The Man in the Arena

I am excited to see the movie Invictus. In it Nelson Mandela gives Francois Pienaar a copy of the poem of the same title, but in actuality Mandela gave Pienaar a copy of Teddy Roosevelt's speech The Man in the Arena. The most quoted excerpt is below:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

As I prepare to write resolutions for 2010 I will reflect on the dust and sweat and blood of the last decade. When 1999 came to an end I was in a small apartment (we called them 'flats') in South Africa. We weren't sure if computers were going to crash and all mayhem break lose when Y2K hit, but we all made it through just fine. Over the past decade I have done a lot of things. I returned home to California in 2001, went back to school, bought a restaurant, got married, sold a restaurant, started a career in mortgage banking and real estate, started a family, invested in real estate (won some, lost some), moved a few times, graduated college, started a business or two, closed a business, made good friends, lost loved ones, went on a game show, traveled, and on and on. It's been a busy decade of my life, and I have learned much.

Sometimes in the arena of life we achieve greatness and are privileged to feel the thunderous applause of the crowd and other times we may stumble and be met with boos and disdain of onlookers. The approval of the crowd is a fickle friend and one who lives his life thus seeking will be met with an empty reward. As I prepare for this next decade I commit to live my life boldly and in the pursuits of worthy causes.

"The Soul's Captain"

In light of my post on the poem Invictus I now present another response written about 100 years ago.

"The Soul's Captain"
by Orson F. Whitney

Art thou in truth? Then what of Him
Who bought thee with His blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood,

Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but Him could bear--
That God who died that man might live
And endless glory share.

Of what avail thy vaunted strength
Apart from His vast might?
Pray that His light may pierce the gloom
That thou mayest see aright.

Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree,
Thou, captain of thy soul! Forsooth,
Who gave that place to thee?

Free will is thine- free agency,
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto Him
To whom all souls belong.

Bend to the dust that "head unbowed,"
Small part of life's great whole,
And see in Him and Him alone,
The captain of thy soul.

I am the captain of my soul

Merry Christmas! During this wonderful time of year I am reminded of who I have to thank for my unconquerable soul.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Elevating Your Influence

"Man radiates what he is, and that radiation affects to a greater or less[er] degree every person who comes within that radiation” - David O. McKay

This has long been one of my favorite quotes and is the thought that comes to mind whenever I consider personal development. We've all seen the fruits of this concept in our lives, the smiling waitress that cheers up a gloomy table in an instant, the charismatic friend who can change a rooms mood just by being present, and even the 'Debby Downer' who can suck the wind out of the fullest of sails in the bat of an eye.

Yesterday I visited the Newport Beach LDS Temple because I felt my own radiation lessening. I needed to reflect, repent and recharge. I had a wonderful experience and felt a renewed focus to live my life in a way where others benefit from being around me. As a mortal man I make mistakes and the past couple of years seem to have had an extra load of trials and tough experiences. I know, however, that these can be a source of growth and learning and that the choice is mine.

A good friend reminded me through his example the proper level of priority Temple worship should be to an LDS businessman. That same friend then shared this video on his blog today.



What a great example of elevating your influence in the world around you!

Organizing Chaos

"He who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows out that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life. The orderly arrangement of his time is like a ray of life which darts itself through all his occupations. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incident, chaos will soon reign."

The Richest Man In Babylon - Chapter 2 - The Richest Man In Babylon

Chapter two is the story of Arkad. Arkad was the average young man, born with no inherent physical advantage or silver spoon, who learned the secrets to becoming rich. Bansir and Kobbi from the inquire of Arkad as to his unsurpassed wealth.

"Wealth is a power. With wealth many things are possible... And, when I realized all this, I decided to myself that I would claim my share of the good things of life." - Arkad

I enjoyed the preceding quote because Arkad did not sound pretentious or arrogant. He talked about how with wealth one could build temples for the Gods and how it takes hard work to become wealthy.

Aha! moment #1

"I found the road to wealth when I decided that a part of all I earned was mine to keep. And so will you" - Algamish (Arkad's mentor)

This is where the saying that you hear at financial workshops comes from, "Pay yourself first."
"Wealth, like a tree, grows from a tiny seed." - Algamish

Algamish was a rich man whom Arkad struck a deal with to be mentored by. Algamish mentored Arkad slowly with one principle at a time.

The three laws of successfully handling wealth:

1. Pay yourself first (save a minimum of 1/10th your income) and live on less than you earn
2. Seek advice from those who were competent through their own experience to give it
3. Make your gold work for you. Invest your savings wisely.

Aha moment #2

"Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared." - Arkad

"Enjoy life while you are here. Do not overstrain or try to save too much." - Arkad

Arkad understood the importance of moderation. Living in Southern California there seem to be more people to the extreme of not saving enough than the contrary but Arkad reminds us that 'Life is good and rich with things worthwhile and things to enjoy.'

The Richest Man In Babylon - Chapter 1 - The Man Who Desired Gold

Many summaries and reviews have been written on this timeless classic. I will not be doing an exhaustive book report, but more sharing of my favorite quotes and perhaps my thoughts on the principles taught.

The first chapter of The Richest Man In Babylon is entitled The Man Who Desired Gold. The characters in the chapter are:

Bansir - a chariot builder who finds himself unhappy, poor and longing for a better life.
Kobbi - a musician and Basir's good friend. Also broke and wishing for better circumstances.
Arkad - The richest man in Babylon. A childhood friend of Bansir and Kobbi who had no more than them in their youth.

Bansir and Kobbi reflect upon their financial misery and decide to ask advice from their friend Arkad who was wealthy beyond all else.

Favorite quotes:

"A Man's wealth is not in the purse he carries. A fat purse quickly empties if there be no golden stream to refill it." - Kobbi

"It costs nothing to ask wise advice from a good friend..." - Bansir

"Thou makest me to realize the reason why we have never found any measure of wealth. We never sought it... In thos things toward which we exerted our best endeavors we succeeded." - Kobbi

The Richest Man In Babylon - Intro

I am in the middle of reading The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. I have heard this book spoken of and recommended for years and recently came across a copy. I am deeply enjoying the simple yet sound principles of financial success.

The following two paragraphs are from freewld.

The Richest Man in Babylon is a book by George Samuel Clason which dispenses financial advice through a collection of parables set in ancient Babylon. Through their experiences in business and managing household finance, the characters in the parables learn simple lessons in financial wisdom. By basing these parables in ancient times, but involving situations that modern people can understand and identify with, the author presents these lessons as timeless wisdom that is as relevant today as it was back then.

The book began in 1926 as a series of informational pamphlets. Banks and insurance companies began to distribute these pamphlets, and the most famous ones were eventually compiled into this book.

Over the next few days I will share my notes and thoughts from each chapter. I am hoping that by writing out my thoughts and sharing the principles the book teaches that not only will I become more committed to the tenants but that others may learn of them also.

In today's job market - make yourself useful

I was thinking today about how depressing the unemployment numbers are. Almost as sad are the number of people that are under employed or who are working well below their potential. Most bosses, at least the ones worth working for, don't enjoy letting people go. They especially don't like letting good employees go. I'm a member of a network on Forbes.com and this poll was on the sidebar today. The question was asked to a forum of CEO's.

How does this information give you the edge in being the most useful and valuable employee? Could acting on this information effectively potentially save your job?

For the record, I agreed with the majority of voters. I hate red tape.

Choice

Life gives to all the choice. You can satisfy yourself with mediocrity if you wish. You can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless, or you can channel your life so that it will be clean, vibrant, useful, progressive, colorful, and rich."
— Spencer W. Kimball

Kimball's personal motto was 'Do It!' I guess the 'just' Nike added to it made it a bit more marketable.

Determination

I found this poem in a notebook I kept while I lived in South Africa. I googled it but could not find it online. Here it is as I transcribed it nearly 10 years ago.

Determination

While other may tire or quit in despair,
or feel as if failure is too hard to bear -
I will keep going. Put failures aside,
If I can't keep up, I'll lengthen my stride.
I've made up my mind, Set my mind on a quest,
though many have tried, few gave it their best.
Trying my hardest is what makes me great.
Desire and determination, not fortune and fate.
- Judy Beck

I'm not sure if the grammar is correct, but I really enjoyed the spirit of the poem.

I am the master of my fate, and I am determined to make it great.

Building vs Tearing Down

This poem came to mind as I was teaching a lesson at church this past Sunday. It seems to be a message that I needed perhaps more than the 25 or so men I was supposed to be teaching.

There are a few versions of this, but all with the same message.

I passed one day through a busy town,
and saw them tearing a building down.
With a “Ho, heave ho!” and a husky yell,
they swung a beam and a side wall fell.

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled?
The kind you’d hire if you had to build?”
“No,” he chuckled. “No indeed,
the common laborer is all I need.
I can easily destroy in a day or two,
what builders have taken weeks to do.”

I thought to myself as I went on my way,
which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
strengthening lives by rule and square,
shaping my peers to a well-made plan,
helping them do the best they can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
content with the labor of tearing down?

- Author Unknown

I just read an article where a team had mapped out the most stressful counties in America. The results weren't surprising, but they were a bit disheartening. In some areas people are just stressed. I've been going through some business trials and have been more stressed than I'd like to admit in the recent past. As humans we tend to get short fused when we get stressed. Sadly, it is during these tough times when we should be pulling together as families, communities, congregations and the like that we find people allowing the stresses of life to allow them to feel ok with tearing others down.

I'm sharing this more as a 'note to self' than as somebody that has any authority to preach on the subject. A friend of mine shared a the first line of this quote with me while I was in South Africa:

You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul. - Harold B Lee

So this is my goal, to grow and develop and stand on high ground. To have a fire burning so bright in my soul that I can share that fire with those I have the pleasure of meeting.

Be a builder.

Happy Halloween

This is one of my favorite family pictures we've taken so far. I love this time of year and I hope you have a great Fall.

Come What May, And Love It

Yesterday I shared some of the adversity I'm dealing with. I am very grateful for some words of encouragement that was shared by friends around the globe. Thank you. I was up late dealing with some of the business items that needed attention and decided to search the web for some encouragement and found this link. Youtube had part of this message on video, and I found it very inspirational.



This poem also comes to mind:


"When Things Go Wrong"

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.

And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

anon

So, whatever it is that you are going through (because we all have our own challenges right now) stand tall and stick to the fight.

Finishing the race

I usually blog with good news, and this one will end that way too. It's been a tough season for me. A company that I had worked so hard to help build closed it's doors last month. It's never pleasant to see a company close, and it's hard when I had to talk to so many employees about the end of the road. These aren't the friendliest of job searching environments and I wish I could find jobs for each of the amazing people that worked with me. Additionally there is also the financial wake that is left behind to clean up when a company closes. My Father knows how hard its been on me and emailed me this today.



It's painful, but with the help from the Almighty and caring family and friends the race can still be finished.

Multitasking

Turns out most people aren't that good at multitasking. I took this picture while I was in Africa as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These ladies knew how to multitask. I had to have them stop walking and talking for a brief moment so I could capture the shot.

Traditions

I mentioned a while back that I grew up hiking and camping with my Dad. We made it a 3 generation event this weekend with an overnighter to Wrightwood, CA. We made camp at Guffy and cooked hot dogs on the camp fire.


In the morning we took a nice 4x4 trail down to Lupine and took these great pictures.


We're looking forward to a lot more hikes and camp outs like this one.

Outsourcing

My Father sent me this number and told me to call. 267-436-5123.

Give it a call.

My Kindergarten Girl

Where does the time go? My oldest daughter starts kindergarten
tomorrow. Today was her orientation and she did fantastic. Pretty
soon she'll be driving.

From the Rock

My Father shared this quote with me a short time back:

John D. Rockefeller said that "These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come and gone. Prosperity has always returned and will again."

Although this wasn't written about today, it certainly seems relevant.

Another quote from Rockefeller is this poem he penned when he was 86:

I was early taught to work as well as play,
My life has been one long, happy holiday;
Full of work and full of play-
I dropped the worry on the way-
And God was good to me everyday.

It is my aim to have a similar reflection when I am 86.

Commercial

One fun thing about running a company is the opportunity to be creative. We are getting ready to run some commercials for our sister company and just got this in:

We're preparing to increase our marketing quite a bit and so Time Warner invited us down to the ESPN Zone to meet Trent Dilfer a Superbowl winning quarterback. His speech was on being yourself and was very well delivered. Afterward they did a raffle and I won a grill, which I traded some guy for his iSound. It seemed like a good trade as I was lugging the 80 pound grill on my shoulder through the scorching heat and he was strolling along with his 1 pound prize.

Arena, Stadium, etc

Within a 15 minutes drive from my house, first this:

And now this:
Awesome!

Just like 15 years ago...

As a boy my Father took me camping and hiking as often as he could. Because of my frequent exposure to the great outdoors I grew a deep connection with being on 'the mountain' as we tend to call it. Sometime around the age of14 or 15 my school activities and friends started consuming most of my weekends and the frequency of trips with my Father dropped of considerably. This morning we had a reunion of sorts as we hiked Mt. Baden-Powell just outside of Wrightwood. We hit the trail as early as I could muster the strength to arise, around 5:30am and caught a fantastic sunrise over Mt. San Antonio. The trail was a nice 4 mile ascent and I seem to be paying for my youthful strides. It was great to chat with my Dad as we climbed. I've missed hiking with my Pops.

The Curious Quotes From Benjamin Button

We just finished watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and I must say I was surprisingly pleased. After seeing the previews I thought it might end up being another Meet Joe Black for Brad Pitt. The movie had a great story line that was able to keep a good pace despite the lack of action and adventure. The tempo of the movie seemed seemed to echo the fact that a story was being told and that a life was being reviewed. Some movies I will forget, this one will remain with me.

Here are some of the highlight quotes that made me:

Think about moving forward

Captain Mike: You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.

Laugh out loud

Dr. Rose: Where'd he come from?
Queenie: My sister's child. From Lafayette. She had an unfortunate adventure. The poor child, he got the worst of it. Come out white.

Consider the opportunities

Benjamin Button: Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.

Be grateful for the future

Benjamin Button: [Voice over; letter to his daughter] For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

I've been told that I don't watch movies the way that most people do. Generally when I'm watching a good film I am dissecting the psychological motives and emotional underpinnings of the characters. I get involved in the character development and the story line and connect emotionally with the way the events effect the characters. This movie provided a lot of fodder for a guy like me. There was a lot to consider. To avoid writing an exhaustive list I will simply say that I was moved by the main characters desire to experience life and care for those he loved. He seldom considered his financial stature, perhaps because he had a better understanding than most of us that when you're old all that matters is the sum of the points of views you have gathered and the total of the experiences to which you've been privy.

Flipping

Do you ever just flip open the scriptures and find, seemingly at random, a verse that conveys a message that is tailored to comfort, guide or otherwise assist you in your present circumstance?

That happened to me twice this week. First it was Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 on Monday, and then just now 2 Corinthians 4:17. That our light afflictions worketh in us for a more eternal glory I concur.

Which scripture verses have touched you recently.

A little learning...

For my birthday my parents got me a subscription to getAbstract.com I love reading business books, self help books, books on psychology, biographies and the like but struggle to make time to dive into 300 page book after 300 page book. I'm excited to be able to read the professional summaries via getAbstract. In school Cliffs Notes were the bane of teachers dashing their hopes that their students would partake of all that the curriculum really offered. It the real world life is a little more about using Cliffs Notes and group prjects. My good friend Phil shared the first four lines of this quote with me yesterday:

"A little learning is a dang'rous thing;

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:

There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,

And drinking largely sobers us again.

Fir'd at first sight with what the Muse imparts,

In fearless youth we tempt the heights of Arts,

While from the bounded level of our mind

Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind;

But more advanc'd, behold with strange surprise

New distant scenes of endless science rise!

So pleas'd at first the towering Alps we try,

Mount o'er the vales, and seem to tread the sky,

Th' eternal snows appear already past,

And the first clouds and mountains seem the last;

But, those attain'd, we tremble to survey

The growing labours of the lengthen'd way,

Th' increasing prospects tire our wand'ring eyes,

Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!"

-Alexander Pope

Essay on Criticism

I loves learning and am drinking deep the knowledge that can come from challenging life experiences.

Being a Dad

I had a good Dad.



Now, I'm just trying to be one.

A country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life

Thomas Jefferson:

"I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life; who has covered our infancy with His providence and our riper years with His wisdom and power, and to whose goodness I ask you to join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations."

As the US stock market has seen a climb in the last month and rumors of the economy 'bottoming out' have spread I have begin to see a shift in the attitudes of the citizens of this great nation. You hear it on the news, see it in the papers and it gets talked about in coffee shops. "Things just might be looking up", they say. "Maybe this is the beginning of a brighter day" is replies the other mocha latte cappuccino with whipped cream and cinnamon drinker.

I am reminded of a story, a parable of sorts, that I often shared with people I taught back when I lived in Africa.

A man is rafting down a river when he loses both of his oars. Drifting down the river he soon hears the rushing sounds of cascading water and the realization that he is heading towards the top of a very large waterfall forces his mind to search for a solution. Unable to swim and left without a means to paddle to the shore he begins to pray to the Almighty for assistance. Just before the man and his vessel tumble over the falls the man notices a tree branch hanging out over just far enough over the river that he can jump and grasp the limb. Leaping, quite literally for his life, he grabs hold of the branch and climbs his way to the safety of dry ground. Upon reaching safety he offers another prayer, "Nevermind the previous prayer God, I figured it out on my own".

I worry that we are doing that now. We are starting to see a little bit of light at the end of what has been a long and dark tunnel and we think we can get the rest of the way on our own. Like Benjamin Franklin pleaded with the Continental Congress, I beg you (and me) to remember that this branch didn't reach out to us on it's own, but to jump high, grab hold and climb to safety while the opportunity is before us. If this really is the bottom of the dip then it is time that we follow Jefferson's advice and "join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations."

The guy on your $100 bill had his priorities straight

I often write of how I reflect with great admiration on the Founding Fathers of The United States of America. Today I was listening to a podcast that including a quote from Benjamin Franklin during the Continental Congress.

Here is some background:

The Constitutional Convention had been meeting for five weeks, and had hit a perilous deadlock. The large states were insisting that congressional representation be based on population; the smaller states wanted a one-state-one-vote rule. The entire effort to create a stronger union was in jeopardy. Eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin, quiet during most of the deliberations, then addressed the group. According to James Madison's notes, here is what happened next.

Here is what was quoted in the podcast:

Mr. President

The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other-our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor.

To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service-

Mr. SHARMAN seconded the motion.

Mr. HAMILTON & several others expressed their apprehensions that however proper such a resolution might have been at the beginning of the convention, it might at this late day, I. bring on it some disagreeable animadversions. & 2. lead the public to believe that the embarrassments and dissensions within the Convention, had suggested this measure. It was answered by Docr. F. Mr. SHERMAN & others, that the past omission of a duty could not justify a further omission-that the rejection of such a proposition would expose the Convention to more unpleasant animadversions than the adoption of it: and that the alarm out of doors that might be excited for the state of things within, would at least be as likely to do good as ill.

Mr. WILLIAMSON, observed that the true cause of the omission could not be mistaken. The Convention had no funds.

Mr. RANDOLPH proposed in order to give a favorable aspect to ye. measure, that a sermon be preached at the request of the convention on 4th of July, the anniversary of Independence; & thenceforward prayers be used in ye. Convention every morning. Dr. FRANKn. 2ded. this motion After several unsuccessful attempts for silently postponing the matter by adjourng. the adjournment was at length carried, without any vote on the motion.

(Bolding and Italics added)

- -

These Men were amazing examples of how to blend Faith with Knowledge. In searching for this quote I found many others that may turn in to future posts as well.

I am grateful to the Creator for allowing me to live in this great Nation and for the Men who lived worthy of their call to lay it's foundation.

What a pro!

A while back my wife entered a drawing for a free photo shoot by Lydia Tolman of LOYA Photography and won. Today was the day of the shoot and like most Men I was not overly excited. Lydia Tolman was a true professional. She never once got flustered by our rambunctious kids and truly seemed to enjoy her job. Here are a few of her shots, but check out her blog for more.

Play Big!

There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling
for a life that is less than what you are capable of living.
Nelson Mandela

High School Musical 4

My "Good Friday" Experience

I talked a little while back on what I call 'The Aladdin Syndrome'. Somebody felt, I assumed, that they had to eat and that my truck represented a little bread. Turns out it was a little less of the Aladdin Syndrome and a little more of the 'Robin Hood Paradox'. The RHP is the concept that stealing from somebody that apparently had more than you do in an effort to equal things out actually lowers the thief's state further despite the increase in wealth, goods, etc. My truck was recovered on Easter morning.

The suspects were seen with their (my) high beams on at 1:45am as they drove past an officer in the neighboring city of Ontario, CA. When the officer turned around to inspect he saw that there was a suspicious dealer plaque and 'Hello Kitty' license plate holder. He turned on his lights to pull the vehicle over. A high speed chase ensued ending in this:



The sad part about seeing my truck was seeing all of their beer, cologne, CD's of filth and other items of 'the World' mixed in with remnants of my families memories. Although they were 'rollin with the homies' with the seats thrown back and open beer in the cup holders they didn't take the time to clean up the Alpha-bits my kids had thrown the weekend before.

I feel for those that think it is acceptable and even justifiable to take that which is not theirs. Now I just hope the insurance company is nice regarding the valuation of the vehicle.

The Aladdin Syndrome

With the economy in the proverbial toilet I have been telling a few people about my theory that I call The Aladdin Syndrome. In one of the first scenes of the popular Disney cartoon Aladdin the title character steals bread because he's 'gotta eat'. It is interesting to me that this stealing is never condemned in the movie, in fact Aladdin is the one whose 'worth lies deep within' and is the 'diamond in the rough'. As unemployment climbs well into the double digits and the realities of the economy begin to hit more people I predict we will see a drastic increase in theft. People feel justified in breaking the 8th commandment. Last Friday, the 10th of April 2009, I was at a lunch meeting and came out to find that my truck had been stolen. I wasn't upset. In fact I was surprisingly calm, according to the deputy taking the report. I told the officer that I was more concerned for the person whose life was in such a situation that they felt their best choice on that Good Friday was to take a vehicle that did not belong to them.

I felt very blessed to have a spare car to drive until the fate of the truck was discovered. I received a call at 6:45 Easter morning to inform me that the truck had been recovered in a neighboring city, that it had sustained damage and that it was being held for evidence. An officer from the Ontario Police Department is on his way to my office to get a consent to do some detective work on the vehicle. I will post more pictures and information once I know get more.

And for your visual enjoyment:

911 Phone Call, Don't Lock Yourself In Your Car

This is a couple of days old, but I just had to share.


Ascension - Learn How To Settle Your Credit Cards

Timely Advice

A friend shared this with me today. It seemed to come at just the right time. Whether or not you share my faith, these are powerful words of advice and encouragement. The talk is 13 years old, but seems written for today.

Here are the points that Elder F Enzio Busche made:

* Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you.

* When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God.

* In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take.

* First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness. Don't permit anything to detract you from this awareness.

* You cannot communicate with God unless you have first sacrificed your self-oriented natural man and have brought yourself into the lower levels of meekness, to become acceptable for the Light of Christ.

* Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope. Light will flow into your soul.

* Pause to ponder the suffering Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the awareness of the depth of gratitude for him, you appreciate every opportunity to show your love for him by diligently serving in his Church.

* God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve.

* God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us--everything will fall into its place.

* Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin.

* When you cannot love someone, look into that person's eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him.

* Never judge anyone. When you accept this, you will be freed. In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge, help them to become their own judges.

* If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again.

* Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts. If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm. On the road toward salvation, let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts.

* Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words. Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet. Be aware of that as you enter places of worship.

* Be not so much concerned about what you do, but do what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction.

* You want to be good and to do good. That is commendable. But the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost. Then he will teach us what is really good and necessary to do.

* The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it.

* Be grateful for every opportunity to serve. It helps you more than those you serve.

* And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something better.

Have a great day! - Tyler

Bliss

6 years ago my wife said yes to being my eternal bride. We were looking through old pictures from our dating days and I found this one that, to me, captures the essence of our love. I am a lucky man.

Which Virtue Is Most Important To You?

I often reflect back on our Founding Fathers and the amazing example they were of how to be Men even during challenging times. One thing that I have always felt these men embodied was Virtue. Recently a good friend email the following to me:

Virtue

Franklin sought to cultivate his character by a plan of thirteen virtues, which he developed at age 20 (in 1726) and continued to practice in some form for the rest of his life. His autobiography lists his thirteen virtues as:

1. "TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."
2. "SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation."
3. "ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time."
4. "RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."
5. "FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing."
6. "INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions."
7. "SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly."
8. "JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty."
9. "MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve."
10. "CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation."
11. "TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."
12. "CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation."
13. "HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."

Franklin didn't try to work on them all at once. Instead, he would work on one and only one each week "leaving all others to their ordinary chance". While Franklin didn't live completely by his virtues and by his own admission, he fell short of them many times, he believed the attempt made him a better man contributing greatly to his success and happiness, which is why in his autobiography, he devoted more pages to this plan than to any other single point; in his autobiography Franklin wrote, "I hope, therefore, that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit."^[59]

I love that Benjamin Franklin didn't attempt to fix everything at once. Anybody who has attempted certainly understands the frustration that can ensue. By "leaving all others to their ordinary chance" he was able to put all available resources into one and increase the chances of seeing change in his life. I'm not sure which one I'm going to pick to start on, but I'm certainly going to follow the plan.

Is there one that you want to work on most of all?

If this is your store

You know you've made it. When you can draw enough people to wait in
line for over a half hour for a cupcake it is safe to say you have a
devoted following. I just felt bad for the gelato store next door.

3/18

Today is a special day in my house. My wife of nearly 6 years turned 31. We celebrated it with a little trip to Disneyland with my oldest daughter. Overall it was pretty fun.

I love how gleeful (haven't used that word in a while) Taylor looks on the swings next to her Mom.


And at 31 my cute wife can still throw her hands up and have some fun.


See!



I love you Tanya. Thank you for all of your support and dedication. I hope your birthday was great, but it isn't over...

Oh, and we hung out with this guy (he walked past us) today at Disneyland. I was going to crop the picture but I love the face the scooter lady is making. Later on the same lady complemented me on my T-Shirt. True story. See you next time Kobe Bryant, maybe we can share a tea cup.


This may be too many pics in one post, but hey I was inspired by Kobe.

Space Ranger 1 actually had 1200 points, but I guess that's not enough to register.

Videos From Africa

Compare these two videos:

1.


2.

And all this time I thought we were tough for chasing the Giraffe.

Front Page News

I love working for a company that is actively working to remedy two
major issues facing American consumers.

Who will watch the watchers?

On our way down to San Diego yesterday we spotted this:

Don't worry, the passenger took the photo.

There are a lot of questions raised by this type of an incident. Although I am hopeful that there was a good reason that the officer in the photo was on his cell phone while driving, which for those of you that don't know is against California law, it reminds me of the Latin saying:
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

What do rough and tough construction workers want after a long day at work?

How about an ice cold... Frozen Yogurt?

I can just hear them now:

Rough and tough Man #1 - "Man, I'm getting tired from all this jack hammering."
Rough and tough Man #2 - "I feel ya, I could really use a nice cold one."
Rough and tough Man #1 - "Me too, an original sweet tart with strawberries and gummy bears would sure hit the spot."

I love that thanks to my iphone I always have a camera on me to capture memorable moments such as this.