Being the business major that I am, I bit my tongue, eager to answer the question. However, my eagerness to answer the question did not quite equal the actual answer. What was that about forex that my professor talked about in Intro to Business last semester?

"It means foreign exchange," he said.

Ah ha! Foreign exchange, that’s what it means! Of course, I thought to myself, the foreign exchange market.

He began to ask us some more questions about business terms and how they relate to the newspaper. Soon, I began to see all the ties between good business and a good newspaper. But, then I began to laugh to myself as my thoughts wandered. I remembered thinking back to when I first declared myself a business major. It seems like so long ago, but as I prepare myself for my final year of college, I’m starting to see how essential business has become in every part of my life, including writing.

"I want you to write an article about business," he said. He loved to challenge us in positive ways that pushed our writing to exceed not only our limits, but our imagination. What a great businessman, a true leader.

"Can you do that?" he asked me, wide-eyed.

"Yes, yes, I can do that!" I said in a very ecstatic manner. Although I had many ideas about what to write, I was still a bit nervous about this article.

We left the meeting and walked down the library steps towards his car. A few other writers and I grabbed some newspapers and parted ways with stacks in hand to distribute throughout campus. As I headed towards the library, I started to get a little anxious about what to write.

"Business? Writing?" I said to myself out loud while chuckling. In my head, I thought it would be easy because I was a business major. I knew enough about business to write something interesting about it. However, I was also a creative writer. So, I questioned myself, how does that work?

As I approached the library, I picked my heavy and tired legs up the steep steps once again. When I found myself inside the two large doors, I started to untangle the little plastic strand holding the stack of papers together. After taking the strand off, I smoothed my hand over the firmly pressed pieces of paper. I picked one up, looked to my right and my left, and quickly got a smell of the fine black ink. While rearranging the papers into an orderly fashion on the library counter, a random student passed by. I smiled, she smiled, and that seemed like the end of our conversation. But, something inside of me struck an even more verbal confrontation.

"Hey, do you want to take a newspaper? I write for them, and I promise the rest of the paper has some guaranteed excellent articles!" I smiled, hoping that she didn’t think this was some type of sales pitch. However, in business, sales pitches are necessary when selling something essential to a client.

Her dark brown eyebrows squinted together and the corner of her lips began to perk up.

"Sure thing!" she said and grabbed the paper from my hand. She seemed like she was in a rush.

Before I could even grasp what I was saying, the words came out of my mouth and I sounded more professional than ever before: "Thanks! Glad you will read it. It was nice doing business with you!" I said back to the brown-haired girl.

Leaving the library, I once again found myself chuckling, but this time at my business comment to that girl and the fact that my next article was to be about business. Ironic, right?

…

Business is defined in the dictionary as "the purchase and sale of goods in an attempt to make a profit." Business can also be defined as "an occupation, profession or trade." It can also mean, "a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern."

Writing is something I consider to be my business. The newspaper is my business. I’m a writer, for this is my occupation. Our readers and advertisers help sustain the newspaper. I am also a person seeking to provide a service. My service is writing. Through my creative articles, I hope to bring joy to my readers. If I succeed, this is my biggest profit of all.

In the business world, business is about customer relationship management, providing accurate information about companies to investors or advertisers, managing employees, being loyal to customers, entertaining the purchaser with something of value, gaining profit, and maintaining high value in the business.

After analyzing the general business world and the business in my writing, I saw a bigger picture about business. It then raised questions about business that maybe no one really knows the answers to.

Here is my analysis on Business in the bigger picture:

The life that we live is one giant business. It is filled with opportunities and challenges. When these opportunities are grasped and challenges are overcome, the profit we gain at the end is bigger capital than we can ever measure. Business in the bigger picture is the business of life. The life lessons that are immeasurable capital. In the real business world, not everyone can really win because there are business competitors. Without business competitors, businesses would lack strong value and great customer service. The competition drives success and innovation. However, in the business of life, everyone’s experiences and lessons are a huge profit. No one can lose when learning from their lessons. It is only an upward rise in their company, or their life.

The Life Business does not have a business logo or a bunch of advertisers, but I would say the supporters of life are enormous. If life were to have a business logo, it would have to have over 7 billion logos because of how many people life serves today.

Business in the Bigger Picture begins and ends in stages of people’s lives. It goes from child to grandpa, first job to retirement, and a whole lot of lessons learned along the way.

Life’s Business Plan Stage 1: Provide Laughter and Fun

This is the growing stage of the business when young children learn what the business, or life, is all about. They say silly things, tug your hair, smile for no reason, and tell jokes that you wish you thought of before they did. This is the stage in life when the value provided is laughter and fun with a guaranteed smile and warm fuzzies inside for the rest of us.

Life’s Business Plan Stage 2: Provide Talent

This is the developing stage of the business where the young become teenagers. They develop their talents and in providing the value of talent, they discover new and guaranteed passions. Soon, these passions will further develop the business and shape the desires of their hearts.

Life’s Business Plan Stage 3: Provide Experience

This is the implementing stage of the business plan. Young teenagers go onto college and become college graduates. They are asked by employers to provide examples of experience they have had in a past jobs. They shake the employer’s hand, share their experiences, and finish the interview with another handshake. They have just been offered the job. Their provided experience just landed them a whole new set of life experiences.

Life’s Business Plan Stage 4: Provide Leadership

A few years down the road, that once-recent college graduate becomes a married person with a family. He or she leads by example when showing love and comfort to their children. They hold their children’s hands so that they can walk without fear. They tuck them into bed at night so they can sleep soundly. These parents provide leadership so that their children are guaranteed a safe and secure home.

Life’s Business Plan Stage 5: Provide Wisdom and Relaxation

The end of life’s business plan rests in the evaluation stage. After working for so many years, it is time to relax. Retirement sinks in and now it is time for the elders to provide wisdom to the young based on their life lessons. They also provide relaxation to teach others that the goal in life is to live a healthy and happy one. The elders provide wisdom and relaxation so that others can be guaranteed a lesson in how to obtain complete peace. This lesson begins with learning that complete peace in one’s business, or life, starts with developing a personal business plan.

We all take part in some type of business; a restaurant, a newspaper, mechanics, large corporations, retail, partnerships, sole proprietorships, and so on. But, it is so easy to forget that each of us are also employees of the personal life we live. Every transaction, or every opportunity, and every challenge is all part of our personal business, our life business. Through writing this article, I’ve discovered that there are not just a few definitions as to what a business is, but rather there are over 7 billion definitions.

So let me sit you down on this January day and ask you a question: What is your business plan? How do you want to live this life?