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!