What I have Learned from my Mentor

 


 When I am at the end of my life, I hope my hands look worn and tired. Why? Because my hopes it will show that I didn't stand by waiting for life to happen. I worked hard to make it happen. I did all that I could to be productive with my days. Not only in my career but in serving and giving a lending hand to others.

This week’s study in class we read an article called “The formula and happiness”. In the article, it talked about 3 steps to success from Elder David B. Haight and 3 steps to success from oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. Combining them all together, Jim Ritchie with Launching Leaders, came up with the ultimate steps to success.

1.    Get up early

2.    Work hard

3.    get your education, get trained

4.    find oil: a product, an idea, or a service

5.    make your mark

6.    serve or give back

I was really impressed by these steps to success. Mostly because the mentor I have chosen, my father, who is a successful businessman who has proven that these steps work. I am only going to touch on 3 of them in this post, mostly because these are the 3 steps that have had the biggest impact on my life through watching my father.

#1 Get up early – not my favorite thing in the world. I am more of a night owl. Due to the nature of my father’s business, I have seen how productive and alive my dad is. Starting his day early energizes him. He gets more done in one day than most people I know.

#2 Work hard – My dad is the hardest person I know. I hated it as a kid. We were always working, and I couldn’t wait until I could get a job away from the family business. At 12 the local strawberry farm would hire kids to pick strawberries. I jumped all over that. After working 3 days I quit my job picking strawberries and went back to work for my dad. I actually missed it. It was fun to drive truck and work by my dad’s side.

#3 Serve or give back- The biggest thing that I will remember about my dad is the genuine love and care he has for others. He would give the shirt off his back and give all he had to someone if they needed it. He taught me to be observant and to find ways to serve and to work side by side with someone. He taught me that we are all equal and that we need each other.

I saw business in a new light this week as we studied ethics and honesty. I know for me that is the only way that I could run a business. I don’t want to be just a boss. I want to rub elbows with my employees. I want to create a business that leaves me fulfilled and helps me to further my abilities to serve and give back to others.

Christie

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