Week 12- Giving Back

Gratitude
I loved the chapter on “Coming Home” and the emphasis they put on gratitude. They also talked about gratitude on in the first chapter and how it can help you on a long journey. I’ve talked before about gratitude and how it is important to me, but I always love reading about it.

Entrepreneurship and Consecration
My favorite parts of this were easily the part near the beginning when he said: “ Life and financial means have changed dramatically for my wife and me since that time, but I do not remember being any less happy in those day of extremely limited means that our current days of much greater abundance. One of the most powerful lesson’s I’ve ever learned about money is that beyond making ends meet, whether you have low or much of the world’s good will never be a fundamental determining factor of personal peace and happiness. But rather it is your attitude towards wealth that will be critical.
     I loved that because I truly believe that money doesn’t make you happy and this was a beautifully phrased life lesson that affirms that.

I also loved his story of the Chateaubriand Principle that his father called “The grand secret of success in business.”
     In Europe in the late 1700’s early 1800’s, Françpois-René de Chateaubriand’s students asked him to summarize history in one sentence, he said: In the days of service all things are founded; In the days of special privilege all things deteriorate; In the days of vanity they are destroyed.
     What an incredible lesson that more business people should regard as the grand secret!


What’s A Business For?
1 – I loved the analogy of the fine China and then once it’s broken it’s never the same as an example of trust in companies. It’s true that as customers, once burned, we find it hard to go back to a certain business. Rules and laws depend on trust and truth. If people aren’t’ willing to play by the rules and follow them, then the mutual respect dies down and we can never be successful.

2 – The purpose of a business in other words is not to make profit, full stop. It is to make a profit so that he business can do something more or better.

3 – I loved hen he said, “We should as charitable organizations do, measure success in terms of outcomes for others as well as for ourselves.” I think that would be such a powerful way to help other’s using business. Instead of just looking at the bottom line, look at the people you’ve helped.
     And I liked the examples provided about serving the poor and those who were neglected customers. These not only served those not being served, but also led to profitability in some cases. How can I help those we aren’t helping? Is a powerful question that all businesses should ask.