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Week #5

Skill, Character or Luck?
Those were some serious things to ponder about this week. I liked that there was a focus on the fact that it probably takes a little of each thing, but it mostly takes a lot of focused work and direction. One of the parts of the course that had the most impact on me this week was the short video clip by Randy Komisar. He talked about how becoming hyper focused on what we are passionate about and what is the ultimate mark we want to leave on life can be paralyzing. This was something that I have felt. When you try and narrow that focus down to one point, it can make you quit before you start. I like the advice to marry your opportunities with your passions, and look toward the horizon. This seems like much better advice. You really can only look back and make sense of your career path in the rear view and not the windshield.

One of the other great points this week was from Dan Freidberg when he was talking about how entrepreneurs typically don't make millions of dollars. There are of course these outliers that do, and there is no problem shooting for that, but most just make a nice living. I think that paired well with the message of the case study with Erica Mills. For me, even if she just stayed at the level she was at, and was able to have a family and a flexible job, I would view that as a great success. Being able to do something you love from home and being able to set your own hours with a family is something that many people dream of. Success is not something that I want to measure with dollar signs. In my current situation, we have lived off of my husband's income for our entire marriage. Anything I add to it will be nice, but it does not need to be a lot. This gives me the flexibility to try some new things. I also think that being able to think about what skills I could use, that I already have and how to fill a need with those is helpful in giving me that needed direction. I know that if I put in the effort, I will be able to figure out how to use my skills and opportunities to make a difference in the world.

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