Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Make Meaning

Make meaning, this is the main subject of my reflection. Last meeting in our IT Elective, Technopreneurship 2 course our facilitator showed us a short video that was pretty inspiring. As he entered the room and told us that he will show a video I was then excited since I was expecting of another movie just like we watched last semester which was the Pirates of the Silicon Valley but then he mentioned that what he will be showing is just a short video but still it was satisfying and magnificent. After then we wrote our brief reflections and learning that we have acquired by watching the video. To describe what we watch it was awesome. The video was about building companies and making meaning. Guy Kawasaki is really an inspiration just like other prominent people. What we viewed was one of Guy Kawasaki’s presentations for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program Educators Corner in the School of Engineering at Stanford University in October, 2004. It was one of his topics for his book “The Art of Starting”.

Let’s get into the serious stuff. On the short video the main point was to make meaning. I was struck with what Guy Kawasaki stressed out, to make meaning. For him the core or essence of technopreneurship is making meaning. As I think, “to make meaning” what does this really mean? As for the moment, as a student do I really make meaning? As I discern I couldn’t find the answer if I inspire others, if I did something that has brought a better change nor have I done something that made everyone proud of me or think of me as a person that could contribute a lot. I walked in the life of being an IT student with lots of confusion and difficulty. I wasn’t sure of taking up this course and if I could make it. They said this will really be a hard choice. Choosing the IT path and having an IT career wouldn’t be easy especially on my part possessing no special ability for computer matters. Well, I just remember this occurrence in my life before I decided to pursue where I am now. As I can keep in mind I was still in the first year level then when I told my best friend my complexities in indulging in this kind of field, I was expecting her to help increase my confidence and bring me up instead she disappointed me by saying that I better shift because she think that I can’t make it and I can’t survive with the kind of course I have. Her statement struck me, in my life in high school I was really hoping to do well in college and to make meaning, to change something. Yet it was disheartening hearing those words from a person that knows me a lot. She doesn’t see me as a person that could make significance to my environment. But instead of being upset I thought of showing to her that I can finish what I have started. To converse honestly, I chose the course Information Technology also because of the reason that graduating with the degree of BSIT can help me obtain a job that would offer a large amount of salary and also they said big opportunities can be found in this field. I regarded money as one of the reasons and from what I have seen from Guy Kawasaki’s video, having this kind of perception can’t make me on top instead it will bring me down. Just like what I can remember from the previous lessons that I learned I must not have this kind of mindset or thinking. I should imagine of a better reason. Just like in the video Sir Guy Kawasaki stressed out that in starting something to be more specific he mentioned that in opening a business you must think of making meaning. This is the essence or core of technopreneurship. Many companies nowadays start up something to make money. They are more motivated with the help of the cost that they will be gaining. Guy Kawasaki once worked with the Apple team and was responsible of marketing Macintosh and now a Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures. He uttered about most companies that he had worked with were fundamentally founded to change the world, to make the world a better place and to make meaning and most likely they are the companies that succeed. In starting up a business you shouldn’t just think of yourself and of gaining profits instead think of others and what better change can your business contribute to the environment. In building a business you must have the purpose not just for yourself but for everyone. Your business must inspire others and not just like other business that just consider of making money. For small business like what we call “manok - manok” business. This kind of business wouldn’t probably last longer. In making a business just like what I have learned you must discern well and should be unique. You must think of a business that would help improve something or that would change something not just like others that would set for a business that was just being copied from other’s ideas. He also has the belief that if you have the goal of making meaning then you can inspire others, you can be contented with what you have and at the same time you can also make money but if you would set a goal of starting a business to make money then you probably would not make meaning and at one fell swoop you wouldn’t make money at all. Those companies that think more of the amount that they will gain would probably end on something bad. Thus from what he have said I can say that objectives of your business could really affect its performance and success. Before I was contented of the idea of landing into a job as an employee or by simply by starting up a business that could help my family in financial matters. Maybe I shouldn’t settle for that kind of goal. I must be an employer someday. I must get pot of my shell and bring change to my environment.

In the video we saw Guy Kawasaki essentially stressed out the first thought which settled out with the phrase “make meaning”. Which should be the core why you start a company. He brought up 3 points that would make under the idea make meaning. Let me discuss the first one which went out to be the phrase increase the quality of life. In building a business it is important that your business would increase the quality of in life. In case of having the objective of making money then how will you increase the quality of life? When you say quality of life it would assess the common well-being of individuals and societies. Making money couldn’t be called as a common well-being of most. It is temporary and unfortunately money can encourage others to do something awful. As they say love of money is the root of all evil. For some who are deceived by money they will be ready to do anything just to gain it. Those companies wouldn’t last. To increase the quality of life you must think always. Discern properly for the decisions that you will be making. Don’t settle for the simple things you can reflect instead everyday must be a time to think well. You must always imagine things. You can also do serendipity walks to help you come up into an idea. You must always think in order for you improve your ways. Like I said don’t settle make everyday a time to think for improvements. Another thing is that you must get out of your shell. Make it a point to do something courageous every day. You must not remain in areas of your ease. Like they say step out of your comfort zone. Try to think beyond the box. Explore and get involve with the things out of your routine. By doing this you might discover some things that could help you generate good projects for your business. You may not know everything. You don’t know other’s needs. So it is helpful and important to look on the other aspects that you are not familiar with. Go outside and see better opportunities out of your own window. It is also important to stop broken thoughts. In starting up a business every little detail must be considered. Don’t stop broken thoughts. You must not fail to oversee small things and regard them as nothing while in fact they can affect your business or project if it wouldn’t be considered. Think of others, this is also important you must see what most people needs. In starting up a business you must also deem what the environment necessitates. Some business oriented people, do I really have to call them business oriented, well let’s just say some business minded wanabees creates business just for the sake of something unreasonable. In creating a business you must also look at what the environment needs in order to be productive and efficient in your business. As a summary of this point, in starting a business one should not be motivated by making money instead they should be encouraged in changing the world and making people more creative and productive, everyone must increase the quality of life. You must wake up in the morning thinking how to change people’s lives.

The next point was all about to “Right a wrong”. Your business must not be the same as some other companies that would operate even though some of their works wouldn’t favor the environment. Let’s say just like factories. Some factories can bring pollution to the environment such as water, Air or noise and such pollutions that could affect generally though not directly to the customer but to the environment. Right a wrong we must be keen on noticing mistakes and should not tolerate and follow such practices even if the business would somehow be successful. You must notice that wrong and fix it. Yes you may succeed with your business though it could harm others but sooner or later that business would be the reason why the world would turn into its worst situation. Guy wants to stress out that we must possess the attitude of looking for others sake, printing a good mark because of our achievements, generally creating the world a better place, make a meaning and not doing wrong. In starting up a business we must strive hard. We must fix and end the wrong.

Lastly, prevent the end of something good. If you have done something that worth much then give your best shot to keep that achievement and never let that opportunity of experiencing something excellent fade away. If you have good ideas then put it into action. If you possess responsible and effective team then lead it. If you are doing well in your job or business then don’t make any wrong move that would make that scene vanish. It is important also to take care of our environment. If we have improved the quality of life, if we did right a wrong then we must not forget to keep that situation still and prevent the end of it. We must value whatever we do and value the things and people around us.

As final words, In starting up a business one should obtain the motivations that were mentioned above. These things are the key to start a great organization as what Guy Kawasaki said. To end this up, i will leave these words from the famous Steve Jobs. “People with passion can change the world for the better”. Passion is still very important if you love what you are doing then you might probably do well and make meaning instead of looking forward for the money. 

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