Halfway Reflection 14A

                                                      Tenacity and Paying It Forward
1. Tenaciousness is a competency: This course offers as much as you could possibly learn about entrepreneurship however, it takes a desire to learn it and grasp it. I truly do have a dream to open a business, but my biggest weakness lies in developing an idea that I can explore. The biggest behavior I have developed to help me succeed in the course is developing a thought process that identifies problems and seeks a solution to those problems. I think this mindset will help me see opportunities and be able to better develop and plan to create a business as well as succeed in the course.
2. Tenaciousness is also about attitude: For me the hardest part of the course lies in conducting the interviews. I do not have a product or service that I truly believe in yet and so the interviews have been difficult for me. However, finding an idea that is easy to talk about and something that identifies with your peers would make it easier. The biggest thing attitude wise is a desire to learn the material. If you truly want to own and start a business, you will enjoy the class. It goes back to the point of why you are in the class. If your reasoning and attitude for taking the class is to learn and grow as a potential business owner, you will have no problems succeeding in the course
3. Three tips: The main tip for fostering the skills to support tenacity would be to find a job that is challenging and causes you to be forced to work outside of your comfort zone. I am currently working as a recruiter for a staffing company while taking a full slate of classes. This makes me have an intense and tenacious mindset to be able to accomplish my goals and learn what I need to. I think it would be too easy for me to slack off if I was just focused on doing my assignments and nothing else. The second tip for developing the skills would be to seek out the advice of Dr. Pryor. I wish that I had lined my days off work up with when class was because I would love to pick his brain about different things in class. Whether it be Dr. Pryor or other business owners, do not be afraid to ask questions related to owning a business. This will help you learn what skills they have developed and what you should focus on in your journey. Third, regarding developing a tenacious mindset, I would have to use Phil Knight and his book I read for the class as an example. He viewed life as a competition and a race to the finish whatever that might be. Although this may not be healthy long term, it begins to foster a competitive mindset that seeks to create a competitive advantage. When you view your startup as a competitor in a race and everything else as either a teammate or competitor, it can really change your view on the class and in business. This is what I am focusing on creating currently.