Week Fourteen: Celebrate Your Life

This course was an eye-opening experience for me. I tried to apply everything that I learned each week to myself and my business. I thought it would be fun to do a recap of each week:

Week One: Purpose of the Course

I felt empowered by learning that I already am an entrepreneur! I did not realize the hardwired entrepreneurial spirit that we already have. I have found over the past few years that I need to be an entrepreneur. As a stay at home mom, I felt like I needed an outlet. Not an MLM or anything like that, but a business that I can run as my own.

Week Two: Creating a Life of Meaning

When I was a child, I never had a "dream job." All of my friends dreamed about being the typical things: Doctor, Lawyer, Veterinarian, etc., but I only had one thing that I wanted to do. I wanted to grow up, get married, and have children. I wanted to be a mom, and I have achieved that dream. I got married almost twelve years ago and have four beautiful children. It turns out that playing house all those years ago was just fun! But being a mom now is a lot more work than swaddling a baby doll and moving on to play with another toy.

Week Three: Honesty & Business Ethics

I already knew this, but people can be cruel when it comes to jobs and money. I cannot believe that someone would accuse another embezzling person just because they got fired from a job. I watched the presenter in awe that he could brush off losing his job over an accusation. He had just bought a house within walking distance of the business. I guess that whole situation steamed me. 

Week Four: How Will You Measure Your Life?

This week, I enjoyed the many videos. I think I enjoy them a lot more because I am a visual person. When I see someone telling their success stories, it gives me the itch to continue in my entrepreneurial business. When I watched the video that states: "Do what you love." I stopped dead in my tracks. I paused the video and took a moment to ponder if I was doing that. I am happy to report that I am doing what I love.

Week Five: Hero's Journey

 Some of us are destined to change the world, but I was determined to find my calling in the world. I was committed to finding the spiritual gifts that could bless others. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Even though I am grown up, I would still struggle. I achieved my goal of getting married and bringing children in the world. I'm now a mother eternally, but how can I help others in the now? How can I help solve other's problems? So the main question I had for myself: "What do I want to solve?' The answer was to help people declutter and find peace. I love what I do.

Week Six: So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?

 I think setting boundaries for the family is a beautiful thing. I love how Newman in "Loyalty to God and Family" states that it won't matter in 1000 years how much we made or what we did as a career, but how we continued our family's legacy. Families are central to His plan. So I will continue to set those boundaries to spend the most quality time with family.

Week Seven: Moving Forward with Driving Passion

I have always been a visionary/visual person. I can see the potential in many things. I believe this is a talent that Heavenly Father has given to many people as well. We have the potential to see how something could turn out with the effort. But, my number one strategy for "doing everything" is prioritizing and time management. On Sundays, I sit down and plan my week. I also tentatively schedule the month. I prioritize my most important things to my least important. I do this as a daily activity as well. That way the most important things are taken care of first, and then if the unimportant does not get taken care of, it is okay.

Week Eight: Overcoming Obstacles and Challenges

After a long, hard day of being home with my children, I remember that I began to sob during my nightly shower. I reflected on my day and the terrible self-talk I had with myself. I was at the point where if I bent over to pick up my baby that it caused me pain. I could not even hold my baby on one side without being in pain. With a newborn, a person has to pick up, hold, and feed baby all day and night. My body felt wrecked. I prayed to my Heavenly Father for strength and comfort. Immediately my mind began to think of all that Christ suffered for us. His pains were incomprehensible to me. But I also knew that he felt my illnesses as well.

I use that thought process to get me through each day. I use the time management skills I use in my line of work to help me physically get through the day. But I still go to work and organize for my clients. I always get up, move around, play with my children, and pick up my baby. I could continue to pity myself and not get up, but I want to enjoy life with those around me. I want to spend time with my ever-growing children.

Week Nine: Disciple Leadership

Flash forward to the present day. When I saw the title to Bednar's address, I immediately had thoughts of the beginning of my college career. So, I began to reflect on my current status. I am not nearly as sleep-deprived, and I have an 18-month-old instead of a newborn. I still have four children total, but we have settled into a routine. I was even able to sit and do my school work while they did theirs during distance learning.

My physical and mental goals have shifted slightly, but my spiritual goals continue to increase in a desire to learn more about the Savior and other educational material. I am reminded of the leadership analogy about the wolf pack. A picture is shown of a wolf pack traveling. The photo shows the oldest members in the front, and the leader remains behind all of them to protect them from the rear. It states that the leader ensures that no one gets left behind. I feel that as Disciple Leaders that we can apply this same tactic. We make sure we take care of our family, put the weakest in the front for everyone to watch and guard, the strongest behind them, and then the leader in the back to help everyone to keep moving forward and make sure that no one is left behind.

Week Ten: Dream Big Dreams

I keep an Attitude/Gratitude journal and encourage my clients to do the same as they purge their physical clutter. By keeping a journal and releasing these thoughts, they also mentally declutter and sort out problems. I began to have lousy self-talk, and it was becoming detrimental to my mental health. So, I started writing in a regular composition book. I write down all of my negative feelings in one column, and then I write in the second column how to change those feelings. On the other page next to it, I write down everything that I am grateful for in the day. It has helped retrain my mind to be positive and self-soothing. I also keep smart goals for the week, month, and year as well.

The best process for me to follow in dreaming big is to continue my Attitude/Gratitude journal. I need to be mentally aware of where I am in the plan, continue to be grateful, and follow the SMART goals I set.

Week Eleven: Measuring the Cost

 I made a new goal to schedule my time better. I tried in my brain to come up with scenarios that work best for our family weekends. My conflict with those potential scenarios is that many of my clients prefer to work on Saturdays because they are working during the week. The best idea I came up with was to go during my children's quiet time in the afternoons, especially if it is a Saturday client. This way, I can work, and my children will not have any idea that I am gone. I have learned that my best-case scenario is to know the worth of my family. If I put all of their worth above everything else, then everything else will fall into place.

Week Twelve: Becoming a Changemaker

I found the video clip "A New Breed of Entrepreneur," incredibly interesting, mainly since he discussed smallpox and no pandemic being greater. I think we have experienced a similar amount of deaths due to Covid-19. His stories of going door-to-door for months on end sounded familiar. It made me stop and think whether the United States will have to do that since there has been another spike.

I love that we can be our own change-makers. We can create good in bad situations. If we remain positive, it is easier to find a positive outcome and trust in our Savior.

Week Thirteen: Attitude of Gratitude

I pondered on the attitude of gratitude this entire week. Refreshing myself on President Monson's talk was a fantastic reminder to trust Him in our lives. I have made it a goal to find gratitude in the big and small things. I have also made it a goal to find gratitude in my business endeavors. I know that my Heavenly Father will continue to bless our posterity and us when I express thanks and appreciation.

I had many positive experiences during this course. I had some negative life experiences as well, but it only shaped me into a better person. I know that if I continue to act in His name and have an attitude of gratitude, he will lead me on the correct path.