The Drill

A number of summers ago, all of our children were gone for the summer.  To replace the long text messages, I started emailing them daily.  At the end of the email, I would state "Remember The Drill!"

What is The Drill, you may ask?  It is the doing the following, EVERY DAY:  Read your scriptures.  Say your prayers.  Do service.  Keep the commandments.  Walk for 15 minutes a day.  Drink water.  Eat a banana.  Get your sleep.

When we still lived in Tooele, Utah, I attended a parenting class.  The instructor mentioned that if her child was acting up, she would first determine if the child was hungry, thirsty, or tired.  She said that a lot of the time that would curb the inappropriate behavior.  That intrigued me and I took that counsel home with me.

At church, I've been instructed to read my scriptures and say my prayers.  Of course, we're always told to keep the commandments.  These seemed like good additional counsel to add to those admonitions above.

So why are these 8 instructions so important to a person's day?  Why might these instructions help someone have a better day if they are not having the best day?

Let's begin with say your prayers.  Can you imagine a better way to begin your day than to commune with God?  I believe this act gets you in the right frame of mind.  This act allows you to be open to the Spirit of God in your life, to receive His direction throughout your day.  Because of prayer, I have received innumerable impressions and moments of inspiration that have helped me along my life's journey.

Read your scriptures.  This is one way God can commune with us.  Perhaps, we have something we're concerned about and have asked for guidance in our prayers.  I have had guidance given to me as I read the scriptures for something I have prayed about.  Since I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I also have additional scripture than the Bible from which I read.  I read from the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, as well as the General Conference addresses (not all in one day!).

Do service. I would like to quote a scripture from Mosiah 2:17 in the Book of Mormon, "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."  I believe that when you're feeling down, one of the best ways to get up is to help someone else.  It can be as simple as smile or a kind word or as grandiose as a full blown service project - like cleaning someone's home.

Keep the commandments.  We are blessed in our obedience.  The commandments seem to begin with the 10 from Exodus, but when Christ was asked which was the greatest commandment, He encompassed all those commandments plus many more by saying "...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself " (Matthew 22:37-39).  Consider any commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy, pay your tithing, don't lie, love your enemies...they all are part of His admonition to love God and love thy neighbor.  If you're struggling with keeping a commandment (and aren't we all?), consider how the world would be a better place if you would do your part to keep that one commandment.

God gave us bodies to take care of and use for His good.  So we must do all we can to maintain them.

Get enough sleep.  Our bodies need to be rejuvenated through rest.  There are studies a plenty stating that sleep is good for your physical as well as your mental health.  If our physical and mental health are doing well, then that will enhance our emotional and spiritual health as well.  If you're not dragging from lack of sleep, can you imagine all you will be able to accomplish?

Eat a banana.  My children are tall.  And they suffered quite a bit from shin splints as they were growing.  We learned that if they ate a banana it would help alleviate some of that pain.  It's about getting good food into your body that will help (re)build your body and give it the energy it needs so you can accomplish great things.  It's hard to concentrate when your tummy is rumblin'.

Walk (at least) 15 minutes a day.  We found that in our sedentary lifestyle that our bodies get restless.  They were made to move.  If my children were restless (we home schooled them their elementary and secondary school years), we would go for a walk around the neighborhood (or I would make them run outside).  This seemed to help the "wiggles" that accompanied many a school day.

Drink water.  Our bodies need water so the body will function.  If we don't drink water, our brains can become foggy.  If we don't drink water, our bodies - limbs and organs - suffer.  Water is life giving.

Let's think about it for a moment.  If our physical bodies need water then wouldn't our spiritual bodies need Living Water as well?  We are in this cycle of giving our bodies physical water and our spiritual bodies Living Water from our daily commune with God through scripture reading and prayer.

Remember The Drill!

What are some daily instructions you incorporate in your life that help you through your day?

Why a Business Needs a Website

 In this day and age it seems impossible that anyone would have a business without a website.  Yet, there are some businesses that do not have a website to represent their business online.  Why is a website so important to any business these days?  I believe a website is important to a company’s image and as a source of outreach to their clientele.  I know I look first for a website when I have an interest in a company.  I often judge them on their online presence.

            According to an article Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle wrote, people will search Google, Yelp or Facebook before they will visit you in person (Leinbach-Reyhle, 2014).  This is significant.  I know if someone tells me about a company, I check first to see if they have a website.  A website gives me information about what the company has to offer.  If I’m interested in purchasing from the company, then I will check out reviews about the company.  I live in the Atlanta, Georgia area and there are lots of restaurants.  Before I visit a restaurant, I will look at their website and read reviews about it.  There have been occasions when I have not eaten at a restaurant because I could not find them online.

            A website gives a company a way to market their product.  An article written on GoDaddy states that a website will be an anchor for marketing, a way to sell online, help connect with new customers, as well as they are affordable (Perilli, 2015).  I know that I do not want to launch my business until I have created a viable website that shows I’m serious about my product and my company.  “Whether you are a one man or woman show or operate with 100 employees, your website should appear as if you have a team dedicated exclusively to keeping your online presence strong and noteworthy (Leinbach-Reyhle, 2014)”.  This statement shows that a website will give you credibility in the fast-paced world of today’s businesses.

            I use a company’s website to learn about the company – their vision, their backstory, their passion.  I also look at their products/services to determine if they are what I am looking for.  I am also interested in how they interact with their clients – whether it is through tutorials, customer service, or blog posts.  If they are interacting with their client base, I feel more confident in doing business with them.  It is as Ms. Leinbach-Reyhle stated, “Window shopping isn’t what it use to be (Leinbach-Reyhle, 2014).”  I window shop by visiting online first. 

            “An effective website is the cornerstone of your company – it houses important information, and your customers expect you to have one (Perilli, 2015).”  This is a true.  If one is serious about being in business these days, one must have a functioning, informative website.  One that will market to their clientele.  Thus, not every website will be the same as each target market is different.  A company’s website today is as important today as a business having a well laid out showroom in the past.

References

Leinbach-Reyhle, Nicole (2014 September 24) 3 Reasons Websites Are Vital for Small Businesses,www.forbes.com

Perilli, Raubi Marie (2015 October 2) 7 Reasons You Need a Small Business Website, www.godaddy.com

NOTE:  This post is for my SMM140 class, thus it is written in APA.  I like it.  I think it gives credibility to my writing.  

How to begin a business

I'm determined to start a business this year.  I have lots of ideas which have been floating around in my head but I haven't brought them to fruition.  Well, this will be the year.

So how does one start a business?  I don't know.  That's what I'm going to learn this semester through my classes.  I'm currently taking B283 (Small Business Creation) and three Social Media Marketing classes (SMM105 - Intro to SMM, SMM130 - Social Media Content, and SMM140 - Web Design).  I have also enlisted the services of a SCORE mentor.

What will I be doing?  I have extensive training in clothing construction.  I have been doing research on convertible clothing and sarongs and sarong siblings for the past 10 years.  I'm developing a clothing line sorta and hope to write at least two books.  I know that sounds wishy-washy.  The business plan is in the works to help me identify my focus and schedule.

Me with lots of sarongs and saris

If you haven't had the opportunity to visit BYU-I Online www.byui.edu/ course offering, I suggest you give them a try.  The tuition is reasonable.  The courses are challenging.  The instructors great.  I'm in my second semester of entrepreneurial classes and my first semester of social media marketing.  The entrepreneurial classes have helped me establish that I want to have a business and have given me comfort to know that I can do this.  The social media marketing classes are kicking my butt!  I like technology, but  I don't know much about it.  I have successful pattered with HTML and CSS which is a major breakthrough for me. 

So, how are these classes of worth?  The B283 class requires $100 challenge.  Through this challenge we are required to set up a micro business with $20 capital and earn at least $100 to which we will then donate the proceeds to www.kiva.org, an organization that gives loans to entrepreneurs.  Through this process we will learn how to create a business plan, execute it and market.  This will give me the experience I need to start my own business plan.  

The social media marketing classes teach me how create authentic content, create good content, and use the various social media platforms.  I'm learning the rules of etiquette for each social media platform.  I'm learning about hashtags.  I'm learning about apps that enhance the content to make them better.  I know that social media marketing is the way of the future and I want to use it to its fullest extent.

So how do I begin a business?  I begin by gathering the tools I need to succeed.  I identified that I needed business acumen to begin the task properly.  Thus, I 'm taking entrepreneurial classes as well as requested a SCORE mentor.   What I have learned so far is that it is difficult to be an entrepreneur.  I also learned, I'd rather have tried to be an entrepreneur than to let my ideas and knowledge go with me in the grave.

I identified that for a micro business (I want my business really small) the best way to market is through social media.  The rectangular sisters and their cohorts are going to be promoted through educational posts. Learning how to use a piece of cloth in multiple ways will take some education.  Learning about social media will help me to do this effectively and creatively.  I'm only in my fourth week of classes and I've gained a huge appreciation for photographers and videographers.   To bring off a quality product requires blood, sweat and tears - and lots of patience.  I'm also learning how to create a website which will be my storefront.  Just as one would have to build and decorate a storefront, one has to do this for a website.  I do realize that most business owners do not

build or remodel their own storefronts, but some do.  They want the layout to be just so and I want the same for my storefront.

So when will all of this happen?  My goal is as I do my schoolwork I will concurrently use the tools I'm learning to develop my business.  I'm sure there will be a few weeks lag time, but look for the opening of my store in April 2018.

And as a final note, I enlisted my friends to help with beginning my business.  The first step was to ask for help on the business name.  They are brainstorming geniuses. 

Support and encouragement are essential to beginning a business. 

What do you need to start a business?  What tools or skills do you need to acquire to bring your ideas to fruition?