Week #12- You've Got to Finish Strong

My earliest memories include staying up "late" to watch the second half of Jazz games on TV with my parents. Karl Malone and John Stockton were two basketball greats, and I actually had the chance to spend some pretty good time with Karl Malone on hunting trips with my Dad.

With that nostalgic introduction, I am proud to announce that this year the Utah Jazz will be back in the playoffs! I have kept a close eye on the standings all season long. The regular season that started clear back in October for the Jazz will come to an end after just eight more games. They have been in 4th in the Western Conference standings for the majority of the season it seems. If the season would have ended a month ago, or two months ago, or even three months ago the Jazz would have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Although the Jazz have been in the hunt for home court advantage for months, it is worthless unless they finish the season strong.

Life is funny that way sometimes. You could have an A in your classes all semester long, but in reality the only time that really matters is when it is all said and done. Looking at these two examples it is clear to see the importance of finishing what you started to the best of your ability.

I will apply this lesson in my life as I search for motivation to finish the school year strong. This semester has been a really tough one for me. I have taken 10 tests in the last 8 weeks, and I am starting to feel a bit exhausted to be honest. That being said, I will dig deep and push hard until the finish line. I will turn on assignments on time, study hard for tests, and do everything I can to finish with straight A's. I may come up short, but I will do my very best.

Whether it is the Jazz looking to clinch home-court advantage, or my good buddy Lewis Bird pushing to finish M Com 320 with an A, we all need to finish this next month strong.

We can do it!!!

Week #11- Sharpen Your Saw

This week I learned an important lesson- make sure to sharpen your saw. This analogy comes from Stephen R. Covey who emphasizes the importance of finding ways to take a break from the daily grind, whether in work or at school. At BYU this semester it seems like I have had test after test. Last week I wrote a four page paper and took an important test. This week I have two more tests. In order to avoid getting burned out, it is important to take a break and "sharpen your saw."

Let me explain further, if you have a sawmill and the saw is running 24/7 cutting wood, the saw will eventually get dull and stop functioning at a high level. A job that would take 15 minutes could turn into a 20 or 30 minute process. However, if you take 10 minutes off to sharpen the saw on occasion it will ensure that the saw continues to operate efficiently. 

The same goes for us as students here at BYU. You can study, study, study, study, study... but at some point your study will become unproductive. You are much better spending 10 hours studying in a high quality manor than you are studying 20 hours unproductively. It is important to give your mind a break and sharpen your saw on occasion. That's what the weekend is for! Work hard during the week and make sure to find healthy breaks between study sessions. 

With one month left to go in the semester I am committed to study hard and to find adequate breaks in my studies. I will study effectively and if I find that my studies have become unproductive I will stop studying, and take a break. I advise all of you readers to find opportunities to sharpen your saw when you sense that it is becoming dull.

What have you done to "sharpen your saw" recently?

Week #10- Understand, Plan, Execute

This week I learned another valuable lesson by watching a show called "The Next Great Baker." It is a baking show that Monika and I are streaming it on Hulu. We have watched about eight episodes, and in each episode it seems like the team who goes home failed to understand the assignment that was given to them. Their goal is to bake fancy cakes, and each episode has a new theme. In order to find success, contestants must follow three simple steps: Understand, Plan, and Execute

Step #1- Understand
On the episode we just watched, all of the teams were to build a cake for People Magazine. The one big rule of the week was to have some sort of moving part on the cake, which requires the use of a motor. The purple team decided to pass on the moving part, because they were uncomfortable and inexperienced with moving parts on a cake. As a result, they were eliminated. Their failure to understand the assignment that was given them got them kicked off of the show.

Step #2-Plan
After understanding the task at hand, you must come up with a good plan. One of the biggest mistakes we have seen on the show so far is teams who come up with a cake design that is too complicated. Bakers who design a cake that needs 12-16 hours to be completed will struggle when they are only given 8 hours to complete the challenge.

Step #3-Execute
After you understand the rules and come up with a plan, execution is the final step. Understanding what is required and coming up with a good plan is important, but if you can't execute your plan it was all for nothing. Execution in pressure situations is what sets apart those who are good from those who are great.

Whether you are a baker, an athlete, or a student in M Com 320, I encourage you to apply this simple three step process. Ever since my first writing 150 paper (which was a disaster) I have understood the importance of understanding the task at hand and making a plan before trying to execute. I will continue to implement these important steps in my life.

When in your life have you successfully completed this process? How did it go? Have you ever skipped one of these steps and faced the negative consequences?

Week #9

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

This week Monika and I took a very spontaneous adventure. I took my math test on Wednesday night and after the test I was feeling pretty good. Monika was looking at old pictures when she saw a picture of us at Disneyland last year, so I decided we should probably go ahead and go to Disneyland this weekend. She asked if I was serious (probably 8-9 times) and I told her I was. Naturally, we packed that night and left at 5:30 AM the next morning. We made it to her see her family by 2:30 on Thursday afternoon and our trip was off to a good start. Friday we went to Disneyland, and it was a blast.

We arrived at the park at 10 AM, and we were able to do all of the fun rides at California Adventure in a matter of 3 hours. We stopped for lunch around 2:30 PM, and by the time lunch was over we noticed that the crowds had really started to build. Once people got done with school and work for the day they headed straight to the park, and by 5:00 PM the park was packed.

Monika and I were both grateful for the experience that we had early that day when lines were minimal. With that experience, we learned that the early bird gets the worm. Being productive in the first few hours of the day sets the tone for a productive rest of the day.  We did more rides in the first three hours of the day than we were able to do in the last seven hours of the day. After waking up early twice this week, I hope to continue to wake up early and get a good jump on the day. I believe that doing so will help me have more time to do the things that I enjoy and live a healthier lifestyle.