Tyler Jorgenson

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

Do you know of the man Thomas Paine? I’ll admit I knew very little other than that he was involved in early revolutionary politics and the author of some political pamphlets. On my Google Homepage I get a This Day In History snippet.

It was 233 years ago when Paine self published Common Sense, which convinced many colonists, including George Washington and John Adams, to seek redress in political independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain . Here are a couple great quotes from the 233 year old pamphlet:

“But where says some is the king of America? I’ll tell you friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the royal brute of Britain. … so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America the law is king.”

“. . . have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the event of a few months.”

It truly is wonderful that inspired men laid the foundation for the freedoms enjoyed today by so many.

As a final trivia piece it was Paine that first suggested the name The United States of America.

While in New York last month my wife and I visited the Federal Hall where President George Washington was inaugurated as our first President of this great and free land. Standing on the steps of that great monument I felt for a moment the powerful strength of the Founding Fathers. They were men of Character and Valor. Standing on the tops of the steps one looks directly out at the New York Stock Exchange. It is an interesting juxtaposition of two of the great pieces of the United States. The last few years have seen what each the Federal Hall and the NYSE represent challenged, tested and beaten up. Our economy is in peril and the leaders in our government have in many ways let down the people they were asked to serve.

I came across the following quote from the magnanimous Thomas Jefferson:

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

My view from sitting on the steps of the Federal Hall was clear. It’s time to stand up. Literally, the steps were quite cold and I didn’t need my back side getting cold. In a more meaningful sense it was time to stand up and start acting.

I am so grateful to live in America. This truly is the land of opportunity, and now is the time to seek out those opportunities. Fortunes are made in the Bear markets, the profits are usually just realized in the Bull.

It’s not the proper roll of the Government to come in and save all of the companies or to bail each of us out. It’s our job to learn from our mistakes and grow stronger. We can grow stronger. We can get smarter. We can prosper again.

Rules for a Perfect Day
Author: Tom Hopkins

Just for today…

I will try to live and delight in the reality of being alive. My past is forever gone, my future an uncertainty, so I will be happy and thankful for each moment.

I will not allow negative input into my mind…happiness is a choice and I choose to be happy.

I will be thankful to God for my health, my loved ones, my business, and my country. I will also be thankful for any pain in crisis that helps me grow because God has said, be thankful in all things.

I will take care of my body, realizing the importance of the words moderation and balance, knowing that as I bring my flesh under control, how much easier it will be to control my will and my actions.

I will treat everyone I meet today the way I would like to be treated. I will strive to have them like themselves better when they’re with me.

I will avoid gossip, jealousy, and negative thinking. Most people don’t think about what they think about. Today, I will make a conscious effort to hold loving and beautiful thoughts in my mind.

I will write down my priorities; thinking of my loved ones and my responsibilities. I may not get everything done, but I will do the most productive thing possible at every given moment.

I will strive to humble myself before others, controlling my ego and making other people feel important.

I will spend time in study, learning how to better serve my fellowman. I know my growth in all areas is in direct proportion to the service I give to others.

I will not take rejection personally. I am first and foremost in the people business and, thus, realize they can only reject my proposal and not me. I will keep on keepin’ on.

I will spend time in prayer, asking God to let others see the light of His shining love through me.

©Copyright 1976 Tom Hopkins International, Inc.

An interesting thing about blogging is that you start to feel like you are friends with the people whose blogs you read, even though you don’t know them personally. DJ is a friend of my friend Deyl and they are both amazing entrepreneurs, but in very different fields. DJ posted this on his blog, which was borrowed from one of his friends blogs. I really like the way this video is put together.

It seems to me that most people that we think of as highly successful didn’t arrive at that destination on their first go round. What makes these people different is their perseverance and their resiliency to the negative and debilitating obstacles that were in their paths. We are all faced with stumbling blocks, or failures, and we must each determine how we will react to the challenge.

When I was about 13 years old my Bishop at church shared this poem with us, he had it memorized.

The Race
By: Delbert H. Groberg

Quit, Give up! You’re beaten! They shout at me and plead.
There’s just too much against you now, this time you can’t succeed.

And as I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
My downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.

And hope fills my weakened will, as I recall that scene
For just the thought of that short race rejuvenates my being.

A children’s race — young boys, young girls.
How I remember so well.

They all lined up so full of hope; each thought to win that race,
Or tie for first, or if not that, at least tie for second place.

And every parent watched from off the side, cheering for their daughters and their sons,
And every kid hoped to show their mom and dad, that they would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they went, young hearts and hopes afire.
To win and be the hero was each and every kid’s desire.

And one boy in particular whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running near the lead and thought, my dad will be so proud.

But as they speeded down the field, across a shallow dip,
The little boy who thought to win, lost his step and slipped.

And trying hard to catch himself, his hands flew out to brace,
Mid the laughter of the crowd he fell right upon his face.

So down he fell and with him hope, he couldn’t win it now,
Embarrassed, sad, if he could only disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win the race.”

He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit, that’s all,
And ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself — to catch up and to win, His mind went faster than his legs — and he slipped and fell again.

He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace,
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”

But in the laughing crowd, he searched and found his father’s face,
That steady look which said again, “Get up and win the race.”

So up he jumped to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m going to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to move real fast.”

Exerting everything he had, he regained eight or ten,
But trying so hard to catch the lead he slipped and fell again.

Defeat! He lay there silently, a tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running any more. Three strikes, I’m out. Why should I even try?

The will to rise had disappeared, all hope had fled away.
So far behind, so error prone, a loser all the way.

“I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought, “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad whom soon he’d have to face.

Get up, an echo sounded, get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here, Get up and win the race.

With borrowed will, Get up, it said, You haven’t lost at all.
For winning is no more than this: To rise each time you fall.

So up he rose to run once more, and with a new commit,
He resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.

So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been.
Still he gave it all he had and ran as though to win.

Three times he’d fallen, stumbling: Three time he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran his best to the end.

They cheered the winning runner as she crossed the line in first place.
Head high and proud, and happy, no falling, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster crossed the line in final place,
The crowd gave him the greatest cheer for just finishing the race.

And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud, You would have thought he’d won the race to listen to the crowd.

And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said, “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and hard and difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy should help all of us in our race.

For all of life is like that race with ups and down and all,
And all you have to do to win, is rise each time you fall.

“Quit, give up, you’re beaten,” they will always shout in your face.
But another voice within you will say, “Get up and win the race.”

These are challenging times in which we live. It seems we work harder and longer to make ends meet and the payouts seem to be getting smaller. With all of the challenges, failures and set backs just remember, rise each time you fall.

I saw this quote hanging on an office wall today:

”We Cannot govern the length of our lives, but we can control the depth and breadth of our lives. We cannot control the weather, but we can control the atmosphere that surrounds us. There is a raise in your future. It becomes effective when you do.” Hank Trisler

I really enjoyed the concepts put forth in this quote. I have long believed that we are the sum of the people we surround ourselves with. The atmosphere around us relates to the people with which we associate, the way in which we communicate, the attitudes we exhibit et cetera. So much of our lives are wasted in the wrong local weather of doubt and fear. We empower ourselves when we create a positive forward thinking, problem solving environment in which to dwell.

Recently I’ve been wanting a ‘raise’. To hear it put that it is there ready for me, as soon as I am effective enough to obtain it was humbling. Today I am empowering myself to be more effective in my goals.
p.s. I included this comic because I found it humorous… not because I think this young lad was being more effective… I mean, I could handle $250 a glass but $500 is just crazy.

This first quote was included in an email forward, and I really enjoyed the visual it stimulated in my mind. Which of our Presidential candidates is most like the man in the bucket?

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

This second quote is one of my all time favorites. I believe in persevering through challenging times and sometimes a simple quote like this reminds us to do just that.

I’m not much of a favorites type of guy. When it comes to quotes and poems I love that one can find it’s way into your life at just the right time. Today I was reminded of this poem:

Do you have a favorite quote or poem? One that has helped you through a challenging time, or that provided inspiration when you needed it most?

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.
– Thomas Jefferson

Readers of this blog know that I am a proponent of liberty and limited government. In this election year the above quote stands out to me for I feel that we are faced with candidates that are not overly concerned in our individual freedom. I agree with Jefferson. In both the case of the people having ‘too much’ liberty and in being overly limited there are inconveniences. I much prefer those accompanying liberty than of being led blindly into socialism and heavy handed government.

I just started reading another book, Sharing The Wealth by Alex Spanos, owner of the Chargers. I’ve only read the forward and the first chapter but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Rush Limbaugh wrote the forward in this book about Spanos, who became America’s number 1 builder of apartments from extremely humble beginnings. Here is one quote I loved:

“Two things separate America from the rest of the world. First is our freedom. Second is our Founding Fathers and their brilliance in constructing a Constitution that is itself founded on the notion of the yearning of the human spirit. Our Founding Fathers knew that this spirit is part of our creation. That spirit, that yearning for freedom, comes from God, not from other men granting it to some and not to others, and they wrote a Constitution that limits not the freedom of the American people but rather the power of those we elect to govern us. This is the framework from which individual greatness grows, and to understand this is to understand the roots of this country’s amazing success.”
– Rush Limbaugh

I wish more people had the same level of respect for the Constitution and the Founding Fathers.

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
– Thomas Jefferson

I have long been a believer that we create much of our own destiny. There are certainly times when we are lucky without any exceptional effort on our parts, but Jefferson learned that if you want to create a lifetime of fortunate circumstances you must work hard. I would only add that one must also work smart, although I feel that concept is becoming a bit cliche.

Jefferson is on the $2.00 bill, the nickel and the 2007 $1 coin. I think it is worth noting that the early $2.00 bill had Battleship on the reverse. How much luck would a battleship have if it’s crew did not work hard? The $2.00 bill currently has a depiction of the signing of the declaration of independence, another example of a bit of ‘luck’ that came about by the blood, sweat and tears of some great men.
This wasn’t intended to turn into a history lesson, and I may lose a few readers because of it, but I think it is important to show that Jefferson had a sure foot to stand on when he made this quote.

Now, enjoy your week. Work hard, and create some luck.

on a 5 cent coin in 2005.

on a 5 cent coin in 2006.

on a 2007 dollar coin.

Which do you prefer?

Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum

or

Cogito, ergo sum

The shirt to the right cracks me up. A while back I read a post on some blog somewhere that many people blog not because they expect a lot of readers but because they feel a sense of accomplishment when they click the ‘publish post’ button. How weird are we as a people that we feel a level of validation from such a thing. I’m not much of a blue collar working with my hands and sweating all day type of a guy and I do feel good when I create something that I can look back on and see the fruits of my labor. I guess that means I blog for me… even though all this time I thought I was blogging for you, the reader… or at least I thought I was doing it for us. Maybe that’s still it. I know that people feel all warm and fuzzy when they get comments left from visitors. This little blog of mine had over 50 visitors (not many, but hey I’m not complaining) the other day and few comments. Do we blog to interact? Do we blog to share? Do we blog just so that there is some evidence that we once existed… blogito ergo sum?

There exists in the world a marketing genius, he goes by the name of Seth Godin and his books always have a funny title. This photo is from an interview that was done about his latest book Meatball Sundae. One benefit of the availability of information is that people can see the deceitful more quickly. When somebody comes to me for a home loan, they can click anywhere on their browser and see if it’s a good deal (I can’t give somebody a 7% rate on a ‘normal’ loan when everywhere else on the web advertises 5.5%… nor would I!). For some it is a bane to live in a transparent world. For me, it is a blessing. Either way, Godin has his own action figure so that makes him quotable in my book.

I hijacked todays post from a Trump email. I think it speaks for itself:

With the Right Mindset, You Can Overcome Any Problem