Are we not all beggars, rats, and dragon fighters?

 

In Elder Gay´s speech; Entrepreneurship and Consecration, he said that the law of consecration was given, not profit maximization. This means that the world definition and execution of capitalism and love of money is not what we need to focus on. Gay tells us that the Lord calls us to renovate our hearts and not be as the self-absorbed business world is.

Charles Handy’s What a Business is For article from the Harvard Business Review shares that we need to remedy the flaws of the old business model. More corporate democracy and better corporate behavior will go a long way to improve the current business culture in the eyes of the public. These changes must be accompanied by a new vision or business. If not, they will be seen as temporary measures that will not cure the underlying issues or problems with business.

Larry Brilliant shares his experience with a story of the Polio cure in a video online. When I heard they had to analyze door to door and call by call all of the polio cases in India I was very impressed, but I understood this needed to be done to be able to execute the sickness from the world. What hard work it is to be able to fund solutions to some of the world’s most difficult problems. Problem solving often takes a great deal of effort. This must be under consideration for businesses to fill gaps and find solutions on their own as well.

Let us recall the phrase, “can’t is the word that is foe to ambition, an enemy ambushed to shatter your will.” from Edgar Guest’s work titled: Can’t.  This week I read a book, that I hope you can read, called A Field Guide For the Hero´s Journey by Jeff Sandefer and Rev. Roberto Sirico. It shares some inspiring information that would serve all in the business world. A few of the concepts therein deem our recognition and consideration such as: 1) Strife and effort upon certain stumbling in the profession provides the victory in the end. 2) Initiative is key to success. 3) Despair is a part of the business life. 4) All must fight a dragon, or many dragons.

Hard work testifies the striving and effort to be able to call oneself triumphant. The enthusiasm and devotions needed to deem oneself a hero would need to testify of some weakness or challenging situation prior to the final defeat. If everything were easy, it wouldn’t really be called a triumph would it? From part of the Man in the Arena by Roosevelt, we read: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where ethe doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcomings…” I would much rather be the person who does this hard work than the person on the side criticizing everything.

Equally important, initiative is key in the business world. You want to find as many people as possible on your team that will assist you without procrastination and not need constant direction. This will also breed innovation that is also needed for a successful business. In the Aesop’s fable A Lark and Her Young Ones, we are shown a tale about productive and intelligent birds in a certain wheat field. When the farmer needed to harvest the wheat, he announced that he would invite the neighbors to help. The lark told the younglings that they had no need to rush away from the nest that was in the path of danger upon harvest. When they failed to assist over many days, the farmer clarified that he and his son would immediately do the work themselves since the harvest was in danger of rotting away. In that instance the lark and the baby larks hastily went away. The Lark mother told the young larks that “when a man decides to do his own work and not depend on anyone else, then you may be sure there will be no more delay.”

Another vital principle taught is despair is a part of the business world as well, but we must learn how to school it through hope.  Our dreams and goals with business should inspire us to keep going. I often try to write inspirational quotes on business social media. If the business already has a hopeful mission or message on display, this should help the team carryon. We need to have goals and a hopeful vision for the business culture we create. I think we all at times “walk through valleys of the shadow of death” maybe not always physically, but also mentally and spiritually. We must find ways to revitalize ourselves and find out what makes us prepare, repair and do them. 

Last but not least, all must fight dragons at some point or many points in life or in business. People all around will be tempting us to cheat, to lie, but we must try our hardest to stand firm. It is shared in the book that we are all, in the end, rats in the rat race. Team members may fail, you may fail, I may fail. Often times the metaphorical dragon will regard money and/or power.