Tyler Jorgenson

One Entrepreneur's Journey To Find Greatness

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Completing and Remembering 2008

Completing and Remembering 2008

Last year I shared a document that I borrowed from a friend of mine and it was well received so I thought it would be good to share again.

When you are setting your resolutions remember to set goals that are SMART.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time Bound

An old adage: “A Goal Not Written is Merely a Wish” comes to mind. Print out this document and prepare to create some great goals so that 2009 can be your best year yet.

Happy New Year!

(and since I always like having a picture in each post. Make it a goal not to be a competitive jerk in 2009.)

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Times Square

I try to make an impact wherever I go. I enjoy networking, meeting new people, helping strangers, tipping cabbies, etc. Trying to make an impact in a city as impacted as New York was a fun challenge. This picture of me was up on Times Square on Dec 15, 2008 at 2:57pm. It isn’t ‘real’ in the fact that I’m not really TIME magazines person of the year, but it was really displayed just like the picture shows.


New York really touched me. I am inspired to be bigger. I am inspired to be better so that the ripples of my life’s work reach far and help many. The world has plenty of followers… I’m not one of them.

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I Love…

New York. The shirts are so popular for a reason, I guess.


I’ll be doing some other posts on specific experiences and lessons learned during my recent trip, but for now I just thought I’d let you know that the city was inspiring.

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A Thanksgiving Goodbye

Just before sitting down to dinner with my wife’s family I got a call from my Aunt and Uncle informing me that my Father’s Father had passed away. This was not entirely unexpected but still caught me a bit off guard. My Grandfather was 94 years old and had been very strong well into his 80’s. A while back he was diagnosed with Leukemia and in the end had at least 3 types of cancer. I am confident that it was his “time to go”, as they say. No amount of preparation can truly prepare one for the moment when death visits a family member. I find myself reflecting on memories of my Grandfather and also on the legacy that I am currently establishing for my posterity. That legacy is what remains when it’s our time to pass on, and I don’t plan on leaving anything behind that isn’t phenomenal.

A few months ago we went to visit my Grandfather and introduce him to his only Great Grandson that shares his last name.


So, in addition to the US Flag Code Section 4 I am also grateful for a loving God that has a plan for us. Hug the ones you love.

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A National Day of Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Tyler Jorgenson

Earlier this week I was reading through the Flag Code of the United States and came to the section regarding the Pledge of Allegiance. In response to a challenge of the use of the words ‘under God’ in the pledge Congress presented it’s findings to justify it’s choice to leave the words in the pledge. 16 findings were cited but number 6 stood out to me and I’d like to share it with you:

“6. On September 25, 1789, the First Congress unanimously approved a resolution calling on President George Washington to proclaim a National Day of Thanksgiving for the people of the United States by declaring, ‘a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a constitution of government for their safety and happiness.'”

On this Day of Thanksgiving it is my hope that we can all have gratitude in our hearts for this great land in which we live. May today be full of warmth and happiness for you and yours.

With Gratitude,

Tyler Jorgenson

If you are interested in learning more about the products like Loan Modifications that Ascension Financial Ascensionoffers please click here to email me. Ascension Real Estate is here to assist buyers and sellers in today’s opportunity market.

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Rules for a Perfect Day

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.

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Upcoming Election

This post is in response to a request from my friend Viwe in South Africa.

This will be an election for the record books. Here in California tens of millions of dollars have been raised to campaign the yays and nays for Proposition 8. We have a very interesting, if not comical, Presidential campaign going on and I can’t help but shake my head in wonder. Are these really the best two candidates we can find? I think both Men are strong, capable and intelligent. I just want more from a President. I want a person of conviction and moral fortitude. I want somebody free from the influences of their party and driven by the rights of the people.

These clips illustrate the comedic nature of the election.

The preamble to our Nation’s Constitution says it well:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I do not believe that the views of either Barack Obama or John McCain are in line with furthering this great cause. I am not as well versed in the Constitution as I would like to be. I recognize that I know very little about the details and innerworkings of Congress and the Senate. Like Gov. Palin I did not know exactly what the Vice President does all day. Obama does give me a vague feeling of discomfort, but I am also not a fan of many of the people and organizations that he is and has been affiliated with.

In California there are 10 choices on election day, not just two. I do not think I will cast my vote for either of the bi-partisan candidates. A friend said we needed to choose between ‘the evil of two lessers’ and although I enjoyed the wit I refuse to cast my ballot behind somebody that I do not believe to be the right leader of this great Nation.

If this bored you, thanks for reading to the end anyway.

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Goodbye to my Treo

Dear John… I mean Treo,

I know we’ve both felt this for sometime. The disconnect between us has been growing for a couple of years now. We’ve both tried to work on our relationship. When our relationship first struggled with the 600 we went to counseling and I upgraded to the 650, again a while later when I upgraded to the 680. I know that give and take is needed in any relationship, so I have been patiently giving knowing that time is needed for personal growth and product development. Most recently it has seemed like there just wasn’t enough battery life in our time together. You wouldn’t call when you said you would and I just couldn’t count on you to get turned on no matter how hard I tried to push your buttons. I know many couples face this and work through it, so I feel I must tell you that there is another device in my life now. One that listens to me, whose buttons are far more simpler to push and responds so much more intuitively to my every touch. I know that it’s hard to put blame on anybody here, and just know that it’s not you… it’s me. I wanted more in a relationship…

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Worth Reading

I may not agree with all that is said in the following articles, but I certainly feel the thoughts expressed therein merit serious consideration.

This LA Times Article is actually worth reading – it touched on McCain’s labeling of Obama as a Socialist.

This article explores that suggestion more closely.

AIM.org touches on greater ‘evidence’ of the international Socialist connections of Obama.

Yet another post on the topic.

As one who believes in a Free Market economy, ethical capitalism and the God given potential of the individual I am worried we are not studying enough about the motives behind the current candidates.

Enjoy your Saturday.

One More good one from the UK about Fidel Castro supporting Barack Obama.

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Fall

I usually leave the posting of photos of my fantastic family to the ubertalented and beautiful Mrs. Jorgenson but after editing this weekends bounty I could not resist. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful life. Take a look at these kids, they’re amazing!

I love the colors in this one as my little man reaches in for the pumpkin

Just strolling through the pumpkin patch

Hunting


The Family
That’s a bountiful harvest if I’ve ever seen one

To my wife and kids – Thank you for being my inspiration.
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Wild Ride! At the Epicenter

So I just got an E-Ticket ride while sitting at my desk working. There was an earthquake 11:42pm with the Epicenter less than 2 miles from me. I’m in the tallest building in all of the Chino Valley (a monsterous 4 floors) and am on the top floor in the corner. I had to dodge a couple of my tribal masks, but all is well.


These not so subtle reminders come now and again to remind us of all that we have.

P.S. I’m on WIPEOUT tonight at 8pm on ABC. 🙂

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Balancing Work and Family

Ever since the birth of my oldest daughter 3 1/2 years ago I have had to really focus on the balance I maintain between work and family. It certainly is not an easy thing to do. This week I traveled up North with my wife, kids and parents to visit my Grandfather. My Dad’s Father is 93 years old and is battling 3 types of cancer. My Granny couple of years back so my youngest two were never lucky enough to meet her. To add to the importance of taking this trip, my son is the only Male Jorgenson of his generation from my Grandfather’s line, none of my Jorgenson cousins had boys. We felt it was very important to make sure they met at least once and take a 4 generation picture.

We’re staying at my Aunt and Uncle’s beach house in Capitola, which is like living in a dream because it is so beautiful. The challenge is that I had to travel and be here during the week, so I am still fielding work calls and emails. I don’t mind being accesible for my clients because I understand that we are dealing with time sensitive matters and financial issues that can be very stressful. Other than the fact that my cell phone doesn’t work in the house I have been responding to emails and calls promptly. But then I see this sight, taken yesterday evening, and put the phone away and remember what is most important.


I love my clients, and count many of them as friends, but nothing trumps my wife and kids.

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How I lost 25 pounds

The way I lost the last 25 pounds, in reverse order.

3.  Get really sick so you can’t eat for a week.
2.  Enjoy a lot of anxiety in a changing real estate market.
1.  Eat This Not That

Tanya and I really started trying to eat better.  We didn’t really eat horribly before, but we made some small changes.  At dinner Tanya would make the lower fat or lower calorie versions of the meals, and 90% of the time they actually tasted just as good or better.  If we have to eat out we don’t order french fries, even the kids want the fruit cups at Chick-Fil-A.  I stopped eating a bag of tortilla chips with cheese dip every week.  I had no idea how bad those were.  Tonight I had carrot sticks with fat free blue cheese dressing and a few slices of cheddar cheese on low sodium saltines.  It’s not very scientific, and I am no nutritionist, but it’s been working for Tanya and me.

Recently I found this great site and have loved the blog posts from the author of the book ‘Eat This, Not That’.  Here’s a link to the most recent post, and a brief excerpt.  In this post he gives 7 great snack foods.  #6 was the one that destroyed my favorite on the go breakfast.

6. When You Need to Wake Up and Go…

Eat This:
Eggs and Whole-Wheat Toast
Eggs are a great source of protein, and having them for breakfast sets you up for a perfect day of eating. Saint Louis University researchers found that people who eat eggs for breakfast consume 264 fewer calories the rest of the day than those who eat bagels and cream cheese.

Not That!
Bagel and Cream Cheese
At 500 calories and 20 grams of fat, this deli disaster is one of the worst ways to start your day. Sixty grams of fast-burning carbohydrates will cause a dip in energy and a spike in hunger, long before lunchtime. The same goes for croissants, danish, donuts, and pancakes.

I have never been too big of a donut fan, but I love Bagels and Cream Cheese.  I always got the low fat Cream Cheese so I thought it was pretty healthy.  Most bagel store bagels are at least 250 calories plain… so it’s just not a good start.  Tanya recently made eggs for breakfast for the kids and they loved it, so I think we’ll have to start doing that more.  Whole Wheat English Muffins are REALLY good tasting too… maybe I’ll go get some for breakfast tomorrow.

Now that I’ve lost a bit of weight I need to get into shape.  As the world will see on July 29th, I am VERY out of shape.  I am preparing for the mocking.

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Have you seen the Pyramids?

Gone skydiving? Traveled to Hong Kong? Been on Safari? Helped a stranger for the better?
My beautiful wife rented The Bucket List for us to watch. I’m not much for writing movie reviews, but all in all it was a good flick. It made me think a little bit about my life’s goals and aspirations. In the movie Morgan Freeman’s character has a nice family life (but a stale marriage), a modest job and a traditional home. Somehow he ends up sharing a hospital room with Jack Nicholson’s character (sorry about the Lakers in Game 4 Jack) who is an extremely wealthy man, but with no family ties to speak of. Both characters get to impart a bit of their views to the other through the movie and end up better people in the end.

The first thing I thought of was my amazing family. I have three ridiculously amazing children and a super star wife. If I were left desolate in a shack in Tulsa (the Paris of Oklahoma) but I had my family then life would be alright. The next thing I thought about is that I want to see some stuff while I’m on this earth. I’ve been lucky to chase giraffe in Africa and I am very grateful for my time there… but I want to see Machu Picchu, sing to my wife in Italy, tour the Holy Land and climb Kilimanjaro.

While I was in South Africa I read some words in Afrikaans that have stuck with me.

Gryp Die Dag


Many of you know it’s Latin counterpart, Carpe Diem. Both say the same thing so both are obviously good but Gryp Die Dag, said in a gluteral and milataristic voice full denotes expedient and forceful action. Carpe Diem is so much more poetic and light.

That being said, two questions to think about?

1. What is one thing you feel you MUST do before you kick the bucket?

2. What is the most rewarding thing you can do TODAY?

My thoughts after watching the movie are in line with Baird’s poem:

Time flies on wings of lightning;
We cannot call it back;

It comes, then passes forward
Along its onward track;
And if we are not mindful,
The chance will fade away;
For life is quick in passing.
‘Tis as a single day.

Life your life with a sense of determined urgency. Reap while the sun shines.

Entertain me and leave a comment with your answer to question #1. Maybe there’s a prize for whoever leaves a comment with the most original answer.

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Is failure part of success?

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.

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This Day in History

Washington, who served as commander-in-chief of the Continental army in the American Revolution, was elected the first President of the US after the adoption of the Constitution. His two-term administration was marked by the establishment of a number of key American institutions that continue to operate today. Because of his central role in the founding of the US, Washington is often called the “Father of his Country.” Can you think of 5 places or institutions that are named after him?

George Washington remains the only President to receive 100% of the electoral votes. That certainly is a stark contrast to this years race. In this time full of war, economic crisis and general uncertainty it would be nice if we had clarity as a nation on who is best suited to lead us out of the mire.

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