Journal Week 7

The principles of mastery, as outlined in the book by George Leonard, were demonstrated to me this week as I was watching the movie, “Spiderman: Homecoming.” Peter Parker was given a suit by Tony Stark but was left to his own devices to learn how to use it.  He swung on his web from building to building.  He saved a lost bike and gave some old lady directions.  He actually put himself in a good deal of danger.  It wasn’t until he was given instruction by Tony Stark that he found the amazing capabilities that were already built into his super suit. Even then, he was unpracticed at using the new technologies. It took him time, effort, and a number of embarrassing failures, to master the skills that he had the potential to achieve. This example is extremely simplified, but I found the similarities interesting. 

I disagreed with some of the ideas that Leonard outlined in his book but one personal story kept coming to mind.  My husband, David, has run two marathons.  He ran regularly to build up his endurance, but never consulted a trained instructor.  Two weeks before his first marathon, he developed bronchitis. Without the proper care and training, his condition worsened, yet he continued to train and ran the marathon.  His time was pretty good for a first-time runner, but he has never recovered from the illness.  He has suffered from asthma every day since that bout with bronchitis. The second marathon was very hard on his feet.  I truly believe that if he had been properly trained, he would have learned techniques that would have prevented his injuries.  But as things are, he suffered from foot pain for a year or more after the marathon and still has pain when on his feet for any length of time. It’s a stark reminder to me of the importance of getting proper instruction in the path to mastery.

I enjoyed learning from Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  I found his messages to be much more meaningful and interesting than Leonard’s book.  There are two habits that are more relevant to me than others.  The fact that they are at the beginning, make me realize that I have a long way to go on my way to success.  Habit number one is to be proactive.  Being quiet by nature, this is hard for me.  It is comfortable for me to stay the course day-by-day.  I recognize that being proactive will lead to many more opportunities for me to grow and to be an influence for good. 

The habit that I find myself thinking most about is habit number three, putting first things first.  As a mother, I easily get caught up in the pressing list of things to be done.  I’ve spent years running like a crazy lady just to stay caught up with the endless tasks of running a home and family without putting enough thought into what was really most important.  Now my children are getting older, my focus has been shifting to their growth and independence as well as my own well-being.  In the workplace, I have a job that can be busy at times.  I have found that I can add much more value by focusing on the non-urgent matters.  If I ignore them, little problems can grow to be big issues.  A couple of weeks ago, I put away stacks of old files and papers that had been piling up in my office. Many has confidential information so they needed to be handled with care. It was embarrassing to realize that they had been sitting in my space since last Christmas.  It was an example to me of how I had been letting important things slide when they weren’t pressing with urgency.  After that, I made a resolve to be more conscious of the important things that needed to be handled.  I have done a better job of being proactive with the more important tasks that had previously been pushed by the wayside. 

Journal Week 6

This week has had a lighter workload for this course, and I am so very grateful.  I really needed the time to catch up on my reading of “Mastery”, study for the upcoming test in my other class, and finally get my pile of laundry at a manageable level.  Thank you!

A few of the articles from this week’s reading were interesting.  Steve Blank’s message was a good reminder to set goals and rules for family time.  I agree that having a plan in place will make it easier to have make the right decisions when pressure to work more becomes greater.  It also think it’s important to share the rules with other people so they can work with you as a team.  My husband has a co-worker who realized that he and my husband were both leaving the office after dinner time.  Now they remind each other its’ time to leave at a reasonable time. It’s working well and I appreciate seeing my hubby more.

Wences Cesares spoke about how our most valuable asset is out time.  The best investment we can make is how we use the next 20-30 years.  (At my age, I’m behind the game on that one).  With this message as well as messages from earlier weeks, I’ve been thinking about how I’m using my time.  It’s made me realize that what I value the most isn’t always corresponding with the most important priorities in my life.  With this perspective, I think I am starting to do better at getting rid of the time-wasters in each day.  I also need to focus on the long-term investments of decades.  I think it will be an interesting exercise.

Jan Newman’s message was a welcome reminder of my focus on God and family above all other things.  This week has been very stressful.  It is when I’m most stressed that I focus on the source of the stress, and less on managing the more meaningful things in my life.  Yesterday, I recognized that my anxiety was taking away from the time I spent with my kids and how I was caring for my home. I had to take a step back, go for a long walk, then shift gears to focus on what my family needed most. It was a refreshing change. 

My favorite talk of the week was from N. Elden Tanner.  I love when messages ring true, and when they are simple and clear enough to share them with my family.  I look forward to being able to share Elder Tanner’s principles of success with my kids in Family Home Evening this week. 

Journal Week 5

The material in this week’s lesson has caused me to reflect on my own growth more than weeks past.  I have struggled my entire life with feeling like I had purpose.  I quit college as a young adult because I couldn’t see a path for my future.  I’m beginning to feel glimmers of hope for finding my own passions and purpose. 

The video by Randy Komisar “How to Find your Passion and How to Pursue It” had some good insights for me.  I’ve spent many years and a lot of money on sports, dance, and music lessons for my children to help them find their talents and passions, but I’ve given little effort to finding my own.  Komisar said that it’s ok to have a “portfolio of passions” rather than a single one.  In fact, he advised against focusing merely on “The Passion.” With that focus in mind, I feel more comfortable not knowing exactly where I will end up in the end.  Instead I look forward to the joy of growing all the talents and passions I experience and then pair them with opportunities in front of me. 

The video “The Hero’s Journey” was golden.  It was full of wisdom meant for me.  We learned some of the material a few weeks ago when we did the “Stars and Steppingstones” assignment. A few new ideas stuck out this time around.  For instance, “Being worried about the wrong things means you could miss the opportunity of a lifetime.” Sometimes I think I’ve spent my lifetime worrying about the wrong things. I worry a lot. I’ve reflected on things I worry about and realize they are often meaningless or out of my hands to change.  I could focus, instead, on what I can change and what is most important in my life. 

The speaker also suggested that we live every moment of life like it matters, because it does; live as if your life has a mission, because you do; and see struggles as adventure.  This idea got me thinking about how I spend the moments in my life.  I recognize that I waste too much time on things of little consequence. I should be focusing on things that will lead to a life of meaning, not just being comfortable or entertained.  My husband is an excellent example to me.  He spends much of his time working on specific goals.  He listens to motivational talks in the car, general conference talks while showering, and uses his phone app to learn Spanish in his free time instead of playing games.  He rarely watches TV.  I should follow his example and that of other successful people to make my time -and my life- more meaningful.

In relation to finding my passions, this talk encouraged listeners to never give up on the search for a calling.  He suggests that we focus on being an expert at something if we want to succeed. He said that we should find a calling that fits our special gifts.  But again, I find myself wondering “what are my special gifts?”  I’m still searching but have hope that I will keep recognizing them.  The video suggest that I ask 5 people who know me best what I do better than anyone else in the world.  I fear that no one will be able to think of anything.  But really, I can imagine that exercise could offer some very interesting insights into my personal gifts. I hope that eventually I will be able to say that I have used my gifts to change the world, and I will have been changed -improved, purified- in the process. 

Journal Week 4

This week has been a combination of frustration and successes in this class.  I really didn’t like having to deconstruct my fears.  Who does? But through that experience, I got a clearer picture that my fears are really just that, my personal insecurities that most likely will never become reality.  With that perspective, I feel I can face them with more confidence. 

I also see value in the exercise of developing my personal constitution.  Not only did that activity have me focus on what was most important in my life, but I went several steps farther.  I was able to write down what I visualize for my own future in “I am” statements, giving power to the statement and in visions for myself.  I also set long-term and short-term goals, which I truly believe I can achieve.  I have hope for a  more improved self as I keep moving in the path I am in. 

Once again, I find myself frustrated with the content of this class.  I know there is immense power in the principles being taught.  I am grateful for that.  However, I think that it should be re—named “Personal development for business.” My 7^th grade daughter is covering a unit on Entrepreneurs in her jr. high class.  She was studying her vocabulary list and I didn’t know what most of the terms meant. She is working on projects to develop her own fictional business.  They determine what need they are filling.  How are they going to do it?  How are they going to pay for it?  How will they advertise and promote their business?  How much profit do they project to earn?  My 12-year old daughter is learning what I had hoped to be studying in this class.  I hope eventually I will be able to understand what I need to know to move forward on the technical side of a business degree.