The World According to Daring Dale #15

I must say, from what I have read and from what I have seen: my life has been lived in a bubble. I have grown up with a supportive family. I have gotten a good education. I have never had serious medical impediments. I have always had enough food to eat. I have been sheltered.

After going to visit some places in South America and Central America I have come to realize that the world is a very different place from the one I had imagined. Especially in these days. There is so much corruption and evil taking hold of the earth. There are so many wars and battles taking the lives of loved ones and hated ones. There is chaos. How it was that I ended up in such wonderful circumstances is a mystery to me. Statistically speaking my chances were not good.

I am glad to have a LDS perspective. If I didn't I think I would be very worried for my future. Knowing that all the turmoil and ruckus has been prophesied gives me comfort. I know that there is something to be said of all the calamities that surround us everyday. Taking a religion class at BYU really helps me see that. A couple of weeks ago our Book of Mormon class discussed all of the terrible things that are happening today. Our teacher quoted something from a talk given by Bruce R McConkie, it stated that the persecutions in the times of the early church are nothing compared to the persecution that we will have to confront the last day. That is kind of scary considering all the things that the early Saints had to go through. I wonder if we will be able to go through those things without to many spiritual casualties.

Life... what is it?! #14

One time my cousin walked into seminary and exclaimed, "life... what is it?!" I thought that his outburst was completely relevant to a seminary setting. I have thought about that comment a great deal over the years and I have a some thoughts as to what I want to do in and with my life.

I think it is an important thing to experience a bit of stress in thinking about what we are to do with our lives. It should be a decision of great intensity. Personally, I feel the stress of this question on a daily basis. I think I may overthink it. My aspirations are great because I have very demanding parents. For some weird reason I could never do anything half heartedly in my home growing up. Maybe it was because I was their very first child but I wasn't allowed to not work hard at anything. Sometime I felt overwhelmed that I was living my life for my parents. It seemed that running away and becoming a professional skateboarder or surfer or rock climber just wouldn't fly with them.

Have you ever read the book "Into the Wild"? I have felt like that many times. Sometimes I just want to run away and see the world, I want to experience things for myself, I have a tug of adventure that blinds me to the comfort of home and a good education. For brief moments I feel like I am trapped in the normal life. Growing up, getting a good job, having kids, and serving in the church. These are all things that are expected of my by everyone I love. If I do anything to threaten those things I will end up disappointing everyone. The dread of this disappointment has always stopped me from doing anything I would regret. I know that no matter what I do, that inkling for adventure will never stop burning in my chest. It will consume me until I find some way to quench it.

Dale Carnegie #13

One of the most influential people that I have read about in my life is Dale Carnegie. Many may recognize this name as the one that accompanies the book "How to Make Friends and Influence People." Carnegie was a self made man. He grew up as an extremely poor farm boy. To get an education he had to make great sacrifices. He made his way to school as a boy after waking up to milk cows at 4:00 in the morning. Can you believe that? I sometimes feel like my 9 o'clock class is too early. His work ethic allowed him to reach the heights of American stardom. He made a name for himself my teaching self-improvement classes and lecturing about public speaking. His work made him a house hold name in the early 20th century. I have learned a great deal from his writings and hope to continue to apply them for the rest of my life.

Before my mission I made an effort to read "How to Make Friends and Influence People." As I read the book I began to make serious changes. I began to say hello to nearly everyone that I saw. (This was very useful for my mission.) I began to treat people better. I began to use first names frequently. I began to apply all the tips that Dale Carnegie recommended in his classic book. I feel like many of the qualities I read about have influenced me in so many ways. I remember also being more willing to work and study after reading about his experiences.

Although we shouldn't worship our influences, I think it is important to have people who we admire. Having someone who has had experiences similar to our own can be a driving force in our progression. I have found that motivation comes from those who have overcome all obstacles to be successful.

The Suicide Belt #12

Before Thanksgiving Break, I attended a concert on BYU campus. My friend invited me to the concert to support his singing group. I went with a good friend expecting to just see a little bit of singing and dancing. When I arrived I was surprised to see that the concert was trying to raise money for suicide prevention. Before the concert began the singers began to talk about the high suicide rates in the United States. I was shocked to discover that Utah had one of the highest suicide rates in the country. We were shown a map of the USA and directed to a dark area called the Suicide Belt. The Suicide Belt is a part of America where the is a unusually hight amount of suicided per year. It included all of the states above, below and to the sides of Utah.

As I listened to the commentator I couldn't help but be surprised at that statistic. Utah is in the top ten for suicides? I couldn't believe it. As I have been reflecting on that statistic these past few days I have come to several conclusions. They may not be accurate but I think there may be some substance to it. I think that living in a Mormon culture is hard. There are so many expectations from parents, wards, and stakes that many kid feel too overwhelmed. I remember speaking with a friend of mine who was a member about this very topic. She was a good person, but she felt the stress of not measuring up. She experienced feeling of heartache and had made several attempts to end her life. It was hard for me to help her, there wasn't much I could do. I don't believe that the church has anything to do with the rate of suicide, I know that they offer many ways to council those who have problems with self esteem, but I do believe there are many who feel like they cannot deal with the social pressures and fly off the deep end. This is a sensitive topic but I am so grateful for the blessing of the gospel and the aid it offers us when we find ourselves in the darkest hours of our existence.

Development of self-awareness #11

I am writing a brief thought about what I believe the title is referring to. I may be incorrect but I feel like I have a good idea of what it means. Self-awareness is the view one has of ones-self. We develop that whether we want to or not. Everyone walking around on earth who is capable of feeling the average human emotion is very, very aware of how and who they are. This self depicted image may not be accurate, but it has a large influence on our self esteem.

I don't think most human being has a very balanced sense of awareness. One day they think they are too dumb and the next day they are prideful, thinking they are better than the next man/woman. I find myself plunging from confidence to discouragement almost daily. The positive development of my self-awareness is only increases when I am busy doing productive things. For example, when I come home from a long day of studying and feel like I have mastered the material, I have a positive view of my self worth. On the other hand, when I come home from a day of lazy, half-hearted work, I feel lousy.

Feeling the things I discussed in the previous paragraph helps me understand that I am more self aware. That being said, it is crucial to know how to develop your self-awareness in a positive way. Because if not, you may end up beating yourself up all the time. That may cause a negative impact on the way you view yourself. The key is to become positively aware.

Bishop Davis Devotional #10

"We have questions. These are consuming and scary." This is the way that Bishop Davis, second councilor in the Presiding Bishopric, began his address November 3, 2015. It seemed that all of the ears of every BYU student shot up with interest. The whole audience was filled with young men and women who were eager to know how to manage a order their lives. Bishop Davis went on to say that he remembered exactly what it was like to be in our shoes. When he said that I immediately said to my self, 'how can I believe that a general authority felt the same way I feel.' It is such a stereotypical thought for a BYU student. We just can't seem to look beyond our current circumstances. We, or at least I, feel like success is out of our reach. All of the greats that have past through this campus have set quite a standard for our generation.

Bishop Davis threw me a curveball when he explained that he had spent his time cleaning the building we were in. He was a janitor in the Marriott Center. When he said that I felt like I could identify right away. I don't have a job as a janitor but I do feel like I am the smallest guy here some times. Hearing about his challenges motivated me to want to overcome my own challenges.

Bishop Davis then went on to explain that we can do all things if we lean on Christ. That is the only way to true happiness. If we lean on Christ, all things will work in our favor. I loved his stories and his power as he illustrated the simplicity of overcoming obstacles and letting Christ be our leader. We don't have to do everything ourselves, we have a God to lead the way.

Running for Fun #9

I watched from a birds’ eye view as my legs glided past each other over and over again. I had been doing this for about ten minutes. I was bored out of my mind.

“I hate this,” I muttered angrily to myself.

As I muttered, I imagined sprinting up and down a sleek wood floor organizing strategies to help my team. That was the only physical endurance I enjoyed.

“Good job out there, kid!” my Physical Education teacher bellowed as he patted my back.

“Thanks,” I muttered under my breath.

“You know,” he began, “we are really needing some good prospects for Cross Country next year. You could really help our chances with the team.”

“That sounds great,” I lied, “but I think I’m set on basketball.”

“You shouldn’t be so sure!” he exclaimed, “No one comes close to you during our races. I think running suites you better.”

I took that last comment as an insult. The only way anyone could make me run was to jeopardize my grade point average. I was so glad that the next four years would be different. I daydreamed of belonging to an elite club of starters for the Laguna Beach Breakers. Girls would chant my name and make posters of me. For all I knew, that’s what High School was all about.

“I think I’m a couple inches taller!” I yelled at my dad from the garage.

“It’s been two months since graduation,” he responded with a chuckle, “I think that would be a world record.”

“Maybe if take a deep breath when Coach Flemming looks at me he’ll think I’m taller,” I replied.

I didn’t believe what I was saying, but I said it anyway. Mr. Flemming had been coaching the Breakers for about one hundred years. I tried to think of anything that could make me look better. Tomorrow I would have my only chance to make a first impression. I had my clothes all laid out in my bedroom. I even had my mom buy two different colored Gatorades, just in case one color didn’t give me enough electrolytes. I was sure all those hours of practice would pay off, but you could never be to careful.

“Remember to be careful with you arm,” my Dad recalled, “the doctor told you to take it easy.”

Hey! Stop worrying about that!” I replied, perhaps a little louder then I wanted, “He said I was probably fine.”

“I hope nothing is wrong, I just don’t want anything to happen between now and your appointment tomorrow. They should have the results by then.”

My hands started to shake when he said that. The thought of not being able to swish that bright orange ball through a red circle was devastating. If worse came to worse, playing between now and Sophomore year was out of the question. The possibility weighed on my shoulders like a ton of bricks. ‘What would I do?’ I tried to push all of those negative thoughts out of my head. I had known that the possibility of surgery was likely for a while. I had been having trouble with my arm in recent months. Every time I shot the basketball my elbow felt and sounded like a nut cracker crushing a walnut. The doctor had told me that bits of bone were trapped in my elbow joint. Sometimes those bits of bone would lock up my elbow and I would have restricted movement. My stupid elbow wasn’t just ruining my basketball shot, it could possibly ruin my dreams. The surgeon would tell me the next day whether I would need an operation.

I was lost in thought as I sank deep into the soft couch. The lights were low and I had tears brimming on my eyelids. I fought them because I was a man. As I wallowed in my misery, my father sat next to me. He seemed to not sink as deep as me on the couch. "What are you thinking about?" He asked, knowing the answer before I said anything. I chose not to respond. "Things don't always work out like you want. You should start think of options. You aren't just confined to one thing." He said. I let my Father have a conversation with himself, I wasn't ready to come out of my self-imposed prison yet. Yesterday the doctor had told me that I would need surgery on my elbow. He then mentioned that I would be unable to play basketball for a year. He might as well have told me to put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. "You've always been a good runner," he chirped, "why don't you give that a try?" I had to chuckle a bit. It was true that I had always been a talented runner. I always pushed myself more then anyone else. But then again, no one in middle school really puts forth an effort in Physical Education. As repulsive as the idea sounded, I had no other choice. I took a deep breath before responding.

"I'll give it a shot," I whispered. The deep breath I took seemed to make me rise from the depths of our couch.

“Let’s get going then!” my Dad chirped, “The Asics store closes in in one hour.”

We got in the car and headed over to the store. My Father was more excited than I was. I watched all the trees and houses pass by as our car glided down the street. It was getting dark but I could still see the silhouettes of people walking their dogs. As we made our way through town. I spotted a group of lean looking young men a women moving a lot faster than the rest of the crowd. They wore colorful shoes and shirts with the Laguna Beach high school logo. They seemed to breath and move in sync with one another. The colors of the setting sun made them look beautiful. I felt like I was watching a slow motion sketchers ad. My heart sped up like it did when I drained a three pointer at the buzzer. For a brief moment, I entertained the thought of speeding down some scenic trail kicking up dust and feeling the blood pump through all the veins of my body.

“Are you coming?” I heard my Fathers voice ask.

I realized that I had daydreamed most of the car ride. I looked up and saw the bright Asics sign. The neon colors looked so inviting.

“Yes,” I said confidently, “yes I am.”

Personal Narrative #8

I am assigned to write a scene for my personal narrative. I am thinking a lot about the central message. It has to do with the adaption of my favorite sport to running. I hated running.

I was lost in thought as I sank deep into the soft couch. The lights were low and I had tears brimming on my eyelids. I fought them because I was a man. As I wallowed in my misery, my father sat next to me. He seemed to not sink as deep as me on the couch.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked, knowing the answer before I said anything.
I chose not to respond.
"Things don't always work out like you want. You should start think of options. You aren't just confined to one thing." He said.
I let my Father have a conversation with himself, I wasn't ready to come out of my self imposed prison yet.
"You've always been a good runner," he chirped, "why don't you give that a try?"
I had to chuckle a bit. It was true that I had always been a talented runner. I always pushed myself more then anyone else. But then again, no one in middle school really puts forth an effort in P.E. As repulsive as the idea sounded, I was intrigued. I took a deep breath before responding.
"I'll give it a shot," I wispered. The deep breath I took seemed to make me rise from the depths of our couch.
Before I knew it, I was shopping with my Father for a pair of Asics running shoes and really short shorts.

Basketball is my Favorite Sport #7

There is a possible storm in my brain. Brainstorm. When ever I think about a moment that changed my life, I think of the time when I cried after a doctors appointment. It was the first time in years that I had allowed myself to cry in front of my mother. I was 14. I was big enough to go to stake dances, it was my last summer before High School, I was starting to take a big interest in lifting weights (though I seldom did so)... I was big teenage guy. But that's not what the streams of salt water that were streaming down my face were telling me. The doctor had just told me that I would be having surgery on my elbow.

I wasn't to worried about my elbow, I was worried about that sport that I wouldn't be able to play for a year. My whole life I had dribbled a orange ball up and down cement, wood, and gravel. I had worked my whole life to be a basketball star....

That's what I'm thinking at the moment. I'm going to play with some more ideas but that was a moment that changed my life.