Integrity, Ethics, and Vision

This week, in lesson 3 of our curriculum, there seemed to be more than one theme. The case study we participated in made me think of vision, and how in order to succeed, we need to have vision.

Personally, I think I am quite creative. I can imagine how things will be or may become. My sister once told me I had a talent for being able to see what something could become. At the time, I was rehabbing my first house and thought everyone had the same vision I have.

When it comes to ethics, it was apparent that even though our own ethical standing can be high, sometimes those with whom we associate can affect our perceived ethics. Often, at least to our customers or consumers, perception is their reality. By making 'I will never' and 'I will always' statements, it helps solidify the ethics I hold to and also brands me with the integrity I wish to retain.

When it comes to integrity, I often think of it as what I do when no one is policing, or watching me. Over the years, I have lived according to high moral standards. My dad taught me about hard work since I was a little child. I believe because of the wedding of these two things, hard work and high moral standards, I live with clean and solid integrity.

These themes were a great and I'm glad it was near the beginning of the semester, because I think they are foundational to a solid business.

Drawing a Conclusion-Dreaming for Tomorrow

Randy Pausch in his "Last Lecture" states, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." I noticed a few more things in his talk. He spoke at length about his childhood dreams he had achieved. One thing I caught was a background thought; he had dreams. He didn't just have dreams, he had them down. I can understand his tenacity. My mother once told me if there was a single word to describe me, it would be tenacious (or at least, that's how I remember it. hahaha).

I think Randy was able to achieve his childhood dreams because he had tenacity and a vision. I respect that. I am a goal making person. I once had a goal to buy 20 units in one year (2009). At one point I ended up owning 13 units, having bought 15 and sold 2 that year. I've also seen people without goals. As an occasional Uber driver, I run into people who seem to have no goals quite often. They usually tell me they'll figure it out while they're in school. I feel sad for them. I feel they're wasting their time and money, especially because it's usually not their money. They're usually building up a tab-student loans.

In order to have vision, you must have dreams. There must be something in your creative mind to come up with how you'd like to be or how you see yourself in the future. Dreaming encourages hope and can give direction. Dreaming can also enable the one dreaming to envision how they don't want life to turn out. I have had many dreams and have written them down as a reminder (lest I forget). I'll share one.

Since the 6th grade, I have wanted to be a computer animator! I still believe deep down that I will be able to achieve this goal, even though I have never had a formal class on animation. I think the root of this dream is to entertain other people, but I've also always loved the idea of seeing my art move. When I graduated from high school, I researched how much money an animator earned and realized that there wasn't a lot of money in the field, at least not at the time. I decided I would work very hard in my twenties to build my wealth vast enough to retire in my thirties. In so doing, I believed I would be able to work for anyone or do anything. While I am not retired, I'm now in my mid 30's, I am very close to my goal. I think that even if I worked for my same company for the next 20 years, how much time I have left to retire under my company's official plan, I would still return to animation. This time, however, I would have all the time I needed to attend the classes I needed. I have downloaded programs, like blender, an open source animation program, and self taught how to animate. I often have to stop my self teaching to take care of my family or my career, but I know deep down that eventually, I will obtain my goal. 

So here's to tenacity and keeping your goals! Have a passion and seek after it. Don't give up, even when there are road blocks in the path. You never know when an opportunity may arise to fulfill your dreams. After all, Randy's story should act as an example of what can happen when you put yourself constantly on the path of your dreams. Most times, you just need to keep your compass pointed in the right direction.

My Entrepreneurial Journal

I'm not one for writing in journals, though I have from time to time throughout my life. One thing that I have learned from those moments when I have chosen to record my thoughts through written word is that once written, it is easier for me to remember in more vivid detail what occurred in my life. I'm taking a course on becoming an entrepreneur. In my course, I'm learning what I've heard from many "Ted Talks" as well as other seminars I've been to in the past, "Be yourself. Live your passion." Essentially, that's what's being taught.

I really like Elon Musk as a business man and find his philosophies intriguing on different levels. I've watched many shows where he's being interviewed. He has taught similar mantras. In the most recent one I remember watching, he stated, and I'll paraphrase, "If you want to be successful in business, don't try to create a business to make money, create a business to serve people, to give them what they need before they even realize it's something they need. If you can give people a better product or service that they don't want to live without, the money will come." Essentially, that was his point. This is what I'm picking up from the other videos and readings in my course.

I look forward to introspection and experiencing a few 'aha' moments. I'm excited to have a challenge to find my fears in business and fight them. I have so many good ideas, but hold back due to fears. I hope this class/course will force me to address them and find ways to calm them. When Gordon Hinckley, in one of the videos we were asked to watch, stated that this generation is more educated than any in the past, I connected because he was talking to my generation. As I considered his statement, I realized most every generation will be more educated than the one before it, as long as we continue to prize education and teach its pursuit to our children. This will be a great ride!