We are just getting started...

As I write my last words for this course, the first thought that comes to my mind is gratitude. Gratitude towards Heavenly father and His Son Jesus Christ for having provided this wonderful opportunity to me, to learn about these principles taught in entrepreneurship which I hold them not just dear, but even sacred. I truly feel that everything I learned in this course is part of the Gospel of the Master. I have been able to feel their love through this exquisite knowledge I have received and will live them with exact obedience for the rest of my life.

As I do this, to apply these principles and become a better person, I will always ask myself “who loved me and who did I love?” As a married person, I have come to know in this course that self-reliance and becoming an entrepreneur is not about me, but for those who depend on me, my wife and daughters. I have learned that providing for my family is not only bringing money home, but living a worthy, righteous life which will allow me to have more power in the Priesthood and a stronger companionship of the Holy Ghost so I can deliver the safe place my family needs to protect them from the evilness of the world.

Also, coming from a third world country, Chile, where most of its population is demanding to the government for help to improve their life quality without doing anything from their own, I will always remember that I am the master of my life, so have no one to blame for the consequences of my choices, whether be good or bad. If I make a good choice, I will give thanks to the Lord for His guidance, and if I make a wrong one, I will repent and ask God for forgiveness. Hard work, discipline and individual responsibility, as I learned about them in all these amazing books I read in this course, will be the core values in every aspect of my life.

Finally, I want to testify how remarkable it is to be able to achieve your goals and dreams. That sweet flavor of victory after having been able to “defeat the dragon” will be my personal motivator for the rest of my life. I know if I believe in myself, press forward and exercise my agency and judgment uprightly, I will find the Lord’s grace in His sight. I want to look back, as Mr. Richie stated, and not regret any opportunity I left behind, but to know I was able, with my God on my side, to accomplish everything I set for myself and family. And to know I did it with clean tools, not breaking any commandment. As I do this, my feeling of gratitude will increase because Heavenly Father in His great wisdom allowed me to live such a wonderful life.

"I have fought the good fight..."

At the end of this semester, I must say, entrepreneurship has been the course where I have obtained the best knowledge ever. It was so great to see how the gospel relates to provide for my family, become self-reliant and help others to do the same in order to live a worthy life before God’s eyes. I will always remember everything I have learned from this experience. The books I was commanded to read were both delightful and full of new knowledge. I have been transformed into even a more believer person, that everything is possible if I work hard to accomplish my dreams. I will always strive to do what Heavenly Father and my family, wife and daughters expect me to do, and I know as I do so, I will improve myself and become a worthier person to return to my Lord’s presence. I have been able to see how poverty can be overcome if every person stops blaming others for their circumstances and instead work hard and diligently to get out of that situation and enhance their life quality. Finally, I must always remember to stay humble when success is achieved and help those who still have not reached that level of self-reliance.

"The earth was created so there can be eternal families"

As I was reading the articles and replying my classmates, this thought came to my mind. Marriage is the most solemn contract, which is between a husband and wife, states the Chilean law. This means, for the state there is no other covenant more important than the union between a man and a woman. So it is for Heavenly Father. He gave as a first commandment to Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth, establishing the main purpose for which they and all their descendants were created.

This shows me how important It is to establish my marriage, and by extension my family as my most important business and entrepreneurship ever. As I do that, I will understand everything else I do must be to strength my most important business and not take any risk and make any decision that would cause any harm to it. So, I have promised to myself to always be there for them, to provide them in every need they have, to never miss any milestone and always be able to let them know how important they are for me. I know as I do that, I will be able to obtain the greatest profit of all: Exaltation and eternal life, with my wife and children.

Entrepreneur Interview

As I prepare for my interview I am very excited about the experience I am about to have. I have always known that the best way to know something is by asking the people involved and not asking to other sources. Therefore, I am looking forward to know what outcomes you can obtain by living the principles we have been taught throughout this course. Also, I want to know how challenging is to startup a company here in Chile, how you can be able to overcome all the bureaucracy and legislation behind the startup and running your business, and what help you can get from institutions, like a bank giving you a loan, among others.

Above all, I want to know how much mental strength you need to have in order to succeed, How much you family and beliefs helps you to stay on the path and what is needed to keep going, even though the failures and opposition you get for doing this. I bet it must be a very rewarding experience to wake up every morning and truly do what you love, turning your passion into your best tool to provide for your family and ultimately, being able to deliver a service to the society and leave a mark on those around you.

Follow the Leader

This week I was able to remember certain things I learned in pathway, and they are the importance of being a positive leader. I have seen how crucial it is to show to those under your leadership how committed you are, by showing them through your actions the significance of whatever you are leading. In the Church, for example, my responsibility as a Young Men President is to be there, providing and ministering to the youth in whatever they need. I need to be able to show them how the gospel must be lived. The Lord said we need to be like Him, so when you are a leader, you are His representative, and that means to reflect His light, His example in others, thus people follow you by following your actions and at the end, they are following the Savior. This means leading by example is the most effective way to teach anyone in your path. In Communication I learned about persuasion and how it is done. But, to follow the model given by prophets and apostles, first I need to live the principle and then I will be able to tell others how to live it. That is the Lord’s way to lead His Church. I love the fact on how you can feel the truth when you hear a sincere, righteous Church leader calling to repentance. You can do it because you can feel hi/she is living the principle, and that is ultimately what a true leader needs to do to in order to take others to a higher ground.

Who motivates the motivator?

After having read all these wonderful articles and texts, I cannot help but think of what I learned in my mission regarding the importance of planning, setting proper goasl and work hard to achieve them. It is so easy to feel distress; trying to get the motivation from inner self I believe is one the hardest challenges any human being has to face. Sadly, we have seen family and friends leaving this state of probation because they were not able to muster the enough courage to face and defeat their conflicts.

I testify the best way to motivate ourselves is the Lord through His Spirit. There is no better influence than the Holy Ghost. Members of the Church have been able to defeat the deepest depressed states because of that. My mother is one of them. She was going through a very serious depressing state, she thought nobody loved her, and considered to commit suicide. What made her change her thinking? It was a couple of missionaries who told her about a Heavenly Father and His Son, her brother Jesus Christ. They told her she was loved by them and great things were waiting for her if she decided to live the Gospel. And she did. And through hard work, serving a full time mission, being sealed in the temple and doing her best to keep her family strong and united has brought so much happiness to both her life and the lives of others. She knew how to motivate herself, with the help of God, and now she is one of the many cases who have been able to achieve all  of her goals, setting an example worthy to be imitated.

Mastery - Final Notes

I will not copy paste my book report. But I do want to leave some thoughts behind about this wonderful book. The knowledge provided in this book is remarkable. To truly know how to be an expert in any area is something you do not learn anywhere. You have to properly choose the people, the texts, among other things to help you to achieve this level of capability.

I really want to be able to master a lot of different skills, and as it is stated properly in the book, we must do our best to perform almost any task with do in our lives. I truly feel it will give more dignity to whatever we are doing.

Having said that, I need to admit something. I have gained a deeper respect to my wife. I could not stop thinking about her while I was reading to do the chores of the house with mastery, because she is so great at taking care of our home. She is such a great housekeeper, has raised our daughters so magnificently, I feel very blessed for having her as my eternal companion. I hope to be like her someday, to strive for perfection to  whatever I do, no mattering how meaningless the task might seem.