Hey! So Glad You're Here!

Allow me to tell you a bit more about myself...I want you to be able to know me a bit better, to know where I come from.....

I was born in a small town, Spokane, Wa. Its pronounced: "Spo-can". I know you want to say, "Spo-cane", but you can resist the urge! It is actually an Indian name which apparently means Children of the Sun, or Children of Light. We will return to this concept soon.

I grew up in Spokane, in a large family of 8 children, where we learned to share, sing, play on 20 acres in the mountainous foothills of Mount Spokane, and truthfully, scrap for what we would get....it was hard with 4 younger brothers and 3 sisters! We had some amazing times, but also had some real tough times, fights, arguments, conniving to get the most food for dinner, etc.....the usual big family stuff. But it was here that I had my first lessons in sharing, being patient, giving in to what the group wanted - and being happy about it, working hard for a goal, and giving respect to those who were giving so much to me.

We moved from our home of 16 years in Spokane, Wa, to Ogden, Ut, where I lived for 3 yrs before choosing to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This move to Washington was a difficult one for our family. I left on my mission in 1996, and it was in these 2 years that my eyes were opened and I began to see myself and my religion more clearly, you know, without the goggles of my, or someone else's, perceptions or preconceived notions. And this eye opening, instead of pushing me away from myself or my faith, began to ground me more, in both. I saw my faith - and more importantly God - and myself, and my relationship with others and this world, much differently than I ever had before, and all thanks to this intense 2 year education! But this was not the end of my education, it was just the beginning of my awakening.

I came home, and tried to do all I could to earn money and get an education, and it was while I was distracted with these things that I ran into my future wife, who has immensely expanded my views on life, myself, and God, and my relationship with him. My marriage has beens another accelerated education in many things, among the greatest have been - sharing, forgiveness, and love - I mean a deeper love than just physical attraction and lust, although, for me, this had to be there, and come to find out, for her, too. But, I was not so lucky, in one way, (Now, I have come to feel very lucky in this regard, however). You see, I didn't choose a weak - or shall we say, "agreeable and easy going", woman as some men have found themselves with, and she has been the hard stone on which I have been grinding off my rough edges ever since I said, "I do". With our hands, intentionally and securely intertwined, I have learned what forgiveness really smells, tastes, and looks like, as well as the humility, and love, required to sincerely say...."I am sorry for what I did or said". I have felt what it means to suffer emotionally, and to be angry, but accept the wisdom in letting it go, I have felt the pain and joy of parenthood with her, and the sting of friendships and other close family relationships fail me, but with her love and encouragement, I have been able to rise stronger. I too have failed others - even her - and she has been strong enough to get through those times with me. But, there have been times where she has not been the support I may have needed....but, at times, was that just the experience I needed to grow personally? I think so. There have been many business ventures that have not gone so well, and many moves we have made, we have not perfectly navigated those.

Does any of this sound familiar? I am not revealing anything unique about my wife's and my experiences, we all have these - The point in revealing all this is to share that we have GROWN from each and every one, and grown CLOSER as partners, and STRONGER as individuals. All these life experiences - the kind we all have - will either lift us, one by one, or slowly sink us, and wear us down, one by one, and erode the many things that make life wonderful - our relationships and the life circumstances we have built, reputations, careers, etc. So, what makes the difference? What makes it so that we are either elevated or sunk by our life experiences? Is it a simple math equation: If we have more good experiences, and a little luck, we rise, or if we are unlucky, an have more bad than good life experiences, we sink? My life experiences would suggest otherwise! Our perception of what is possible and what is actually, in reality possible, are frequently 2 different things, and this misconception, as William Shakespeare noted in, "Measure for Measure", "makes us lose the good we oft might win". You see, without first knowing, then understanding, and finally, consistently applying sound Life Principles, even what we would consider "good" life experiences have potential to sink us! It is these Life Principles that I have discovered - actually, that I have been shown - that has allowed every experience I have passed through to lift me. We all must, if we want to find happiness and success - true happiness and success - begin to open our eyes, have faith in ourselves, begin to ask some important questions that allow our minds to explore things like:

What is the purpose of life?
Why am I here? Is this all for nothing?
Does it really matter what I do and how I do things? Or is this all over at death?

Finding these answers will begin to change our perceptions, then our choices, and finally our outcomes - and this is what we all want!

While this Podcast is not dedicated to religion, it is dedicated to many things religion contains. So, in a sincere effort to disclose my deepest feelings, be transparent, and honest with any who would choose to listen, as well as share the secret to all that I have come to know - the powerful Life Principles that have lifted me - as well as the secret to all that I feel - the happiness, confidence, and peace in my life - I must declare that these principles are given to me, and to all, from, what I have come to know, is a loving, patient, and caring Father - God. I know He lives and loves each and every one of us, and wants to share with us all He has learned - the secrets, the great mysteries - that turn all experiences - what we might consider good or bad - into amazing experiences, that lift rather than sink us!

At the beginning, I mentioned I was from Spokane - the city of the Children of Light - but we are all Children of Light! WE are not really from here. We are all Children of Light! Allow your mind to be open, allow this to percolate, let it sit for a while, and lets walk together and talk together, and discover together. Life is an amazing gift and there is so much to gain- much more than just another ipad, or a better car! So, for now, you take the ipad, or phone you have, and pretty soon, as you absorb these principles, you will become the CREATOR in your life! And remember, I am only sharing what has been shared with me.....these are not my principles!