Week 6 - Priorities & Self-Mastery

The theme that most resonated with me this week is the concept of knowing who I am in order to grow personally, spiritually and professionally. As I work to understand my personal value, I will be more quipped to establish my personal priorities and will be more successful at staying accountable to myself. As I come to know myself, I am better able to set and keep boundaries that will lead to my success and gain the ability to endure through hard situations with the knowledge that through each experience I am becoming closer to achieving my goals.

While watching the video The Entrepreneur and the Family, I connected to his statement that "you got to make the rules, or the startups will take over your life and you're going to be maybe successful but quite lonely." Truthfully, not one of us set out to live a lonely life, even in the pursuit of success. Many of us, however, find ourselves trapped in a cycle of all work and no play. Because my motivation for all things is the love of my family (my husband and my children), it is imperative that I don't lose sight of my priorities while I pursue professional excellence and success. Setting clear guidelines will help me to achieve professional and personal goals without neglecting the things that matter most. By finding balance in our efforts, we set ourselves up for the most successful and fulfilling life possible. 

Additionally, In President Tanner's talk Success is Gauged by Self-Mastery, we learn about the importance of hard-work and perseverance in the pursuit of all things (spiritual, personal and professional). In it he says, "There are two important elements in self-mastery. The first is to determine your course or set the sails, so to speak, of moral standards; the other is the willpower, or the wind in the sails carrying one forward." Understanding our self-worth and eternal potential helps us to set goals and aim high, while strengthening our willpower through trying, failing, and trying again helps refine us into the very thing we are striving to become. I loved the quote that he shared by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." Hard work is not only attained through the sweat of our brow, but by our willingness to work hard when others are not. 

I plan to apply these concepts in all areas of my life by taking time each day to center myself and focus on the things that I do have control over - my moral/professional standards, my willingness to work hard and the priorities that I have set in my life outside of work. I truly believe that finding a healthy balance in all things is the ultimate path towards success.