Pioneer Day 2006

159 years ago today, pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley with the goal to establish a permanent settlement. They were refugees from religious persecution, expelled from a country that failed and refused to protect them. They had been chased form several states and several cities and had been dubbed religious freaks and dangerous to the areas they had previously settled. Their crime: they were Mormons.

They were also Americans, native born and immigrants alike, yet they were forced to flee for their lives and to search for a new safe place to live. They had been invited to come to San Francisco, but no longer felt safe within U.S. borders. They came to the Salt Lake Valley where no body wanted, no one thought to settle, and where they could be left alone.

Somewhere in the groups to follow that first party, ancestors of mine arrived in the valley. They fought for their survival with the others. They had to grow crops to live. They had to face the challenges living in a remote wilderness, without country, friend, or a guarantee of any future. They had faith in God and a determination to make it and that was it.

The U.S. did catch back up to them and tough times followed. They stuck it out and held their ground and became a powerful influence in the settlement of the west. Mormon settlements were the backbone to settling the Great Basin and Salt Lake became the "Crossroads of the West" and a major hub to travelers of all kinds.

This morning, I sit in my house, comfortable and secure. I fly the US flag outside our house and enjoy all the benefits of citizenship as well as technology: T.V., air conditioning, and this computer with which I am using to write this piece. I have seen Presidents of the United States visit Salt Lake City, as well as several other world leaders, and honor the Mormon Church and recognize their contributions to the greatness of our country.

Utah has come a long way since that day many, many years ago. I wonder if any of those pioneers had any idea what they were starting, but I thank them none the less. Happy Pioneer Day to anyone who cares to celebrate it today!

The 7 Elements of Success

I haven't done this since February, but I used to write about what I consider the Seven Elements of Success each Saturday blog. I have decided to restart this practice. Each Saturday I will cover another element as my entry.

The Seven Elements of Success are: Steering, Understanding, Challenging, Committing, Executing, Segmenting, and Spirituality.

These elements are elements I have seen in other's success as well as my own. They are not steps. They are not all inclusive I am sure, but they are important. I believe that if one concentrates and addresses each one of these elements and incorporates them into his or her methods of operations, success is more likely to happen. In fact I would almost say guaranteed!

So look for these elements each Saturday right here on this blog!

Same Place, Different Time

(Written yesterday) I' m sitting in my backyard and thinking how amazing it is that the same place, the exact location where I am right now sitting, will in six months be covered in snow. It is nearly 100 degrees today and yet the day will come that it will be below freezing.

I hear that the sun is like 90,000,000 miles away, yet the simple shifting of the axis- leaning towards or away from the sun- can push the limits of our existence. Let's say the earth is 8,000 miles across the wide section, and the tilt swings us 4000 miles one way or the other, that means our ability to live on this planet is dependent on staying within 1/22500th of our distance from the sun. Any shift inside or outside of that paper-thin tolerance would spell certain doom for all of us.

Maybe you are thinking "so what"?!! I am just amazed at how fragile our life can be, how very small things make enormous differences and how insignificant my efforts are to anything really important.

My efforts, therefore, can and should be fearless. I cannot alter the axis tilt of the earth. I cannot even make myself grow up one inch. (Growing out, however, is quite simple to do.) So why not go for it? Why not just ignore the things that hold us back from what we really want? Why fear "no's", "You're crazy's" and "you can't do that's"? Why not just cut loose and tear it up. Preferably while the earth is tilting your part of the world towards the sun.

Taking The "Ick" Out Of Sick.

I stayed around the house yesterday. Unable to speak and not feeling too well kept me from doing what I usually do. What did I do with my time?

Caught up with some much needed sleep.
Had breakfast with my wife.
Listened to kid stories.
Played video games with the kids.
Walked my daughter to her friend's house.
Watched a movie with the family.
Watched the taped copy of "So you think you can dance" with my wife.
Spent some alone time with my wife.
Wrote a little bit.
Cooled off in the pool.
Kissed everybody good night.

Maybe I should get sick and loose my voice more often.

The Sound Of Forced Silence

If you ever want to know how much you really speak- try not speaking for a little bit. Yesterday I began losing my voice. Every word I said had a price to it. It hurt to speak and it made the volume weaker with each forced syllable. I tried to limit myself, but couldn't help myself. Today I am without a voice.

It'll be interesting to see how many times I try and nothing will come out. But already I have learned one thing that I can take from this experience: I yap too much!

Better Than A Poke With A Stick??

It's fire season. That means that from now, or actually about a month ago, there will be wildfires here in the west. Thousands if not millions of acres will burn, the sky will have the hazy smoke look, and newscasters will do those ridiculous story on location. It's a scene played out every year. I don't understand why?

We just got back from camping. Have you ever tried to start a fire? Have you been in charge of maintaining the fire? You work and work to get the kindling just right, the tender situated just so, and then have to baby this little fire along until it can burn grown-up wood and then...it topples over and goes out.

I can have a fire going for an hour, poke it with a stick a couple of times and it's out! Yet get two kids and a couple of firecrackers and next you'll have hundreds of firefighters, a couple of helicopters, and about a million dollars to put it out. What they should do is just hire me. I'll just poke with a stick a couple of times and it'll be out in no time!

If it's really a big fire, just line up a couple of hungry campers who are desperate for fire for cooking, ask them to maintain it...the fire won't stand a chance!

Back On The Wagon

Normally on Sunday, I would post a scripture for the day. Seeing how I have not written for a while, I thought it might be nice to actually post a real entry today. And since being reminded by my mother yesterday that's it has been a while, I thought today might be even more appropriate as a real good place to restart.

Usually I just start to write. I just choose something I am thinking about and then let the writing do it's own thing. It is something that I really like to do. Sometimes it's ranting, sometimes it's raving. In either case, my true feelings really tend to surface. It keeps me thinking, keeps me balanced, and keeps me from sleeping in too late.

I have always wanted to be a writer of some sort. It has always felt good to write a great story or thought. I have "writings" dating back to 1972 I believe. It's just something I like to do. I think that is why I enjoy speaking as much as I do. I find it exhilarating to write out a speech and then perform it for people. This blog has been fun, helpful, and a great outlet for me. And then life happens.

I had a bunch of projects coming due, I have not been feeling well, and I was feeling pressured to do other things rather then take the time, and it does take time, to write everyday. I started to allow other things to get into the way of my writing. I was allowing other priorities to bump what I felt was a personal priority. Why do we do this?

I don't know exactly why some stay on track with their own ambitions and others don't. And I understand that there are other people involved in our lives that need us as well. There are my priorities and there are others who count on me making them a priority and live is balancing the two of them. But there's the problem, they must be balanced. One is not more important than the other.

Fortunately, all has not been lost. I can pick this blog up at anytime and get back on schedule. And out of sheer good fortune, I have recently been offered a column with a national magazine. Nine issues a year and best of all- it pays. I still have some things that need to be worked out, but it is my job for the taking.

I am, as I said, fortunate that my lack of dedication to this blog did not cause me to miss an opportunity. I do feel had I been more true to writing everyday, my skills would be better polished. I have been working on other projects that have required writing, but nothing beats the daily routine.

One's personal priorities must be addressed. It is part of life, it is a part of success, and it's a part of happiness. Be true to your priorities and if you feel you have let them slip, just pick them back up again.

In The Eyes Of A Child

Summertime is here! Yesterday was my kids’ first day off and it was a beautiful day. They played in the sprinklers most of the day and flat out had a great time. They also watched movies, had snacks, and played video games. Remember how fun it all was?

Unfortunately we are all now adults. Jobs do not take summer vacations of three months. Regular jub duties continue as always. Even people who work at home cannot take three months off. Home offices must continue to produce, home makers must continue their duties, and things like mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, and watering actually increase their time requirements over the summer months.

Wouldn’t it be great to be a kid again and have the opportunity to just take three months off? We cannot. That time is past. However, this summer I think we can all maybe emulate something from the little munchkins: Enjoy the summer!

Summer offers us a lot of fun opportunities. Swimming, outdoor cooking, evening marshmallow roasts, swimming, camping, watching sunsets, watching sunrises, stargazing, playing and watching baseball, picnics, and the list goes on and on. Take the next three months and treat it like the kids do: A unique time of the year to enjoy yourself; play like there’s no school (or job) and no expectations. Make it a time full of fun and memories that you can look back on during the cold months ahead.

Robin Williams Said...

You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

"I turned 40 today. I woke up and realized that I was half dead."

The day has arrived. I am 40. I don't really feel any different, but I have been dreading this day for almost a year now. Why? What's the big deal? I didn't know, but something has really been bothering me.

Yesterday I was driving home and the anxiety of "40" hit me again. I knew that on the next morning, I would be realizing I was 40. My mind immediately responded, "Well just don't do it!" The next thought that followed was the over-whelming sense that I had no choice- there was nothing I could do to stop or avoid it. That's when it hit me: regardless of what I do, what I have done, or what I was going to do in the future; I was going to turn 40 on the next day. No matter what!

Why is this so bad? What's the big deal. Everyone has been telling me that the day you turn 40 doesn't feel any different than the day before or the day after. "Don't worry about it.", they say. "It happens to everyone." Well at least to a lot of people.

I think that therein lies my problem. I want it to mean something! I don't want to move into a new decade of my life and there be nothing different. My fear has been that this day will pass and I find that it didn't make a difference.

It has been 40 years since my breaking onto the scene.That was a long time ago. If I make it another 40- that's going to be equally a long time. I have a whole lot of living to do and I think it's time to make my mark, to do my thing. As the Snowman said: "It's time that we introduce them to the old boy." (Smokey and the Bandit)

40 seems to be a great spot to say it's time to be a better husband, time to be a better dad. It's time to be a better employee, a better speaker, and a better person. It's time to really make that relationship with God solid, it's time to read the good book again. It's time to take advantage of all the things I've learned. As Jimmy Buffet sings-"All of the things that I've sung and I've read- they all make sense in time." And of all the things I posses, time spent on this world is the thing of which I have the most.

I was 14 when I went to Alaska. All my stories were fresh in my mind, but they lacked any context in life. At 20 I was in France, still naive and unaware of the worth of my experiences. I was 24 when I got married, but knew nothing of marriage and relationships. When I hit 30, I was a father for just over a year. In addition to not being able to understand the significance of that role, no one wanted to hear about fatherhood and parenting from a new father. In fact, new parents should be banned for sharing their opinions for at least 5-10 years.

At 40, I have credibility. I have a good vast array of life experiences against which I can measure the adventures of my youth. I have measured my cultural experiences against the world for 20 years since leaving France. I have been married for 16 years, a father for 11 years (and a father of five for 6!). I have something to say, things to share and I cannot be dismissed because of my youth and inexperience!

At 40, I am ready to make my mark- whatever that mark might be. I am going to make turning 40 mean something. I am going to not let it pass by like any other year. It just seems too perfect not to make a new beginning- the start of using the last 40 years of lessons and experiences to my advantage. I feel that the first part of my life has been dealt to me. The second half- if I am so lucky to live a full second half- I want more say on how I play my hand.

Dr. Layne Longfellow once said that the mid-life transition doesn't have to be a crisis. But he added there are some important questions to ask. It doesn't matter as much how you answer them as it matters that you ask them.

My question to myself is this: "Now that you're forty, what are you going to do about it?"

My answer, whether it's important to anybody else or not, is this: "Watch!"