Tyler Jorgenson

“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!

“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.”

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.’

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.