A Freelancer's Trek

We had some journaling prompts in class this week and here they are: ·        What is your attitude toward money? My attitude about money has lots of room for improvement. In the past it has not been one of my strengths and has required a changed attitude on how to manage it and save for rainy days. I think frugality is something you have to learn, and unfortunately it is learned as the result of adversity that happens at the most inconvenient times. My husband also has had issues with handling money wisely and we have had to learn together. We are much better now than we were when we were younger, but we have much room for improvement. It is really important to pay attention to wants vs. needs. Too many wants puts you in debt. Windfalls can be a blessing, but they should also be used wisely. It’s really tempting to throw caution to the wind when you get a tax refund and we have done that. Not so much anymore. We have suffered enough lay offs to save fo...

  Everytime I complain about anything, I am declaring "I'm a victim." Knees hurt? What am I doing about it? Exercising? Eating healthier or just complaining? Can't stand the President? What am I doing about that? Getting involved? Donating to candidates who align with my values? Tuning him out? Or just complaining? My job isn't going the way I want? What can I do to fix that? What can I do to change the status quo? How can I work smarter? Or am I just complaining about my current circumstances? Relationship problems? What about MY attitude needs to be adjusted? Are my expectations unrealistic? Am I trying to control or coerce someone else instead of accepting the person as they are, or working to improve my own emotional intelligence? I have the power to change myself or change the value I place on the relationship. Complaining about it changes nothing and gives up my power. Complaining is human nature. But if I consider that everytime I complain about something, ...

  This week we have been learning about the importance of dreaming big. How can I apply this to myself? Dreaming is generally not something I have been time blocking onto my Google calendar. But I think it is something I need to start doing. It is very easy to get caught up in tasks – client work, schoolwork, housework, church work, family concerns – and “dream time” gets pushed to the sidelines. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group said this:  “Dreaming champions aspiration, spurs innovation, leads to change, and propels the world forward. Open your calendar and schedule time just to dream.” I feel resistance within myself sometimes when I dare to dream something huge. That little voice wants to jump in and discourage me. This is a confidence issue. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and give yourself permission to imagine the seemingly impossible and “forget the how for now” and think about that end result. What does it look like? What does it feel like?...

  Disciple Leadership was the focus of this week’s coursework in Intro to Entrepreneurship. For me personally, this means leading the way Jesus did. We read a series of talks and essays written by different religious and entrepreneurial leaders and these are some of my takeaways: Kim B. Clark, former President of Brigham Young University – Idaho said there are 3 principles in “Leadership with a small L”. He focuses on being a servant leader, not unlike how the Savior led. The three principles are: 1.         Lead by example 2.         Lead with vision 3.         Lead with love. He quoted this scripture which echoes the list above:  “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27-28) Guy Kawasaki, a Silicon Valley marketing guru, author and venture capitalist emphasi...

  Obstacles… roadblocks… detours… personal setbacks. These will be a part of every entrepreneurial journey. This is what we focused on in Introduction to Entrepreneurship this week. Uncomfortable things will happen whether through our own decisions, the economy, the weather, boats stopped off the coast of California or someone else’s choices. How an entrepreneur faces those challenges determines whether they have the chops to be successful or not. One of my textbooks this semester is “A Field Guide for the Hero’s Journey” by Jeff Sandefer and Rev. Robert Sirico. The subtitle on the book is “Inspirational classics and practical advice from a serial entrepreneur and an entrepreneurial priest.” (I didn’t realize priests could be entrepreneurs! I’ll have to ask my Catholic mom about that!) The book is a series of short stories, some famous, some not, interspersed with stories from the authors. I’ve always been a fan of biographies, and one of the stories I read this week was about ...