Friday, July 26, 2013

Final Lecture

In Bitter Failure or Sweet Success, glorify the Lord!

I will begin by giving a report on how my $100.00 challenge business went overall.  In short, it was horrible, yet wonderful.  I certainly experienced the bitter taste of failure, but also the joy and excitement of success.  My original business flopped because it would take too much of time to manufacture and distribute product because of time constraints in my life.  However, from the ashes of that business I realized I should focus on my strengths, which are sales and marketing.  Therefore I threw together another sales and marketing consulting business for a local knife manufacturer, which ended up being a success.

Now, on to my final lecture.

I will begin by giving a report on how my $100.00 challenge business went overall.  In short, it was horrible, yet wonderful.  I certainly experienced the bitter taste of failure, but also the joy and excitement of success.  My original business flopped because it would take too much of time to manufacture and distribute product because of time constraints in my life.  However, from the ashes of that business I realized I should focus on my strengths, which are sales and marketing.  Therefore I threw together another sales and marketing consulting business for a local knife manufacturer, which ended up being a success.

Now, on to my final lecture.

I will tell you, it certainly is tough to write a final lecture.  The question I asked myself is:  What would I say that I would want people to remember above all things?  I also asked myself how do I summarize my experience and learning in such a way that makes an impact on the listeners?  For inspiration, I watched Randy Pausch’s last lecture.  The reason I chose this particular example because this literally was Randy Pausch’s last lecture.  Shortly before he gave his lecture, he was diagnosed with a form of fast-moving pancreatic cancer with a very short prognosis.  I think that the last lecture that he gave was especially insightful because he was at the face of death, which gave him an especially great perspective about life and what is important.

I wish I could even come close to the perspective that Randy Pausch had from his final lecture, but I am sure that my final lecture could never do it justice.  However, he definitely inspired me to realize what matters in life.  He mentions early on in his lecture that he will not talk about religion; however, that is what I will primarily be talking about.

After listening to his lecture, I was impressed to talk about one, all-encompassing, ideal that will change the way you live your life and will contribute to the joy you have in your life.  This ideal is to do all things with a goal to glorify the Lord our God and all things will fall into place.

My life has had its ups and downs when it comes to religion.  I was raised United Methodist, and like all good United Methodist Youth, I had times when I doubted what was being taught.  Because of my doubt, I fell into a life of negative behavior.  But from this, I was found by my wife and introduced to the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I joined the church in 2005 and was married in the Denver Temple in 2007.  I consider the day I met my wife to be the turning point in my life that the Lord so graciously gave me to come unto Christ and be part of His kingdom.

The Lord gives us everything we have, including all of our opportunities in life as well as our trials.  He does this because He loves us and wants us to grow and return to Him.  In return, He asks us to obey Him and keep His commandments.  Further, if we choose to glorify the Lord in all that we do, we will be amazed by what we are capable of doing.

When we glorify the Lord in all things, we will be great leaders in our home, our work and our community.  Focus on your family; you have the fabulous blessing to live with them for eternity.  You are not doing what you do, whether it is an entrepreneur or an employee, for yourself.  You are doing it to better the lives of yourself and your family. 

Remember that your integrity will be ever present when you are at work.  So, be the one that people often say that you are the most ethical and trustworthy person on the team. 

Be the difference that you want to see in the world.  Aspire to be something truly remarkable,   whether it is in the entrepreneurial world, when trying to position your product or service in the market, or as an employee, when trying to stand out amongst your peers.

By do doing these things, and aspiring to have a life of meaning, you will make a difference in your family, your job, your community and your country.

May the Lord bless you all in your endeavors. And remember, make a goal to glorify the Lord your God in all things and the rest will fall into place.

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