My Hero's Journey: Chapter 14 (Final)

  So, my final entry!  For this “last lecture”, I’ve been instructed to share my thoughts and advice for those wanting to begin the entrepreneur journey.  I find it difficult to do that, given the small little fact that I’m not actually an entrepreneur.  So I’m going to direct this advice more to myself, and maybe I will look back on this at a latter date.

  So, you want to be an entrepreneur, eh?  I don’t have much first-hand experience to offer you, but I’ve read enough books and watched enough videos to discuss the topic, at least on a theoretical basis.  What makes an entrepreneur?  I think there are a lot of misconceptions about being an entrepreneur.  I’ve gotten into the habit of watching Shark Tank when it comes on.  It is an enjoyable practice to examine the strengths and weaknesses of each entrepreneur’s sales pitch.  What looks incredible at first glance can quickly degrade into a quibbling mess.  Even when one’s pitch has been picked to pieces, and found to be lackluster at it’s core, the entrepreneur doesn’t give up.  They’ve put years of their life into this moment, and they believe in their vision, their pitch, their business.  At times, I see this as foolish optimism - the idea isn’t very good, why push through on a foolish errand?  At other times, their belief is something to be admired.  How many of us sit on the sidelines of our own lives, content to let the moments slip through our fingers, too uninspired or lacking in hope or motivation to seize opportunities?  

  This phenomenon is incredibly fascinating.  The balance between optimism and pessimism is perhaps best illustrated in the life of these individuals.  When I ask myself, what does it take to be an entrepreneur, this is the basis of thought that I frequently return to.  It is about the balance, I believe.  Look at the temperature of the human body: 98.6 fahrenheit.  What a precise measurement!  Fall just a few measly degrees below, and you’ve got hypothermia.  Rise a little too far, and heat stroke’s your new roommate.  Being an entrepreneur is like finding your 98.6 degrees, where optimism and pessimism exist in perfect harmony, where one does not mislead the other.  

  You’ve got to have a great idea, know your market, believe in your idea, accept feedback, don’t be so optimistic that you become infatuated with an idea that’s stupid, and don’t be so pessimistic that you turn your cheek to opportunities for small and twisted roads that could become the long and hard, but ultimately worth it, road to success.  There is a reason that many entrepreneur’s fail, and I believe it comes down to finding this balance.  It is elusive, coveted, the holy grail of the business world; but it exists, there to be found for the adventurer, the explorer of the modern world: the entrepreneur.   

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 13

  The readings for this week reminded me of the vital role of dealing with risk and failure.  As I’ve had more life experiences, I’ve come to realize that failure is a tricky, misleading word to use.  I used to walk into situations thinking, okay, I will either fail or succeed at this task.  You can choose to look at things that way, and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, but there is a better way of seeing it.  If we look at every experience as an opportunity for growth, even in seeming failure, there is a hidden truth to be discovered.  The most startlingly beautiful truths remain concealed until we make the effort to find them.  

  We crack open geodes, the most unassuming of rocks, to reveal their hidden crystals.  Lotuses begin life in the depths of the mud, and grow until they break the surface to unfurl into brilliant, pink-petaled flowers.  The natural world is abundant in hidden treasures that must undergo a process to be discovered, whether through internal or external forces.  We can experience a similar blossoming effect when we trust that even in tough circumstances, there is something great within ourselves to discover.  By embracing this phenomenon, we can find our potential and deal with difficulty in such a way that we find strength and beauty in the most difficult of experiences.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 12

 Reading “What’s a Business For?” this week raised a few points of thought for me.  

  Virtue and integrity.  Virtue is behavior that shows high moral standards.  Integrity is the quality of being honest and possessing strong moral principles.  These are such important themes in all facets of life, including in the business world.  In 2002, according to the article, a Gallup poll found that 90% of Americans felt that those who run corporations could not be trusted to look out for the interests of their employees.  It would be easy to blame these top players for this general sense of insecurity in the country.  Yet, they are playing by the rules of the game.  The new rules, that is.  A huge part of success in our economy is shareholder value.  Increasing productivity and long-term profitability are only two options to make this happen.  Mergers are another, which, in the end, usually don’t add much value to a company.  If the slow road to growth is pursued, that growth will be tenfold more worthwhile, because it will have been achieved organically, through a problem-solving, creative process.  

  This all leads back to the question of why virtue and integrity are so important to an economy.  As my example above illustrates, companies play by rules.  If those rules are rewritten, so does their behavior.  When virtue and integrity are the rule writing executives, among other qualities, they will construct a system that in turn creates more mindfully growth oriented businesses.  Until we make that a priority, however, we will have a very difficult time in making these ideals a true reality in the marketplace.  

  According to the author, Charles Handy, the real justification for the existence of a business is to make a profit, so that they can create something more or better.  This fact is important to owners, but useless to investors.  

  Handy offers a few changes that need to be made in the economy.  First, businesses need to take best practice into their own hands, before waiting for the law to tell them so.  By taking charge in areas such as environmental and social sustainability, businesses take a stand for what is right.  Through giving to the community, they cultivate a culture that is based on virtue and integrity.  

  Second, in order to sustain and care for their human assets, businesses need to determine ways to protect people from the demands of their jobs.  As it becomes more strenuous for individuals to balance the role of work, personal, and family, businesses are in danger of running a work force composed of stressed, robotic humans that have lost their spark for their jobs.  When businesses see themselves as communities, they will care for their member’s individual needs.  This benefits all parties.  I cannot agree more with the truth of these solutions.

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 11

 After reading the article “Attitude On Money” it actually made me feel a little better about my thoughts concerning money.  I want money to do good things with it.  In and of itself, money is not inherently evil.  It’s how we use it that determines its nature.

  My attitude towards money is: I want to earn it to both fulfill my dreams and make a positive change in the world.  It’s been a fantasy for a while now to own a beautiful Victorian in San Francisco.  I visited for the first time yesterday, and it was astoundingly out of the world.  All the houses were so charming and full of personality.  And the city itself felt so vibrant - life on every street corner.  

  However, San Francisco is a very expensive place to live because of all the tech people.  Everyone is telling me that it’d be impossible to live there given my “prospects”, but I refuse to think that way.  I look at my dreams in a realistically optimistic way.  I refuse to back down from a challenge.  Instead of thinking, can I make this happen or will I make this happen, I put forth the ideology of I will make it happen.  I just have to figure it out, but once again, that’s part of the fun of the obstacle.  Money is a big part of that.  I don’t lust after money, but I need it if I want to live in my dream city.  

  

  I believe this way of thinking is a healthier take on money.  I never want to become stingy with it, but I do want to be disciplined.  I’m not saying I’m immune to greed, but as long as I keep my eye on fulfilling worthy goals, I think I’ll be okay.  I by no means seek to live lavishly, but I want to reach inside myself and see my visions become reality.  Seeing the world.  Living in a beautiful city.  Doing it with my family.  And making the world a better place in the process.  That’s what I want.  (As well as a massive book collection, but that’s another story…)

  There are several rules, so in the interest of brevity, I will select one to discuss.  I especially thought that taking advantage of chances for learning to avoid ignorance was important.  When I lived on my own for the first time, it was very difficult to watch my spending at the grocery store.  I learned to become a savvy shopper - taking time to price compare, look at the brands, etc.  There were products that I desired more, but was willing to compromise to save in the long run.  It’s so important to know the worth of money, and it’s through these experiences that we learn that.  It’s tough, but true.  

  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 10

  As part of this course, I have the opportunity to read, “A Field Guide for the Hero’s Journey”.  Each chapter is divided up according to a different step of the hero’s journey, and within each chapter is a selection of stories, parables, poems, and speeches that relate to that particular step.  Although it wasn’t the assigned reading for this week, there is a passage from chapter 2 (Who am I, and Who do I want to become?) that I’d like to discuss, as it left an impression on me. 

  

  An Aesop fable, the Mouse and the Lion is a short story about a mouse who is caught by a lion.  The mouse begs to be let go, promising that he will never forget it.  The great lion, “tickled at the idea of a mouse being able to help him”, freed the mouse.  Some time later, the lion was captured by a group of hunters.  The mouse happened across the path and, noticing the situation, proceeded to gnaw away at the rope that restrained the mighty beast.  The mouse said, “Was I not right?  Little friends may prove a great help.”  

  The moral of the story is: “If you are convinced that you are a mouse surrounded by stronger and more impressive people, ask yourself, ‘What can I do that these mighty lions can’t do?”  

  I think this is a theme we all face in our lives.  From time to time, especially when faced with higher standards of achievement or excellence in the world, I will wonder what I can possibly accomplish when others are so much more qualified than myself.  At school this past spring, this is exactly how I felt in the engineering program.  Sitting in a room, surrounded by programmers, I felt like the proverbial mouse amongst lions.  Of course, there were beginners like myself, but my own lack of experience in the field was a constant, painful reminder.  I was there to learn, true, but the feeling of inadequacy was unavoidable.  

  As time passed, however, I discovered that it was a common theme among my fellow programmers that they disliked writing.  This is a talent of mine that I have a particular fondness for, so to hear their dislike for the exercise made me realize the value of our individual gifts.  Although I was a mouse in the world of programming lions, they were also mice in my world of writer lions.  Putting that into perspective helped me get through some of my acute moments of amateur programming performance.

  I also had to learn that getting through my programming course was not a matter of accomplishment or failure.  It was about discovering myself, my perceived limits, and pushing myself beyond those limits.  I’m proud to have been a mouse in those moments.  I became a braver one because of it.    

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 9

  This week, one of the readings, titled, “Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap… and others don’t”, particularly stood out to me.  I found myself nodding my head at practically every sentence.  This is one of the best descriptions of a great business that I’ve read.  If I’m in leadership someday, this is precisely the type of company model I’d want to work with.  

  To illustrate a few of my favorite points… great companies put getting great people ahead of strategy, tactics, and even vision.  By putting this first, several benefits will fall into place.  First, the company will find it easier to adapt and change, because the people they attract will be more excited about who they get to work with, rather than what they get to do.  As someone who fantasizes about someday working at places such as Google, Youtube, or perhaps Pixar, I can attest that this is a major interest point for me.  These companies place focus on hiring exceptional individuals with amazing creative capabilities.  By formulating superb teams of people that thrive on working with one another, a powerful, adaptable vision will naturally fall into place.  

  Second, putting great people first will erase the challenge of motivating and managing people, since they will be driven by a personal desire to achieve and “be part of something great.  They will naturally be fired up.”  I love this idea.  If I have personal investment in a company, I will devote my energy and drive to overcome and problem solve through challenges we face.  

  Third, the company will become great because, even with an ideal vision, the wrong people will drag the company down from finding greatness.  Thus, seeking out great people as a priority will see everything else fall into place.  If a company had these motivations at its forefront, that’s the kind of company I’d want to work for.  Even better, if I’m ever in leadership, these are the prized qualities I’d strive to implement into my business’s structure.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 8

  This week, one of the videos that stood out to me was Eric Ries, “The Five Whys”.  Although the subject of the analogy is programming and engineering, the proposition is one that can relate to many more situations.  Ties illustrates that, behind every supposed technical issue, there is actually a human problem that caused it.  If one doesn’t find the human problems, aka the root problem, you can’t really make progress.  

  The example Ries uses is when a server crashes.  Upon further investigation, it’s reveled that it’s the fault of an employee who isn’t properly trained in a specific area of code.  He isn’t properly trained because the manager doesn’t believe in training.  What started as a technical issue was actually a human issue.  At each level, you can step in and take action, setting up measures that, upon the revisit of the issue, are immediately brought into play.  This saves trying to figure out new prevention action, and makes it easy for people to build databases that address these questions.  

  This is something I can relate to.  Having finished a programming class last semester, when I was testing a Software Engineering degree, it was amusing/painful to observe the “technical issues” experienced by my classmates.  I knew that, no matter how right yet wrong my programming looked, it was never the computer’s problem, but rather my own.  Nearly every day, someone would complain, saying their program wouldn’t function, and that TestBed (the program that we tested our coding against), was making a mistake.  It was a great experience in the art of accepting one’s own mistakes, and figuring out how to solve them, rather than shrouding them in convenient, yet completely wrong, excuses.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 7

  In reviewing the principles of the 7 Habits, the last habit, number seven, really resonated with me.  Called, “Sharpen the saw”, this habit says that we shouldn’t get so caught up in the motion of sawing that we fail to realize we are using a blunt saw.  Take time to sharpen the saw in physical exercise, spiritual needs, the mental dimension, and the social/emotional dimension.

  The strength and truth of this habit is something I can personally testify of.  For example, I exercise on a regular basis, lifting weights three times a week.  According to this habit, however, I should be spending a minimum of 30 minutes a day exercising.  Just a few months ago, I didn’t understand how much better I’d feel if I exercised everyday, rather than every other day.  This past spring, when I went to school, I didn’t have car.  I walked everywhere.  My apartment was at the base of campus, so if I walked fast, I could be at the center of campus in approximately seven minutes.  

  Walking every day?, you may be thinking, sounds great, but did it make that much of a difference?  And the answer is a resounding yes.  The thing is, I walked to and from campus multiple times a day… up a steep hill.  The elevation, combined with my speed walking, lead to results I didn’t realize I can capable of.  My legs grew strong and muscled, aided by my regular workouts, and within three weeks, I was toned beyond recognition.  I truly experienced a paradigm shift of my own self image.  I was happy with myself beforehand, but this daily routine increased my existing confidence.  This satisfaction bled into other areas, such as the mental dimension, which also experienced a boost.  This is just one example of how living your life to the fullest in one dimension will affect the other dimensions.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 6

  This week, we had the opportunity to read a few chapters from Mastery, by George Leonard.  The concept of Chapter 6, Practice, particularly stood out to me, because it focused on the “goalless journey” rather than the goal-driven way of life our society is focused on.  Masters don’t devote themselves to a task for the sake of getting better.  They throw themselves into their passion because they love to practice, and they improve as a secondary factor.  Personally, I resonate with this style of mastery.

  In my own life, I love to write.  I’m nearly finished with my first novel because I enjoy the process of practicing.  I’ve seen multiple pieces of writing advice that suggest writers get better by practicing a little everyday.  This style of writing focuses on accomplishing these small goals, and developing them into a regular habit to become a better writer.  While this isn’t bad advice, I never related to it.  Turning writing into a formula, so to speak, took the enjoyment out of practicing and discovering the path as I traveled it.  I abandoned that goal-driven, end-game mindset and focused on the art of practice, and as a result, I’ve improved without intending to.  I feel a lot more peaceful and relaxed in this sense.

  Writing is an obvious example of this phenomenon in my life, but I look forward to when my, as of yet, unawakened entrepreneurial spirit will experience this journey of mastery as well.

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 5

  This week, we watched a video called “A Hero’s Journey”.  There were several points that stuck in my mind, which I will highlight and elaborate on here.  

  The Hero’s Journey is characterized by three factors.  1.  To live every moment of your life because it matters.  2. To live because you have an important mission.  3.  To see struggles as adventures.  

  As I’m entering adulthood and considering these questions, I’m encountering more and more experiences in which such themes play a role.  Most notably, in sifting through the multitude of educational choices to discover what I resonate with.  As my junior year of college converged upon me, and with no declared major to speak of, I took my first step into software engineering.    

  Why?, you may ask.  Because I possessed no inclinations as far as what industry I wanted to work for, but I knew I liked video games and wanted to create them.  More than that, however, I thought my inborn traits would suit engineering, (i.e. problem-solving, strategy-forming, creativity, etc).  

  Software engineering was among the biggest, if not the most momentous, struggle I’ve encountered in 21 years of life.  Without a lick of programming experience to speak of, it took me approximately 45 minutes to code my first assignment: Hello World.  Later on, I could do that thing in five seconds, but in the beginning it confounded me.  I had never before encountered such a steep learning curve, but that wasn’t a bad thing.  It was the struggle.  And, though my frustration-addled mind didn’t believe it at the time, it was one of the best adventures I’ve experienced.  Because I put my mind to something I believed was impossible.  Engineering is for smart people, extremely smart, capable, motivated people.  For a brief, bittersweet period of time, I threw my shoulders back, tilted my head up high, and marched amongst their ranks.

  Dotted with moments of extreme, cry-into-my-keyboard-despair and galvanized euphoria, those three months of intense study were a great lesson to me about the importance of trying impossible things.  As the video said, “It’s not the prize at the end, but how the hero is changed in the process.”  Although I closed the software engineering chapter of my life, I was able to start the next: Business Management.  It wasn’t about saying yes or no to engineering.  It was about discovering the next phase in the process, not only for my educational goals, but for my personal growth, though I didn’t realize it at the time.  The video also stated, “Failure once so feared, seen in reverse, only made you stronger.”  I can see that now.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 4

  This week, my class focused on deconstructing our fears (related to starting a business).  My biggest, and most prominent fear, is that I wouldn’t be financially capable of pursuing the start of my own business venture.  There’s always the option of loans and pooling of resources with possible business partners, but the fact remains that, if I do fail, I’m left with a mountain of debt that I’ll spend the next few years of my life striving to pay off.  One venture could either be the discovery of a brilliant dream, or the beginnings of a debt-ridden nightmare.

  That said, the purpose of this activity was not to wallow in self-doubt, but to consider the bigger picture.  If I truly believe in my entrepreneurial dreams, what do I gain from maintaining the status quo?  What life lessons and experiences am I missing out on because I’m choosing to cower in my own safety bubble? Because that’s all it is.  A bubble.  The perception of safety, but in its very nature, frail and weak, susceptible to the needles of life that prick and prod.     

  Lao Tzu said: “Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.” 

  I’m not claiming that it’s easy to turn a new leaf, to suddenly greet each and every day with the intent to follow my dreams.  But it is possible.  Through the balance of bridled optimism and healthy cynicism, I can find the line between dreams and reality that, given time and effort and determination, will grow, wider and wider, until it’s a road so broad even the world itself will walk upon its surface. 

  It’s all my choice.  I think I can figure it out.

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 3

  

  This week was an intriguing peek into the world of my personal code of conduct and ethics.  It’s something that I’ve considered before, but not as intensely.  I would like to elaborate on one point that I made during the construction of my code of conduct.

  I will never change my values to make life convenient for myself or for society.

  Growing up, I encountered various situations in which my personal values were challenged, both internally and externally.  There was intense pressure to buckle, to bend to the whims of others, but I always took a weird sense of satisfaction in proving myself and others wrong.  Especially others.  It wasn’t like I was trying to be a little rebel.  It just sort of burst forth from some deep inner essence known as “strong will”, and hasn’t let up since.  

  When I was 13/14 years of age, the girls around me changed.  They stopped playing with Barbies.  They ceased running with inflamed passion to the monkey bars at the playground.  No, they became obsessed with other, more grown-up pursuits.  Makeup.  Boyfriends.  The works.  

  Well, I would have none of it.  They pressed and they prodded, but I refused to try a dab of lipstick or gossip about the cute boys.  My independence shone brilliantly, and I was proud of it.  It wasn’t like I wanted to be different for the sake of it.  I simply was different, and the effects of that sort of seeped into my interactions with others until it had a life of its own.  

  Pretty soon, I became known as the “weird girl who didn’t wear makeup or date”, but I was okay with that.  I didn’t bend under the pressure, and that was all that mattered.  There’s a quote I’ve read that has always stuck with me.  “You were born an original.  Don’t die a copy.”  I’ve lived by that ever since.  

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 2

  Well, this course sure has proven to be a journey worth taking.  Maybe that’s a little premature, being the second week, but I can tell a good thing when I see it.  I’ve especially found a fondness for The Ministry of Business.  I’ve read four chapters (I was only supposed to read three this week), but I couldn’t help myself.  All the principles and lessons it discusses resonate with me, particularly The Formula in chapter 4.  This formula for success is based on three simple components.

1. Get Your Education.  We must constantly be on the search for wisdom from all sources, whether it be formal classrooms or informal, real-world experiences.  Education is our toolbox companion.  It gives us the confidence needed to be successful.

2. Make Your Mark.  We need to make a positive difference wherever we live and in every career we pursue.

3. Get Prepared To Be Of Service.  Here is the key to eternal success.  It’s through service and contributing, not material wealth, that gives us the truest sense of happiness.  

  These are such simple words to live by, but I feel the truth of it, the power, the strength, the potential that living by them would enable me with.  The Formula is one of many paths to achieve happiness and fulfillment, but it seems to be among the better ones.  I’m excited to take this knowledge and not only become a better person, but maybe, just maybe, use them in my entrepreneurial endeavors, if that’s what my future holds.

  It seems to me that Randy Pausch was able to achieve so many of his childhood dreams because, as a child, he was allowed full-range to explore his talents and make discoveries.  He even wrote equations on his bedrooms walls!  Instead of grumbling of the resale value of the house, his parents let him find himself through his own means.  

  Dreams are among the most important things in life.  Why?  Consider the alternative.  Hopelessness.  As Charlie Chaplin said, “Despair is a narcotic.  It lulls the mind into indifference.”  You could say despair is a strong term, too dramatic, too polar opposite of dreams.  If so, then consider the middle ground between dreams and despair: the mundane.  Yes, it’s livable, but it’s not abundant with life.  It doesn’t overflow with vigor or burst with vivaciousness.  That may be acceptable to some people, but it isn’t to me.  Dreams are the stars that, if bright and powerful enough, form the constellations that define our lives.  Yes, dreams are important.  They are more important that anyone could ever explain.   

  There are several childhood dreams I could choose from, but my most precious one is the dream to be a published author.  This particular desire first blossomed in my mind at around thirteen years of age, so it’s perched on the edge of childhood, but to me, it still counts.  I can achieve this dream.  I will achieve this dream.  I’m nearly finished with the first draft of a YA novel I’ve been working on for the past several years.  I will write its ending soon, and the rewrites will entail soon after, and then, it will be finished.  Well, as finished as it can be.  There’s still the journey of discovering an agent and navigating the publishing world, but I trust that I can accomplish my dream.  It may take months or years, but someday, there it will sit, resting beautifully on the bookshelves of bookstores across the country.

  Today’s dream.

  Tomorrow’s reality.

My Hero's Journey: Chapter 1

  I started this morning not knowing what to expect when I started my business journey with my first class on entrepreneurship.  The word itself has always piqued my interest.  What comes to mind when I think entrepreneur?  Creative.  Innovative.  Hard-Working.  Insightful.  Problem-solver.  Strategic.  Idea-generator.  These are all concepts that I identify with.  The question I’m left with, however, is: how do I combine these values into the powerful force known as an entrepreneur?

  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this course is the path to discovering the answer to such a question.  I believe that there are two key components to entrepreneurship.  First, the internal journey that leads one to becoming the hero of their own story.  And second, the real-world knowledge of how to actually start a business.  Luckily, this course focuses on the first component.

  I’m thrilled to start this hero’s journey, to discover my quest, find my companions, face my weaknesses, and ultimately, be a better person at the end of it, or perhaps, because of it.  I’ve been writing a book for the past few years, and during that time I’ve studied Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, in order to better grasp my character’s development.  In the larger scheme, I, too, am on the path of my own hero’s journey, whether or not I recognize it at times.  This course is like a side quest that I hope, over time, will integrate itself into the over-arching plot of my life.  

  Only time will tell, and I’m excited to see what it says.