Thoughts on Easter

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate on Easter, is the single most important event in mankind's history.  Regardless of whether or not people are good or bad, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ means we'll all live forever. Immortality is guaranteed. Imagine the teacher saying, "Even if you get a 0% on this test, you'll still pass the class." Jesus told us essentially the same thing when he said, "[D]eath hath passed upon all men" (2 Nephi 9:6).

Yet, the blessing of immortality is rarely mentioned during Easter. Instead, we celebrate bunnies and eggs. Why bunnies and eggs? The tradition became common in the 19^th century when people saw that bunnies’ litters, which are rather large, bearing new life (http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/17597617). The meaning, however, has been lost in time; we only think of egg hunts and chocolate bunnies during the holiday. To make matters more confusing, the name of the holiday—Easter—means Passover. However, Passover did not even occur during the resurrection of Jesus Christ; rather, it was the week before the resurrection. I'm left to conclude the meaning of "Easter" and our celebrations have distracted us from the true meaning of Easter. 

Easter should be a holiday of joy, hope, and peace. How can we experience these three things? I suggest three things: (1) Reading the account of Christ just like we read Luke 2 during Christmas. (2) Doing family history of our ancestors. (3) Expressing our love and gratitude for our Heavenly Father for the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Even though I just wrote a list of how to respect God, don’t see myself as an incredibly religious person; rather, I see this holiday as incredibly sacred. While Christ didn’t specifically command us to keep the holiday sacred, I believe keeping Easter special is a poignant way to show how much we appreciate His divine sacrifice.

The Importance of Planning

Many aspects of my life are more cyclical. While I clearly progress in many aspects of my life, I find myself in crummy situations I have been in, whether it be in school, social, spiritual, or financial areas. For example, I find that I get burnt out from school every three months. Even worse, I find myself mentally drifting away from God just because I'm preoccupied with other things and fail to do the elementary aspects of the gospel. 

Unfortunately, my planning habit is also very cyclical; I create effective plans and follow through on them for a while... then lose track of them. These planning sessions are critical because they allows me to continually progress rather than fall back to crummy situations. 

Thus, I want to make planning a top priority for the rest of my life. Goal setting will become my anchor that keeps every other aspect of my life intact. I believe that the lives of notable people like Elon Musk confirm I can succeed in multiple areas if I simply plan correctly.  With my coming internship at Amazon in the summer and my position as Executive Director of Marketing for the student council in the fall and winter, I'll need to anchor my life around a set schedule that will guarantee positive results in every aspect of my life. 

The World Needs General Conference

I'm slowly transitioning from the academic world to the business world. I know I need to pay closer attention to how I express my religion beliefs in the business world than ever before. Hiding my beliefs is new to me because my academic world has included spiritual learning with its secular learning because I attend a school funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The business world, in comparison, has many amazing people with a plethora of ethnic and religious backgrounds all with a common goal: success in one's chosen profession. These people offer unique perspectives on how to succeed in every aspect of business. I enjoy scrolling through online magazines and LinkedIn just to see if I can be successful just like everybody else.

Although I have learned a lot through reading business media, I've realized that the world doesn't have every secret to a successful career. I'm confident that my spiritual learning has made a difference. One main way I learn how to be successful is the church's semiannual General Conference. There, prophets, apostles and leaders of the church speak to the public. These men and women have proven successful in their professions (though they typically don't mention them). If the world needed to have a conference with successful professionals from a wide array of disciplines, the world should choose the speakers from General Conference. For example, look at the following professions of just a few of the speakers from the April 2017 General Conference:

• Gary R. Stevenson: Founder and COO of the world's largest manufacturer of sports equipment, ICON fitness
• Dallin H. Oaks: Law professor at University of Chicago Law School and Chairman of the Board of Directors for PBS
• Russell M. Nelson: A recognized authority on coronary artery disease
• Gary B Sabin: CEO and Chairman for Excel Trust, a real estate firm

These speakers are truly successful people. With the gospel at the center of their lives, they became successful in business. I've noticed that much of their advice applies to situations everybody faces. Their lessons teach us how to be kind, honest, hardworking, and grateful people. I don't want to impose my religious beliefs on anybody I'll meet in my professional life, so I won't typically bring this up in a professional setting. Nevertheless, I'm confident that if the world listened to their lessons taught in General Conference, we'd have better employees, coworkers, and bosses. 

My Journey from Music to Business

My life up to 2016 revolved around piano and music composition. I always been in love with great piano compositions and incredible classical performances. I get it from my family; both of my grandpas' careers were in music, and my mom was a music education major at BYU. I started playing piano for my ward when I was 13. 

As I moved through my music composition classes, I realized I didn't have much of a specific career path in mind; Rather, I just liked music!

It got me thinking about my future financial situation, so I got a minor in business. I took the prerequisites for applying the Marriott School during the 2015-2016 school year. Surprisingly, I did well in the classes, though I was not interested in marketing, finance, and accounting, though I thought economics was fascinating.

During one of my marketing classes a professor from the Global Supply Chain (GSC) program introduced me to the major. He taught me how supply chains affect every aspect of our lives and is a growing industry. As an added bonus, he broke an iPhone during the presentation. Leaving the lecture curious, I talked to students in the program and a GSC professor who was once a musician like myself.

Even though I was happy as a music major, I felt like GSC could broaden my horizons and prepare me to get a job when I graduated. I decided to apply. Much to my surprise, I got into the program!

Since I’ve been in the program, many musicians have condemned me for switching music to pursue business. If you're one of them, let me tell you I haven’t abandoned music. In fact, on April 4 I’m playing a piano concerto that was composed by a composition major. Music is still a big part of my life.

Believe it or not, life’s been easier as a business student. I actually enjoy composing and performing music more now than as a music major because I play on my own time. I’m also financially less stressed; I’m making more money in my current supply chain job than ever before.

For the record, I’m glad I’m in GSC but I don’t find anything wrong with studying music. I applaud all music students because I value fabulous classical music. Yet, my switch to GSC was the right decision; I’m confident I will have a bright future in business while still enjoying music.

Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism

Growing up as a Mormon outside of Utah, I get questions about my faith. Almost all Mormons can relate, even ones in Utah. For most, the temptation of drinking coffee or alcohol isn’t hard to bear; we are quite content with chocolate milk and board games. Rather, peer pressure makes living life difficult. That’s what’s hard being Mormon and vegetarian. A vegetarian doesn’t eat meat.

Vegetarians’ standards face the same stigma within the Mormon community because Mormons love meat. Meat is necessary at most LDS gatherings. When I tell people I’ve been a vegetarian for almost a year, they’re first thought is, “Why are you vegetarian? Don’t you miss eating meat?” I give my response based on scientific research on the effects of meat on the environment and your personal health. People are respectful 99% of the time, even though many people disagree with my lifestyle choices.

My mom disagreed with vegetarianism long ago. From what I remember, she talked about how God gave us dominion over the earth. Surprisingly, she became vegan when she got breast cancer and researched the benefits of veganism. In case you don’t know, A vegan is somebody who doesn’t eat any animal products like meat, dairy, and even odd products contain parts of animals like some medicines or marshmallows. It’s the next level of vegetarianism. By being vegan, my mom significantly reduces her risk of getting breast cancer again.

Below are some questions I get and my answers:

Q: Where do you get your protein?

A: Many plant-based foods contain protein. In fact, vegetarians and vegans get 70% more protein than they need¹. So … where did this question even come from? I don’t really know.

Q: Do you ever feel full?

A: Of course! I never have problems getting enough food. Most restaurants provide vegetarian/vegan options.

Q: What about vitamin B12 deficiency?

A: This is a valid criticism of vegetarianism; many don’t get enough B12, which can lead to things like nerve damage; however, many foods are fortified with B12 (i.e. most cold cereals, sports drinks, almond milk etc). This is because B12 is naturally found in the soil. Animals eat the soil. People eat animals. People get B12. The vegetarian way is to get your B12 directly from the soil.

Q: What about God giving us dominion over the earth?

A: He said long before anybody cared about climate change or deforestation or animal manufacturing. He knew we need to take care of the earth. That doesn’t answer your real question which goes something like this: Hasn’t God given us animals to eat? D&C 89: 12-13 describes my opinion on that.

Do you see the similarities between questions for vegetarian and questions for Mormons? In both cases, I don’t push my beliefs on anybody. Instead, I want everybody to understand and respect my decisions. I’ll respect yours.

11.  http://www.care2.com/greenliving/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein.html

Why Spotify?

How we listen to music has evolved dramatically in the past 50 years. While many people don't see the evolution of music channels as less significant that than of other evolutions like technologies, it has made music easier and easier to listen to. How dull would the world have been without the record player, cassette, CD, radios, or even the iTunes store?

I see Spotify as the next generation of music listening because you can listen to practically any song. If you get premium you can download thousands of songs from their entire library on your phone with no commercials. I don’t see how music listening to could get any more convenient for me. You can make playlists to customize your listening experience.

Naturally, we’d like to listen to music for free, but this is a better option; artists worth listening to actually get revenue which allows them to produce more songs that would not have been produced without that revenue. This is a zero-sum situation because artists win by getting paid by Spotify and we spend less on music and have it on our smartphones.

Two downsides I hear about Spotify from my friends is Spotify requires more work than radio, and they don’t have storage on their phone for the songs. The first downside is easily refutable; Spotify has radio options. The second downside is just a problem with people’s phones. Get a new phone and be over with it!

I see that many competitors will try to challenge Spotify’s power because Spotify has been listen to music easier than ever. CDs and even the iTunes store won’t stand a chance against Spotify in the next ten years. With Google Music and Apple Music jumping on board, it’s clear music is only becoming more accessible than ever.

Why Amazon is the BEST Place to Work

This blog post is just a celebration. I just got an internship as an operations finance summer intern at Amazon! I've applied and interviewed at many companies in the past few months, but Amazon has always been at the top of my list. I'm not kidding; at the beginning of last semester I made a list of the top 40 companies I wanted to work for, and Amazon was at the top. It has everything that a new supply chain management student could ask for: an environment of creativity and innovation, potential, resume experience, and challenges. 

I actually just stumbled upon their info session in January in the TNRB because a friend was going and Amazon provided free food. I heard their message and realized how amazing their company was. (Just Google "Amazon innovation" and you'll see how amazing they are.) On top of that, I realized that my experience as an Amazon seller at my current job at Super Healthy Kids would uniquely qualify me for this role. The next day at the career fair I talked to the recruiter and she put my name down for an interview. Three phone interviews later, I got an offer from Amazon! 

In the process I talked to several people who have worked at Amazon. They all mention how fast-paced the culture is, but how rewarding it is, too. That's what I want to hear in a company. I'm an ENFJ personality, and I want to make a difference in the world, so Amazon is where I want to go. Plus, they pay pretty well, even for interns. 

Provo: Home of the Happy and the Stressed

How can the happiest town produce the most stress-inducing college? That's the case for Provo and Brigham Young University. USA Today ranked Provo the #1 happiest town in the US in 2014 while CollegeMagazine.com rated #4 in the nation in overall stress levels in 2013.

We understand that BYU expects great things out of its students; i.e., the honor code, academic excellence, and missionary service. This trend has built many great leaders of the church and built a great name for BYU. But it comes at a cost.

Go to a testimony meeting in a student ward at BYU and hear the underlying message of almost all of the testimonies.  Count how many times you hear words like trials, tests, troubles, difficulties, and problems. Granted, things typically turn out well because they rely on the Lord, but I don't see why everybody has to feel so much stress in the first place.

Spring break is BYU's attempt at decreasing students' stress levels; however, this just chips away at a much deeper problem. That problem is pressure. Students are always having a hard time handling pressure, especially when everybody else looks like they are doing just fine.

What would happen if BYU decided to focus more on learning and enjoying life and lesson and grading and campus rules? I'm confident students would be more satisfied with their education and still be able to get the jobs that BYU expects them to get. Additionally, the average age of marriage would go down because students aren't stuck studying for a test that's curved. We would actually fulfill our purpose: "men are that they might have joy" (Alma 32:34). 

The Story of "A Refugee Story: from Citizen to Castaway"

Have you ever run into somebody you haven't seen in over five years and they ask, "what have you been up to?" Typically, you just say "oh, ya know... nothin' much. How about yourself?" Later, you start asking yourself the same question - what have I done? Most people cover up their undertakings during face-to-face conversation, but have you ever thought what you could say? Maybe you'd ask yourself the following: "If I'm busy all of the time, what am I busy doing?"

A few months ago, I felt like I was just running in circles, doing work and school and scraping any remaining time with my friends. I'm not saying it was bad, but it wasn't remarkable to me. If you have a similar life to the one I had (and now have), I'm not saying your life isn't satisfying, I'm just explaining why I decided to make "A Refugee Story." I wanted to make a difference, albeit tiny one. Nevertheless I don't want to hide that my intent in writing this is to have people—YOU!—make a difference and do good as well.

Before school started in late August, I started working on a charity run created by students called Run4Refuge. I was intrigued by the idea that regular students could go out of their way to do something meaningful. I sought to turn my music background and business skills to make something that's never been done before, too. The idea was a benefit event would fill the people's demand for helping refugees at BYU. I started talking to people. One conversation led to the next and actions led to more actions. Before I knew it, BYU Humanitarian Club had approved the event, people had started volunteering, and we got speakers and musicians for the big night.

I spent 30-40 hours a week in the month and a half leading up to the event. It didn’t happen because of hard work alone, though. Clear to me, it happened because of dozens of small miracles. I wanted to give up about six times from beginning to end because of tough obstacles. To my surprise, every time I felt like giving up, another miracle would occur! For example, when we found out from BYUSA that we could not actually do the silent auction, which raised $465, I was considering eliminating the cultural fair completely. Then unexpectedly, 24 hours later, the BYUSA advisor over the event (who initially said it was impossible) called me and told me a unique way to still raise funds.

I'm convinced all the miracles came through other people. As the event drew closer, people would show up at the right time to fill in the necessary roles to make it succesful. Every type of volunteering included; i.e., booklets, musical performers, advertising, fundraising, organization, etc., I estimate that total volunteer time totaled to about 1,200 hours. Each hour made a significant difference. In the end, we raised almost $2,200 towards Lifting Hands International. 

My last takeaway from the event is really simple: people want to do good and make a big impact. I hope that my efforts showed them that making a difference is possible. 

  

Luke Skywalker and Refugees

I find it interesting how movies allude to current world issues. Zootopia shows that people of all shapes, sizes, and genders can and do make an impact. Arrival highlighted the tensions that actually do exist between nations right now. And if you can stretch your imagination, think of how Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them highlights the counterproductive bureaucracy in politics. Such nuances woven in to movies are intentional and lead to a more thought-provoking experience for watchers. 

Most movies contain or reference wars. With most wars, comes a specific consequence—refugees, or people who are forced to leave because of an attack where they live. That’s a very basic definition*. Rarely do movies focus on the plight of refugees, but they certainly still exist. Why don't movies talk about refugees more? There are sixty million refugees in the world. Perhaps much of western culture cannot relate to refugees; North America hasn’t been successfully invaded in the past two hundred years. Additionally, there’s a sense of pride in fighting, not fleeing. Think of the Lion King: would it still be a great movie if Simba never returned to Pride Rock? Come to think of it, America's focus on freedom is probably why it's called Pride Rock. 

Luke Skywalker is one of the most noteworthy “refugees” in movies. In A New Hope, he lost the family he grew up with. He was thrown into a war and had to leave. He eventually teams up with another refugee named Yoda in an uninhabited disgusting swamp planet, which could resemble refugees' living conditions. Luke, about thirty years later, becomes a refugee again in The Force Awakens. This makes me think: I wonder if Rey will be a refugee somewhere down the road? Maybe I should finish this post after The Last Jedi comes out in December...

Here is my point: movies intentionally mimic our feelings towards today’s important issues. My hunch is more movies will come out with refugees in 2017 and 2018. Whether they will be portrayed as terrorists or as innocent humans will likely depend on us, because big movie producers will shape their messages to coordinate with our feelings and opinions of today's news.  

*The definition of a refugee given by the United Nations is rather wordy, though more accurate:

Any person who is outside any country of such person’s nationality or, in the case of a person having no

nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or

unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that

country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion,

nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

The Misleading Meaning of "I'm Busy"

Excuses are the obstacles from commitment and the ultimate weapon of feigned innocence. Imagine you just read the following: "I'm sorry I didn't see your email about the presentation that was due yesterday." Even better, you could hear somebody say "I'm too busy to come to your party."

Either way, excuses hurts a little on the receiving end; you can never be certain of their motives when first hearing people make excuses. According to the status quo, people should be honest, unless it unnecessarily harms other people. With that in mind, you should  sometimes expect people to be somewhat dishonest if they think the truth can hurt. Or, they may want to avoid the consequences, like the classic phrase "My dog ate my homework," which obviously demonstrates our propensity to hide excuses behind our lies. 

Yet, sometimes excuses are valid and need to be considered. Excuses are also necessary when unable to do a task. Consider the following example:

"Hey Matt, do you want to go on a run with me? I need a partner."

"No, I sprained my ankle. Sorry!"

Nobody should (or can) run with a sprained ankle. That's a valid excuse.
On the other hand, what if the conversation went like this:
"Hey Matt, do you want to go on a run with me? I need a partner"

"No, I have an ache in my back. It's been going on a while. Next time."

Run a mile in my friend's running shoes (figuratively speaking). Do you believe I'm too "achy" to run? You're probably not sure. Giving people the benefit of the doubt and accepting their excuses provides a temporary mental crutch to hold back our suspicion that they're lying. That suspicion will exist until you know I'm truly handicapped.

My favorite excuse is "I'm busy." What does that actually mean? Let me give you a few definitions:

• I'm going through personal issues and don't think it's a wise decision 
• I have over-scheduled my entire life and am currently paying the consequences
• I think I don't have enough time (though I do)
• I don't want to commit for whatever reason
• I may commit, but I need more time to think
• I don't like you
• I don't think I have the skills or talents needed to do that
• I hate committing to anything (i.e. I'm lazy)
• I just don't want to do it

Have some of these lines went through your head when you heard somebody say "I'm busy?" Unless it's the first two, those two simple words are misleading. The meanings undermine trust and respect. 

Here's my advice: say what you need to say! Avoid cliche excuses and give the listener a glimpse into actually what's going on. Validate yourself and your actions by your excuse. Develop respect by letting them know what is actually in the way. Don't leave your excuses open to interpretation. People may be angry at first, but they will trust you and respect you.