David McCleve

Authority and Leadership

2011-09-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

From the very beginning of his career Albert Einstein challenged authority. At the beginning of his career he said that "blind respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." Well said, Albert Einstein!

When Winston Churchill was 22 years old he was a Lieutenant in the British military. To make additional money and to introduce his "personality to the electorate" he would write newspaper articles. In these articles he would criticize the leadership of the British military. He would condemn the failure to cover retreating soldiers with continuous fire, the system of recruitment, the lack of rations on long marches, and so forth. Obviously this didn't go well with the generals, and even his fellow soldiers. Churchill always struggled with authority. As a student he was always insubordinate, as a backbencher in Parliament he defied authority, throughout the 1930's he continuously challenged those in power. The list goes on.

Obedience to authority is ingrained in our culture. Obviously obedience is a very good thing in most cases. If God tells you to do something, you should do it. If you are a private in the military and you are given orders, you should probably carry out those orders. However, it seems that the greatest and most influential leaders rarely submit to authority. What's the difference?

My observations have been that those who lead in their field or in society have difficulty with authority. I think they have so much difficulty because they want to lead. I've heard it quoted that great leaders are also great followers. I'm beginning to wonder if people say that to get us to blindly follow them. Following great leaders is a must. Great Britian would have done well to follow Churchill in the 1930's, but instead they blindly followed the current government, eventually causing millions of lives to be lost.

Perhaps we could do better at two things: first figuring out if someone is worth following before we actually follow them (don't be blind). The second is to become leaders ourselves. Learn to lead yourself. If we are willing to do that, we may become the next Einstein in our field, or perhaps the next Winston Churchill to the world. Without great leaders we would eventually be forced to follow poor leaders like Adolf Hitler.

The Passing of Time

2011-09-19T20:01:00.001-07:00

Wow, March 5th was the last time I posted. Two days later John was born. Although March was only six months ago, it seems like John has been with us forever. In the last six months I have learned so much, below is a very small sample.

Over the last six months I have learned on a completely new level just how wonderful my wife is. She does the majority of the work when it comes to taking care of John. She feeds him, prepares his food (he's eating solids now), changes his diapers, gets up to take care of him in the night, plays with him all day, takes him on walks, and the list goes on and on. In addition to taking care of John she takes care of me. Other than the normal things that you would think of, she makes sure that my mind is thinking properly when it comes to how I act at work, how I interact with others, how I do in my church calling, and again, the list goes on and on. I find it amazing how adding an additional member to my family opened my eyes to how incredible my wife is.

Also, since my last post I've read 26 books. Now some of you may not think that's very much, but I'm talking about books like The Last Lion, Volumes 1 & 2, The Origin of Species, Atlas Shrugged, etc. I highly recommend reading these types of books; you can learn so much.

For example, The Last Lion series covers Winston Churchill's life from birth to 1940 (William Manchester passed away before completing the third volume, which would have covered World War II and beyond). I just completed the second volume last week. Winston Churchill was certainly not perfect, but he utilized his gifts and talents to the max to arguably become the means of saving western civilization from the Nazis. While in political exile throughout the 1930's, he persevered. He went through the refiners fire and emerged stronger then ever, becoming the leader who took on Adolf Hitler alone, even beginning with a country that had not only avoided preparing for war, but worked hard to disarm. I learned that those who persevere, fighting through the most difficult times in life, are those who reach their potential.

Last but not least, I've learned how fun babies are. Particularly John. He's sitting on his own now. He'll stand if he has something to hold onto. When taking a bath he kicks and squeals with joy watching the water splash everywhere. I've heard from so many people that babies are really hard, and I don't dispute that. But I rarely hear how fun they are. John is ridiculously fun, and I love being his dad.

The last six months have been fascinating, and I'm looking forward to both the near and long-term future.

In Preparation for the Baby

2011-03-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

I see that the last time I posted was last September. That was a long time ago. Right now it is Saturday evening, and the doctor plans to begin inducing Emily tomorrow, making the expected birthday for our baby March 7, 2011. I think it's fitting to explain how I'm attempting to prepare myself emotionally to be a dad.

I had a thought cross through my mind at a recent Stake Conference - what would I do if I were called to be a Bishop in our ward right now? I would have no idea what to do, which of course makes the thought itself absurd. The ward I'm in is full of people that are much older than I am, and most certainly have the attitude that they have much more knowledge and capability than I do - rightfully so I may add. How would I ever get them to follow me as a leader?

As I entertained that thought, I finished The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill. It's the first of his six volume series on World War II. At the end of the book Winston Churchill is appointed to be the Prime Minister of Britain, and the war had really just begun. Below I quote the very end of the book as Churchill describes how he feels:

"During these last crowded days of the politcal crisis my pulse had not quickened at any moment. I took it all as it came. But I cannot conceal from the reader of this truthful account that as I went to bed at about 3 a.m. I was consious of a profound sense of relief. At last I had the authority to give directions over the whole scene. I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial...I thought I knew a good deal about it all, and I was sure I should not fail. Therefore, although impatient for the morning, I slept soundly and had no need for cheering dreams. Facts are better than dreams."

Churchill had no fear, in fact he was happy to be asked to do it, because he knew he wouldn't fail. If I were called to be the Bishop, that is the attitude I must have. The reason is because the Lord would have called me, and if I trusted in Him, I would not fail. Having that faith would not only be imperative to my success, but to the success of the ward.

The same applies to me as a dad. Emily and I both knew it was right. I honestly don't have the confidence to take care of our new baby as Churchill did in winning the war when he became the Prime Minister, but I should. The Lord is on my side. If I trust in Him, I will conquer this new adventure.

We're Having a Baby!

2010-09-06T20:38:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in quite some time. I could offer up several excuses, but it wouldn't be of much use. I have a lot of news - I've started a new job, I like it, I've learned a lot, we're moving, etc. But by far the most exciting is that my wife is going to have a baby. The due date is February 25th.

I've already gone through quite a few transitions as a father to be. "Oh my heck, how am I going to pay for everything (the baby, the doctors bills, diapers, etc.)?" "What if there are complications?" "How exactly does insurance work?" "How am I going to help my wife as she gets hormonal?"

Okay, these things don't sound that bad, but I don't think we realize how stressful being a father can be. Especially one particular thing - how am I going to pay for everything? Especially at this stage in life. Insurance is crummy, we don't make much money, we may be spending a fortune on graduate school in the near future, etc. etc.

Through all of the fear, I'm coming to realize something - the prospect of raising a family is exciting. Everything will work out if we simply put our energy into the now. Worrying about what can go wrong doesn't help. Instead we should put our energy into doing what we can do right now. I know everything won't work out, and oftentimes that's where the real joy comes from. I am so excited for this new transition.

One more thing--being able to raise an incredible family is an interesting thing to think about. Our society makes heroes out of individuals, which is probably why we get so caught up in certain aspects of life. Creating a remarkable family is much more difficult then attaining individual success. It requires teamwork. It requires that everyone gives 100 percent, that everyone works as one. A remarkable family creates synergies that creates power.

A remarkable family is a force for good in the world. They do not live in their own little world. The family makes a positive difference where they live, in the schools they go to, with their friends, in their careers, and throughout the world. As my understanding broadens, I'm realizing that bringing up a righteous family to the Lord does not limit us, but liberates us. It's not just simply building a great career. It's not simply raising a straight A student. It's not simply going on missions or working hard at your job. It's everything combined. We often think too much of the pieces of a shattered mirror when we could be thinking about the mirror as a whole. That's the exciting proposition.

What are your thoughts?

A Wild Week

2010-07-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

This last week was wild, and definitely one of the greatest weeks of my life. On Tuesday I interviewed to work for a real estate investment firm. At the end of the interview I was extremely excited: the fund sticks with a value investing approach, I would be learning from the best, and I would be in a position that I could add real value.

On Thursday night my group at Kelly was told that since we had finished our main assignment, they decided to discontinue my group. I was reassured that there was a really good chance I could work as a salesman for either my boss with his company, or my bosses boss with his company. Both sounded exciting, but it turns out the timing was immaculate.

On Friday morning I received an email from the person I'd be working with at the investment firm and asked if I could interview with him that afternoon. It just so happened I could make myself available with it being my last day at Kelly. The guy I would interview with was also needing to make a trip back to Salt Lake City, so we conducted the interview in my old Chevy S10 with a discolored fender and the AC barely working. After talking with him, I was excited as ever. And it turns out they would like to work with me too.

From all of this I've learned quite a bit, but one thing in particular. The Lord really is watching out for us. Without moving forward the Lord wouldn't have been able to put these opportunities in my path. But I honestly can't take any of the credit. The Lord is mindful of us, and even if things don't go according to plan, the Lord will make things happen in our lives that are literally beyond our wildest dreams. Push forward, lean into change, and trust in the Lord.

My Birthday!

2010-06-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have so many wonderful friends and family. My birthday was this week, and so many people made it absolutely wonderful, but none can compare to Emily (obviously).

Here's the story. A couple of months ago we were driving out to see Emily's parents and I was fed up with traffic. Emily had asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told her I wanted a helicopter. "I'm sick of traffic. We should get a helicopter." Well, she decided to get me a helicopter.

Yep, mint brownies (my favorite) made into a helicopter. We're still savoring every bite.

The evening went well as we went to Seans Smokehouse for dinner. Sean's a friend from my mission that moved out here, and he just started a BBQ place. We then went and dreamed of buying a big screen TV at Best Buy. My family sent out a box full of fun birthday stuff. And then Emily's sister and fiance got me Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss, a favorite.

A lot more happened, and thank you all for making it so special. It was a great birthday.

How Lucky We Are

2010-06-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight Emily and I went on a drive to Squaw Peak out in Provo Canyon. I couldn't believe how green everything was. I remembered what it was like last summer to bike to the peak early in the morning, or sometimes later in the afternoon. The beauty of the area we live in astounds me.

There are so many things in my life that I would love to be different. A car with both fenders being the same color would be great. Interior walls that aren't made out of cinder block would be awesome. Or perhaps a place we could actually put our dining table that isn't awkward.

But then again, we have a kitchen table with all sorts of amazing food on it almost every night. We also have a place to live that has more than enough room for the two of us. We even have an extra room that I can work in. We also have a truck that we can take drives with. We can even afford to put gas in it for those occasional rides.

The point is, both you and I are very lucky. If you have food to eat, a place to live, and some form of transportation (personal vehicle, public transportation, bike, shoes, whatever), then you are beyond the majority of those that live in the world. I, for one, overlook how lucky I am way too often. Perhaps we all need to put our situations in perspective with what everyone else in the world has to deal with.

Bettering your situation is still a good thing. We should always strive to have a higher quality life, however you define a quality life. As we do that, we should remember to stop and realize the blessings that we have. We all have so many.

Becoming a Learning Individual

2010-06-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

I read an article by Jim Collins recently called The Learning Executive. The article has some great insights. The essence is simply to always be learning, in everything you do, read, etc. Collins asserts that those who truly are learning individuals learn for the sake of learning. If someone asked them the economic benefit to learning, they would look at them in astonishment and ask what the economic benefit to breathing is.

That's definitely a different perspective from those of us that are task oriented. But it goes in line with my previous post on humility. So often people think they have "arrived." They get prideful and refuse to learn from others. Sometimes people that haven't even done much get stuck up and refuse to learn from others. Or perhaps they simply refuse to learn from someone because they think they are "below" them in some way.

Emerson said that "every man is in some way my superior." Sam Walton was the same way. As the richest man in the world, he never stopped learning. He would learn from other successful business people, although not even close to his caliber. He would ask questions, look for new ways to do things, always looking to improve. He never "arrived."

How much do we learn everyday? Do we capture what we learn? Are we willing to learn from everyone? No matter how well we're doing at all of that, we still haven't "arrived." In fact, we won't arrive until we reach perfection, so there really isn't any room for pride. Instead we have the opportunity to learn, and to continue to learn, no matter how far we've made it in life. And that's really where the joy in life is.

Do you have any suggestions on how to become more of a learning individual?

Praying for Humility

2010-05-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

There are two big things that most people say not to pray for: humility and patience. Both seem pretty obvious. Funny thing, recently I felt strongly to pray for humility. I learned something interesting - humility really is something you should really want.

When we think of humility we think of being small, that we're insignificant and we should remember that. I think that's only part of it. Instead humility is really about putting all of your trust in God. That goes for both in deciding what to do, and how you do it. You need to trust that the Lord will guide you in your goals, and then that He will help you achieve those goals.

One thing to remember about humility and meekness - you are not making yourself small before men, but before God. God wants us to utilize the talents He gave us as much as possible. God wants us to become great. He plans to help us do great things, to make a difference. Humility is not an excuse to not do incredible things with your life, but is instead an excuse to do great things. And then when you do those great things, acknowledging the real power behind those accomplishments.

I know I'm barely scratching the surface, but I think this is an important start. What are your thoughts?

One Step at a Time

2010-05-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today I did something really stupid. My left foot has been hurting quite a bit lately. I can barely walk barefooted, but with shoes on it seems to give enough support that I'm fine. So, I thought I might as well go for a short run. After all, I would have shoes on. That was stupid. I went 1 1/4 mile and now my foot hurts more than ever.

After my run Emily said that we needed to do laundry tonight. So that obviously meant a few trips to the laundry mat. My foot slowed me down, but I still made it there and back each time. It was simple, I just took one step at a time. Even if each step was slow, I still made each step. I could have stopped and complained, but I still had to make x number of steps before I was done. No complaining could have changed that.

That naturally made me think of life. If we want to reach our potential, that takes a certain number of steps. We have to consistently take each step. Each day we need to do the necessary things that will get us closer to our potential. If we stop and complain, that just slows us down.

The same thing applies to debt. We are about to pay off one of our student loans. A while back I was just barely putting some money towards the debt. For how large the loan seemed, it seemed stupid to make those small steps. However, we wouldn't be paying the rest of it off this month if I hadn't made those small steps.

Make the step, even if it's small. It takes a lifetime to reach your potential. But you'll never reach it standing still.

What do you do to ensure that you always take the next step?

Debt

2010-05-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Currently the United States government has just barely under $13 trillion in debt. I recently read an article in Fortune Magazine about Paul Ryan, a Congressman from Wisconsin. He has drawn out a full blown program to get the U.S. out of debt by mid-century without too much of a tax (government revenue) burden. The only trouble it's political suicide to cut out that much spending. In fact, no matter what part of the budget gets cut, people get angry.

Have you noticed the same thing with your own personal finance? We easily get in debt, which is almost always a slippery slope. Then we have to make budget cuts, the amount depending on how long it takes to realize that our spending habits are unsustainable. Problems quickly come up, someone almost always has a problem with every cut proposed.

Getting into debt is easy because spending is easy, personally and at a government level. It feels like free money. I know, I took out student loans to pay for part of my schooling. It was extremely easy to spend it. Paying it back has been an entirely different matter. We need to realize that if we don't make the tough choices then the consequences will be much worse than the budget cuts we could have initially made. And the longer we wait, the worse it gets.

What applies for our personal lives applies in government, and vice versa. We need to help people see that spending more than you make can't last forever, it will eventually ruin you. Instead take the path with hope. Make the hard decisions, be responsible, pay off your debt (state and personal, because both are yours), and enjoy the security that comes with being debt free.

Relationships

2010-05-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Emily and I went to a Relationship Mastery workshop on Friday night. I know, she was being very kind to allow that for a date. We both actually enjoyed it quite a bit. They talked about how to build relationships, and how to deepen the relationships you already have.

I'm also studying the book Never Eat Alone much more carefully then the last time I read it. It's a book about networking, and I love the approach he takes. It's not what can others do for you, but what can you do for others. He then explains that the relationship works both ways, as you help others, you should feel free to ask for help when you need it.

That's something I feel I need to work on. You build relationships by being generous with others. You don't work to get all you can from others without giving anything in return (the pirates creed from Pirates of the Carribbean). Help others when you can, expect nothing in return.

The other side is to not be afraid to ask. Most of the time when you ask, it's mutually beneficial. Others want to help, love to help, and asking them to help will actually build your relationship with them. Haven't you wished that people would ask for your advice? Have you ever felt that excitement from getting the chance to do something small that ended up being huge for someone else? Asking never hurts.

Relationships are two ways, we help others, and they help us. You don't keep score. You just help each other out. Let's go out and serve. Let's make others better. Let's build people up. Love and charity are verbs. We should act with love and charity.

Any thoughts or comments?

Choose Your Consequences

2010-03-23T16:08:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about this post for quite a while. We live in a free country. That means we get to make our own choices. That also means we get to choose our own consequences.

My friend just got accepted to the grad school of his choice. My best friend and cousin was recently accepted to one of the best medical schools in the world. Both of my friends chose to get in. They made that choice by working hard for the last 4 years in school. They made that choice by preparing for the entry tests, by working hard through the application process. They chose to take the necessary steps to get in.

Some people make other choices. They choose to socialize and party instead of study. They choose to watch television instead of study for the MCAT. They make choices and then get upset when they have to deal with the consequences.

Sometimes these same people that choose to go down a path with consequences that they don't like will steal the hard work done by others. Suffice it to say, stealing also has consequences. Because we have the freedom to choose, we also have to live with our choices - good or bad.

We all get to choose our consequences. We can choose to be financially independent. We can choose to travel the world. We can choose our career. We can choose to have a family. We can choose to create new things. We can choose the school we go to. Because we live in a free country, we can choose our consequences.

Our Choice

2010-03-17T18:12:00.001-07:00

Last night I read this post by Seth Godin. He made me realize just how much of life I miss when I watch television. I realized I had a choice. Sure, I could watch television. Or I could do something different, like write this blog post. Or go on a run, read a book, or maybe even listen to an opera.

Last night I also watched the commencement address that Steve Jobs did at Stanford back in 2005. One thing that really stood out more than ever before is that we can choose to live each day as if it were our last, because one day it'll be true. If today were my last day, would I really sit and watch TV? Would I really want to sit and play video games on my iPod? Would I want to be doing the work that I'm doing? Would I treat my wife the way I'm treating her?

So tonight I continued to think about this. I listened to Dust in the Wind by Kansas. I don't know about all of you, but I'd prefer not to simply be dust in the wind, or a drop in the ocean. So what can we do in our life so that we aren't just "dust in the wind?"

I think first and foremost we should do things that will last after we die. We should spend our time doing things of eternal significance. To be more than "dust in the wind" we need to bring people to Christ, we need to raise our families in righteousness, and we need to let our light shine throughout the world. Every day is significant. One day wasted can never be recovered. We should do things of eternal significance.

Since life really is so short, perhaps we should spend part of our time enjoying the fact that we're alive. Enjoy a sunset. Read a book. Go swimming. Go hiking. Go for a BBQ with some friends. Life is to be enjoyed, to be savored.

One more thing to remember: this freedom to choose how we use our time didn't come free. Millions of people chose to spend their last day fighting so that we could be free to choose how we spend every one of our days. And to think we waste so much time watching TV, doing things we hate, or just whatever else we choose to do that slowly wastes our life away.

We have so many choices available to us. Because we live in America we can do so much. We can go on a road trip spur of the moment. We can raise a family as small or as large as we want. We can even choose our career. We can choose to savor every moment. We can choose to do those things of eternal significance. Or we can choose to waste our life away in a dead end job, playing video games, or watching TV. It's our choice.

Change the World

2010-03-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

While going to school I met so many people that wanted to make a difference in the world. They were being educated so that they could go out and change the world for good. The best part is, I think all of them could. The problem is, most of them won't come close to reaching their potential.

I think I'm beginning to identify why. We graduate, get married, and life catches up to us. We then work in survival mode. Then we start having children. More survival mode. Diapers alone cost a fortune. I know someone that figures over the last 17 years he's spent close to $40,000 on diapers. That will definitely put you in survival mode.

I would like to be able to look back on my life and be able to compare myself to someone like Captain Moroni. Did I make a difference? Did I raise my children to make a difference?

I should note - raising a family is by far the best thing you can do in this world. And you should raise your family in righteousness. How do you do that? Well, your children should be raised to go out and change the world for good. And we all know that the best way to lead is by example. In my opinion one of the most important things you can do for your family is make a difference in the world we live in.

So how do we break out of survival mode? How do we remember our dreams? How do we keep ourselves from putting off our dreams? If we continue to procrastinate, one day our lives will be over.

One thing I've found in my life is that a poor financial situation keeps you in bondage. So one way out of survival mode is to live frugally, generate enough capital so that you can fearlessly move forward in your quest to accomplish your goals.

Since we may not find enough financial independence in time, I think faith and courage become the most important keys. Have faith that if we do what's right, that as we accomplish our goals, go out and do good, the Lord will bless us. As we take those calculated risks, go and do our best, we will be taken care of, and we will change the world.

What are your thoughts? Do you have any ideas on how we can find that faith? On how we can keep ourselves from becoming distracted by life, and by doing so truly live our lives?

Married!

2010-01-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

So October was my last post. Wow, I've been busy.

And now I'm married! Life couldn't be better. I'm in love, living in a nice place, working, learning, and enjoying the greatest friends imaginable.

To all of you friends and family that have helped with everything for the last few months, you are all awesome.

As an update, I will soon be moving back to Utah County, but for now I'm still in the Salt Lake Valley. In fact, we should be moving in this weekend! Having our own place will be incredible. I'm excited to settle down in one place, even if it's just for a few months. Perhaps life in general will settle down as well, at least for a few weeks. In the meantime, let's all continue having fun, working hard, and living life!

A Team

2009-10-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

My life is amazing! I am engaged to the most wonderful woman. Last night Emily and I went to see Harry Potter 6 at the dollar theater. At the end something really stood out to me.

Harry was explaining his next mission to Hermione as if he had to do it alone. Hermione turned with a confused expression and told him he couldn't expect to accomplish the mission on his own, and she would be right there with him. Harry needed both Hermione and Ron to accomplish his mission. And the best part is, they were there for him!

When I saw that I thought of Emily. I couldn't hope to accomplishing my mission in life without her. And the best part really is, she is there for me! Together, we make an incredible team.

Found a Job

2009-09-27T21:32:00.001-07:00

This last week was incredible. As usual I went out knocking doors Monday evening. While knocking doors I talked to this guy about switching over his alarm system. A conversation with him eventually led to a job.

I found out that this guy is a salesman for KellyConnect. Well, he actually doesn't work for KellyConnect, but he is currently doing some work for them. We had a 5-10 minute conversation where I asked him for some advice on sales. As a result he gave me another guys phone number. He gave me some background information on the guy and told me that he was looking to hire a couple more people for his sales team that would focus on generating leads.

I took down his number and gave him a call on Tuesday morning. That led to an interview later that afternoon. To be honest the interview didn't seem to go very well. It definitely wasn't my best performance. Apparently he was still convinced that I could add some value for him. The next morning I went through the application process, and on Friday I started work. Although the original plan for the group is temporary, it has real potential to become permanent.

I'm excited for this opportunity. It's a sales job, and this is something that I haven't had as much experience as I would like. I have spent quite a bit of time modeling, doing corporate finance work, and some of the other important aspects of business, but I haven't had real experience in sales - especially business to business sales. Now I have the opportunity to learn from the best of the best on a personal level. This is an exciting opportunity and challenge. I'm looking forward to excelling in a new endeavor.

Moving Forward

2009-09-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting lunch with a guy named Jeff a couple of weeks ago. Jeff had some incredible insights on life, finding a job/career/calling, how to do research on companies, and how to work with people. One of the best ideas that I took away from our conversation is that we should always be moving forward, even if we don't know which direction to go.

Many times I have found myself wondering where to go with my life. Standing still and trying to figure out where to go is so easy. Jeff explained that as long as we are moving the Lord can direct us. As long as you're standing still you will always stay in that spot, neither moving in the wrong or the right direction.

Even if you start by moving in the wrong direction you will still gain very valuable experience. You will learn what you do not want to do. You will most likely develop skills that will help you in what you decide to do. And chances are, by doing that wrong thing you will probably discover the right thing to do.

Don't stand around. Do something!

Engaged!

2009-09-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

So it's been more than a month since my last post. My apologies. I'm engaged, that's my excuse. Here are some of the details.

The lucky girl is Emily Carr. She's from Kaysville, UT. She's majoring in Elementary Education and will be doing her internship/student teaching next year. I must say - I feel like the luckiest man on earth. I'm sure that's because I am.

Our relationship moved quickly. Surprisingly we fell in love with one other more quickly then either one of us expected. I remember one of my cousins told me that I'll date girls, and eventually I'll find the right one. When that happens everything will probably just click. That's what happened with Emily and I. We are definitely working on the Lord's timetable.

I took her on our first date at the beginning of July. A couple of weeks later we hiked the Y together. A week later we went on a picnic and had a great time. Since then we have pretty much done something together every day.

On August 28th we decided to set a date to get married. We're getting married on December 22nd in the Salt Lake Temple. My mission president - Ralph Marsh - is going to perform the sealing. I can't tell you how excited I am! Emily is a phenomenal woman, absolutely phenomenal.

Priorities

2009-08-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

I graduated from high school in 2003. By reflecting back on the last six years I can see how much I have grown. Most of you that knew me when I graduated high school also know that I had one big goal - to make a lot of money. I was going to be a dentist, build a business, have other dentists work for me, and eventually buy a Ferrari. Yes, a Ferrari - that was my goal.

The month after I graduated high school I went to college. Chemistry had a significant impact on me, I realized I didn't want to be a dentist. Finance sounded interesting, and it helped knowing that Investment Bankers make a lot of money.

Then I went on a mission for two years. At that point I realized money wasn't quite so important. I realized the Lord came first. When it came to my career, Investment Banking still made perfect sense.

After my mission I got right back into the swing of things. I was a sophomore looking for an Investment Banking internship. Looking back, I was hard core. Sophomores just don't do some of the things that I was doing. My main priority was to find a job. My priorities were still right, I was still putting the Lord first.

However, over time I became more consumed in my career. Don't get me wrong, having a good career is important, as long as it doesn't bring you down in the areas that are more important. Specifically over the last year I focused solely on my career. I did some awesome internships and learned a ton. The only thing that would have made those experiences better is if I had consistently continued to do those things that I knew were most important.

Over the last month I have reevaluated where I spend my time. The temple is such a great place - it helped my reevaluation more than anything.. If your priorities are out of whack, well, go to the temple. The Lord will help you figure out where to spend your time.

God does come first. You can focus on your career if that's important to you, but don't do it at the expense of the most important things. I know now where my priorities should be. I know where I should spend my time, and I know what makes me happy. You may not think you'll like the Lord's path, but I know that He'll make you happier by following it then you can possibly imagine.

Family Reunion

2009-08-03T08:10:00.001-07:00

Last week I went to our McCleve Family Reunion. I haven't been to our reunion in the last 5 years. I enjoyed seeing people that I haven't seen in a long time. I had forgotten how awesome my family is. This is why my family is so awesome.

First and foremost - when it comes to food we don't mess around. We know how to eat well without spending a fortune. The Taco Salad, Hawaiian Haystacks, and our traditional breakfast were all a sight to behold. Of course I am biased as a just graduating college student, but I had the chance to eat well, and I ate a lot. I love that my family can eat.

There are certain members of the family that show very little mercy in their teasing, and very few, if any that can't take some serious teasing themselves. If someone dishes it out, they have to be able to take it. As a result, activities that I would otherwise consider boring - like Horseshoes - were more fun than imaginable. I haven't enjoyed being a spectator more than watching my family Horseshoe tournament.

The great-grandchildren - I haven't seen so many wired kids in a long time. Jumping in and out of the lake, diving off of ledges onto concrete and wondering why it hurts, etc. etc. I wonder if there is a way to harness all of that energy...

Overall, I had a great time. If you haven't had a reunion in a while, try organizing one. Reunions are totally worth doing. Just go and have a good time.

Reading

2009-07-29T07:57:00.001-07:00

Recently I have been reading a variety of books. I'm reading a book about all of the major philosophers, one on starting a business, Sam Walton's autobiography, a guide to learning Dreamweaver, a guide to learning PHP & MySQL, a guide to better writing, and some novels. I have also been listening to Atlas Shrugged as well as a book about social networking. I know, that's a lot to be reading all at once.

As a result I have learned something about myself. I like having the choice. I get to choose a book based on the mood I'm in. If I want to really think, I read some philosophy. If I want something enjoyable, but still fun to think about, I pick up a novel. If I want to really learn something new, I pick up a programming book. You get the idea.

I think most people would recommend reading one book at a time. But at the moment I'm enjoying having so many choices. I think one reason this is so enjoyable to me is that I don't have to be finished by a certain time. All in all I recommend having plenty of choices in your reading. Try it if you haven't tried it yet. What do you think, are there major problems associated with reading too much all at once?

Report on "Bias Towards Action"

2009-07-17T12:34:00.001-07:00

I made a goal at the beginning of this week to have a bias towards action. So instead of waiting to get something done, I would just do it as soon as possible. As a result I have had a fantastic week:

#1 - I made a decision and signed a contract to stay in UT for the next year. Obviously I can get out of that if I absolutely need or want to, but I thought it would be a good idea to add a little more stability so that I would know where I'm going to be living next month and most likely for the next year.

#2 - There's a girl that I have wanted to ask out for awhile. So I did.

#3 - I made some major headway on my job search. By taking that extra initiative I have gotten a letter of recommendation, gotten several emails sent out to people I know, and have come extremely close to obtaining a job. I suppose I better keep working on this area.

#4 - I worked hard to quickly get everything done with my job, so today I don't have anything that needs to be done there.

#5 - I learned a some web development programming.

#6 - I went to the temple twice.

Overall, this has been a great week - and it's not over yet. Have a bias towards action. Getting things done feels much better then thinking about getting things done.

Review - Outliers

2009-07-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

The first book that I read by Malcolm Gladwell was Blink, which was a pretty good book, but not one of my favorite. I just finished listening to an unabridged version of Outliers: The Story of Success, and I loved it.

I think this book offers some great insights. I struck a cord with me being a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) as well. The LDS church teaches that God will bless you when you are obedient to His teachings. The Lord blesses us with opportunities and commands us to take advantage those opportunities. We take advantage of those opportunities by using our talents to the best of our ability.

Outliers explains that those who are ultra successful were given extraordinary opportunities, were born at the perfect time, and came from the right culture. All of these variables made it possible for them to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.

My favorite story about this was Bill Gates. When he was 13 years old he had unlimited access to a computer terminal that allowed him to program online - as opposed to using the original punch cards. During that time period professors in computer science from elite universities were extremely luck to have unlimited access to an advanced computer terminal like Bill Gates. By the time Bill Gates was 17 he had put in 10,000 hours of computer programming experience, placing him way ahead of anyone in computer science. By the time he was 21, PC's were becoming a possibility for companies and normal people, making him the perfect age to take advantage of these new technologies.

This made me think of what opportunities I might have been blessed with. Although I may not know what exactly is in store for me, I can take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and work hard to excel in each of those opportunities. We are all unique, and we have all been given extraordinary opportunities. All we have to do is take advantage of them.

Bias Towards Action

2009-07-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

I just started reading Sam Walton's autobiography the other day. One thing really stuck out to me -- Sam Walton had a bias towards action. As a result he made a lot of mistakes, but he was successful at everything he did.

Walton talks about how he became the student body president in college. Beginning on the first day of school he would talk to everyone that he walked by. If he had ever met them before he would greet them by name, if he hadn't, he would introduce himself. He quickly knew just about everyone at school, and when the election came up it was easy - the whole school figured he was their friend.

I'm sure he had people that wouldn't talk to him, but he never really mentions that. The failures were irrelevant. He didn't really think of winning and failing, just getting to know as many people as he could. He applied this same principle to retail. If he thought he saw a good idea, he would do it. He made a lot of mistakes along the way, learned from them, and kept on acting.

I don't think that anyone should blindly act if it's not necessary; however, if you try to get all of the information available, you'll never act. I think that's the state I'm beginning to find myself in. I want to do everything perfectly, and as a result don't get everything I should done. I stall too much. A principle I plan to apply this week - ere on the side of action as opposed to inaction.

Does anyone have any experience with this principle?

Review - Personal Finance Guide

2009-07-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

So I've been spending a lot of time reading personal finance blogs recently. Recently I told everyone to check out The Simple Dollar and the eBook that the author of that blog wrote. On that same website I was referred to Amazon Mechanical Turk to earn a little extra money when you aren't doing anything else. As a result I came across another personal finance blog that seems pretty cool.

Pros - there is a ton of content on this sight. It covers everything - banking, identity theft, bankruptcy, your credit, ideas on how to save money, etc. The posts I've read so far contain good specific information with ways to back up statistics they used, etc. If you have specific questions about personal finance, this is a good website to go to.

Cons - The structure of the website is like a blog, but it isn't written by one or two people like most blogs are. Instead it's like a company website done in blog form. I think they could accomplish their purpose much better with a static website, and then add the blog stuff to a linked blog when necessary. The style of the site makes me question reliability of the content. To get over that, make sure they do have links to the source of their information.

Overall, this looks like a good guide. Just be sure to take all of the information for what it's worth, don't trust it as gospel. For all of those interested in personal finance, I hope this helps.

Lifehacker Road to Professional Happiness

2009-07-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

I thought this picture was interesting.

The Simple Dollar

2009-07-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

I just read Everything You Need to Know About Personal Finance on One Page by Trent Hamm. Hamm is the author of the blog www.thesimpledollar.com. He has an eBook that combines both the theory with some practical advice on personal finance into a free 47 page eBook. I would highly recommend it.

The main premise of his book is to spend less then you earn. He shows that this statement has two parts - spending and earning. You can spend less, and you can earn more. Both will help you spend less then you earn. He gives practical ideas on how to do both.

Hamm then explains how to manage your money. As you spend less and earn more you increase the amount of money that you have to manage. You should pay off your debts, build an emergency fund, plan for retirement, save for your goals, and learn to invest.

The conclusion is my favorite part of the book. I am slowly learning this important principle - the purpose of money is to help you achieve your goals. Money is not the end all, it is simply a tool. When you spend less then you earn and manage the money you accumulate properly, you can use that money to help you accomplish your goals.

Again, I would highly recommend this book. It's free, and it only took me about 30-45 minutes to read. Good luck!

Arizona

2009-06-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I went home to Arizona for my birthday. Over the last year I have gotten into the habit of moving all over the place, so being in Provo too long ends up giving me cabin fever. Having a vacation away from where I focus on my work was a great experience.

I did a lot of hanging out with my family. We cooked tin foil dinners around a camp fire, did a little work around the house, chilled for a while, and exercised a lot. My dad and I had a great time cycling all over the White Mountains. We rode hard for 36 miles on Thursday (18.5 mph), and then 72 miles (17 mph) on Saturday. As one of our fellow riders put it at the end of our 72 miler, "I feel like I've been hit by a truck!" So true.

One of the best parts of this mini vacation is that I now feel totally focused. I am now more ready than ever to attack my job search with full vigor. This was one of the most effective vacations I can remember having. I had a great time, my energy levels are renewed, and I am excited to get back to work.

A New Freedom

2009-06-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

Every weekend was always a nice break from school. Although my assignments would still linger in the back of my mind, I enjoyed taking a break and doing other things that I love. The same thing applied to evening time. I enjoyed coming home and taking a break. I would go for a run, swim, or even for a long bike ride through Provo Canyon.

Now I am officially done with classes. I have felt more different over the last two days then I ever have before. I still have a reminder going off in my mind that I should be working on my classes, but I don't have any classes. I don't even have classes coming up in the fall to think about. Even though I am still working part-time I have a lot more discretionary time.

Take today for example. Today I did not have any work to do with my part-time job, so I had the entire day open - with the exception of an appointment at the chiropractor. So I did laundry, cleaned the apartment, went for a run, and studied. That's right, I studied. I studied web design and I enjoyed it. I covered much more then I would have been required to if I were taking a class on web design, and I learned the material.

Unfortunately I think I looked at school as more of an obligation then an opportunity. To all of those in school, look at school as an opportunity to learn the material. I placed too much of an emphasis on grades, whereas if I had placed more emphasis on learning the material I think I would have had better grades. School should be enjoyed, not endured.

With that said, I am very grateful for the opportunities I took advantage of in school. I learned so much, and the experience as a whole was extremely valuable. Now it's time to find a new opportunity - a job that I can excel at. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of that new opportunity, whatever it may turn out to be.

Tri #2 - Provo Olympic

2009-06-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I completed the next level: the Olympic distance Triathlon. This week I finished up classes, and then rewarded myself by swimming a mile, biking 26 miles, and then running a 10k. I beat 3 hours too.

Here are a few pictures:

Last Week of School

2009-06-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I will take be taking my last final. What I feel now is very similar to what I felt when I finished my mission. Although I am not as motivated to finish strong in school like I was on my mission, I have very similar thoughts constantly running through my mind. The main question remains the same: could I have done better?

I realized on my mission that as long as I had done my best with what I knew to do, there was no way to really know if I could have done better. Looking back I have more knowledge and experience now then when I started. If I started college over right now I'm sure I could do better then I did. Unfortunately none of us get to start our experiences with knowledge and experience. Our experiences give us experience (I think I made it sound deeper then it really is).

I think that asking myself whether or not I could have done better is important. However, I think that realizing what a great experience college has been is much more important. My college career has been an incredible experience. I have learned more about myself, traveled all over the country, met and became friends with some incredible people, and overall, I have had a fantastic time. Although I am definitely ready to move on, I will miss the experiences that I have had here. I have loved BYU. I would highly recommend this school to anyone, and then hope that they have as many fantastic experiences as I have had.

What do I do now?

2009-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

I just read a post where Seth Godin gives some great ideas to unemployed college grads. The post made me realize that I have a lot I can do with my time since I am graduating, unemployed, and single. Unfortunately one thing is still a serious problem, money. I suppose I could get paid doing part-time work for a non-profit organization, but I would be lucky to pay my bills and students loans off with that kind of an income, even living in Provo.

I would think money making should be pretty straightforward: add value in some way to other people and get them to pay for it. Throughout my college career I have gotten pretty good at adding value to others. I was hoping that adding all of that value would create a return on my investment when I graduated. Now I am having a much more difficult time getting people to pay me in return for adding value.

So now what do I do? Do I continue to look for a job that will pay me, or do I go continue doing free work and try to find some way to pay the bills? A note on the latter, I refuse to take out any more loans, so that is no longer an option for paying the bills. Any thoughts?

My First Triathlon

2009-05-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

I had to brag at least a little bit about finishing my first triathlon today. It was the Salem Sprint, which includes an 800 yard swim, 14 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run.

I went out in the first wave of swimmers. I survived the swim, in fact, I think I could have done better on that. I passed a good chunk of the people ahead of me on the bike (although several of the fast athletes in the second wave passed me), and I stayed consistent on the run. My goal was 1:45, I finished in 1:27. I had the time of my life!

Here are some pictures:

It was awesome.

Investment Banking

2009-05-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I was given some advice about how I could turn my last two years of college into an incredible success story. I was told to quit my custodial job, take out some student loans, and add some unpaid internships with companies that looked good on a resume. At the time this advice made perfect sense, after all, I was going to become an Investment Banker. Grades and quality experience are absolutely critical for I-banking. I knew I wanted to do it, what better way to start my career?

Later I did some soul searching (I had plenty of time, I had quit my job) and tried to figure out what I was interested in. Most Investment Bankers right out of school put in 80-120 hours every week. Sure they get paid well, but when I figure in how much they are making per hour they really don't make very much. There are other options, many of them better, that would pay me well if that was my only real goal, and so it's pointless to do Investment Banking just for the money.

So if the money really isn't as great in I-banking as people make it out to be, why would anyone do it? I-banking makes perfect sense for those that want to do Private Equity. If that's the case, by all means do Investment Banking.

On another note, if you do not plan to make a life (not just a career, but a life) out of I-banking or Private Equity, then dedicating at least two years of your life to a company really isn't the best thing you can do. After I realized this I realized that I-banking was not what I wanted to do. In the long-term I would prefer to run a business, hopefully own one. If not, then I'd like to make a career with a company that I actually enjoyed working for, and one that let me live a life outside of work. I see very few benefits that I-banking can give me in two years that something like Management Consulting or even a good corporate job can't give me. You can actually live a life outside of work as well.

This goes back to my previous post - why defer your life until later? I understand that there is no substitute for hard work, but I also understand that there is no substitute for living a full and complete life. If a job does not fit into your long-term goals, and if it asks you to sacrifice everything else that is important to you, then that job is not worth it.

What do you think? Any comments?

Living in the Present

2009-05-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Maria made a great comment last month on my measurements post in regards to "living in the present." Sometimes we get too caught up in achieving certain results that we forget to have "joy in the journey" throughout our lives. I completely and totally agree.

I read a great story today that helps explain how some people often live for the future and forget to live in the present, whereas others understand this important concept. An American business man takes a vacation to a small Mexican village on doctor's orders. One day he saw a Mexican fisherman docking his boat. The boat had some high quality yellow-fin fish in it. The business man asks the fisherman how long it took to catch the fish. "Only a little while" was the reply.

"Why don't you stay out there longer and catch more fish?"

"I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends."

"But, what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican tells him that he sleeps late, fishes a little bit, plays with his children, takes a siesta with his wife, and strolls into the village every evening and enjoys it with his Amigos.

In response the business man told the fisherman that he had an MBA from Harvard, and he had the perfect solution for the fisherman. He could spend more time fishing, catch more fish, and using the business mans practices could eventually own an entire fleet. He would have to move away, eventually to New York to manage his new empire. He would eventually take the business public and would be worth millions. It wouldn't take more than 25 years.

The Mexican asks what he would do after he had made his millions. The business man responded, "then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife..."

I think this makes a great point. Live your life now. Goals are important, results do matter. However, if we get too caught up in trying to achieve the wrong results, we will waste our life away. Focus on living and enjoying your life all the time. Not 20-50 years down the road.

The Climbing of Traverse Canyon

2009-05-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

A small note so all of you know I'm still alive, I'm still living it up in Provo, UT. I think the best part of each day is always my workout. Yep, I actually love running. I also love cycling. Oh, and lets not forget, I love swimming too. Cross-training isn't as much fun, but still fun. Who would've thought?

I climbed Traverse Canyon the other day. I guess it may not be too impressive to all of you, but for me it was a big deal. I climbed 1700 feet, pretty much all at once. I averaged 13.7 miles/hour on a mountain bike. I hit a max speed of 39.3 miles per hour. It was sweet.

I also did my first open water swim a couple of weeks ago in Utah Lake. The water was 54 degrees, but the wet suit made it all better. I can't remember having so much fun in a long time!

In short, my workouts are going great. If you are stressed, I would seriously considering choosing any of the three triathlon sports to work all of that stress out of your body. Its amazing.

Book Review - I Will Teach You To Be Rich

2009-05-02T10:14:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading the book I Will Teach You To Be Rich. This book follows the advice from my all time favorite book on personal finance: The Richest Man in Babylon. I Will Teach You To Be Rich is one of the best personal finance books that I have ever read. Ramit Sethi focuses on those in their 20's and gives them very practical advice on personal finance.

There are quite a few books out there that focus on getting rich "quick." They show you various investing approaches, methods to make more money without putting much up, "sure fire" ways to make money. They often tell you that if you take their approach, you'll "get rich quick." Unfortunately these approaches rarely work in the long-term, as we can see in the current financial collapse. It's funny how the "experts" that told us to buy up as much real estate as possible in places like California continue to give risky advice in other areas now.

That's why I like The Richest Man in Babylon so much. If you want to be financially stable, and if you want to become wealthy, then stick with the time proven methods. The title I Will Teach You To Be Rich sounds like another scam. Fortunately, it wasn't.

Ramit Sethi has a six week program to help you get your finances in order. He helps you set up a plan to build wealth. He does not teach any "get rich quick" schemes. Instead he follows the advice from The Richest Man in Babylon. The best part about this book is that it gives practical, modern advice to help you get started.

For example, I learned that you can set up online only checking accounts. Schwab.com has a high yield checking account that's unreal. I get 1% interest, no minimums, no fees, I can withdraw from any ATM for free, free Bill Pay, etc. It's amazing. I've also set up automatic savings and debt reduction plans. After following the advice in this book all I have to do is make sure money goes into my account, and then make sure I spend according to my "concious spending plan." He also gives great advice on buying a car, making more money, buying a house, etc.

I would highly recommend this book to just about anyone. Even if you think you know everything about personal finance, I think you will still find some valuable insights that you can add to your personal finance system.

A Career

2009-04-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of months I have thought a lot about careers. I'm actually looking for one, or rather a job to start my career. I've concluded that for me a career must accomplish two things: provide value to society, and provide enough money to support my family and allow me to do some of the things I would like to do.

I have seen a lot of people look down on those that focus on their careers. There are certainly those that focus way too much on their career, I won't argue that. But then there are those that do not put a focus on their career. Instead they simply work a job to make a living. They still work 40 hours per week and maybe take 3 weeks of vacation a year, and don't retire until they turn 65 (most of their lives). These people still spend at least a fifth of their lives working. So, at least a fifth of their lives are focused solely on making money.

So why not focus on your career and do something meaningful? For example, President Gordon Hinckley worked insane hours and traveled constantly. Most of the time he did not take his family. Why doesn't he get criticized? When you look at the schedule you see a workaholic! Then you see what he did on his job, and what he did for his family, and then you see someone that was truly successful and happy in life.

What was the difference? He did what most good parents do for their families. What differentiated him from other families was his career. He added value in his career. He found something that would really make a difference, and he put a lot of focus on it.

Another factor - his wife supported him in his career. Without her support he would never have accomplished what he accomplished, both through his career and with his family. I would suggest that his career was their career, and his success in it was their success.

In short, I think a career should be considered important for more than the money. You can do God's work through your career. You can add value to society. You can make a difference with that fifth of your life. Focus on it, make it something worthwhile. Do more than just make money. Add value to society and you will have enough for your family.

Thoughts? Ideas? Post some comments...

Finals and Measurements

2009-04-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

I've taken too long to post a blog. No, I have not changed the normal day to Friday. Yes, I still plan to post every Wednesday. Next Wednesday will be easier for me to do a post then it has been previously.

So, I'd like to respond to some comments, and add a few thoughts of my own. As a missionary for the LDS church you are asked to keep goals. Bringing people to Christ through baptism is the primary goal, the result every missionary seeks to obtain. Missionaries also have other various goals to tell them how successful they are in achieving their primary result.

Missionaries teach lessons, and the number of lessons they teach is a good indicator of their success. To make sure that missionaries are teaching quality lessons that help them achieve their overall goal, then you need to define what a quality lesson is, or have more indicators. Other indicators that missionaries use include how many people come to church, how long did they stay at church, etc.? The days of asking how many hours a missionary tracted, and then being satisfied if it was a large number is over. The primary results is all that matter. Of course, missionaries have rules for the means that they can use to achieve those results, as should we all.

Unfortunately measuring results is not as easy as it can be as a missionary. How much time I spend with my family is not the best indicator of your success. Unfortunately the main results come much later. Those long-term results is what you want. So right now you have to focus on the means. What can you do right now to help you achieve those long-term results? Then you have to work hard and consistently until the results are achieved.

Everything is all about results. You define what the results should be, and then you do what it takes to achieve those results. This is slightly Machiavellian. Results are the primary target. What is different between Machiavelli and I is that I do believe the means matter. In the long-run the means will always make a difference in the results. Do it God's way, and you're sure not to go wrong. Unfortunately for the lazy side of us, God's way is rarely the path of least resistance.

I suppose that includes finals. How much time I spend studying doesn't matter. All that matters is the result. I just have to make sure I don't cheat. Do everything with integrity, the long-term results from that far outweigh the short-term results I will get from my finals.

Focus on results. Long-term results are all that matter. They key words there are "long-term." Any thoughts?

Measurements & the Job Hunt

2009-04-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

This morning I had some measurements taken. I know how much I weigh, how big my biceps are, how big around my waist is, etc. etc. I was wondering, should I be getting bigger/smaller with this? Well, I'm really skinny. So my conclusion is, measurements aren't as relevant to someone like me. With all the cardio I'm doing I think it'll be almost impossible to gain much weight, but that isn't the goal anyway. The goal is to to build my endurance, and to become stronger, and faster. That doesn't necessarily mean bigger, or smaller.

That made me think about all this efficiency stuff. Yes, it's important to be efficient. Wasting time is a sad thing to do. That brings up another question: do you stop wasting time by doing things faster? That depends, are you doing the right thing faster, and are you more effective by doing it faster?

So this leads me to question the rest of my life. What measurements are the most important? Is it the number of hours that I spend doing school work? Is it how fast I can do my schoolwork? How about how fast I can get through my reading? I can be an efficient reader, but does that make me a good student? Am I choosing the right things to do to maximize my chance for success?

Maybe I'm questioning too much, but here's a take on it. I think you should do the right things extremely well. That means, find out what you want, set goals to achieve it, and then learn how to achieve those goals in the best way possible. 24 hours in a day is a long time. If you can figure out what you want, you really have a lot of time to get it done. Learn how to do what you know you should be doing effectively, and you have even more time to get even more done.

Anyway, I'm still learning this stuff. Post some comments, maybe we can have a bit of a discussion and learn a little bit from each other. It's important to get the right things done. Figure out the correct measurements. I think I'll focus on my speeds, technique, and my endurance for triathlon training. I also think I need to spend some extra time on my job search. Doing everything else quickly that doesn't apply to getting a job isn't helping me to find a job. Just some food for thought.

Nutrition and No TV

2009-03-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

This has been yet another interesting week. To continue the theme from last week, I'm going to add a couple of new things that I think worked out pretty well for me this week, as well as a couple of things that I could probably work on.

So last week I got pummeled with "tired syndrome." At least that's what I call it. Monday I slept for 11 hours, and I was still tired. I took a nap that night, slept forever again the next night, etc. I slept A LOT last week, and I just couldn't get any energy back. I wasn't even doing all of my Triathlon training. So, something that I learned again - nutrition really does matter.

So, if you are working out intensely, you should probably at least refill your body with some goodness. Coach Keena (my coach) asked me how much protein I eat. No idea. I guess I'm supposed to be getting a gram of protein for each pound that I weigh (which really isn't much for me). Between oatmeal and almonds in the morning, two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch with maybe some carrots, and then a Totino's pizza, yogurt, pasta roni, and then some Ramen for dinner, I thought I was doing pretty well. But you add the grams up, not even close. And not to mention all the other terrible things all that stuff has in it. So, this week, the canker sores are gone, I'm sleeping a bit more normal, my energy is way up, and I'm eating healthy food, with lots of good carbs and tons of protein. That being said, I'm sure my nutrition isn't even close to optimal for a triathlete.

So, enough on that. Nutrition does matter, avoid the Ramen. I'm also trying something out where I am not watching any TV this week, and I'm not working on school stuff unless I actually want to (not because I have to) in the evenings. Something I've discovered. You can get A TON done during the day if you actually focus and work hard. Like today, I actually read my case for strategy (rather than worrying about getting it done all night), caught up on reading in personal finance, read a bunch from a book I'm supposed to read, got all caught up on email, etc. etc. Tonight I actually don't have to do anything, everything due tomorrow is done, and then some.

Another thing I discovered on that, no TV is an amazing thing. I stared at the blank TV for five minutes last night trying to figure out what to do. I ended up getting a ton of personal and school reading done (because I didn't know what else to do), got some papers graded (nothing else to do), and had a good time chilling with roommates. Next time I should probably go for a swim instead.

So there you go, another long post. I'm sure they'll get shorter. Until next time, I'll probably be seeing most of you around.

School, Tri-training, and Work

2009-03-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

So, I've made life a little hectic recently, and it's awesome. Everything except the canker sores of course. But that's irrelevant. I've got four major commitments right now: school, triathlon training, finding a full time job, and working away as a finance TA. In the midst of all of this, of course I keep adding additional commitments that I really don't have time for. For instance: VP of Finance Society (supposed to run the blog), update the BYU Triathlon Club website, hold up a social life, get graduation arrangements made, read books, news, blogs, and everything else important, etc. etc.

So anyway, now I'm adding a commitment to do a personal blog as well. Hopefully it'll be a good chance to organize thoughts, see what I’m learning, etc. and then be more effective in everything else I’m doing.

So to start, I read a book called Getting Things Done by David Allen. I quickly learned after Googling it that there is quite a following for his methodology. It’s even been labeled GTD for short. It's a regular buzz word! So, there's about five billion blogs on Allen’s system that you use to keep track of everything you've got on your plate, and how to get everything on your plate done. I've run into some interesting blogs that have a lot of good useful info on them in the process:

www.personalmba.com
Study Hacks
www.43folders.com

These three are probably the best I’ve seen so far. I’d recommend reading up on some of them, they have some good info. Some more for workers, some for students. Here's a summary of some of the things I've learned:

Don't keep things in your head, write it down and put it into a system you can trust (GTD or whatever works for you, although GTD is probably the best out there, with a few variations of your own)
Review your commitments regularly. Even if you decide not to work on a certain commitment, you should be aware that you aren't working on it. If it’s a commitment you don’t want, either re-negotiate the commitment, drop it, or just suck it up and do it if that’s your best option.
Sometimes, less is more. Simplify your life; you'll end up getting more done. You won’t be afraid to start something.
Turn off the TV, it's amazing the extra time you'll have (I need to do that more)

Now for some things I've learned just trying to apply some of this stuff, and just by doing everything I’m doing:

Exercise can wear you out, but somehow gives you extra energy while you're working on other stuff. With 1-3 hours of exercise a day, I still seem to have more time on my hands. Kind of weird, but kind of true.
Relaxing and focusing on your work and giving yourself arbitrary deadlines (need to finish this by 2:00) can help you get your work done quickly while still doing a great job
Make sure you're having fun; otherwise, it's just not worth it. Life is just too short. Have fun with the hard stuff too. Give yourself something to look forward to if you have to (like an hour of swimming later in the evening)

That's a start. There's some of what I've learned recently. It's a fun, wild ride. Hold onto whatever you're doing until next time!

Starting Fresh, Starting New

2009-03-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

So, I figure that this blog thing is actually pretty cool. I think I'm actually going to give it more of a shot. I started it and thought it would be a good place to publish random things on the web, but didn't really do much with it.

For some reason I think I have a death wish. I keep adding more things to my life, and eventually I think I might hit some point where I really overdo it. However, some of the things I keep adding make life more fun, easier, and just overall better. So hopefully doing a blog will be similar. Anyway, begin to expect a few more posts, things that are happening, ideas that I have (hopefully mostly that kind of stuff), and random nonsense that may be interesting to a few people out there.