Category Archives: Personal stories

Transformation

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DSC03188Several years ago my Dad received a rock polisher for his birthday. We love going on long walks in the hills near Cedar City, Utah when we go visit my parents. While on our walks we look for interesting rocks to polish. Some rocks look like there is no way they could ever get polished because there are to many rough edges.

Before these rocks make a transformation they are First put in to a rock polisher container. Then put sand and water into the container put the lid on then turn on the polisher that tumbles the rocks with sand for three weeks. After the first week of rocks tumbling with sand a finer grit of sand is added to make the rocks more smooth and fresh water is added. This process is repeated for three weeks. After three weeks of polishing these rocks look wonderful, full of color and very shiny, no longer dull in color with sharp edges.

The bumps in life are like the rock with many sharp edges. With help, like a rock, that has transformed into a beautiful polished stone. We all start out like plain dull rocks getting a few sharp edges knocked off along the way. Life experiences plus the choices we make form us into the person we are today. I belief everyday every minute we are either progressing or regressing toward or away from our goals in life.

When our life gets a little muddy we need to realize that the mud is like the grit and sand that at first make the stones unattractive. Our muddy lives help turn us into beautiful people Every time we have an experience either good or bad, we need to thank God for letting us go through these experiences. We need to learn something from everyone, everything and every experience of life.

I hope in some small way your life will be a little brighter with fewer sharp edges and you will pay it forward with what you have learned from some of my life’s lessons.

One of those lessons I have learned is from successful people is that successful people take risks. Time after time when you see people that look like they have it all. Most of them got where they are in life by taking risks. Don’t take the easy road take a few risks in life. Before you do anything ask yourself what is the worst thing that will happen to me if I fail. Several people who were much older in life, many years past retirement were asked if they had any regrets in life. Most of them said they wish they had taken more risks in life.

If you like someone a lot and you ask them to spend a wonderful evening with you and they say no you are still no better or worse off than you were before you asked them. So ask them. You never know what will happen. If you are about to invest a large amount of money on a great idea determine what is the worst thing that can happen. If you can live with the outcome positive or negative, go for it.

Anytime you are in a difficult situation ask yourself, is this situation for your enjoyment, growth or both? When you think about everything you do this way it totally changes every situation you are facing.

Great Leaders

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Screen shot 2015-04-04 at 4.34.55 PMBeing the father is a huge humbling responsibility. I remember being given the assignment of speaking in church on fathers day about the importance of fathers, when I realized in five years I went from not even being married, to having a wife and five children to care for, teach and lead in a positive direction. Always be prepared you never know when you will have the opportunity to lead others. Everyone is a leader to someone so make it count.

I have thought about some ways to be a great leader. First is to inspire trust. You build relationships of trust through both your character and competence and you also extend trust to others. You show others that you believe in their ability to live up to certain expectations, to deliver on promises and to achieve clarity on key goals. You don’t inspire trust by micromanaging and second guessing every step people make.

The second is to clarify purpose. Great leaders involve their family, friends and coworkers excluding no one. Involving everyone in the communication process to create the goals to be achieved. If people are involved in the process, they psychologically own it and you are on the same page about what is really important, with the same mission, vision, values, and goals.

A great leader is one that will never ask the question, “What’s in it for me?’ When asked will say, “What’s in it for all.” A great leader never puts themselves above others on their team and is willing to do even the lowliest of tasks to benefit the team.

Leadership

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American Flag“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”
John Maxwell

As an American we have many wonderful ways to be great leaders. I remember my first recollection of being in a leadership position was when I was a crossing guard in 6th grade.

I felt very confident and powerful holding the safety patrol flag making sure the kids were safe crossing the street. The special safety patrol uniform and badge made me feel very important.

Four years later I was called to be a youth leader I was 15 years old and responsible for the boys 14-15 years old in my church congregation.

Little by little as we grow we are given more responsibility. This is what makes a great leader, learning one step at a time.

When I was a teenager I got a job vacuuming classrooms at an elementary after school. I worked for a man who would give me demerits for doing anything wrong. I only worked for this man for about four months when I was fired after getting my allotment of three demerits. I was devastated. I vowed that if I ever became a boss I would be fair, be kind and never make myself look better than anyone else. More than 30 years later, I am an Elementary Head Custodian the boss of several teenage youth that I work side by side with. I am not perfect but I try my best at being fair, kind and I don’t ask them to do anything I am not willing to do myself.

The times that I have felt like I wasn’t a good leader is when I didn’t communicate with others like I should have. People like to be appreciated. It is so important to let others know when they are doing a great job.

I think of all the places where I have enjoyed working the most; they were the places where I was appreciated, where there was open communication and everyone was part of a team being treated equal.

A few years ago I got to work for a new principal who was wonderful. She was kind communicated as often as needed. She asked you, “How was your weekend?” When a decision needed to be made she would ask for your opinion. The children loved her, she was in the lunchroom almost everyday. She was the happiest when she was with the children. They loved telling her jokes or talking to her if they had a problem.

One of the things that impressed me the most is that she was real. She wouldn’t lets the office workers have reserved parking. She would park in the back parking lot even when she was at the school first thing in the morning carrying a big bag of bicycle helmets for the children.

Share Your Talents With Others

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Your talent is Gods Gift to youThere is no better example of sharing your talents with others than in the New Testament.

The Parable of the Talents Matthew 25

14 ¶ For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed:

25 and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed

27 thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The more we share our talents the happier we will become. Are we sharing every talent we have or are we hiding them? I know people who literally can sing, dance or play a musical instrument that have hid their talents for years, no one knows how talented they are.

Not all talents are obvious; some come in the form of empathy, humility, unconditional love and even good humor that can help lift our spirits.

I am thankful for a thoughtful neighbor Dennis Peterson who can fix anything. He has helped our family with countless car problems and he is good at doing it. He can find a problem with any car in three minutes or less, this is no exaggeration.

The world will be a better place to live when we wake up every day asking the question, who will benefit from my talents today. Go make a difference in the lives of others.

Teachers Touch Lives

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Henry Van Dyke QuoteEvery one of us has talents that will reach out to others. Never discount the effect you will have on another person. I have many people that I feel have touched my life in huge ways by sharing their talents I have benefitted from them in positive ways.

One of those people is Mr. Wolfinden. he was a new teacher full of enthusiasm. All the students loved him. One thing that sticks out in my mind is how he let everyone express themselves freely. I remember his love for math one of my weakest subjects. One assignment was when he had everyone in the class make up math problems for the rest of the class to do. When it was my turn a few girls in the class complained to our teacher that my math sheet was difficult to fill out because I had put a little box around each problem.

Without missing a beat he said there will be no complaining about how each person does their worksheet for the class. I found the assignment I made for the class years later. I would have to agree with the girls I did a terrible job on the worksheet, yet my teacher Mr. Wolfinden gave me confidence in our classroom.

Another assignment that sticks out in my mind with this wonderful teacher was when he wanted to help us understand the idea of how much a million is. He had everyone in their free time put four lines down with another line going across so we could count to a million by fives. When we would fill up a piece of paper using tally marks we would staple the paper on the bulletin board. It took us weeks to count to one million using this method of counting. When we finished we had one million tally marks. When you teach with creativity and passion your students will learn volumes.

What is More American Then Boy Scouts?

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American FlagWhat is more American then Boy Scouts? I come from a long line of Eagle Scouts. This is the highest rank in Boy Scouts. All of my brothers and myself became Eagle Scouts and my three sons also are Eagle Scouts. My youngest daughter also worked at a Boy Scout camp during the summer, sometimes wishing she could be a boy scout. When you become an Eagle the final step before you get this great honor is you must organize a service project that helps the community. The project must use a minimum of 20 man hours most are much more than this. I have collected old paint, painted fences, helped build cattle feeders and collected old prescription glasses to name a few. Serving others is the foundation of America.

The America I love is the one that believes anything you can dream then believe, you can achieve. Through your own hard work and determination. Not counting on the government for hand out’s, subsidies or kickback. Just good old fashioned hard work and know how, will pay off. If you want something bad enough you can accomplish anything. This is the America I love.

Remove Excess For Success

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Excess ToysOne thing I love to do is every year when it gets close to Christmas I will tell my children to go through all of their old things and give them away or donate them to good will to make room for the new things you will be getting. I am amazed at all the stuff we get rid of.

How many of us are guilty of saving things because our excuse is you never know when we might need it. Then the day comes when you need the darn thing and you can’t find it among all the piles of stuff. Another thing that boggles my mind are the people who love to hang onto the past with all their clothes. They have a closet full of clothes yet they can only wear a fourth of them. There is a reason behind saving everything in their closet. When I loose 30 pounds I can wear that dress again or I can’t get rid of that suit, I wore that at Junior Prom 20 years ago.

In order to make room for what you want, you need to get rid of what you don’t want. This is how it works anything you have not worn or used in the past year, give it to a friend or donate it to good will. You will be amazed by letting go of the things you don’t need will open up channels for receiving things that you will use or need.

Out of the blue you might see a new outfit that is perfect for you at that moment or a friend will give you a new kitchen table they no longer need. It is fun to watch the miracles happen.

Cleaning up your life will be one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. Remember things are not important. Good relationships with family and friends is what matters.

Clean Up Your Life

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Messy HouseHave you ever noticed many people who are the busiest, are the people with the clean homes and yards? Then you go into neighborhoods that have a large portion of the people who are unemployed, they have plenty of extra time on their hands yet their yards are huge disasters, garbage everywhere and many yards have a car or two not working, with weeds growing out the windows. I believe a home clean or dirty is in direct reflection of a persons life.

I have a friend who never lets people come visit her at home. She tells stories of the few times she has had visitors. She will hide dirty dishes in the trunk of her car or put them in the oven. That seems like too much work. Wouldn’t it be easier to just clean up the kitchen?

I remember when I was still living at home my mom loved to have parties at our home. She would tell us we could have a party but we first needed to clean the house. She was very wise, she had a clean house and we got a party. Most of the time the parties were outside so it didn’t even mess up the house.

I have started wearing or donating my clothes to charity. I am amazed at how much room is in my closet. I am also making a difference for the lives of others. I feel like a load has been lifted off my shoulders, and I get a clean house out of the process.

Our Most Valuable Possession

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Water drop from grass

Our bodies are made of about 70% water so drink water. There is no substitute for water. I like to try and drink 1oz per pound of my body weight per day. I might go to the restroom a lot but it keeps me healthy. If you think you are hungry drink water. Many times your body is telling you it is thirsty not hungry.

Our bodies our worth millions of dollars so don’t put things into our most valuable possession, (our body) that will mess it up. I am amazed how many people use all kinds of harmful drugs, alcohol, tobacco, soda pop fast food and way too much sugar.

Avoid prolonged sun exposure. Avoid sunburns at all cost. Whenever you go out, carry your sunblock with you. It has been proven that sunburns are directly connected to skin cancer. Do not underestimate this. I got a sunburn once that was so sever it took 18 months for my burn line to go away. This was very dangerous.

Get proper sleep The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Sleep helps keep your heart healthy, reduces stress, improves your memory, reduce your chance of diabetes and you will live longer if you are not sleep deprived.

Take care of your friendships It has been proven that people having many friends live longer. This is probably because it reduces the amount of stress.

You don’t realize how important your health is until it is gone. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not just the absence of disease. Many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.

Good Health is Happiness

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Fruits and VegetablesWhen my Grandma  would come visit our family for a week my mom would say don’t sneeze or cough or you might get one of Grandma’s remedies. Sure enough my brother Wes coughed one to many times so he got one of her mustard plasters. This is when she would put the powdered mustard on your chest in a steamy bathroom. It can even cause a burn on your skin.

I have an uncle that I never met, because he died when he was seven from a drug over dose because a doctor gave him the wrong prescription. As a result of this experience, my Grandpa became a Pharmacist to help educate others on medications.

I remember being told the importance of moderation when medicine is needed. Even now when I have a headache I ask myself is that medicine really necessary. I will most often use essential oils first. Essential oils are the oils that come from herbs and plants that come in a very concentrated form. When used properly they are very effective with no harmful side effects.

We live in a time when everyone loves reaching for the medicine cabinet. We need to learn better self control. Take herbs and essential oils instead of medications when possible. Use both the knowledge of the past with herbs and essential oils and the present with prescription drugs. Too many people run to the medicine cabinet with minor aches and pains.

Use prescription drugs with the knowledge of their positive and negative side effects. Every medication has a side affect, remember less is best. Herbs have been around for thousands of years. Don’t think it is crazy to take herbs and essential oils and lots of them. I heard it is very beneficial to take cayenne pepper and raw garlic daily to boost your immune system. It really works.

When I was a small child I remember eating fast food was a huge treat because we only ate out about two times a year. Now people eat three meals a day of fast food and drink soda pop by the gallons, then wondering why they are sick all the time.

We need to start living again, by eating nutritious foods. How about making home made food for our children for breakfast before they go to school. I am amazed when I see the morning breakfast program provided for many of the children at school where someone gets paid to pour our children’s cereal in the mornings before school. I should know I clean up the mess everyday at the elementary school I work at. I was raised on hot cereal, muffins or pancakes for breakfast that did not come from a box or a mix. Many people have no idea how things are made from scratch anymore.

We need to start moving again we need to walk more. I like to park as far as I can when I go to the store, instead of looking for the closest parking space. Good health should be a priority in everyones life.