Journey of Gratitude

I have pondered this week on the meaning of gratitude in my life. Gratitude to me means recognizing my blessings and then being willing to share with those around me. All that I have and are is because of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I fail all the time, but with Christ by my side, I am able to have the courage to do all things I put my mind and heart into. 

The advice I want to remember from this week's study starts with Ted Zoller from the Kauffman Foundation, is that paths to an entrepreneurial career can start with working for large companies, and then work for smaller companies. Go work for a company and then go fuel a company’s growth. Learn something that you can leverage in your entrepreneurial career.

Stan Christensen, who is the co-founder of Arbor Advisors said: Avoid the wrong job. Tell your story and why you made the choices you made. Pick a job doing something you think is fun and will enjoy.  That you will also prosper. You will move around quite a bit. Choosing a career is not a long-term decision. The world has changed. Generalize instead of specialize. You don’t want to be the best at excel. You may become irrelevant if you specialize. Take opportunities as they come up.

Larry North said: Have thick skin. Get a great mentor. Latch onto people whom you admire. Put knowledge into good use. Wake up with a good attitude and believe in yourself, family, and community. Learn to create better and bigger trenches when bad things happen. You roll the dice. Dust yourself off and get back up again. 

Randy Haykin is an inspiring entrepreneur whose advice I want to remember is that

in most start-ups, it takes several years to grow, make money, and find your niche. To be a leader, I need to have charisma to inspire and lead others to join me the focus idea or plan of the business. I need to have an element of playfulness to lighten the stress of day to day. I need to reward my associates and help them to feel valued and appreciated. It is important to create a balanced work/family life. What good is my employment if I have failed at taking care of my family?