W01 — The Startup of Me: Mighty Heart, Strong Mind

 This week I reframed the semester as the “startup of me.” Elder David A. Bednar’s call to be both “faithful and competent” challenged my comfort zone[1]. He warns against the “academic path of least resistance,” ties scholarship to sacrifice and consecration, and interprets D&C 4:2 (“heart, might, mind, and strength”) as a mighty heart plus a strong mind for consecrated service[1]. Omni 1:26 — to “offer your whole souls” — set my bar for weekly effort[1].

From Jeff Sandefer, living as an entrepreneurial hero means dream big, start small, accept that life is hard, and engrave habits → character → destiny[2]. His counsel to fail early, cheaply, and often, and to choose fellow travelers well, fits my Angolan context where rapid prototypes and candid operator feedback drive impact.

Guy Kawasaki reinforced purpose at the core of work: do what you love is not anti-profit; it is pro-meaning, so profit doesn’t feel empty[3]. President Gordon B. Hinckley added a moral anchor: ordinary people working in extraordinary ways lift communities[4].

With Reid Hoffman, I adopted permanent beta and the Plan A / Plan B / Plan Z framework[5][6]:

  • Plan A (now): strengthen financial-inclusion work and ship a small pilot that reduces cash pain (informal transport or micro-merchants).

  • Plan B (pivot): move into a product role in payments/mobile money if that accelerates impact.

  • Plan Z (lifeboat): return to a regulatory/operations role for 6–12 months while I re-skill and regroup.

I also mapped AAA — Assets, Aspirations/Values, Market Realities — to align what I can do, what I want, and what the market pays for[6].

Seven-day commitments:

  1. 20 min/day focused learning (payments UX).

  2. Friday after-action review (worked/didn’t work/next test).

  3. Micro-experiment: 5 interviews; 1-page flow; test with 2 users.

  4. Mentor outreach (operator or fintech PM).

  5. Code of Conduct v1: three “I will never…” guardrails.

To measure this semester, I’ll keep Sandefer’s three questions in view: Did I contribute something meaningful? Was I a good person? Who did I love and who loved me?[2]. If I hold to that — and stay in permanent beta — I’ll leave with compounded habits and a clearer Life Plan.



References (W01):
[1] Bednar, D. A. (1999). Your Whole Souls as an Offering Unto Him (Ricks College Devotional, Jan 5, 1999). Includes quotes from R. L. Evans (1971), D&C 4:2, Omni 1:26.
[2] Sandefer, J. Living Life as an Entrepreneurial Hero (Acton Foundation) — W01 reading.
[3] Kawasaki, G. (2003). Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow (BYU-Idaho Online Learning transcript, Feb 19, 2003).
[4] Hinckley, G. B. BYU-Idaho Hinckley Building Dedication — Address to Students (BYU-Idaho Online Learning transcript).
[5] Hoffman, R. — The Start-Up of YOU: Rediscovering the Entrepreneurial Spirit in All of Us (video; BYU-Idaho Online Learning).
[6] Hoffman, R., & Casnocha, B. (2012). The Start-Up of You (book) & Executive Summary — Plan A/B/Z and Assets–Aspirations–Market Realities.

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