True Nobility

I take today's title from something Earnest Hemingway once said:

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

I rather like that thought.

One of the things that impresses me about the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the near-constant attention to improvement. Paraphrasing Elder Boyd K. Packer from the April 2015 General Conference, to look to Christ as a Savior is to recognize that there is a disconnect between who we were once and the better people we are now - and that the Sacrifice of Christ severs the bond our former selves claim upon us, allowing us to rise unhindered to greater heights. 

Returning to that Hemingway quote - One of the reasons I like this quote so much is that it indirectly infers where we ought to find the source of our self-worth. In Stephen Covey's book "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers" (and contained within his father's more well-known book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"), he sets forth three ways we can view our standing among our peers: 1) Win-Lose, 2) Lose-Lose, and 3) Win-Win. Win-Lose and Lose-Lose are simply phrased: "Between you and me, only one of us can be better, and that's going to be me. If it can't be me, I will ensure that it will not be you." It is seeking to be superior to our fellow man.

Win-Win is different. It is seeing the world as open opportunity for everyone to be successful, with my success being of no detriment to yours. It is seeking to be superior to your former self, and allowing all the opportunity to do the same.

The first two focus one's sense of self-worth on standing among peers. Essentially, if I'm not better than you, than I have no worth. If I am better than you, than you are of no worth. The last focuses it in a much more healthier, positive way: all that matters is if we are better than we were before.

I believe that if we make this a motto in our lives, we will stop uselessly worrying about where we are in comparison to others and start making meaningful progress in our own lives. Life will cease to be an endless competition for scraps and become a collaboration toward meaningful creations.

Carpe Diem.

Of Going and Getting

I had a change of perspective today.
To preface it, and by way of explanation, I'm currently in the middle of networking toward an eventual career in Investment Banking. I meet people for lunch, write emails, make phone calls, sit down with professionals, and anything else that grows my network and deepens my understanding of the career. While I enjoy doing it, and always viewed my time as well-used, I nonetheless had some reservations.
First off - and this is the main point - I'm a Sophomore. Most firms don't look at anyone seriously until they're at least a Junior - at least, that was what everyone told me, and I believed them.
Now, to some degree it is true. To see it as absolute, however, is misleading.
Which takes me to my experience today.
I met with a good friend who did an investment banking internship last summer. In the course of our conversation, he asked if I was applying for the summer internships already open. I told him no, that I knew that it was only open to Juniors. His reply shocked me:
"Well why not?!"
He then explained to me a simple truth - there are no true rules set in this area. Anything we get is by our efforts, and nothing is off limits. We are only held back by our own decision to not try.
That stunned me. I thought of all the dreams I had, all the things that I thought I could never do. I listened as all of those preconceptions shattered on the ground. I went home and immediately put in my application for a bank I've had my eye on.

The point is, we make our own luck. We get the good opportunities when we try to make them happen. Like my good friend Shia Labeouf says, "Just DO it! Make your dreams come true."

National Advisory Committee Luncheon

This past week I had the incredible opportunity to attend a luncheon hosted by the Marriott School for the National Advisory Council (NAC). For those of you who are, like I was, unaware of what the NAC is, the NAC is a body of professionals from various careers who have decided to give back to the community of students by offering their experience and advice to students who are interested in pursuing similar careers. They are incredible people with a wealth of knowledge to share.

I'll admit to being nervous at the outset of the event. This was the first event of its kind that I've ever attended, and I felt very much out of place sitting among some very successful men and women. However, as I began to chat with a few of them, I discovered an amazing secret: they're human! They are people, complete with interests, stories, and senses of humor. I found that barriers quickly dropped as I took initiative to talk to them, take an interest in them, and meet them on their terms. I found it incredible just how many of them had begun with dreams and aspirations that mirror my own; I took it as assurance that I too can realize them one day.

If I could say one thing about the event, it would be that networking works, and not in the way you might think. Networking is at its best when it ceases to be self-serving, and instead seeks to inspire and enrich other's lives. We humans thrive on affirmation and encouragement, two characteristics at the core of real networking. By meeting someone new, you expose yourself to a whole different life, complete with paradigms and motivations that could potentially change your own life. It's not just a tool for the businessman or businesswoman, it's an opportunity for everyone - an opportunity I plan on taking for the rest of my life.

Organize Yourselves

I don't have too much time tonight, but I wanted to include a little anecdote about organization.
While this post might not show a whole lot of organization, in life it's a very handy thing.
For example.
In my chosen career pursuit of Investment Banking, networking is a very key skill. There's an old phrase that states that in business, "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Of all career fields, Finance is likely one of the most influenced by that mantra. The people you are connected with can quite literally make the difference in a company's decision on whether or not to extend an offer. Thus, it is encouraged to make an effort to connect with the people ahead of you in the process and seek their input.
Enter my situation. Earlier last week I scheduled opportunities to talk with several people within the finance program here at BYU. I contacted them through email, set the potential times we could meet, and promised to check back with them to confirm on an exact time and place. While I did much of it right, I nonetheless neglected to record for future recall who I was scheduled to meet with and at what time. As this week passed, there were several instances in which I suddenly remembered, too late, that I could have talked with someone that day. While these conversations might not be the difference between working and unemployment, it is nonetheless worrisome to think on the message they display. In essence, I conveyed that their time was not of high priority to me and that I didn't really, deeply care about what they had to say.
Not the sort of message one in my position would like to convey.
The moral of the story is to be organized for the future so as to bring about opportunities that might otherwise have been swept down stream.

Carpe Diem Everyone.

Your Not Doing It Right

Goals are a tricky thing.
It seems to be the notion of our society that goal-setters are a notch above the rest of us. They're the go-get'ers, the achievers, the driven. They're the ones who actually keep their New Year's Resolutions, the ones that stay with the diet, the ones that follow through with their exercise plans. They skip the butter with the popcorn and forgo the ice cream after dinner. They take the extra class - AND do the extra credit - all in the name of a goal. We look up to them, admire them, and possibly even envy them for their success - because we could never do that.
BUT WHY NOT??
Good Question.
At this point someone else might continue into a high-level discourse on the eternal potential of the human soul and the incredible power within all of us. The quote about the light within each of us - you know the one, "Your playing small does not serve the world" - and attributed to at least four influential people, would probably be inserted. A call would be made to burn the ships and face the future, trusting in your inner light to guide you to soaring heights.
I'm not going to say that yet.
You see, there's more to goals than rabid enthusiasm of momentary desire. Goals require more than desire - they require RESOLVE, and resolve needs commitment and clarity of purpose. There has to be a conviction to change and a direction that the conviction can be aimed. To illustrate goals, an example is frequently used of a man stranded in a boat in the middle of the ocean, with only a glimpse of land in sight. The man's goal is, obviously, to reach land. He sees it, he knows the end from the beginning. Contrast this with a man who just wants to reach land, but doesn't bother to look where it is. They both may begin with the same energy, but only one knows where exactly he will end up. President Uchtdorf, an Apostle within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, put it this way:

I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery ... often comes down to an error of only a few degrees.

Goals are hard to set because they must both reflect our ambitions and lead us in a wise direction. I'm preparing to set some goals in my own life - perhaps I'll share them on here - but before I set out the details, I need to know where I want to end up. Knowing that, I believe it is far easier to set goals that will truly make us successful. Preparation is the greater part of victory, after all.

Carpe Diem Everyone.
Now, cue the motivation:

Beginnings

As Goes the Sun.
What do I mean with that enigmatic little phrase? Good question.
The sun is never changing direction. It has, at least to our perspective, one direction only: forward. It does not pause in its progress nor reverse direction. It is constant, steady, and dependable, and yet - it is never in the same place. It moves in an orbit of its own around the galaxy, constantly heading forward. 
I believe there's a lesson in that. We are allotted a set, if unknown, number of days, with some having less than others. We may have different ideas about progress, and our desires may point us to different destinations. That is immaterial to me. All that matters is that we push forward toward those goals with steadiness and sureness, using our time as best as we are able.

That's the theme of this blog-thingy. Life is an open opportunity, and we are largely rewarded according to the effort we spend seizing it. 

So I'm going to write about that. I'll write out my goals, share inspirational stories, say what I learned that day, report on my progress and maybe even do some good along the way - as goes the sun.

Carpe Diem Everyone.