Here are the things I learned from the Larry H Miller autobiography that was just published. Some things are direct quotes and others are lessons I indirectly learned from reading about his life. I really enjoyed the book and the honesty of the both Larry H. Miller and his wife Gail.

- Intensity and focus will make reality out of dreams
- The more wealthy you are the more service oriented you need to be
- A healthy and happy person will enjoy wealth longer
- Happiness is found for the rich the same way it is for the poor (family and non family relationships, service, hard work)
- You can get more done by having a routine
- I think frugality is an ingredient for happiness (the richer man then in some respects must fight harder for happiness than the poorer man)
- To diffuse an argument- ask a lot of questions, listen, then repair.
- Make a habit of writing down and digesting life’s lessons. You will progress faster that way
- Stop and ponder
- Money will change you unless you work at it not changing you
- Keep promises (as an employer) to your employees
- The turning points in Larry H Millers life were when he married Gail
and when he started paying tithing
- It takes big risks to achieve big things.
- As people approach death they dwell on relationships not their
possessions
- After difficulty or contention with someone it is important to go to great lengths to reach out and make things right.
- Write letters to your friends and family
- Learn how to delegate
- If possible don’t go into personal debt. Stay out of it, when you get out.
- “Don’t change your standard of living as your income increases”
- If you love possessions, you will be made captive by them.
- It is important to sit back a few times a year and wonder what it all is for?
- Learn how to keep the passion
- Go to work everyday and do what needs to be done
- “Life is way too short to spend it all at work” – Gail Miller
- It is usually the challenges that help us grow the most

Larry H Miller’s Business Suggestions
- “Don’t expand too fast, protect the base”
- In negotiations- go early, inspect value, curb excess desire, learn what other wants and don’t assume, do whole deals, think on your feet, negotiate for self.
- Ask lots of questions
- “Even more important than the will to win is the will to prepare to win.”
- “You don’t have to blow out another’s candle to let your own shine”
- “Don’t make a bad deal just to make a deal”
- “Keep money in perspective”
- Be patient
- “Play to your own strengths”
- “Trust your instincts”
- “Manage business at the level of business you are actually doing; not at the level you wish you were doing”
- “Learn not to confuse the elements of motion and progress. Progress always requires motion, but motion isn’t always progress.
- “Accomplish more by not caring who gets the credit”
- “If you want extraordinary results, you must put in extraordinary effort.”
- “Don’t assume people see problems as clearly as you do.”
- “Let the fires burn all around you and fix one problem at a time.”
- “You can’t do it if you aren’t there”
- Create a reputation of doing what you say you’ll do
- “In negotiations try to give the other person what he wants”

“Teach the children well” is more than a catchy song. I learned this lesson intently as I watched a video from a friends blog that informed me that there is a wrong way and right way to tie your shoes, and how to tie your shoes the right way. I learned that I have been tying them the wrong way for over 25 + years, which has resulted in my shoes coming untied quite often. After I learned the good news, I went around my work office and felt it my solemn responsibility to correct the 25% of people who also tie their shoes incorrectly. I then went to my father and found out that (surprise!!) he too tied them incorrectly. I learned firsthand the importance of teaching your children well. If we think it isn’t important to teach the right things, or to behave the right way, we don’t understand the principles that Elder Maxwell taught when he said “All are free to choose, of course, and we would not have it otherwise. Unfortunately, however, when some choose slackness, they are choosing not only for themselves, but for the next generation and the next. Small equivocations in parents can produce large deviations in their children! Earlier generations in a family may have reflected dedication, while some in the current generation evidence equivocation. Sadly, in the next, some may choose dissension as erosion takes its toll” (Ensign 1992 )

I am just deeply grateful that in all the important lessons of life my parents have taught me the right way in word and example.

Here is the video that has improved my life.

Reading the Old Testament is very challenging and rough going for me because I struggle to understand the history and happenings which in turn makes it hard to find and apply the principles, but I am learning that the more we search the Old Testament the more often we will find the diamonds in the rough, or the specific verses that teach us the principles that we need and are able to apply. I found one that I really liked today.

Deuteronomy 6: 6-7

6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine ^bheart:

7) And thou shalt ^ateach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt ^btalk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

I think that the adversary doesn’t bother being bashful about his beliefs, bearing down on us from all sides. Therefore we have to combat his forces with simple but consistent spiritual things for as Paul wrote in Romans, “be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) In order to do that, I think this scripture tells us that we need to first listen and embrace the word of God, and then we need to teach and discuss it diligently, in every situation and place possible. To me it means we talk of Christ not only at Christmas or on Sundays but every day in our houses sitting around the dinner table, when we are running errands, in our cars, when we go to bed and when we get up. Jacob did ask, “for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him…”(Jacob 4:12) And we know that coming to know God and Jesus Christ is what will lead us to eternal life (John 17:3).

I was pondering New Year’s resolutions and reviewing mine for 2009 and looking forward to what must be done in 2010, and the title of a talk that Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave in 1974 kept coming into my mind- “Why Not Now?” I couldn’t ignore it, so I reread it.

It has many insights into why we should change now instead of waiting. Here is one quote from it- “There are reasons for your commitment to be made now, for as the rush of hours, days, and months grows stronger, the will to commit grows weaker.”

It is definitely a great talk that we can apply to ourselves and to those we are inviting back. I have copied it below for your convenience.

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So I recently learned that Linda Curley Christensen is the artist of the murals in the Draper Temple. A friend found this quote from the Deseret News, “I grew up there. I rode my horses there. I looked at those mountains my whole life,” explained Linda Curley Christensen, the temple’s mural artist.” Anyway, I did a little research and found her website. One of my favorites that she did was Little Cottonwood. Anyway, mystery solved. I found out from her website that Linda and her team worked on the art in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

The mural in the ordinance room of the Draper temple is awesome and I want to know who painted it. If anybody knows, please let me know. I think the artist is from Utah, but I am not certain. Here is the best picture (not mine) that I could find.

Also, I think a lot of people wonder why Mormon’s build and attend temples. I just saw this video and I think it is worth the three minutes to watch and I personally agree with what is shared in this video. So here it is.

Well it is that time of the month again. I go through my calendar and expenses and ask myself what I did or didn’t accomplish in the last month and then I try to figure out how to make the next month better. This usually consists of a commitment to spend less, train for the upcoming race (this time the ragnar relay), work smarter at my job, be kinder to my best friends, go to bed earlier and get up earlier, home teach every single person (even those that don’t return my phone calls), read more, and eat healthier.

So where did March go? I’ll sum it up in a few words. Choir Practice, Volunteering at Draper Temple, skiing, new business ideas, church basketball, U of U gymnastics tournament, National Dancesport Championship, blogging, starting to study for the GMAT , painting, planting peas, and of course a lot of Valcom work both day and night.

I have learned that I feel a lot more productive in the car when I listen to a book on CD. This month I listened to “Presidential Courage” which went through all the presidents of the United States from the beginning and described situations where they had to go against the popular opinion to do what was right for the nation. I recommend it but just know that although the content was interesting, the reader was a little dry and hard to listen to.

Some random things I learned; people react very differently to abstract art, when I am stressed I clean my room and car, it is possible to study for one month and get over a 700 on the GMAT, I like V8 fusion, Kyoto’s is still the best Japanese restaurant in town, www.condron.us is an interesting way to blog surf (but beware lest ye waste time), how to prune a pear tree, how to sell your art, that I can throw the cup, that you use to pour laundry detergent, into the washer with the clothes and it comes out perfectly leaving no residue around to worry about, I have a lot to be thankful for, memorizing gets easier the more you do it.

That’s all for March

I just had the experience of a lifetime. For the last three months I have been practicing with a choir to sing in the 5th dedicatory session for the Draper temple. Today we sang, and the experience was amazing. We sang right behind President Monson, President Utchdorf, and Elder Oaks. The spirit was strong and the opportunity to be in the celestial room during the hosannah shout and anthem was unforgettable. After everybody sang "The Spirit of God," tear filled eyes filled the room. I can't really describe it all, but just wanted to share some of my thoughts.

A Christmas miracle indeed. I got another glimpse of the Lord’s tender mercies for His children this holiday season. I was getting ready to pack up my things and leave my house within the hour, when my neighbor knocked at the door. She said, “I received a package for your house today.” I replied, “I don’t think that it is for me, who did it say it was for?” She said, “I don’t remember the name, but come over to my house and get it.” We slowly crossed the icy street and as we were about to enter her house, I saw a man in a small white truck check out the address on my house and quickly stop. He jumped out of his car and approached my door, and I called out, “Hi, are you looking for people in that house.” He replied, “Yes, a package should have been delivered here (motioning to my house) and I have been trying to track it down since 7am this morning. I replied, “well, the package was delivered here at this ladies house, and I am pretty sure its not mine, so come in and get it.” We all walked into the house and the man examined the package (Dell Laptop) and sat down next to it and with his arms around the box, he started to cry, my neighbor and I just stood there and stared at this stranger as he wept. He said, “I wouldn’t be so emotional, but I didn’t get any sleep last night because of this, and I have been trying to find this package all day, I thought I would run into unreasonable people or not find it. It is a customized pink laptop for my wife and I am so glad it is here.” My neighbor and I exchanged glances and then I said, “It’s a Christmas miracle, do you realize that if you would have come even a minute earlier, I would have not even known about the package that came for my house, but was dropped off here at the neighbors. I would have known nothing about it!! And, if you would have come later, I would have been gone! Also, if my neighbor would have come tell me a little later then you also wouldn’t have received the package, you must have been praying!” As I was pointing out the perfect timing of it all, I knew that the Lord was aware of this man’s predicament, and he made it all work out. I started to think about how often I have witnessed the Lord’s hand in my life, and how each time it leaves me in awe of God’s love and tender care for me and everybody else. I was overwhelmed in my heart by the Lord’s hand in this man finding his wife’s pink computer, that was shipped to the wrong house in the wrong city, then dropped off at the neighbors house, and not signed for at all, and then randomly all 3 of us came together at the same minute. I really tried to communicate the awesomeness of the circumstance to this man, but He didn’t seem to receive what I was telling him, but I knew who was behind it all, and wanted to share with everybody that the Lord was in the details of this small Christmas miracle. Elder Bednar said “… the Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence…. and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings.” And so I will treasure this small Christmas mercy, indeed.