This week in class we watched a video called "Do What You Love". Guy Kawasaki tells an engineering class at Stanford, "I know this is a cliché, but you should really truly do what you love". I've heard this advice countless times and am not sure I can agree... There can only be so many people who make a business out of things that many people consider hobbies. We can't all be bakery owners, woodworkers, football coaches, professional snow skiers, etc because we need people who do the unpleasant jobs. We need doctors who will work on holidays and weekends missing time with their families. We need soldiers who are deployed to war zones when there is conflict. We need linemen who will go out into blizzards to restore electric power. How are we all to do what we love when so many people love the same jobs and so few people love the hard jobs? A 2017 Gallup pole says that 70% or Americans hate their jobs. Is it realistic to think that everyone in this class can get a job they love?
Is it possible to choose something and then fall in love with it because you become an expert in that thing? Most people love what they are good at. It gives us a purpose. It is something that makes us unique from everybody else. Do we love it because we're good at it? Or is it the opposite? Maybe we get good at things because we loved them first, and were therefore able to dedicate the time to get good at it?
Many of the videos stressed the importance of utilizing your professional network. I absolutely agree this is true. When I wanted to move back to Utah I realized that the job market for my field was very competitive. I went out of my way to meet some people. I sent several applications and emails. This got me into a stack of resumé's 30 high. My wife and I prayed that we'd find a way to differentiate ourselves. We were speaking with our friend in Oklahoma and mentioned my job search. This sweet lady was a cousin to the physician in charge of hiring for this position I wanted. She happily provided me with his contact information and put in a good word for me. A few weeks later I accepted to job. What a blessing having a network was!
Another strong emphasis seemed to be picking the right friends. I also believe that the people you surround yourself with have an enormous influence on you. That is one reason I enrolled in this course was to associate with like-minded people. I have very few friends that have an entrepreneurial mindset. It's time to expand my network to include those people. That is an outcome based goal. Those are only good when broken down into manageable steps. First I'll ask the few entrepreneurial minded friends I have currently if they have suggestions on me meeting some of their business partners or other contacts. I will also look into entrepreneur clubs in my area. I will bring up business ideas with friends in casual conversation and see if they show an interest.
I'm very much looking forward to this course. I believe it's going to help me be introspective. I think it's going to help me determine what my strengths and weaknesses are. I also think it will be motivating. That's the strongest feeling I had after completing the readings and videos. Motivation.
On a side note, I learned how to correctly spell entrepreneur this week. That's a tough word to spell!
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