Final Week, Final Semester, Final Class, Finally a Bachelor's!!!

So, this journey has been an amazing expedition for me. I can't believe how much I have grown in these last 8 years of going to school. There's been so many changes that have happened while going to college. I first thought that I would try and get a minor in Business Management since I had a Zumba Studio at one point. However, I realized that was just not for me. But, I still wanted to learn as much as I could before I graduated. Besides, there's only a certain amount of credits that goes towards what I want. So, I had a lot of extra credits that I could use for whatever I wanted. Taking the class Intro to Entrepreneurship has helped me open my eyes about smart business leadership. One major thing that I will take away from this class is that you must LOVE WHAT YOU DO! Find your passion and go with it! My passion? Teaching. Whether it be children with special needs, Zumba classes, or REFIT classes, I just love teaching! It could lead me to be a business (wo)man some day. But for now, I'll stick to the classroom with special needs children.

Another thing I'd like to learn more about is the program we slightly looked into called Launching Leaders. If you'd like more information on this program, you can find that here. Did you know you can join this website for FREE? If you are interested in becoming an entrepreneur then I would highly recommend looking into this site. 

Another thing I liked about this course is the fact that it brought up the importance of gratitude. It's nice to have money, but money isn't everything. Many people who are wealthy like to give back to their community. There are many ways to do that. I, for one, give back to my church. There are lots of ways to give back. One gentleman we learned about (the owner of Domino's Pizza) ended up building a university for people who can't afford college themselves. He actually had a lot of toys, like his own helicopter. However, he read a book by C.S. Lewis and something changed in him. He now lives in the dorms of his university! I would say that man has been humbled. What a lovely example for everyone to learn from. 

I'm so thankful for this opportunity of going to school. If you haven't heard of the Pathway program through BYUI then I would highly recommend you look into it if you're interested in going to school. You can find that information here. 

I will be starting my Master's program in Special Education starting in November through WGU. I will post a few times to share my experience through them. Thanks everyone for following along on this journey with me! 

An Attitude of Gratitude

This week we listened/read a talk given by President Thomas S. Monson (from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) titled An Attitude of Gratitude. He talks about the scripture of the ten lepers. He mentions the disappointment that Jesus had for the nine that went their way, without showing gratitude toward the Savior and what He did for them.

He then goes on and lists a few things we should be grateful for. 

"First, there is gratitude for our mothers.

Second, let us reflect gratitude for our fathers.

Third, all of us remember with gratitude our teachers.

Fourth, let us have gratitude for our friends.

Fifth, may we acknowledge gratitude for our country-the land of our birth.

Sixth and finally - even supremely - let us reflect gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." 

(This is such a great talk. He told a very sweet story about one of his teachers. If you would like to read it, you can find it here.) 

The rest of the lesson was about finding the right career path for ourselves, avoiding the wrong job, finding success in failures, and why it's essential to have a great attitude. 

Some things that stuck out to me about being an entrepreneur is the first step in the process is to have an idea. But, did you know that working for a larger company can help you become a better entrepreneur? Yes! You can learn a lot from a larger company who has it's ducks in a row. Find out what works, what doesn't work, why they do this and why they do that. Take those ideas and use them for your good! 

The trick to entrepreneurial success is: 

Finding something that:

1. Satisfies society
2. Is feasible
3. Satisfies you

Do you have any ideas on what you would like to do? I'd love to hear what your thoughts are. Leave a comment below. For me, I will stick to teaching Special Education. No business openings for me in the near future. 

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

 This week in my New Testament class, we read about the final week of Jesus Christ. We read about the betrayal of Judas and the strength it took for Jesus Christ to get through what He knew was coming. 

In one of my discussions one person posted about the principle found in Mark 14:43-50. She says "Even when we fall into the hands of those that betray us, we can stand confidently knowing that we stand with Christ." She then goes on to say, "I can't imagine the feeling of knowing that I am going to be betrayed by someone close to me and letting it happen anyway." (Kara Otterstrom) It's true though, could you imagine this happening to you and letting it just, happen?  It would be so difficult! But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Jesus had to do it. That is the reason he came down to earth anyway, right? How incredibly difficult that would be, knowing that this is going to happen. However, Jesus also knew that He would sacrifice Himself and would save all of His brothers and sisters. That is the peace I'm assuming He felt while going through this difficult time. 

While Judas betraying Jesus is hurtful, I can't help but think that I am thankful that Judas did just that. Without that happening, we wouldn't be able to be resurrected ourselves. We wouldn't be able to return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. We wouldn't have the Atonement and be able to repent while on the earth. I am so thankful for the love that Jesus has for us. We can do all things through Christ. He has suffered in Gethsemane for us. He has felt every pain we feel, every sorrow we experience, and every battle we go through. He loves us so much. I am so thankful that I can kneel in prayer and thank Him for this opportunity I have to prove myself to Him and Heavenly Father. I can go to Him when I am low because I know He knows what I am feeling. He has the power to help me through it. I love Them so much and I am thankful for the love that They both have for me. 

Change Maker - How to Become One

This week we read about how to become a change-maker and also being wise with money. One article we read talked about virtue and integrity. Do you know what integrity means? I've learned this word as a young teenager through my church. Because we are talking about businesses in my class, I'm going to relate integrity towards what we are learning. 

In the business sense, many business owners and executives are in it for themselves. Not very many of them are trustworthy. Many employees do not trust their executives to do what's best for their employees, but more for themselves and their shareholders. So, what is integrity? As a business owner, it is doing the right thing, for everyone. Not just yourself. What might hurt you as an individual, but benefit all of your employees, might be worth it in the long run. If you have employees that trust you to do the right thing, your turnover won't be very high. However, if you don't have trust, you might not have any good faithful employees that will help your business become successful. 

            "The purpose of a business...is not to make a profit...It is to make a profit so that the business can                             do something more or better."

           

            " It seems only fair that dividends be paid to those who contribute their skills as well as to those                             who have contributed their money."

(Charles Handy, What's a Business For?)

I agree with Charles Handy that everyone should be able to hold shares for the company they work for. The people who work hard at keeping the business alive deserves just as much as the people who front the money. Another thing that Handy said was that businesses should be making a contribution to our society. Why else would a company be in business but to help those around us? 

The other topic we read about this week is money. How well do you save money? One of the questions we were asked were "What is your attitude about money?" Ha! I am horrible with money! I am so glad (thankful and blessed) that my husband handles our money. Sometimes it's a pain in the butt but honestly, we wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for his smart financing. Luckily, he was taught how to save money. I, on the other hand, was not. Money slips through my fingers like water. It's terrible. I wish I were better. But, I do have some money I get from my paycheck that I put in my savings. Whether or not I use it by the end of the month is another story. Seriously, I am really that bad. 

However, when I ran my own business, I did fairly well on saving enough to start it up, and have enough to keep it afloat through Covid 19. I wish I could have kept it open but after Covid 19 it just wasn't the same. I'd love to open another studio again but there's no way I would do it again without the full 100% support of my family. 

Back to money, my view on money and how I handle it is not ideal or a sufficient way to live. I would have to change a lot of things if I were to handle the money in my household. I should look at money in a different way, to be honest. I guess I've always been fortunate enough to not have to worry about it. 

I'm thankful for having a loving Heavenly Father who knows just what I need (like a financially stable husband). Knowledge is power. I'm so glad I am able to learn. 

"I Am Come a Light Into The World"

This week we read chapters regarding the last week of Jesus Christ's life. It's so hard when I know what is coming up. However, I continued to read. There are many stories in the scriptures we read this week. We read Matthew 21-24, Mark 11-13, Luke 19-21, John 12 and we also read the scripture that Joseph Smith Jr wrote regarding Matthew chapter 23:39 and chapter 24. These stories have been told through the tv series "The Chosen". When I read through the scriptures I can picture these characters in real life. I can see Jesus Christ washing the feet of His disciples. I can see Mary and Martha washing Jesus' feet. And I can see Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. All of these ring true in my head. I know that Heavenly Father sent his son so that we could live with Him again. I know that Jesus Christ had suffered for us, so that we can have the opportunity to repent and become like Him. 

                           

I strongly encourage you to watch the series of "The Chosen" if you haven't already. This show helps me to understand the life of Jesus Christ as I read through the New Testament. If you would like to watch it with me please reach out. Watching it on the big screen is like having Jesus in your living room! It is so amazing! 

You can also watch the series here. 

How Can I Help You?

This week in my entrepreneur class we talked about being a leader and following your big dreams. I really enjoyed reading some of the talks regarding becoming a leader. For example, BYUI had a president in 2007 named Kim B. Clark. He spoke in December to the graduating class about being a leader with a small "L". I remember reading this talk a while ago in another business class I took. It's so uplifting. It's so profound that I took a lot of things he said to heart, and have worked on them since I read his words. If you would like to read this talk, you can find it here. 

                                                                                 

He listed a few principles to live by when becoming a leader. 

1. Lead by Example
2. Lead with Vision
3. Lead with Love

He goes on to give examples of each of these three. The amount of knowledge and self-help that I have learned throughout this journey in my life has been so amazing. I have grown so much from going to college. Because of these three principles, I have become a better mother, a better wife, and a better person overall. 

One of the videos I watched this week talked about building trust. One thing he said that stood out to me was, "How can I help this person?" Instead of thinking about ourselves, we should be open and willing to help those around us. I've always felt that if we want to become a better person, then serve others first. 

I read this book called Good to Great (by Jim Collins, found here) a while back (again in a different business class) and enjoyed learning from it. His first chapter talks about how Good is the enemy to Great. Don't get comfortable being good. Do better. There are many people out there that are good people. But, we should strive to be great! We can be better than good! 

Another video I watched talked about the License to Pursue Dreams. The concept this lady shared had me floored at first. Apparently, every Friday this company allowed their employees to work on whatever they want. Now, here's the cool part. Out of the "work" that they were doing, fifty percent of what they worked on ended up being part of that company! No wonder the company allowed them to do what they wanted every Friday. Half of their fun time became income from them! Can you imagine working in a place like that? So much fun. 

All throughout this semester, in both of my classes, the importance of knowing who you are and becoming who you are meant to be has been a big deal. Here's the thing, I didn't know who I was for sure. I had lost the person I truly was and became like a robot. Living each day just to get to the next. It was difficult. I forgot who I was. Taking these two classes has helped me figure out what it is that makes me, well, me. It first started with making my 50 item bucket list. Then to my "becoming" project. And then, figuring out what I want to be when I "grow up". Not necessarily grow up in age, but when my mind decides to live for me. Let's do what is best for Nini. So, here I am, about to graduate and I know who I want to be. 

                                             

I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without Him, I don't know where I would be. All because of Him, I can do the things that I want to do. I can overcome any challenge that comes my way. I mean, so far I have overcome 100% of the challenges already! All because I have Him in my life. I am blessed. 

"Behold, I Send You Forth As Lambs Among Wolves" Luke 10:3

     This week while reading through the New Testament, I was searching for any flag phrases. I have quite a list of phrases that were mentioned in the small amount of scriptures I read. Since I am reading about the stories, I am reading some from different books at the same time. This week I read Matthew 19-20, Mark 10, Luke 10-18, and John 11. 

When looking for flag phrases, you focus on certain words that will make it easier to find. Words like, yea, behold, even, and it came to pass are some things I looked for. Others to look for are, Thus we see, therefore, wherefore, and nevertheless. Sometimes there are similes that you can find in the scriptures as well. Look for the words as and like to spot them. 

There are several stories in these chapters that I read. However, I focused more on just the flag phrases. What I liked about singling out these phrases is that I was able to use it for my gain. I can take this advice and know that Heavenly Father is speaking to me and trying to help me become the person I want to be. In one of my other classes I had watched this video of one of my favorite apostles from our church, Jeffrey R. Holland. His talks always help uplift me. He is such an amazing speaker. Some day I wish to be able to listen to him in person. I just love his soul. Please enjoy this video as he speaks about good things coming.

The scripture found in Luke 10:27 reminded me of this video. It says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." How truly helpful this neighbor was as he helped this young father. 

As I work towards finishing my degree, I am also working on Becoming Like Christ. Right now I am focusing on my prayers. It has been such a blessing to work towards being like Him. I am thankful for this opportunity to grow so I can become the person Heavenly Father wants me to be.