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 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.
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.
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.
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.
During church today the troubled economy came up 643 times. I’m exaggerating, it couldn’t have been more than 625. I know these times are tough and that they try the character of Men but I am confident that we will overcome and appear on the other end better and stronger than before. For the past year I have been working with some friends to create a sustainable financial services company. When other companies are shrinking we have been hiring 3-4 employees per month and look to pick up the pace through ’09. Our goal is to ensure that the company remains agile enough to adjust to market conditions. We believe that in any market there is an opportunity to make money and strive to be prepared for what may come.
One of the few magazines I get is FORTUNE and I enjoy the issue that comes this time of year spotlighting the top 100 places to work in the United States of America. It is my personal goal to have Ascension on this list by 2014. (I was going to say 2012 but according to some that’s going to be a tough year, and I didn’t want to be misunderstood for stating said year.)
We’re working on an updated purpose statement and ‘10 commandments‘ for our firm. I’ll share them when they’re done.
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.
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.
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.
”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.
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:
So some guys ‘stole’ my law, named it the law of attraction and made a killing marketing the concept that the things we dwell upon become bigger in our lives. The Law of Expectation that I began formulating in 1999 while living in Africa is a little different, and I plan on expounding on it in a post shortly.
I have been waiting on some pretty big deals to close recently. Three big ones and a couple little ones, but they’re all big to me right now. With the real estate market in turmoil none of these deals have gone remotely close to as planned and this has been the source of a small *cough* amount of stress in my life. But today things begin to change in my favor. There may not be one specific thing that will change today, but I believe that the momentum will finally be picking up and moving in my direction. I’m ready to unload these three so I can focus on new projects and spend some quality time with the family that has been so patient with me.
So if you woke up this morning and smelled something in the air, it was the winds of change and it smells GREAT!
I rarely read email forwards, but for some reason I watched this video that was forwarded to me today. I’m really glad that I did, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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.
