Tyler Jorgenson

A friend once lent me a Steven Pressfield book called The War of Art. In the book Pressfield talks about something called Resistance. Resistance is that force that keeps us away from our full potential. Somedays we encounter it as laziness and other times we find Resistance dressed in the clothes of routine. The point is that, if we want to make anything of ourselves, we must fight Resistance in this long battle of personal development.

I look back on this blog and feel a spectrum of emotions wash over me. I feel sadness for not writing more. I feel pride for many of the posts since many of them tell stories of past battles. I feel shame for some of the posts seem silly or condescending through the lens of time.  I feel joy for the times I shared about my family.  But the emotion I expected least of all, the one that is catching me off guard like a punch in the gut, is that of fear.

I’m scared.

I’m scared that Resistance has been winning.

I’m scared that I’m operating below my potential.

What scares me most of all is I’m not sure how long Resistance has been winning.

The Shift

In the 2013 movie ‘Jobs’ Ashton Kutcher, playing legendary Apple founder Steve Jobs says to a project lead:

Ok Jeff, let’s get a couple of things straight, we don’t do fine, we don’t accept things the way that they are and we don’t stop innovating.  

In the movie I was reminded of an old Steve Jobs photo where he’s on his desk and there is a simple black poster with the word THINK written in rainbow colors and block font.

That poster along with the quote I just shared seem to have awoken something within me.

I don’t accept fine.

I don’t accept things the way that they are.

I never stop innovating.

Let the battle rage on. I’m here for the war.

The interview had gone really well up to this point and the USC admissions director, closing the interview, said “Is there anything else that you feel the admissions committee should know about you?”

“I think you should see my socks.” I replied.

Most days I now wear socks like this.  They’re great quality and very comfortable and they serve two additional purposes.

1. They remind me to never take myself too seriously.  Life is to be enjoyed and is far too short to be lived in an uptight manner.  For me, these socks remind me to laugh, to live and to savor every moment of it all as my unique life experience.

2. They remind me that anything is possible.  Jonah Staw and a few friends started a company back in 2004 with the idea of answering the problem of the missing sock by selling 3 mis matched pairs to a pack.  Their target market usually doesn’t even have their own money, 8-12 year old girls.  Seth Godin mentioned that their annual sales are now over 40 Million USD.  Check out Little Miss Matched.

The interview went really well and the socks were just the extra touch I was hoping they would be.  I got my acceptance letter to the USC MBA program last week.  Time to come up with some $$ to pay for tuition.

“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!

I had a good Dad.

Now, I’m just trying to be one.

We had a great day up in the mountains. I had to check on a couple of things for WrightwoodCabins.com and the kids love playing with their Grandma and Grandpa J so we piled into the truck and headed up the hill.

Tanya is always wanting to get a good family pic and the kids were in good spirits. While we were posing with the little red house behind us snow from the tree fell down on us.

I love spending time with the wife and kids. Especially when my Mom and Dad provide pizza and hot cocoa. Thanks!

Thanks to websites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn I have been able to reconnect with many of my friends from ages past. These sites are also good for meeting and networking with new people, but I particularly enjoy the reconnecting part. Blogs have become more popularized over the past few years and there aren’t too many of us guys out here. One of my friends from the past, I think we trick or treated together in 1989, is Deyl. Deyl and his wife Paige have issued a challenge to the blogosphere… make them give until it hurts.

Deyl and Paige are going to donate $10 to Opportunity International for every comment on their post titled ‘Make me give ’til it hurts’ before the first Thursday in November. Go to his site and tell him Tyler sent you. Just follow the 3 steps he outlined… spread the word… change the world.

Thanks Deyl and Paige… you guys are inspirational.

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.

The family and I are staying at Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas for a few days. This is an amazing part of the world, truly breathtaking views and spectacular beaches. We’ve stayed here before but somehow this time it’s different. It’s in my blood now… this is where we’ll end up. It’s just a matter of time, well and a lot of cash. Driving around here is like going to a fancy car convention. I hope they don’t mind my cool guy minivan. The doors are automatic… is that cool enough to fit in?

The 8 million dollar homes and $450,000 cars are nothing compared to these assets.

We discovered Crystal Cove State Beach for the first time and fell deeply in love.

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.

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.

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.

I love California. I count myself very lucky to live in such a diverse part of the world. Within an hour or so from our house we can find just about anything. We can shoot up to our cabin in 45 minutes, head to the beach in under an hour, cruise to San Diego in a short jaunt, etc. Last night my wife was trying to figure out something to do today and we somehow ended up planning on a trip to UCLA for a book fair. The fair was huge and was spread out across the entire, large, UCLA campus. Unfortunately there wasn’t a ton to do there for kids, other than watch their parents buy them books, so we didn’t stay too long. We decided to head towards to beach, 4 miles away and ended up at Dukes in Malibu for an early dinner. Dinner at any restaurant with two 15 month olds and a 3 year old is a challenge, but our waitress was great and just smiled the whole time as she watched us deal with our masticating maelstrom. After our great dinner we went looking for a place for the kids to play and ended up having a great time on the beach. Not only do I live in a great place, but I get to do so with this great family! Lucky? Oh yes!

I caught part of the movie Spanglish on the tele last night and the main family in the movie moves to Malibu for the summer… I don’t think that’s such a bad idea. Maybe I can house swap my cabin for somebodies ocean front property for a few months!

Pain or Pleasure?

A friend of mine has a great post about motivation. His friend is building a mansion in Santa Barbara as a speculative investment and is considering moving in rather than selling, even though the market is hot enough to sell, so that the mansion will motivate him to achieve greater goals. Deyl asked: Do you think there is anything wrong with a material thing like a house being a motivator to work hard and smart? He has received some great responses so far.

What I find interesting about choice is that all of our choices in life come down to our desire to gain pleasure and our need to avoid pain. Think about it. From the very simple decisions in our lives to the most complex those two factors are at the root of our the choice we make.

Example

Ask a woman why she spends hour(s) every morning applying makeup and doing her hair. The answers are likely to be either because doing so makes her feel pretty (pleasure) or because not doing so may garnish some ridicule (pain).

You can go through any choice and break it down to these two factors. When the light turns red you stop to avoid pain. Even if you are certain no cars are coming you don’t want the pain of having to pay for a ticket and the serious agony of sitting in traffic school. If you give to charity, what is your motivating factor? Is it because you want the pleasure of helping somebody? Do you not want the pain of higher taxes and want the pleasure of a nice write off?

Understanding these two principals is helping me understand what drives me and what influence the decisions I make. I am currently in the middle of a few real estate deals that are generating a bit of stress, but the idea of the payout and the pleasure it will bring motivates me to make the deals work.

Just because we are driven by pleasure and pain doesn’t make us bad people. If the things that we associate pleasure to are being able to contribute back to society then that’s a good thing. If you get pleasure from knowing that you are providing for your family, creating employment, promoting commerce, etc then building a nice house for you and your (6) kids is a great thing. Especially if it’s going to motivate you to take on more ventures that are likely to continue the cycle even more. So, Deyls’ friend, build on and love your home. Enjoy the pleasure that comes from the sense of accomplishment and knowing that you are living in something that you envisioned from a bare lot and a bunch of sticks.

A friend of mine from Junior High and High School recently blogged about how one of the characteristics of the ‘New Rich’ was that they put themselves in the flow of money. This got me thinking about the businessmen and women that I network with and if I needed to work on getting closer to greater ‘flow’. I googled ‘California’s Richest Men’ (nothing sexest ladies, I would gladly network with wealthy women as well) and found this gem of an article. Published in The New York Times on January 4th, 1891 the list of California’s richest men started with a staggering net worth $250,000! Topped off by the founder of Stanford at $50,000,000. If a net worth of $50,000,000 seems like a lot just remember that Tiger Woods will pull in over 100 million USD in 2007 from endorsements only. He could probably afford the 250 Million Dollar yacht in my last post.

In 1891 a net work of $250,000 got you on the list… what will it be in another 116 years? Maybe the trio of Benjamin’s folded in my money clip will do the trick.

Click on the picture to see the article.

So, hopefully it won’t take me over 100 years to climb the list. If you don’t see me for a while, I’m out putting myself in the flow of money.

p.s. Although many of my posts will be on the topic of wealth attainment I do not feel that money should be our main goal in life. The most important things in my life are my God and my Family. My purpose in seeking wealth at a young age is to buy me time with my loved ones and the freedom to serve my God around the world.