Journal Week 11

The Article “Attitude on Money” By Stephen W. Gibson had some profound insights on the topic of money.  He stated that money is a necessary part of life for each of us.  It can’t be avoided and so we should learn how to use it in positive ways. 

I really like the author’s emphasis on the story of “The Good Samaritan”.  It’s true that we usually look at the story as an example of service or kindness, which it is.  But the author demonstrated the great good the Samaritan was able to do because of his preparation and his money- first, having it, and then being willing to spend it on the welfare of another.

My mother is like the author’s sister, who doesn’t want to even talk about money.  Mom was a single parent of 7 children and money was tight for all of my growing up years. She still hasn’t learned how to effectively handle money. When she pays bills, she gets physically sick to her stomach. When we were younger, there was never enough money to meet the needs of the family. I remember as a teenager, looking at my friends who went to the mall with friends and came home with new outfits.  I wasn’t jealous of the stuff.  But my mind just couldn’t comprehend that some families made enough money to pay for rent, food, and utilities and STILL have any left over to buy “extras” such as clothes. 

I’m so very grateful that my attitude about money for my adult years has been very good. My husband provides for my family very well.  In fact, I sometimes feel that my children are given too much without having to work enough.  It’s a tough balance to achieve.  The most important factor in this attitude is that my husband and I talk about our finances regularly.  He pays the bills, manages the investments, and plans the budget actively.  I appreciate his work.  At the same time, I often sit with him as he does that work to watch, talk, and discuss what’s being done.  We stick to a budget and openly discuss upcoming expenses and purchases. 

Our view on money has influenced our family in positive ways.  We have never fought about money.  We are confident that our retirement plans and savings accounts will be able to provide for our needs when we retire.  Our children are being taught how to spend wisely and not go into debt.  Just today we took my 13-year-old daughter to open her first checking account.  We are confident that she will be responsible based on her past experiences with money.  We also give our children opportunities to make money mistakes when the stakes are low.  If my daughter goes into debt for a $20 item when she is a teen, she’ll hopefully learn so she won’t make a mistake with something large like a car when she’s a young adult. 

I know that following these principles will continue to bless my family. I’m grateful to have learned correct principles for handling finances, including principles of the gospel such as tithing, fast offering, and serving others.

In this book, Gibson gave six valuable rules for prospering.  They are:

Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him

Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.

Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.

Rule 4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters. Education, as President Hinckley has taught us, is the Key to Opportunity.

Rule 5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated.

Rule 6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held captive.

Journal Week 10

 This week I was able to process the information I received during my Entrepreneur Interview.  I was glad that I interviewed my mentor a week before the assignment was due.  It gave me time to think about what we discussed I had time to ponder on the service Mike is able to provide because of the business decisions he has made. I personally struggle with the amount of time I spend with school work each week.  In my mind, I try to balance the cost of time spent on my home and with my family with my educational goals.  I am developing a clearer picture of what I want to accomplish academically, professionally, and personally. 

My favorite talk from this week’s lesson was Elder Dallin H Oaks’ talk from October 2000, “The Challenge to Become.” It has been a good reminder to me of my own conversion process. I enjoyed the parable of the father and the son. The father wanted to give his son all that he had.  What parent doesn’t want the very best for their children? He told his son that what he had, the father could easily give him, but it may not necessarily be the best for him.  What he IS, the child must develop for himself.  But what I found most profound is that the child it not on his own to figure it out for himself.  He has the example, training, and support of his father along the way.  It’s a beautiful parallel to our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  I hope to be able to follow His example and his tutoring to be all He wants me to become. By dong his will and becoming what he wants for me, I will be truly converted. 

Journal Week 9

My 19-year-old daughter is an artist.  She creates amazing designs and over the past year, she has learned how to wood-burn her art onto wood plaques, spoons, boxes and other items.   Today she is selling her artwork at a convention -her very first try at operating her own business.  It has been exciting to see her go through all of the work to get her merchandise ready to sell.  She has created enough products to make an impressive display.  She got tables and easels to show them properly.  She paid the registration fee to become an actual vendor (with a start-up loan from her parents). Yesterday, I spent several hours creating business cards that highlighted her contact information and the kind of work she does.  She loved them and I hope they will create additional business for her.

The most difficult challenge she has experienced so far is determining how much to charge for her work.  For instance, she remembers that she only paid $1 for a wood item.  So, she is inclined to charge only a few dollars for the finished product.  She tends to forget that her time is valuable- and she should charge for her skilled work.  In addition, she has the added cost such as burning tools, stains, display stands, and the fee to rent the vendor table. 

It has been interesting to watch her go through all of these details with the background of this class in my mind.  This class hasn’t given much help on how to create, promote or run a business, as I hoped it would.  But it has opened my eyes to the vast possibilities available. Gratefully, she has taken advice from her parents and others.  I am praying for her success today and hope her new business leads to many great things for her in the future.

Journal Week 8

As I sit here to write this entry, I have been working for the past 9 hours straight on school work.  About 7 hours was spent on one homework assignment that the instructions say should take 1-1 ½ hours to complete.  I think I understand the material.  The new data is in my head but still a little jumbled, but I’m getting it.  So why does it take me so much longer to do the work than it should?  I’m getting a B in that class --my first academic “failure” (so it seems) in my last 5 years of college.  It’s frustrating and I find myself wondering if this journey is worth the effort.  My family thinks that all I ever do is homework.  My house is a constant mess because my efforts are focused on school.  The graduation date three years from now feels that it will never come.  I think that is why I felt so much inspiration from Elder Holland’s talk “However Long and Hard the Road” (BYU Devotional January 1983).  I deeply felt Elder Holland’s passionate invitation to hang on and not give up.  In my mind, I can hear his voice urging and pleading for me to “hang in and hang on”. 

There were so many touching messages in that talk, I can’t mention them all.  I am printing the talk to use in my personal studies.  One part of his messages is, “If your eyes are always on your shoelaces, if all you can see is this class or that test, this date or that roommate, this disappointment or that dilemma, then it really is quite easy to throw in the towel and stop the fight. But what if it is the fight of your life? Or more precisely if it is the fight for your life, your eternal life at that? What if beyond this class or that test, this date or that roommate, this disappointment or that dilemma, you really can see and can hope for all the best and right things that God has to offer? Oh, it may be blurred a bit by the perspiration running into your eyes, and in a really difficult fight one of the eyes might even be closing a bit, but faintly, dimly, and ever so far away you can see the object of it all. And you say it is worth it, you do want it, you will fight on. Like Coriantumr, you will lean upon your sword to rest a while, then rise to fight again (see Ether 15:24–30).

When Elder Holland spoke of Coriantumr resting on his sword a while, then rising again to fight, I could vividly imagine a picture in my mind of him exhausted, resting against his sword, not hiding or running away or throwing in the towel completely, just catching his breath then moving forward in the cause. This was a powerful message.

I overheard a talk my husband was listening to today by Jim Rohn.  He said something like, “make rest a necessity, not an objective.”  I dedicate myself to hanging in there; to working so hard that I need to take a while to rest, then get back on my feet and keep working.  I know God has a pan for me and I will continue moving, even when it’s hard, to become who He wants me to me.