The Setting Sun

Have you ever noticed the difference between the rising sun and the setting sun? What I notice is a difference in light. Looking at the rising sun, the light is bright. It is full of life as it gently wakes the resting world. It comes in gradually until we can see everything that its light touches casting out the darkness of the night. It brings a newness to the day. It's a fresh start with a bright future.

But as the sun is ready to rest from the day, it gives us a measure of it's beauty and power. It shows us the trails left behind in the sky and clouds. It seems like it is giving us a reminder of its strength and gentleness. We wish the sky could stay like that forever, but we all know that the sun must go away. The colors will fade away, and the darkness will once again cover the earth. However, the true beauty is that we all know that it will come again. The sun will rise and bring its light again.

As a child is born into this world, a newness of light is brought with it. There is a bright future for the infant as it comes with a fresh start. However, we all know that one day it will have to set. It will have to leave. As it leaves we can see the legacy they left behind. The trails of colors left in the sky and the clouds are reminders of how important they are to us in our life. We wish they could stay longer, but they have to set. Their presence will be missed and it seems like darkness creeps in and overtakes our entire world. However, just as the sun sets and rises again, so will our loved ones set and rise again. A fresh start will be given to them and we can one day embrace their light again.

Jesus Christ's life is a perfect example of the setting sun. The sunset of His Atonement gave us a beautiful display of selflessness, love and sacrifice. He paid the price to save us from our sins and death. Just as the sun rises every morning, the Savior did too rise again. His Resurrection is a promise to all who have ever lived on the earth that ALL will rise again. A fresh start. A new life. A new light. The darkness will be temporary. The sorrow will soon be gone, and the light will be seen and its warmth felt again.

The Unknown Secret of Aladdin's Lamp

I'm sure that we all know the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp. I grew up watching the Disney film and as I understand the story, Aladdin finds a magic lamp and once he rubs it a genie appears granting him three wishes.

You might have played a game similar to this growing up. Simply, you are granted three wishes with the rule that you cannot wish for more wishes. I believe there are some rules that applied to Aladdin in the Disney movie as well. I don't recall them off the top of my head, so I might take a trip down memory lane.

Anyway, Aladdin only has three wishes. Just three! No more. No less. One, two and three. That's it.

Honestly, I think that's a little cheap. He almost dies trying to get the lamp and he is only granted three wishes!? C'mon, Walt!

What if he had one more wish? What if he had five wishes? Or even 10? Or even 100? Or a 1000!? I'd still be watching the movie if that were the case.

But no. There is a limitation. A rule. Somebody telling him that he cannot have more.

We are like Aladdin in that we each have a magical lamp to rub. The difference is (and this is the secret) there are no limitations. There are no rules. We can choose to have as many wishes as we want! Imagine that! Having unlimited wishes!

But there is a catch! That's right. There's always a catch. And here it is. You and only you are the limitation. You have set your own rules to have limited wishes. You are choosing to have limited wishes.

It's time to break the rules and break the limitations into unlimited wishes, unlimited abundance, and unlimited freedom. You are the genie.

Just be careful what you wish for...

The Key to Receive

In grade school we learn about all the ridiculous rules in the English language. The most common one that we learn is taught to us in an almost cute yet taunting way. It goes something like this,

"-i- before -e-, except after -c-"

But even then, there are still exceptions! For this example, the rule is sufficient.

There is something unique about the word receive. It is to obtain, and to gain. When I think of receive, I think of Christmas. Many gifts and presents are received during the Christmas Season. When a gift is received it makes one happy. They feel joy and gratitude. But the secret to receive is actually found in the word itself.

Remember the rule about "-i- before -e-, except after -c-" and let's put some meaning behind those letters. -i- is "I" or me. -e- is everyone else. -c- is  for Christ. Now look at the spelling.

R-E-C-E-I-V-E

Christ comes first, before everyone and everything, and everyone else comes before "I" or me. That is how we receive. We receive when we put Christ and others first, and ourselves last. Once we do so we can receive joy and gratitude.

The Power of One Thought

There is immense power in just one individual thought. Many religious and philosophical leaders from all over the world have stated this quote or some variant of it.

This statement is true. However, I think we underestimate the power of this quote.

Let's reverse engineer this quote with examples of successful people. The two that immediately come to mind are Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Two men that have influenced and changed the way we live in this world.

Their destiny and legacy can be traced back down to one simple thought. If either of them decided not to plant those thoughts about technology and computers, where would we be today? I'm sure that we would be living in a completely different world in which we live now.

Let's take another example from the opposite side of the spectrum. Adolf Hitler. We can look at the legacy or destiny from Hitler's life and it too can be traced back to one simple thought. The entire world was forever changed because of Hitler. For him, it all started with some simple thoughts.

The thoughts that we choose to entertain in our minds can and will lead us to our destinies. One of our greatest powers is our mind and the ability to choose our thoughts. Which ones will you plant to reap your destiny?

Commit to 1000

I have been learning through some of my mentors about commitment. I have learned one key formula to gauge your level of commitment in life.

Ask yourself these two questions,

"On a scale of 1-10, how willing am I to learn today?"

and

"On a scale of 1-10, how willing am I to change today?"

Take these two numbers and multiply them. This is the first part of the formula.

The second part is to ask yourself this question,

"On a scale of 1-10, what is my level of energy and enthusiasm?"

Take this number and multiply it to the first number and what did you get?

You may have received a score of 192 as I did. Six for my willingness to learn, with eight for my willingness to change, and four for my energy and enthusiasm. That's a really low score! There is some serious need for growth!

There is no legend or chart to show that 1-100 are the turtles of the world and 900-1000 are the hares. It doesn't work like that, because anything less than 1000 should be reconsidered. Progression depends on the willingness to learn and the willingness to change coupled with the highest level of energy and enthusiasm.

Life is more easy and fun when there is excitement and energy! The more excitement and energy, the deeper our progression and development. Choose to live at 1000 everyday and see greater success and growth.

Compliments that Complement

Almost every English speaker struggles with homonyms; words that sound exactly the same but have entirely different meanings. Examples such as "hear" and "here", or "there", "their", and "they're" have caused a lot of grief. But there is one unique pair of homonyms that work well together. This post might even help you remember the difference between the too... I mean two.

Compliment (with an i) is to praise someone. It is sincerely appreciating someone else for who they are, for what they have accomplished, or for what they are simply wearing.

Complement (with an e) is to complete. It is to simply bring into perfection or completion.

I love these two words because our compl-i-ments can compl-e-ment another human being. Or in other words,

I believe that the world is running dry on compliments. Instead it has taken the easier route to criticize. To degrade and demean the good and worship and praise the bad. Criticism only cripples. It never helps. It never completes, but always falls short.

Let's choose the higher road and use our thoughts and words to praise and appreciate, to complete and to perfect, and to uplift and inspire.

Leaving Emotional Baggage Behind

I heard a story recently about two monks that gave me a greater perspective on life. Monks have sworn a life of celibacy, to the extent that they do not even touch members of the opposite sex.

These two monks were walking down a road when they saw a woman crossing a muddy part of the street. The first monk quickly helps and carries the woman across the muddy part of the street. They continue on their journey.

This bugged and perplexed the second monk deeply. After five hours of confusion he turns to the first monk and asks, "Why did you pick up that woman, when you know we are forbidden in doing things like that?"

The first monk looks at his colleague and simply says, "I put her down five hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?"

We carry a lot of mental baggage. This is the culmination of being victimized, being used, and being hurt. Mental baggage can burden and depress us to the point of insufficient self-worth. It can slow down progression almost to a complete stop.

The solution and resolve is within ourselves to simply forgive. Yes, it is that simple and yes, it is that hard. Simple is harder than complex, but simple always works.

Have the determination to leave behind mental baggage that only limits your potential and progression.

Lesson from the Sun

I'm reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It is an absolute must read for any human that breathes. It has helped me become a better individual overall.

There is a fable between the sun and wind that Carnegie uses to illustrate a point about approaching people. It goes something like this.

The wind and sun were quarreling about who was stronger. The wind proclaimed that he was stronger and to demonstrate, he told the sun that he could knock off the jacket of that man walking along the path. The sun went behind some clouds and the wind began to blow. And as he blew the man only clutched his jacket even harder. The wind blew harder, but the man simply clutched his jacket even more. The wind finally gave up, and gently the sun came out from behind the clouds. He gave the man a soft smile and the man took off his jacket because of the warmth he felt. The sun looked at the wind and said,

Everyone has the desire to be appreciated and valued. Simply offering a gentle smile can warm the heart of any individual.

The Secret to Wealth

I firmly believe that there is one simple secret that will help anyone achieve greater wealth. Now, there is a difference between wealth and rich. Wealth encompasses a lot more than just money and richness. Wealth is living in abundance. It is living in happiness. It is living in joy. And there is one secret that I have found to help me achieve greater wealth.

It is so simple that anyone can start doing it today. The moment you finish reading this, try it out and you can see a difference.

The secret and key to wealth is gratitude, and that's it.

As we express gratitude for the things we have rather than the things we lack, we can immediately feel more wealthy. It's even enough to start with your body. Just the fact that you can get up every morning and get out of bed and breath air is a miracle. Watch this video to understand miracle and greatness of the human body.

It is simple, but it can be tough. Thomas S. Monson said, "...gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

Be grateful everyday and you can see an immediate abundance of wealth.

Goal-Setters vs. Goal-Achievers

We have too many experts in the world that are goal-setters. They know how to come up with something they passively want to accomplish and write it down on a piece of paper. That piece of paper becomes lost and forgotten as does the goal itself.

I believe the world needs expert goal-achievers. There are two key ingredients I believe that can help us become goal-achievers. I'll share these two elements with two questions.

1.  What is your level of commitment?
2.  What is your level of character?

Dive deep into your goal and answer these two questions:

• How bad do you want it?
• What are you willing to sacrifice? 

I heard someone say for the new year that their goal was "to hit the gym hard." Being the literal person that I am, I imagined them standing outside the gym, looking at the building, and putting all of their strength into their fist as they smashed it into the wall. Goal accomplished. Not really. 

When this person declared their goal, I couldn't feel their commitment, and I certainly couldn't see their willingness to sacrifice either. How bad do you want it and what are you willing to sacrifice?

I heard one of my mentors say that "Character is consistently overcoming challenges." Sacrifice is always required to overcome challenges. Therefore, character equals the willingness to sacrifice something less for something of greater value. 

Once again, how bad do you want it? What are you willing to sacrifice? 

From Weeds to Wishes

I don't like dandelions. They make my lawn look ugly. I don't like having an ugly lawn. The worst thing about dandelions is that they spread easily. The wind can blow off their seeds and it seems like the next day they have doubled in number. I don't like that.

However, my wife has helped me gain a better appreciation for them. We were in our kitchen and I was looking into our backyard. I was noticing the dandelions scattered all across our lawn thinking, "I don't like you. Get off my lawn! You're making it ugly!"

My wife comes up behind me and says with excitement, "Oh! Look at all the wishes!"

I immediately thought, "WISHES! No, honey. Those are ugly dandelions and they are ruining our lawn!" But I thought a little bit further and I could understand what she really said.

Do you remember as a kid finding dandelions in the yard and plucking them up out of the ground? I certainly do. I didn't view them as ugly, worthless dandelions then, but rather I viewed them as dreams with unlimited possibilities. With a single wish and a huff and a puff, I could make my dreams come true.

What lens do you view the world in? Do you see things as annoyances, ugly, and undeserving? Or do you see them as wishes, dreams, and unlimited possibilities? There is beauty all around, we just need to open our eyes a little bit more.

Watch the joy and happiness this father and son enjoy with dandelions.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Everyday

Sometimes in my life I get into ruts. I just find myself living a routine or a pattern of life. Almost like Groundhog Day, but perhaps I am a little more unconscious of the repeating cycle. I awake myself from those moments and look for ways to get out. For me, living a routine life isn't ideal. I don't find satisfaction going through the motions. I want to live my life! It is my life and I can choose how I want to live it.

Through some mentoring and personal development, I found three simple questions that I can ask myself everyday that can bring satisfaction, fulfillment, and joy in my life.

Question #1 - What am I doing today that is better than what I did yesterday?

Question #2 - What am I learning today that I did not know yesterday?

Question #3 - What will I create today?

These questions provide me a daily quest or mission to accomplish. It gives me focus and purpose.

Question number three is probably my favorite. Life was given to us by an ultimate creator. We are God's greatest creation. He has given us the ability to create. So what will you create? I choose to create my life.

Learn how you can receive free mentoring and personal development.

"Whatever the mind can achieve and believe, it can conceive."

I have been doing some personal development and I came by this quote from Napoleon Hill,

"Whatever the mind can achieve and believe, it can conceive."

I feel like growing up I have heard this quote in many different shapes or forms. "You can do anything you put your mind to", or "Anything is possible." I honestly think though that most of us do not believe these statements. They work for other people, but why not you and me? 

Here is another good quote from Thomas Ford, the inventor of the Model T,

I have heard this one before as well, but I never knew what Ford said afterward,

"It's in our thinking that makes it so."

Our thoughts are at the epicenter of our personal world. Whatever thoughts we decide to entertain and hold on to, can plan out our very present and future. In fact, our present is only a mere composition of our past thoughts and desires. What thoughts are we allowing to determine our destiny?

I am learning for myself through personal development how powerful the human mind actually is. Little by little, I am starting to scratch the surface of my own human abilities and potential. And it all starts with my thoughts.

Habits of a Happy Husband Part II

Last year around this time I wrote a post about habits I learned from my first year of marriage (Habits of a Happy Husband). I greatly benefit from those principles and now I wish to add more lessons I have learned during my second year of marriage.

1. Seek to understand then be understood 

This is a principle from Stephen Covey's book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It's a principle of listening. We all have two ears and one mouth, but sometimes we use our mouth twice as much as our ears. I have learned to shut my mouth and not just listen with my ears but listen with an open heart. If you rearrange the letters in LISTEN you get SILENT. That makes all the difference. Learn to listen to your spouse.

2. Show appreciation for your spouse

This is more than just showing appreciation for the things your spouse does. Rather, it's showing appreciation for who they are as a person and as your spouse. Take time to look your spouse in the eyes and appreciate them for their character. Saying things like "I love how your smile brightens up my day" or "I love  your passion for helping others" will make them feel valued and appreciated as a spouse. They need to feel that everyday.

3. Fall in Love Everyday

This was crucial for me and my wife. There was a point in our marriage that we were just going through marital motions. It felt like we were just living together rather than being married together. We love each other but we hadn't fallen in love for a while. We found some ways to fall in love again and we try to do this consistently.

These are simple and practical habits to develop. I am not perfect at them, but I try my best to be the best husband to my wife. I know that she is doing her best to be the best wife to me. We simply do the best with what we know and strive to be better every day. 

3 Ways to Fall in Love with Your Spouse Again

Marriage is wonderful and beautiful. However, sometimes we find ourselves in marital ruts that takes the "merry" out of being married. In my own marriage I have used these principles to get out of those ruts and bring the beauty back into marriage.

Show Your Gratitude for Your Spouse

This is different than just telling your spouse thank you for doing the dishes or folding the laundry. It's validating them as your spouse. Give them honest and sincere appreciation for who they are as your spouse rather than what they do. Sometimes I'll tell my wife, "I'm so grateful that you're my wife" or "You're such a great housewife." It makes her smile and that makes me happy.

Reminisce 

Take a trip down memory lane. This is one of my favorite things to do with my wife. The other day we had a look at a photo album and it was really neat to see all the fun things we had done together. When we retrace our life's journey together we're reminded of the moments that brought us closer together. Feelings of love and closeness fill our hearts as we fall in love again.

Tell Them Why You Love Them TODAY 

It's very common to rush through love. "I love you" is our script as either one of us leaves the house and it's almost mechanical and past feeling. Understandably, life can get hectic and we're either late for school or an important meeting, but let's not lose sight of our most important priority: our spouses. Don't burn out the love in your relationship with the pedal to the metal, but simply enjoy the ride with them. Take them in your arms and tell them why you love them today. This will rekindle love's fire and bring you two closer together. 

My Drumming Journey

Fifth grade was the first time that I started to play the drums. I followed in my brother's footsteps when he started playing in fifth grade too. We were the Soulsbyville Marching Falcons, and wore white shirts, white pants with green sequin suspenders and belts, and cowboy hats. It was pretty spiffy. Anyway, after eighth grade, I moved on to high school to be a part of the Sonora High Golden Regiment. (I'll get some pictures soon.)

My freshman year was a rough one. I didn't start out playing on the drum line. Instead, I carried and cleaned the equipment. Not a very fun task but halfway through the season, I earned a spot and was able to continue playing. That year our 250-member band marched in Seattle for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Throughout high school, I had the privilege to play the National Anthem at a San Francisco Giants game and march in another St. Patrick's Day Parade in Denver. It was in high school that I had the desire to play in a collegiate marching band. (Pictures will be coming)

My desire wasn't fulfilled right away, however. After graduating high school I served a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Italy. By far, it was the best two years of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. After I returned, I taught the drumline at Sonora High School for two years. It was toward the end of my second year that I was accepted to Brigham Young University. I had a chance to fulfill my high school dream.

In my first semester at BYU, I auditioned for the drumline. I would've been happy if they gave me a cowbell, but they gave me a bass drum instead. I was super happy. I couldn't believe that I made it onto the BYU Cougar Drumline. It was a one of the happiest moments in my life. 

The very first home game I was really nervous. But as soon as I stepped onto the field, all nerves were gone. I smiled the whole time during the pre-game show and probably looked like a doofus. I couldn't believe it. It was such an awesome feeling and experience. We played at all of BYU's home games, including the Miami Beach Bowl. 

Patience and persistence pay-off. I am so glad that I stuck to my dream, and I look forward to continue playing in the Cougar Marching Band. 

Waiting to step off to lead the football team to the locker room.

Halftime Show. 

ESPN did a special all about me...it lasted 5 seconds. 

Taste Buds Aren't Really Your Buds

The other day I had a light bulb moment. I was at the dinner table with my wife eating dinner. I don't quite remember what we were having, but I remember the food was really tasty and delicious. And it was then, in the act of eating that the switch flipped. But before I shed more light on this life changing experience, I must give you some background about me.

I love to eat food. That is probably not what you were expecting, but it is a very important detail. I eat when I am happy. I eat when I am sad. I eat when I'm bored, which is not a good habit. I even eat when I am full. Some of you may be able to relate with me, in our love for food. My hope is that my realization about food will make your eating experience more enjoyable.

I asked myself, "Why is it that I keep eating food, even when I am full? There is no more room in my stomach! And the more I put in there the worse I will feel afterwards." Then it finally hit me. I am pleasing my taste buds more than my stomach! I want to keep eating food, because it gives my taste buds a ride of their lives! But at the same time, if I keep gratifying those little guys, then my stomach has to pay an uncomfortable price.

There needs to be a balance to satisfy both the taste buds and the stomach. It takes self-discipline to stop eating food, even when it tastes so good. But let your stomach take control. When it says, "I'm full." stop eating. Don't listen to those taste buds because they will be persistent little buggers. They are very persuasive in using those salivary glands to make you drool for food. But slurp it right up and be on your way to a happier you.

It is more enjoyable to eat food when there is a proper balance between your tastebuds and stomach. I have been doing this for a couple of weeks now, and I feel great after my meals. I'm full enough that I don't have to roll myself out of the kitchen or even unbutton my pants! Try this simple principle and regain your joy of eating again.

Homework: It's Really Not That Important

A few months ago, my wife and I were having a game night with our neighbors. During the games one of our friends, from out of the blue just said, "You know what guys? The thing about homework is, it's just not that important." And this is coming from an Information Systems Master student. His thought was very surprising; however, it did get me thinking.

Was what he said true? Or is he out of his mind? I think every student likes the idea, but deep down inside they won't accept it because they see homework as points. Without points, there is no good grade. Without good grades, there is no diploma. Without a diploma, there is no job. Without a job, well I think you get the idea.

I often see many students who focus completely on points and grades that they forget to learn the material.  They are learning how to get points, but not necessarily learning the course objectives. You know what they are. You see them in the syllabus, and skip over them because you want to see the points and how they breakdown. But as we learn from the improv show Whose Line is it Anyway?, the points don't matter.

I agree with my friend about homework. It's really not that important. What's more important is the learning process. If a student has a perspective of mastering the course's learning objectives, then the points will come. Then the good grades will come, and everything else will fall right in line. A shift from focusing on points and grades to focusing on learning and scholarship, will dramatically change a student's education.

No Thinking Necessary

I received a book from my older brother in preparation for my new job as a UX Specialist (fancy talk for website tester). It is called Don't Make me Think by Steve Krug, who is an expert on Web usability. His whole premise of the book is to construct a website so simple that the user doesn't have to think. In essence, the website is so self-explanatory that the user can easily browse to wherever he or she needs to go.

I started thinking about this principle and how it could apply in everyday life. The principle is to communicate effectively, whether in writing or speaking, that the message is 100% completely understood by anyone.

Let me illustrate with an example.

You're walking through a mall, and suddenly you get one of those instantaneous urges to use the restroom. You have no idea where it came from, but all you know is that you have to go. What do you look for? Obviously a sign that directs you to the nearest bathroom. You point one out and it says something like...

• The Bathroom is located (your hopes begin to rise) next to that one jewelry store (your brows cinch in puzzlement) adjacent to the candy store (anger and frustration set in) in the Southwest corner of the mall (pants are wet). 

You'd rather go to a clothing store and buy a new change of clothes after those ridiculous instructions. Our minds react quicker to images and symbols. That is why when we see a sign like this...

we know exactly where to go. No thinking necessary, and no wet pants. 

I think that it is good practice to convey messages, directions or instructions in a clear and concise way that can be understood by anyone. Certainly the task is more daunting when a complex subject needs explaining; however, I believe that  each message should contain a simple tag on it that says "No thinking necessary".