Four Prinicples for Life

“When we lived in a grass hut in the middle of the jungle making eleven cents per house we realized we were happy and that’s what it’s all about.”
- Alan Hall

Four Principles for Life

While attending the Mountain West Capital Network Entrepreneur of the Year Award Luncheon this week I had the pleasure of listening to Alan Hall; this year’s recipient. This was the first time I’ve had the pleasure of listening to or meeting Alan. But, we’ve had a strong connection by which I’ve been able to judge his words over the years.

I‘ve been friends with Alan’s son-in-law Matt West for about fourteen years and hold him in the highest esteem. I first met Matt not long after he was married and we’ve shared a warm relationship ever since. I saw Matt again just after the Entrepreneur of the Year Award presentation and we had a chance to catch up with each other’s lives. I was pleased to see that Matt and his wife Laura are still living confirmation of the principles presented by Alan in his speech.

Alan talked about the four principles by which he has lived his life and he was kind enough to give me permission to share them with you. First, hope for a bright future. Second, we all should be smart about the endeavors in which we are engaged. Third, be grateful. Fourth, be charitable. These four important principles are a worthy consideration for every one of us.
“When I wake up in the morning and look out at the beautiful mountains surrounding us. And, this time of year, right now when they’re snow capped, they’re even more beautiful. I can’t help but think, we’re still here and the future remains bright,” Alan said. He’s right!

I remember coming back from the Middle East near the start of the Gulf War. I fled Saudi Arabia with nothing but the clothes on my back as the war came to Riyadh. My wife and children were at home in the United States and I could see no reason to risk my life by staying in a war zone.

When I arrived back in Salt Lake City I was a little discouraged by the fact that I had no job. We had two small children and were living by the grace of my wife’s parents as they kindly allowed us to stay in their home until we could get back on our feet. Then, one morning I got out of my car after driving downtown to look for work. I stepped out at the very top of a parking structure and looked to the east. There, before my eyes was one of the most beautiful mountain views I had ever witnessed and I had a very strong thought come into my head. “Look at this beauty! This abundance is all around for your enjoyment and it costs you nothing!”

You can tell that I’ve never forgotten that experience. But, perhaps I had forgotten part of it. Since that time I have been through many more trials. And, I’ve come through all of them. I’ve learned many lessons and will undoubtedly learn more. Yet, the beauty of our world continues to call to me through it all. My only cost is taking the time of seeing and appreciating it. It’s always there, as a constant, telling me that the future is indeed bright. Every day is bright if we will simply take the time to look out and see its beauty.

That alone should be enough to tell us that we should be smart about the endeavors we’re engaged with. Alan says, “You can only spend so much money. Relationships are most important. Helping people grow their families is important. When we begin to think outside of ourselves then we bolster our community.” It isn’t enough to simply do business by the numbers. We need to do business with the end in mind. That end should be creating jobs for people not just money.

By following this philosophy we’re more able to focus on the needs of the customer not on a product alone. This reminds me of a quote by Thomas Edison that says something like, “I will never again create a product that the marketplace doesn’t want.”

I like to extend this saying to a different part of life and say, “I will never again create the kind of relationship that I don’t want.” When I approach people with this in mind my relationships all become more valuable to me. I can never think of a morning when I have awakened and thought to myself, “Today I’m going to go out there and try to screw up every relationship I have.” Remember, leading to point number three, “someone recommended me to give me a start, and someone gave me an opportunity as a result.”

So, be grateful. Every one of us has been the recipient of help and kindness from others. In most cases this especially applies to our family. I remember of friend of mine asking me if I was as much fun at home as I was in the office. It caught me by surprise since it caused me to ask myself if I was treating my family as well as I was treating people outside my home.

I’ve made it a practice over the past couple of years to show gratitude for things I used to take for granted. It made a huge difference for me when I began to give thanks for things such as a having a warm coat on a cold day, food to eat, good friends, a roof over my head and heat in my house. My furnace went out this winter and it took a couple of days to get it back up and running. What a blessing it is to have it working without having to think about it! If you will adopt this small practice in your life you’ll find that the people around you will recognize it and begin to follow your pattern of simple gratitude. I’ve found this to be true with my children!

Finally, be charitable. Being a father has forced me to be more charitable than I could have been without them. But, even with that prompting I haven’t always been as charitable as I might have been. Now that I’ve established a pattern of simple grateful, I see the need to be more charitable because I see that I have so much.

After all, every one of us gets the chance to see the beauty of the Earth every day. We all have the chance to have good relationships. We all have the chance to have hope for a bright future, be grateful and charitable. I knew this was true as I was walking from friend’s car to my house the other night and took a moment to look up at the stars. I thought, “What could be more beautiful than this!” Well, living by these four principles without hesitation every day would be a good start!

The Power of Unconditional Love

“Sometimes we wake up at three o’clock in the morning and have our best conversations”
-Greg Nelson

The Power of Unconditional Love

I’ve known Greg Nelson for thirty-five years. So, needless to say, I’ve watched him grow in many aspects of his life. Today, he’s a fine business man and is one of the leading experts in providing benefit packages to companies large and small. There are very few people that enjoy the acute analytical abilities he has and I’ve always respected his remarkable talent. Late last week I sat in meetings with Greg for a couple of days and I discovered another remarkable talent he possesses along with more reasons to respect and admire him.

During a break at our meetings a fire alarm went off. Since we were in an office tower in downtown Salt Lake City there was some question as to whether or not it was a false alarm because we could not see any smoke. But, we quickly decided to follow the directions being broadcast and take the stairs down so we could exit the building. It was a long walk down since we had to descend twenty-three floors. But it was worth it when once on the street level we saw fire fighters arrive in their truck and begin the process of looking for the cause of the alarm.

During our wait, we were able to sit in the lobby of the building so we could avoid the cold outside. And, since we had been out in the weather for a little while I sat on a heat radiator to get warm again. Not long after I sat down, Greg’s daughter came and sat next to me and we talked quietly. As we talked, I looked across the lobby and watched her parents stride toward us hand-in-hand. I looked in her eyes and said, “You’re lucky to have parents that still love each other.”
She looked back at me and said, “I know. I’ve never had to worry about that or whether or not my parents were trying to do what was best for me.”

Then, not long afterward, Greg sat next to me and I said, “It’s great to see that you’re still in love with your wife.”

He replied, “Yes. And, we have the most wonderful conversations even after being married for more than twenty-five years. Sometimes we both just wake up at three in the morning and have these talks. It’s great for our relationship, but it makes us real tired the next day. That’s what happened last night.”

As I sat with Greg and his daughter I couldn’t help but feel the power of unconditional love radiating from them. It was a glow I’ll never forget. It was a happiness that was genuine.
It made me wonder how many of us ever are enjoying that same kind of feeling in life. I looked across the lobby of a large building during an emergency and saw lots of other people milling about. I didn’t have the chance to sit and talk with many others. There was one that caught my eye though.

A young man came into the lobby with a large box of sandwiches and chips. He hurried over to the elevator and touched the call button. The elevator didn’t come. He looked puzzled so I got up and walked over to tell him that the elevators were in lock down.

He said, “They can’t be. I have people on the nineteenth floor waiting for this food.”
I said, “They shouldn’t be there. The fire department has ordered an evacuation of the building.”

He picked up his cell phone and called up stairs. A moment later he said, “They’re coming down.”

Not long after, I saw a single man walk up to him and get the box. It was one man! The others had stayed up stairs!

Not more than two or three minutes later a fire fighter used a key to unlock the elevators and told us that the building was clear. There had been an “electrical melt down on the 24th floor.” They had taken care of it so it was now safe.

That announcement answered a huge question for me. Was it a real emergency or a false alarm?
It was real! I was glad I followed directions to safety. I remember thinking how unfortunate the people on the nineteenth floor could have been by believing it was a false alarm. I could tell that’s what they believed by their casual response to an announced emergency.

As I rode the elevator back up to the twenty-third floor I couldn’t help but wonder, “Are we offering unconditional love in our relationships just as Greg Nelson is, or are we treating our relationships too casually, as if they are a false alarm. Luckily I was riding up with Greg, his wife and his children basking in their genuine unconditional love. I could feel the difference between the real thing and a casual love. They gave me the conviction to never make my relationships too casual again.

Unconditional love is a tremendous power and it is a power that is available to each one of us if we will accept and offer it to others. Take a few minutes today and decide to offer unconditional love to the people who are important to you. If you will, it will change your life and the lives of those around you. “This is not a drill.”

Add to Life's Excitement and Possibilities

“Pursue your dreams, be persistent and don’t give up.”
- Curt LaBelle

Add Your Own Unique Contribution to Life’s Excitement and Possibilities

I had the opportunity to participate in the 25th Annual Investors Choice Venture Capital Conference on Thursday. This annual event is the culmination of thousands of hours of work by entrepreneurs, investors and the professionals that work with them. The conference is a great event; but if you only attend the conference itself you would see a very small part of what amounts to an immense movement.


This year’s conference showcased twenty-six companies as they presented their business to investors from across the United States. The companies themselves came from locations from Hawaii to South Carolina. And, they were prepared by Mentors who donated their time and expertise to help these companies hone their “pitch.”


Each presenting company received ten minutes in which to make their presentation to the large crowd in attendance. That may seem like an easy task; but each entrepreneur realized that it was their shot at raising millions of dollars to help make their dreams come true so, they wanted to put everything they had into creating the best presentation possible.


I love the process created by Wayne Brown Institute to help these companies. My friend Brad Bertoch, President & CEO of the Institute calls it Cooperative “Venturing.” Cooperative Venturing combines experienced professionals such as attorneys, accountants, financial experts and marketers with entrepreneurs to provide them with access to capital, expertise and a strong network for little cost. It allows everyone involved to pursue their dreams within a concentrated time frame and specific, proven system to reach a successful outcome.


Every participating company had to apply to be accepted to participate and then, they worked as a member of a team to create and improve their presentation. If you were to walk into one of these “mentoring sessions” you would see thousands of dollars of billable time being donated to the entrepreneur! With such amazing “fire-power” in the room you can bet that it takes a great deal of persistence and work to create a winning presentation.


There are times in this process when the entrepreneurs feel as if their presentation just can’t be done in the ten minutes allotted! They present to their team; they get comments; they go back to work on their presentation and they finally get it close to perfection. It is a process that forces every participant to produce their very best outcome!


Why do people put themselves through such a rigorous process? On the surface it appears as if it’s all about making money. But in the nineteen years I’ve been participating it has become clear to me that it’s about much more than that!


I contribute because I love to be inspired by the creativity and drive demonstrated by the participating entrepreneurs. I always sit in awe of their intelligence, ability and determination. This was the case again this year as I had the chance to work with Kuru Footwear, Immunologix and NVH Technologies.


Bret Rasmussen, Founder and President of Kuru Footear, has had a dream of creating incredible shoes since he was ten years old! Today, he is living that dream by creating a new category of outdoor/urban wear that you have to wear to believe. Take a look for yourself at http://www.kurufootwear.com/.


Ryan Fiorini, President of Immunologix, has built a company that has created a new technology to create human antibodies for autoimmune diseases and inflammation. Now the treatment for health issues such as a snake bite will no longer have the potential to be more harmful than the venom itself! You can learn more at http://www.immunologixinc.com/.


Tod Schulthess, President & CEO of NVH Technologies, has built a company around new technology capable of delivering high tech solutions for critically unsolvable low frequency noise problems. I like to think of this company as creating “noise cancelling head phones” for locomotives! Their products allow operators to drive a train or hauler without feeling as if they have been run over at the end of the day. See more about what they have created at http://www.nvhtechnologies.com/.


Now you can see why I take part in the process of Cooperative Venturing. It fills my soul with new energy and vision. It gives me a chance to associate with amazing people. It shows me that almost nothing is impossible because these new companies are doing what was once thought of as impossible! I get to work with people who have, “never give up” firmly implanted into their being.Let me ask you a question. Are you doing something on a regular basis that reaffirms your desire to pursue your dreams, be persistent and to never give up? Have you found a group of people to connect with that brings out the best you have to offer the world? If not, take a few minutes to make a plan to do so. It will be well worth the effort! You deserve to be excited about life and all its possibilities. But, most importantly, you deserve to add to life’s excitement and possibilities as only you can!

The Power of Care

“I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
- Joe White

The Power of Care

I was driving in Syracuse Utah this week with my friend Reman Jacobsen. He’s a great handyman and was going with me to take a look at some work for a Client of mine. As we came to a stop light I noticed four young girls on the side of the street getting ready to cross right In front of us.

After looking both ways the girls put their arms around each other and began to walk forward. It was a striking picture to see their smiling faces as they filled the crosswalk from side to side. I felt mesmerized as they laughed, talked and almost skipped arm-in-arm to the north side of the street. I remember thinking, “Now that’s something you don’t see every day!”

Too many of my days have been spent thinking such a thought as this, when it is clear that if I will just take the time to watch every day occurrences it will be obvious to me that such caring is all around. I really do want to see more caring and I also want to be more a part of it.

During this same drive as I talked with Reman, on our return to Salt Lake City, I asked him if he was sure he could perform the work for the price he had quoted. He simply looked up at me and said, “I don’t need to be rich. I just need to make enough to be able to do a good job so I can take care of people.” He went on to explain to me that by working in this way, people would want to work with him again so he never had to worry about having work to do.

I was refreshed by our conversation as well as by his caring and I thought, “I am so lucky to be associated with such a good man.” He is a good man indeed and it has been my pleasure to have known him for almost seven years.

Another friend for more than ten years also demonstrated deep caring to me this week. Joe White and I have been working together for these many years and have been able to work through a few difficult circumstances when the occasion has called for it. And, we had such an occasionthis week.

When a person we were working with became angry, it was Joe who said, “Let me talk with him. I know we can work things out.” Later I learned that Joe said to this person most sincerely, “I’ll make sure you’re taken care of and will be happy.” That was just the thing that needed to be said. But, more importantly, it was just the thing that needed to be said and believed!

Joe’s words were believed because he has created a reputation of being honest and fair. So, when he says such things, people believe him and know it is true. I was glad to be able to thank Joe for being the kind of person I can talk and work through difficult situations with. It is great to be able to count on others to provide care when I need it!

There have been many times in my life when I haven’t felt as if I had much of anything to give. I’ve felt “spent” through and through. I’ve wondered why anyone would take the time to listen to any advice I have to offer since my own life is so far from perfect. While I know these feelings from trial and error, they have led me to a marvelous discovery.

The most important thing I can offer to people around me is a caring attitude! I don’t have to have all of the answers for everyone I come into contact with. I just have to care about them and offer small gestures that make a grand difference.

Small things such as a smile, a gentle pat on the back, and the offering of an encouraging word make the greatest difference. When we live life in this way somehow the universe makes up the difference and helps us along. It is a miraculous thing to watch!

About three weeks ago I was standing on a step. Below me was an old man struggling to walk on level ground. As he approached the step I saw his eyes become filled with doubt. He knew it would be a challenge for him to lift his legs high enough. He doubted his strength.

I knew I could not restore his strength. I knew I could not remove his fear. I also knew that I could extent a hand to give him some of my strength. So, I reached out and as I reached out he instinctively stretched to take my hand. I gave him a slight boost and a big smile. He smiled back and gave me a “thanks” that lifted my day and told me once again that caring isn’t about solving all the world’s problems. Caring is about offering a little boost to make a huge difference for someone else!