People Will Say We're in Love

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

-Dr. Seuss

Wow...

So I'm writing an ad for Facebook right now and it is asking me about my target audience. I put in People over 18 who work for Dell, Apple, and IBM. Keywords, Movies, and Money. At the bottom of the page, it gives me a number of how many people fit that criteria. When I put in the keyword "Star Wars" the number more than doubled! It made me laugh.

My theater fast is over... I will be playing Curly in an upcoming production of Oklahoma.

Kissing

During a discussion last night I learned something about girls and kissing. All the girls at the table said that a kiss can change everything. They can not like a guy or feel lukewarm, but after a kiss, everything could change.

Well the guys at the table all agreed with me: If a guy goes into a kiss feeling lukewarm or not feeling it at all, that kiss will not change anything.

Thoughts?

We Need to Talk

Most all relationships I've been in have ended on friendly terms. I can only think of one that I'm still not friends with. Tonight, a girl I went on a few dates with, during summer of last year, called me up and said, "We need to talk."

First of all, I haven't really heard anything, other than the traditional greeting, from her for months.
Second... NEVER call someone and say, "We need to talk." If you know you are going to see them soon, then just TALK. Sheesh.
Third, "We" didn't need to talk. She needed to talk. Don't say "we" if all of us aren't included.

Well apparently she thought she had handled things improperly and started mentioning "things that had happened" at "the end". And then she apologized and said she was changing some things. Honestly, I had no clue what she was talking about and I just let her keep talk because she obviously had some things she needed to work through.

Here's how I see it: Things didn't work out. The end. That's life, sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't. Life doesn't always need to be unnecessarily complicated.

We're still friends, but that was an... experience.

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

It's interesting how many people's jobs may be glamorous. Me, I get paid to fly around the country, try to inspire others, and stay in hotels where I use mini shampoos. The side people don't see is where I continually have to pack a suitcase because I'm in a new hotel every day. I don't really get to talk to anyone because I don't drink or smoke or go to strip clubs. That means I get to speak in front of an audience twice a day for 2 hours, then go to my hotel room. I don't speak with anyone for a whole week. I'll tell you right now, it gets kinda lonely.
I'm in Alaska right now. In the morning, I'll get up around 4:00am to catch a flight from Fairbanks to Anchorage. I was on two planes yesterday. I'll catch a 1:00am flight on Friday.
Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I have a job, especially one that pays well, but it's not what it appears on the surface.

Service

"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and ver agree to serve. You don't have to know the second law of thermodynamics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Everything is Amazing and Nobody's Happy

Today's post is inspired by this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

(Sorry, embedding has been disabled.)


We live in a time of such convenience. I marveled today at how I set my oven to clean... and it cleaned itself! Amazing, I know. We often take for granted such conveniences and think that the world owes us something when these things don't work properly.

I often feel these amazements, mostly, I believe, due to my time spent out of this country. Just about everyone in this country has a microwave, self-cleaning ovens, and my favorite: a washer and dryer. I was at the store the other day marveling at all the different ways food is packaged and pre-prepared to make our lives more simple. In South America, if you want canned food, you better be prepared to drive to a large city, so you could go to a large grocery store, and shell out some extra money so you can buy one of the five canned foods... they just don't do it there.

All these conveniences are awesome, in the true sense of the word... not like hot dogs.

http://www.youtube.com/v/0rYT0YvQ3hs&hl=en&fs=1

Grammar Nazi

Come on people! The correct usage of the word "too" is to be applied when something is in excess. For example, "I'm sorry if that rehearsal was to tiring" is incorrect. In this case "too" should be applied.

On that same note, there, their, and they're also have different meanings.

There: Indicates a location. "Look over there."

Their: Possesive (that means "belonging to them") "It was their cat."

They're: A contraction meaning "They Are" "They're really tired"


These things aren't that hard to remember.

What's on your Mind?

Ever notice the ever growing way to communicate with people but not really communicate with them? My belief is that society is growing farther apart the more methods with which we have to communicate.

Twitter: Update what you are doing and hope that it's clever enough that someone cares enough to respond.

Blogging: Good for finding out about people, yet still lacking in true conversation.

MySpace: Can you even read stuff on people's pages anymore- it's so cluttered with other things

Facebook: You can add someone as a friend and then never talk to them again. You can update your page and status and even comment on other people's items, yet that's all it is, a comment. If you don't want to talk with someone, you block them or ignore them. If you want to invite them somewhere, they can get a mass invitation. "Oh, by the way, party at my house on Friday and I cared so much that I am personally inviting you... and the other 400 people on my friends list."

Texting: "I don't really want to talk to you, so... here's a short message instead. We can converse like this."

Message Boards: "Look how clever I am to come up with a response to this meaningless subject, see how smart I am?"


I think we are becoming too reliant on these forms of communication as a society and that our interactions are losing meaning and value as we continue to do so. Someone I know pointed out that as our forms of communication have progressed, its value has decreased.

Give me a meaningful face to face conversation and I fill fulfilled. Send me a text and I feel undervalued.



I have noticed that as we have "progressed" our communication, our words, have become less descriptive, weak, and I daresay, redundant. I was reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island the other day and soaked in all the radiance of so many prepossesing words that appear to have been forgotten. No one writes like that anymore and it's sad. America's literature has been "dumbed down" to fit the lowest level. In that process, America as a whole has been "dumbed down."

*Heavy Sigh*

Both

"Would I rather be feared or loved? Um… Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." -Michael Scott

Politics

"In America, they have the right to bare arms, in Europe, thy have the right to bare breasts."
-Eddie Izzard

Dead Wrong

"Intellectual capacity is no guarantee against being dead wrong."
-Carl Sagan

Today's Quote

"You don't have to be a genius. You don't have to be a straight-A student. You just have to do your very best with all the capability you have. You have to do your very best. And somehow, if you do that, God will open the way before you and the sun will shine, and your lives will be fruitful and you will accomplish great good in the world in which you take a part."
Dedication of the Gordon B. Hinckley Building, 22 October 2002, Brigham Young University-Idaho

I've Got a Yolk for You

This morning I have been humbled. I had not only one, but two boiled eggs explode in my face today
I was at the concierge and needed protein. All they had was cold boiled eggs. Cold eggs make me gag, so I heated three of them in the provided microwave. I was careful to cut slits in them and cover them so they wouldn't explode in the microwave. They seemed fine, but when I went to separate the yolks from the whites: SPLAT! Yolk everywhere!
"Wow, I've never seen an egg do that before." Commented the concierge attendant. Little did she know, it wasn't over. I made an attempt to wipe up some of the mess, but only managed to grind it into the table.
I began a slow attack of the second egg with my fork, this time covering it with my hand. The funny thing about this action is that when an object ricochets off of an object that close, it seems to send it farther, thus making a ginormous mess. And as the hot yellow substance came in contact with my hand, I felt not only the pain from the heat, but I think I also heard a chuckle from the attendant. My degradation was complete. I feigned wiping up the mess once again, humbly finished my breakfast and then left a nice tip on the table right before I slipped out of the room drawing as little attention as possible.

Planes, trains, and automobiles...

The funny thing about me and airplanes is that I never seem to be able to stay awake through takeoff, and sometimes landing. It probably goes back farther than I can remember. I began flying shortly after I was born. My mom told me that she would take me in her arms on the plane and as she approached her seat, the nearby passengers' eyes would widen in horror at the same time speaking to her their thoughts of displeasure at the thought of being stuck next to the lady with the baby. By the time we had landed, their horror had faded to relief and their displeasure to admiration for my mother.
As I sit here on this plane now, the air rushing by, sounding against the outer hull like so many tiny marbles hitting a tin plate rhythmically, every nano-second, I dwell about what's going on in the world. We have a president who has just spent billions upon billions of dollars trying to temporarily allay the fears of so many Americans. We are at war in other countries and there seems to be no end. We are at war in our homes fighting against weapons such as pornography and struggling to keep our families strong and safe. People are scared, wondering where the money for their next heating bill will come from. Jobless Americans are everywhere to be found. Our politicians are dishonest: to a greater degree than normal. Hollywood is perverting truth, honor, integrity, and delving into sacredness, displaying pearls before swine. All this negativity and yet, I feel calm. I still have my own burdens and stresses, yet right here, right now, I return to that little child on the plane. Calm, quiet, waiting for fear to be allayed and for positivity to take its hold in the lives of those nearby.

In the Path of Greatness

I just figured out the title for this year! Introducing 2009:

In the Path of Greatness

This will also be the title of my first book. It has been said that sometimes people are successful because they are in the right place at the right time? Well, I believe you can put yourself in the right place at the right time. In my book I will talk about all the wealthy, successful people whom I have crossed paths with.

After I left Nashville on Monday, I flew to and spent the week in Orlando. The first two days were for an annual meeting with the entire company. In my opinion, most of it was a waste. There was an award ceremony on Tuesday night where they presented sales and customer service awards. I was sure I had the highest percentage in the company, but for some reason... they gave the award to someone else. This happened to me last year. What really irked me last year was that they made up a percentage number last year and I knew that it was absolutely untrue because I took one of the sessions. Anyway, it's always nice to get recognized, but my belief is that if you want to give an award to your drinking buddies, please don't invite me. I don't drink, I don't go to nude bars. And no, you will not, "break me." Can you believe it? I get people every once in a while saying, "Shamy, we're going to break you one of these days." I guess people will only feel completely comfortable with me when I am on their level. Anyway, it was very nice that they gave my dad a lifetime achievement award for his 30 years in public speaking. I know that he really appreciated the recognition.

On one of the days I did meet a man named Martin Roberts. He's an investor/tv personality from England. His fame over there is from a show he does call Under the Hammer. He was a delightsome man with a lot of energy. At times he even reminded me of my favorite comedian: Eddie Izzard. One funny thing I did notice about this man is that his pride seemed to be a little hurt when he wasn't quite the star that he is in London. It was a pleasure to meet him nonetheless.

After the annual company meeting we had the annual Rich Dad Education Conference. About 1300 people showed up for the event. There is a certain energy when you get that many people in a room who are ready to change their lives and do something different. On the first day, we had a surprise guest. Montel Williams, the talk-show host, showed up to promote his new book and to talk about future events with him. This is a very nice man with a story that many people can relate to. I really admire how he handled the crowd while he was talking to them and when he was in private. His bodyguard (who is ginormous) is like a big teddy bear. I'm glad our paths crossed for a little while. I'm looking forward to working with both of them in the future.

The second day was for Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and the reason that so many people were there. Robert is an interesting man. He's not afraid to say what he's thinking. This, to me is great trait and also a downfall. I honestly think that he offends many people with his crass and coarse language. He has a lot of very good ideas, but in my opinion, he could be much bigger and more well known if he presented himself a little better. Don't get me wrong, he's a very nice man, but I think he could use some polishing. He did do me the favor of recording a personal introduction for me which is priceless. He said some very nice things about me and my dad.

Last night, I somehow invited myself to dinner with the CEO and CFO of the company. Sometimes when I open my mouth, words don't come out how I am thinking them and I got me, my dad, and my sister all invited to have Indian food with "the boss". He even paid for dinner. It was very nice conversation and not too much business, but now, I'm deep in it. I was having thoughts of changing careers, but now, that's not going to be so easy. This is good and bad. All in all though, I'm glad to be home.

That Just Tars Me All to Pieces

Well this weekend I was in Nashville, Tennessee. Now normally I never work on Sundays, but this was a special circumstance 1. Because I haven't been out since mid-December and 2. It is right before the bi-annual meeting in Florida, so I cannot go out next week either.
Right now, I'm sitting in Murfreesboro, Tennessee right now, waiting for my shuttle to the airport to arrive. Something I've noticed about myself is that during the weeks that I'm working, I don't really like talking to people. I speak for 2 hours a day straight, twice a day and after that, I am done talking. On the way to this hotel, my shuttle driver would not shut up. He was a very nice man, but in the 20 something minutes I was in his shuttle (and I was the only one in the shuttle), I found out his entire life story. I'm not joking, he said he lived in Indiana with his girlfriend that was 18 years older than him. He told me about every job he ever had. He described every detail about the shuttle business. He also told me about every celebrity he ever saw. I maybe said ten words the entire trip, just to be nice. I think he's picking me up today. Ah yes, there he is now.
Well, he didn't talk too much this morning. I was kind of looking forward to it... or rather, prepared for it. I guess he already told me everything.
On the way here, I got to the SLC airport with plenty of time to spare. I got my shoes shined. I always appreciate the people who shine my shoes because they are very hard working, most of them take a lot of pride in their work, and they are generally humble. In my opinion it takes someone very humble to clean another's feet... I love talking to these guys (or girl, in the Denver airport). The nice man that shined my shoes this week was hispanic. We got to talking about his job and he said he loves what he does. He says that he can come late and not get any flack, he only has to put in his 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and then gets his two days off. I guess I find this so interesting because I, myself could never do that. I guess I'm just not comfortable with complacency. To me, complacency does not breed progression. The thing I did like about him though is that he was happy with what he did. It fit him. Isn't that the dream of many American's: to be happy in what you do?
Valentine's Day was this week. I've always liked Valentine's Day no matter my relationship status. Chocolate, strawberries, flowers, pink, white, and red: who wouldn't want these things? I like seeing them everywhere, it's happy. What I do hate is all the whiners. "WAH... I'm single. Couples are not. WAH!!!" I look at it like this: No one likes someone who is bitter because they are single. Men are that they might have joy. If you can't be happy with yourself when you are single, how are you going to be happy when you take on another's problems?

2009 Goals

I've been debating on what this year's title will be. I had one that came to me in the middle of the night once, but I failed to write it down. Blast! I am still thinking of a name, so if you have a suggestion, let me know. Here's a recap of past titles:

2004 "A New Journey Begins"
2005 "To Infinity and Beyond"
2006 "What Dreams May Come"
2007 "The Winds of Change"
2008 "I Will Go and Do"
2009 "?"


Personal:
-Write at least two chapters for my book.

-Finish your food storage: build shelves, get some dry pack done, buy the emergency essentials that aren't food.

Physical:
-170 lbs by May 30th (Scarlet Pimpernel Auditions)

-Run and finish a Marathon

-Do 2 Triathlons

Spiritual:
-Read scriptures every day.
-Study scriptures every day.
-Make sure to weed your garden when necessary.
-Get the family history onto the computer (This is not a high priority, but would be nice.)
-Work on humility. You are very blessed in many ways: be humble about it.
-Serve. This seems vague, but in reality, it leaves many opportunities open. Serve when those opportunities present themselves and make opportunities to serve.


Financial:
-Keep better records for tax time. Reconcile monthly instead of quarterly.
-Budget money even better, this year may not be as good as last year. Remember, work hard now so you can spend more time with your family later.


Education:
-Read at least 5 books just because.

-Learn how to proficiently use Final Cut Pro Studio, Your Video Camera, Your still camera, and finish the Photoshop book



Relationship/Emotional:

-Sincerely compliment someone every day

-Learn about other people... they already know about you. Make new friends.

-Trust in the Lord and His timing. Don't get discouraged when things don't happen how you want them to.

A Little Late, But You Know What They Say...

Time for a recap of last year's goals and a posting of 2009 goals.

Last year's goals:

Personal:
-Finish my book I'm writing.
Well... I managed to finish some chapter headings.


Physical:
-170 lbs by May 28th
I dropped 25 lbs between May and July. During Christmas, I gained 4.

-Get in shape to Swim the English Channel in 2009
I would say I have accomplished this, but I will not be swimming the Channel this year. :(

-Take care of braces by brushing every day
Coming along nicely. I haven't brushed EVERY day, but I've done pretty well.

Spiritual:
-Read BoM every day and write your thoughts about each chapter
Wrote through June. Read straight through July, then got a little lax.

-Write down one thing you are thankful for every day
Wrote through June.

-Get the family history onto the computer
I didn't even think about this one, oops.


Financial:
-Buy another house
Circumstances prevented this, it wasn't a priority.

-Be a successful book writer
Hmm... this one is a little too vague *grin*.

Education:
-Read my “success library”
Got a couple down.

-Get Real Estate license
I take the licensing exam this week.

-Get 50% of CCIM done
Finished this with flying colors!


Relationship/Emotional:
-Date more often
Check!

-Sincerely Compliment someone every day
I hope I did this. I really stopped thinking about it after a while, but I made a serious effort.

-Step out of your "comfort zone" and let others in
Again, this is vague, but I believe I was successful.

-Concentrate on the positives of others and forget about yourself
This one was harder than I thought, but always a good goal. I would give myself a B on this one.