Charity Never Faileth

True charity asks for nothing in return. It expects no gains nor wishes for exchange. It does not bargain or seek to profit from giving. True charity is out of the goodness of a heart who desires to do nothing but better the situation of another.  Anything contrary, or seeking return or personal gain could easily be referred to as blackmail...extortion even.  Call it what you will, but it is not true charity.

I am fascinated with words and their multiple meanings and definitions, and in all the definitions I have read of charity, none say, "for the gain of oneself," or "to profit from giving and expecting something in return."  There are those who believe being "charitable" means, "If I shovel my neighbor's snow today, maybe he will edge my grass in the spring."  One with such an attitude should think otherwise of their "charitable" actions.

Charity is all about intent. Intent to do good. Intent to better the situation of another leaving all selfish thoughts aside.  Intent to better one's own heart by giving without expectation of receiving.  Certainly, there is nothing wrong with these types of bartering or exchanges one may have of shoveling snow to receive grass edging, but do not consider this a charitable act, because true charity expects nothing. Nothing in return, not even a thank-you.

What do your thoughts when doing service say about your character?  Are you charitable? Or are you among the same group as even myself, who does not mind doing good for others, but always seems to consider (somewhere in the back of my mind maybe) the possibility of receiving something in the future?  Examine your heart. Examine your intent.  Do we expect things when we help others, or do we give freely, never looking back or considering what we could eventually prosper from giving?

Sometimes we give service only hoping to receive something in return.  What should we do? How should we think? How do we know what true charity is, and how do we give true charity?  The best answers I have found for such questions are in the following verses found in Moroni 7 in the Book of Mormon and they apply to all whether a Latter-Day Saint or not:

 45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him

(Bold and italicized portions added for emphasis)

I'm bothered by people with such attitudes of expectations. So why then, am I the same? Why do I follow the same patterns and similar expectations? It is hard enough to be humble and ask for another's help and true charity would never make someone feel as though the person giving feels entitled to something from them later. It would destroy the very definition of charity, and cause everyone to become completely independent and never rely upon others for help for fear they would be in debt to someone until they could even the score.

I will end with a simple example of someone who demonstrates pure charity in his life on a daily basis. I hope to someday possess this incredible quality he does, and hope that since this man is my husband, I will see firsthand how true charity changes not the receiver, but the giver.  I've never met someone more willing to do things for people. No matter the circumstance, no matter his busy schedule, or how many items he has on his place at once, he always has time for others. From simple to great things, he always seems to be giving. He never complains or mutters or mumbles. Just does it and never takes credit or recognition.  I look at him with admiration and think, "How could anyone be so generous?" And he laughs when I say that, because he thinks it isn't true. But I believe that's the point, those who are truly charitable, never realize that they are, because they do not seek to be recognized for it or expect gains or rewards.  He hates when I point out his charitable acts, brushing them aside as "normal activities."  Maybe being married to someone with the capability of true charity will help me develop the same trait and I hope to someday consider such daily charity as my husband does, "normal."

Every Day Is a Great Day-If You So Choose It To Be

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." ~Charles R. Swindoll

Nobody can make you feel or do anything. Everything is a choice and we each have our own agency to make whatever choice we would like. Frequently, we use a phrase similar to this: "I'm having a bad day." Are we really having a bad day? What makes it a bad day? The circumstances? Or is it really the attitude and the outlook on the situation? Ever see someone going through something you have gone through, but they seem to be taking it so well compared to the way you dealt with the situation and you wonder how they could be doing so well in such a hard time?

Attitude is everything is such a cliche expression, yet there are not many words more true than those. Simple, yet difficult at the same time; they trumpet an incredibly simple concept, but a difficult one to live by. We may not always be able to control our circumstances, or what is going on around us, but we can ALWAYS control our attitude. Every morning, I wake up and consciously choose that I will have a good day. No matter what happens, how many things seem to go wrong or against me, no matter what anyone says or does to me, I will choose to be happy and choose that my day will be great. Does this mean I don't have those "bad days" we all speak about? No, it most certainly does not. However, it does mean my attitude needed some adjusting that day. We have all had terrible things happen to us, some more than others, but we are all responsible for the way we react to them and choose to deal with them. Being happy is a choice, as is being sad, angry, irritated, or anything else for that matter.

The worst thing we can do when things are going wrong is blame others, blame our current circumstances or even make excuses. This is choosing to neglect responsibility and attempting to push that responsibility somewhere else (coward's way out). Developing the skill of changing our attitude does not happen when things are going well. It happens when things are going poorly, and we decide in spite of all those things, to have a positive attitude and be happy nonetheless. Next time you go to shift the blame somewhere besides on yourself, decide to accept the blame and figure out how you can better your situation with your attitude. Being aware of our bad attitude is the only way to correct it. Humble yourself, and realize that things can always be better as long as your attitude is!

Don't be oblivious to your circumstances, or even deny what they are. However, do not blame them for your "bad day" or your life being "not so perfect." Accept that the circumstances are there, and although you probably cannot change them, you can focus on changing how you react to and deal with them. Make a conscious effort each day to adjust your attitude to see the best in all things. If it seems like there couldn't possibly be good in something, then just start with the thoughts of all the things you have in your life to be grateful for. You will find it hard to have a negative attitude if you begin to thank God for the blessings he has graced you with. Realize that each day is a great day, and it is your responsibility to make it so!

Habla Español? Benefits of Being Bilingual

I have recently taken it upon myself to learn Spanish. I have always wished to be fluent in another language, but have never dedicated the time to actually learning it. Sure, I took two years of French in high school, but I remember very little and never put the language to use. With America's Hispanic population steadily increasing, Spanish just seemed like the best language to try and learn.

So why learn another language? There are several reasons, but perhaps the most important are:

• You need something to differentiate yourself
• Creates an opportunity to expand your network
• Creates more job opportunities
  

Having a bachelor's degree today does not create the same opportunities having a bachelor's degree twenty years ago created. It is commonplace to have a college education. It no longer sets you apart from other people. I propose that having international experience and/or being bilingual will set you apart...for now. In the future, I believe that it will be commonplace to be bilingual as well.

Being bilingual allows you to expand your network into other cultures. It enables you to communicate with even more people. Since deciding to learn Spanish, I have become interested in getting to know others who speak Spanish and have begun to create a network in Spanish speaking countries.

Some jobs require that you be bilingual to even qualify for the position. Take two job candidates who graduated from the same university with the same GPA and virtually were all the same academically and had similar work histories. Take those same two candidates and review their resumes. Both appear to be equal on paper except that one speaks another language. Perhaps the candidate who does not would better fit the position, but if an employer had to hire based solely off of the paper resumes, the bilingual candidate would receive the position hands down. Being bilingual differentiated him from the other candidate.

At this point, you are probably asking, "How do I learn another language?"

• Enroll in a language course
• Join a language club
  
• Purchase books and read up
• Download podcasts
• Listen to music, watch movies, etc. in the language you are practicing
• Locate others who speak the language
• Purchase software such as Rosetta Stone
• And many others ways!
  

It will take some time, but I am convinced you will be pleased with the end results. Dedicate time each day to studying the language and use it whenever you can. There are opportunities that come about when you are bilingual that do not arise when you are not. Being bilingual will benefit your overall personal life as well. After all, you will learn a lot about a new culture and will have more experience with diversity.

Take Some Time to Just Be

The business world is often hectic and full of stress. Taking a break from that chaos is essential to a person's sanity. "The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it." While keeping up with work and making sure every business need is met is essential to operating a successful company, you must realize that there comes a time when you must separate your business life from your personal life. On top of being able to separate the two, you must not feel guilty for taking time away from work. There is nothing wrong with being a work-a-holic...except for the part that being a work-a-holic means you have an addiction. Instead of being a work-a-holic (which has a somewhat negative connotation) try being dedicated to your work. The difference is that you realize there are times when it is ok to take a breather and your personal life is a priority that fits in above your professional life. Never let business become more important than your family life.

So exactly what does it mean to "just be?" I will break it down for you.

1. Just: adverb; actually, really, positively
2. Be: verb; to exist
   

Put the two words together to come up with...drum roll please...really, to exist. But how does one simply exist? Can you ever really do nothing but exist? This, I cannot fully explain. It means something different to everyone to "just be."

Steve Harrop...24 Lipper Award Winning College Professor? Isn't That An Oxy-Moron?

Southern Utah University is the home of the coveted Steven D. Harrop Investment & Service Learning Lab. The Business Finance majors--such as myself--refer to it in short as the "trading lab." We use this lab on a daily basis as six groups of approximately five students manage a portfolio beginning with more than $23,000. Each group sold all of its assets and closed out their accounts last week. I am proud to say that my group made the most money of all the groups and our class made the most money out of any class in the history of this investments program. While the goal of the class is not to make money, it still feels nice to know that we did. The objective of the class is to beat your benchmark (ours was the S&P 500). I am also proud to say that all but one of the groups in our class beat our benchmarks. The task of beating a benchmark is difficult even for well-seasoned portfolio managers. So how were a bunch of junior and senior finance students at such a small university able to do so well? I will tell you why: Dr. Steve Harrop.

Never have I met an individual who cares more about the education of the upcoming generation than Dr. Harrop. SUU is one of the only university I am aware of in which undergraduate students are given the opportunity to invest real money and manage a portfolio of assets. Dr. Harrop personally donates the money students use for the investments course. He only has two rules restricting what assets students are allowed to purchase: no options contracts and no futures contracts. Other than that, students are on their own to apply the investments principles learned in the Investments I portion of the class to invest the money and pass the class by beating their benchmark. I know I speak for the entire class when I say that Dr. Harrop deserves the credit for preparing us to be investors.

Dr. Harrop is dedicated to giving students the opportunity to gain a "hands-on" experience no matter what the monetary costs and time costs are to him. Let's be honest, we all know Dr. Harrop is not teaching at Southern Utah University for the money. He does it because he cares about the students. As a finance major, I am certainly glad he cares so much about the success of our generation because I am now better prepared for my future career. And if he isn't selfless enough by donating $250,000 for the students to use, he then invited us all to his house for a party at the end of the semester and he had an awards ceremony to celebrate the success of our class. So the lesson to be learned here is similar to the movie "Pay It Forward." Dr. Harrop had a very successful career and now he passes his intelligence on to us for our success. Not because he has to, but because he is selfless and truly cares about the education of us finance majors at SUU. As Dr. Harrop would put it, "I'll take off my shirt and show you my scars!" And that he did. He shared his successes and his mistakes with us. After I become successful in my career, I wish to share my experiences with others for their learning benefit as Dr. Harrop has with us. Thank you Dr. Harrop for a great year and your willingness and dedication to teaching us!

Speech: The Best Tool for Sales

The first video demonstrates the differences between a powerful speaker and a boring speaker. Although the content of both speeches are interesting, it is all about the delivery and the skills of the presenter. If you think for one second that developing skills of speech do not matter, think again. Obama was not elected because of his political experience. He had a way of motivating the nation. McCain on the other hand, had a way of putting everyone to sleep and no one could bear to listen to what he had to propose anyway. Not much more can be said about the matter because the video demonstrates it better than I can describe in words.

The Bill Whittle video is just a video I enjoy, but it shows his incredible presentation skills. I had the opportunity to see Bill Whittle as a guest speaker for my class and let me just say, that man could sell a Chocolate Popsicle to a lady wearing white gloves on a hot summer day. I could walk into a presentation he was giving beginning with the completely opposite views of what he was speaking on and he could convince me that my thoughts were wrong. Being a good businessperson requires that you have good communication skills and can sell your product or service. Nobody wanted to buy what McCain was offering, but everybody wanted to buy whatever Obama was offering.

Socialnomics 101...Enroll Now!!

After taking an entrepreneurship class and discussing each class session the importance of web presence and using social networking tools, this video completely reinforces everything I have learned about social networks and the power of the internet. I have since decided that maybe universities should add a course for business students that focuses on how to gain better web presence and how to effectively use social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, for business purposes. A company lacking web presence is limiting the number of people it can reach as well as which market segments its message will reach.

Think about your personal Facebook account. How many friends do you have? And how many friends do each of those friends have? It is so easy for information to be spread through Facebook. A simple status change notifies all your friends that P90X is "kicking your butt." I saw this generic Facebook status several times on pages of my friends and finally decided to ask one of them what on earth P90X was. My friend then explained to me that it was an exercise and dietary program. Her review of the product was simple: it is difficult, but it works and I love it. Needless to say, I will be starting the P90X workout program in a week. Gaining a presence on a social network is as simple as starting a page and inviting your friends to "Like" whatever business your page is about. If people are satisfied, consumer reviews on these social networks will spread on their own.

We had a guest speaker in our entrepreneurship class who talked in great detail about the importance of gaining web presence. He said that people are much more likely to visit a website with a video than those without. How many people will visit this website because it had a video? Maybe you did. There is simply no substitute for the internet and tools you can use on it to market your business. Create a website and perfect it. Join social networks and create pages for fans. Word of mouth--or rather word of tweet or Facebook posts--advertising will happen on its own if customers are pleased with your product or service. Use websites such as deepbluemarket.com for help in internet marketing. Remember, the web is worldwide. You can essentially reach almost every market you wish to through the use of the internet. There is no substitute for the internet.