The Journal of Julie

After learning about the 7 Habits from our reading, the habit that has the most meaning to me is Habit 3 – Put first things first. I like this habit because of the time management aspect it has. I like organizing my time to be able to fit everything in that I need to do in my day. I think the 4 quadrants outlined in the reading will greatly help me improve my own time management so I can use my time wisely. I like the idea of working on using my time in quadrant 2, important but non-urgent activities. I have heard of this method before, but never consciously added it into my life, but looking back on this semester in particular, I like to live in that quadrant. Managing my time so that my homework is done before deadlines help me to not be stressed and I’m able to do better work, rather than waiting till the last minute. I also think that getting my homework done promptly also helps me have more time to spend with my family. I think that this habit can help me keep my priorities in t...

         This week’s learning was all about becoming an entrepreneur. I read about self-mastery and how the best victory there is is to conquer self. Other things I read about were some strategies of entrepreneurship that can work for someone like me and the need to set clear rules or guidelines to balance my life. These lessons are important to me because they will help me become the person I am meant to become. In matters of self-mastery, according to N. Eldon Tanner, there are two important parts. One was to determine your course of moral standards and second was willpower. I liked this because, in previous lessons, I learned about and set ethical guardrails and I think the first part about self-mastery is the same thing and the second is the ability to carry your plan forward, no matter what, a stick-to-it attitude. I would like to think I have great self-control in these matters, but I’m sure I have a lot to learn in that area of discipline. One area of s...

My biggest takeaway from the Hero’s Journey video was the 3 questions he posed that most people think about at the end of their lives. (1) Did I contribute something meaningful? (2) Was I a good person?   (3) Who did I love and who loved me? I think these questions are good to ask ourselves throughout our lives as we are in the midst of the journey, instead of thinking about it at the end. These questions are the things that matter most and give life meaning. The first question is something to think about as we start our journey because it will help us figure out what to do with our lives to contribute something meaningful to those around us. The second question is a good one to keep asking on the journey to keep us within ethical guardrails. I loved the “message in a bottle” concept that was presented. I think that writing a letter to your future self is a great idea and to tell yourself why it’s a good goal to keep within the ethical guardrails you set for yourself, to keep you...

One of the themes of this week’s study that resonated with me was that of making sure to spend quality time with those who matter most even amid a busy career. In Clayton M. Christensen’s article, How Will You Measure Your Life? (Harvard Business Review, July-August 2010) Ha one of the questions he proposed was of making sure that relationships with spouse and family are set at a high priority so that they can endure. He stated that he knew many people who were successful in business but since they didn’t put a high priority on family life, they were unhappy, divorced and estranged from their children. He said that it was because they didn’t center their life on their main purpose. Brother Christensen then encouraged his readers to figure out what the main purpose of life is and focus on it. Joseph B. Wirthlin in his address Little Things Are Important (Brigham Young University, Provo, October 26, 1986) also commented on how it’s important to build relationships with others. In one o...

I was reminded of the importance of honesty and ethics in my learning this week. All of the readings and videos had such great advice on how to be an ethical person in business and other parts of our lives. One line that stuck out to me was this: “…you never do anything dishonest, …” It’s not worth any outside risk that there is. Always be honest in your dealings…” (Jan Newman, Risks in Business, March 7, 2011) This struck a chord with me not because I am planning on being dishonest and this brought me back to the right side, but because no matter any advantages we think we would gain by being dishonest, Mr. Newman said that it would not be worth it in the end. Another presenter said that there is no reason to compromise on ethics. I would have to agree. There really isn’t a good cause for being unethical because the bad surely outweighs the good that would come from it. I looked up business ethics examples on the internet and there were quite a few websites helping a person or busin...