Final Words

Dear student,

I was just in your place and probably thinking many of the things you are thinking right now. When I started this class my first thought was, “this sounds like a Sunday school class, these are all things I learn at church every week, why do I need to learn them here too?” So do you know what my first piece of advice is? If you are having any of these thoughts or any thoughts like it, stop it and be humble. Because the number one thing I learned from this class is that no matter how many times you hear something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve already learned it. This class actually turned out to be a huge blessing in my life and I learned that sometimes repetition is a powerful teacher. As I began to humble myself a little more and try harder to be receptive to the promptings of the spirit, I received so much personal revelation and guidance. Now whether you’re in this class or the real world, the advice is the same, always stay humble enough to learn from others and the spirit, no matter how many times you think you’ve heard something. Never let your pride allow you to think that you’re smarter or know more than the next person because the truth is you’re not. You have something valuable to learn from every person that comes into your life, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. Humility is the key to all things good and so is kindness. In order to strive for humility, you must strive for kindness and generosity, service and love. They all go hand in hand and will make you happier than owning any amount of money ever will. This is my prayer for you, that you may remember these things as you embark on your own journey. The best of luck!

Sincerely,

Jenneca Allred

P.S. Thank you. Even thought I don’t know you, you’ve already taught me so much, just by allowing me the opportunity to write you this letter. 

Setbacks

This week has been a little bit challenging and full of a few setbacks. However, most of these setbacks are things I brought upon myself. I am learning to use my time more wisely and be more effective in the things I do. I think I was lacking motivation and kind of got burnt out. What I learned though was very valuable, when I fill my time with good things, uplifting things, productive things, then I am more motivated to do even the things that are hard or less fun. Once you start going it gets easier, it’s just taking those first several steps sometimes that’s really challenging. I also received great peace and help after attending the temple. I was able to overcome some of the temptations I’ve been having and I felt more productive and motivate afterward. I learned that as we keep our priorities straight and put the Lord first, everything else is easier and doable. It’s amazing how much the Lord helps us. I think time management is my biggest difficulty, especially when it comes to entrepreneurship but I am grateful for the things I learned this week and throughout this class that have inspired and taught me to be better.

The reasons for business

This week I really enjoyed the readings. It was interesting to learn about how important honesty and integrity are on the economy. I’ve always believed them to be important principles but it was interesting to read about how they affect the economy quite literally. When there is a lack of integrity in the workforce, there are feelings of mistrust and insecurity. As a result investors and creditors no longer take part in the economy and foreign countries no longer trust investments.

The real justification for a business is to be of service to others. In my opinion as well, anytime we add something of value to society, we are serving. This should be our priority and not making money. I believe that we can create this mindset by seeing the end in the beginning and prioritizing the important things in life.

I really enjoyed the readings and was especially impacted by the story of the 14 year old girl living in a refugee camp. I forget sometimes, how blessed I am. It was a good reminder too, that we weren’t just given the freedom and other privileges we enjoy for fun, we were given them to do something with them, to fight for something, to die for something and to live for something. 

Buying Happiness

I agree with Stephen W. Gibson and his attitude towards money. Money isn’t inherently good or bad, it’s what we do with money that makes it so. I truly believe that we can do so much good with money. I don’t think that money can buy happiness, but we can. When my parents and I sacrificed money so that I could serve a mission in Peru, I have never felt so much joy. The money itself didn’t buy the happiness, but our sacrificing it for others did. When a member of the church in Peru sacrificed a huge chunk of their life savings to make it to the temple to be sealed as a family, the money didn’t buy happiness, but they did by sacrificing it. We can use money to buy happiness, we can use time to buy happiness, we can use talents to buy happiness. By definition the word buy means to obtain in exchange for payment. I think happiness is something we can only obtain by payment, whether that be money, talents, time, or personal comfort. I believe this because I believe that the only way we can truly be happy is through obedience and service, both of which will always require sacrifice. 

Give a little, get a lot.

This week I learned a lot about the importance of giving and trusting. When we trust others, they trust us. When we give to people, eventually that giving comes back to us. This is actually a principle I’ve been thinking a lot about lately so it was interesting that in our readings we learned more about that. I loved when he talked about how we are all either bakers or eaters and how the world needs more bakers. I’ve noticed, and I’m not perfect at it but I’m trying, that as I strive to be a baker, someone who looks at the world with the perspective of “what can I give?”, I’m happier. I am genuinely happy when I am trying to see how I can bless the lives of others. And what I’ve noticed as well, is that when I look at the world that way, suddenly everyone in my life in turn, becomes a blessing to me, becomes a gift. It’s an amazing thing to see the world as a place where we can give as much as we can, a place to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ. As I have strived to serve others, I have never not had enough to eat or lacked clothes to wear. I’ve always had a rough over my head. But most of all, I’ve never lacked the love that I need to feel like life is meaningful and worthwhile. What goes around really does come around.

Choosing Companions

This week I learned a lot about how important it is to choose people to accompany you along life’s journey who are reliable, honest, full of integrity, kind, hard-working and positive. However, I also realized even more how important it is to be that person so that you can attract those kinds of people. Anything you wish to see in the people around you, you must first be willing to emulate and develop within yourself. The people you surround yourself with tend to become a part of who you are so it is important that you are influencing others for the best. We must first be willing to be the companion we need and then look for the companion we need.

That is one of the reasons it’s so important to stay close to the spirit because we need The Lord in our life and we need the spirit. We need them as our companions. They must guide us in every way and help us become more like our Savior Jesus Christ. When picking companions, the Lord should always be our first choice. And if anyone along the way, distances us from them, we should reevaluate who we are letting accompany us in life’s journey. 

Having Faith

What a week! This week I learned a lot about learning from past mistakes and using the past to propel you forward. I learned that we must be willing to accept and take responsibility for the road behind us and the road in front of us. All things in our life essentially come down to agency and we must use it properly because it is a powerful tool or weapon, depending on how we use it.

I learned about looking forward with an eye of hope, for good things to come. Even if the road ahead seems long and difficult there is absolutely nothing we can’t do with the help of our Father in Heaven. My trust in Him has grown this week as I have put not only my faith in Him but my hope as well. And as I focus on the good things to come and keep an eternal perspective, with my Savior at the center of all of that, I find myself happier and more successful. Life has more light when the source of that light is Christ. I find so much joy in Him and His gospel. It is amazing how even though the road seems uncertain I can still have peace knowing that it will all work out in the end.