward. I cannot hesitate to demonstrate my passion for these things, because if I do, then it's as if I never had passion for them in the first place. Passion will be the thing that drives me past those difficult times.