I have learned that many of us base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. We think that success comes from someone else failing.  Meaning, if I win, you lose; or if you win, I lose.   Well, the reality is that if we change our mind set of seeing life as ‘win-win’ vs. ‘win-lose’ we will have a heart and mind that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all that we do.

This past week I have been working as a ski instructor at a local ski resort and have had students that are First Timers; Beginners; Advanced Beginners; and even Intermediate skiers.   Many of my classes, max of 4 students, have had to be ‘split’ up due to the ability levels of the student.   Does this make one student less successful than the other?  Not at all, if anything, each and every student is in their appropriate level learning the skills and techniques to be better skiers.

We encourage the students to not base their ability (self-worth) on comparing themselves to other students as well as to not compete with others, yet to compete with themselves.   Skiing is a great sport and when you look up on the mountain, you will see a diversity of skiers from all levels; all enjoying the same mountain; improving on themselves; helping those around them that are at different levels; a ‘win-win’ if you will.

We are all here on earth, from a kind Heavenly Father with the same opportunity to be successful in our own individual way.   It doesn’t matter what ‘level’ we’re in, if we have the heart and mind to constantly live our lives to support and build those around us to ‘win-win’ vs. comparing ourselves and competing with others, we will all mutually benefit and through Him will accomplish the goals we have set for ourselves!

I was at a family Christmas Party this past weekend and I was asked, ‘When did this LDS UnPlugged thing happen?’.   My answer was… It came together from one day that I was thinking of ways to evade, or I guess the more political term would be to ‘reduce’ my tax liability of our ‘for-pofit’ business!

Earlier this year I was having lunch with my older brother and one of his good friends, both entrepreneurs and owners of business and the topic of paying self employment tax came up.   My brother’s friend told a story of a late night comedian who thought it would be fun to experiment on setting up a 501C3 non-profit and generate ‘tax-free’ income from it.   This comedian was successful in creating this non profit, generated revenue, and paid zero in taxes!

A few days later, I came up with this novel idea of setting up a non-profit myself.   I’ve always been passionate about being ‘unplugged’ and taking time away from distractions of the world.   I’ve also always enjoyed traveling as well.  So the idea of the week, create an organization that organizes 10 day excursions ‘unplugged’ from the world, temple themed in particular for youth 12-18.   I figured I could take a portion of the revenue from my business; ‘donate’ to LDSUnPlugged; have $$ to travel the world (imagine how many 10 day ‘temple’ themed excursions I could come up with); and in the end not have to worry about having such a large tax liability!

Unfortunately, when I shared my thoughts with my CPA, he advised that it would be most difficult and a major red flag to the IRS to ‘reduce’ my tax liability in this manner.   I was a little bummed, yet at the same time, the idea was there and I knew I would get a return on my investment.  I may not receive a temporal ROI, yet I can see the potential spiritual ROI!   So, Fall of 2015, LDSUnPlugged was born.   We’ll see where it goes from here!

Happy UnPlugging!

I many times wonder what our Father in Heaven thinks of His children here on earth.   When I say ‘children’ I refer to each and every one of us,  us humanoids who go about our lives working towards a goal; a life mission; a career; etc.   Does He ever think ‘If she/he only knew what was to come… would my children be more obedient; more patient; more forgiving; more merciful; less worried; less insulting; less offending.’

Well, guess what?   Great news, we have the ‘gospel’ or the ‘good news’ given to us!   And through living Prophets, we really ‘know’ what our Father in Heaven thinks of us and wants of us.   He is our Exemplar and our guide.   He gave his only begotten son, Jesus the Christ, for us to follow and learn from.   Thru their examples we can learn; grow; and become examples to our own earthly children, family and/or friends.   Let us press forward with faith, hold to the rod and Be an Example, a ‘good’ example in order to give us the opportunity to be that good bright light in the lives of our immediate/extended family and/or friends.

By being more obedient ourselves; more forgiving; more merciful; less worried; less insulting and less offending, those around us will follow and do as we do.   I know it to be true as I myself have followed and continue to follow those that lead me.

Have you ever wondered how stuff gets done?   Well, looking at the big picture, I have determined that they are by patterns.   You can also relate this to habits and/or recurring activities.

Series of patterns related to your goal, your mission, your objective is the how to accomplish things.   For example, LDSUnPlugged is an idea of replacing the distractions of the world with activities and quality time spent with each other to improve relationships and our individual spirituality.

How would you get this done?   It’s simple, you develop patterns; habits; and/or recurring activities that will net a result in your end goal.   I have personally been working on patterns over the past few weeks which have helped me achieve my goals.   A good pattern to adopt is the LDSUnPlugged challenge:

Turn off all technology distractions for a set period of time each and every day.   During this time, interact and converse with your children.

Try this out for 15 minutes a day with each of your kids/spouse/significant other and/or friend for 10 days and see what happens.    Turning off ALL technology means you silence your phone (don’t pick it up when you get that notification!); turn off the TV; don’t answer the phone call that comes in; etc.   You may think this is easy, yet once you try it, you’ll realize how difficult it actually is.   Yet, once you set this pattern in your life, you will realize how awesome it is and how much you will get to know each other better.

So, are you up for the ‘challenge’?  Good luck and happy patterning!

“Success seems to be connected with action.   Successful people keep moving.   They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”  – Conrad Hilton

Conrad Hilton was the founder of the infamous Hilton Hotel line, a multi-billion dollar company.   My question is, what is ‘success‘ to you.   Can you have  multi-billion dollar family; a multi-billion dollar spirit; a multi-billion dollar attitude; be ultra rich in happiness?    Think about it.   We sometimes aspire for richness and wealth in a worldly sense, and we know what it takes to get there.   Now, imagine if we apply the same things to become wealthy in a spiritual sense!

Be successful with your spirit by moving forward, staying active, never quitting. In the end, it’s worth the energy; action; and sacrifice to become a spiritual billionaire!

“Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.” – Clare Booth Luce

Once you have decided ‘what’ you want to be when you grow up, your dream is in place, you now need action.   Many times, once you act on your desires, you sometimes fall and need to get back up.   You need Courage to get back up and do the things you need to do to fulfill your mission; complete your task at hand; achieve your goal.

It’s tricky sometimes to organize your life, balance your activities.   I’ve been taught to prioritize the important things and work on those things first.  The rest will fall into place, and if you are virtuous in your life you will be able to take Courage and achieve the good things you’ve desired.

LDS UnPlugged is located online, http://www.ldsunplugged.com and originated from the opinion and thoughts of the one and only, Eddie G!  That’s me.

I grew up in Utah and love the entire state from Bear Lake, Garden City down to Zion, St George.  Heber Valley is where I reside now and it’s an amazing valley nestled in between the Wasatch and Uintah mountain ranges.   It’s here in the valley and mountains that I gain much of my inspiration!

Want to find out more of how cool Utah is, check our http://www.utah.com where you’ll see what I’m talking about, it’s the greatest place on earth!

When we are born, we are given a special light, a light of Christ.  This ‘Light’ is a special witness that He Lives, He Loves us and through Him we will be able to return to our Heavenly Father’s presence.

We are all spirit children of a divine being.  Our creator gave us this ‘Light’ so we can remember the ‘good news’ also known as the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Take a minute this day to ‘behold’ the little children who most recently came to this earthly world.  Look into their eyes, feel their sweet spirit, you will see and feel something special.   That something special is the ‘Light’ that we all have.

Let’s find our own ‘Light’ and let it shine bright for all to see and feel the glory that we have before us.

Maddening… Irritating… Bothersome… Frustrating… Disturbing… Infuriating

The opposite of annoying is:

Pleasing… Helpful… Agreeable… Pleasant… Soothing… Welcome

Now, don’t you feel better?   I know I do!

I’ve been reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by the late Stephen Covey and wanted to pull an excerpt from his book this am:

Habit 2:

So, what do you want to be when you grow up? That question may appear a little trite, but think about it for a moment. Are you–right now–who you want to be, what you dreamed you’d be, doing what you always wanted to do? Be honest. Sometimes people find themselves achieving victories that are empty–successes that have come at the expense of things that were far more valuable to them. If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster.

Habit 2 is based on imagination–the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don’t make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It’s about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.

One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision.

Today, I’m going to ‘Begin with the End in Mind‘ and see what happens.   It’s something we all naturally do, yet sometimes forget how important it can be to achieving success in our goals and desires!