It's Been a Long December...

...and there's reason to believe that next year will be better than the last.

I've been secretly having a rough time this last month and a half. But--thank heavens there's a "but"--things are on the upward swing. With the new year approaching I feel energized. As I look back at the goals I made this past January I am in awe. They were bold goals and I have achieved many of them. I am not sure how it happened exactly but I believe there is a power in setting lofty goals, in shooting for the moon.

I believe I have been experiencing a mild depression this past month and a half. I have experienced a sadness and lack of desire in many areas of my life. I am glad I have been able to recognize what it is. I am grateful to have passed through it because I recognize there are many people who cannot. Many people experience depression their whole lives. It must needs be that there is opposition in all things. I believe I will more fully understand and be grateful for my happiness now.

So last January when I made goals, I set goals for work, school, health, money, and church. I didn't set any relationship/romance/girl-oriented goals. I am not making that mistake again. I will still make goals for everything else but this year I have a new top priority. So, wish me luck.

I wish everyone the best in the coming year. I like these:

-Ether 12: 4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

-(In the unlikely story that is America there has never been anything false about hope.)

Counting Crows - A Long December

howdy all

So I don't know how many people even look at my blog considering I have only told a few people I even have one because I haven't consistently blogged since creating it. I feel like blogging at the moment.

So when I was younger I remember people telling me I could be anything I wanted to be. I thought they had no reason to lie to me and believed it. I decided at a young age I wanted to play football for the Dallas Cowboys or basketball for the Utah Jazz. At some point in middle school, probably the point where everyone was getting a lot taller than I was, I decided that people had lied to me. I let go of those dreams. I never really made a new vision for myself after that point. I kind of stopped dreaming. I didn't know what on earth I even wanted to be anymore.

Now, I see that I can be almost anything I want to be in life. Several things have opened my eyes. One of them is one of my best friends David Perez who is now in his second year of law school at Yale. Another thing that has helped me see this is the success I have had at Wells Fargo in the last year or so. Another thing I've realized is that I have a mental edge over people. I am saying this not to be cocky or over confident. I realize this is a blessing and should take advantage. I have to work less hard to learn things and do well in school than other things. Because of this I often don't work as hard and end up procrastinating. I'm getting off the subject.

Anyway, The problem still comes with knowing what I want to be or knowing what I want to do. I think too many people dream small. I believe I can do lots of things. My friends have lots of ideas but lack the understanding that trying those ideas out is how people become succesful or lack the drive to actually make them happen. I lack neither of those things. I seem to always use the excuse that I don't have the time. But I could make time.

So I'm going to take the LSAT and see about going to law school. I want to go into immigration law because I think I would really be able to help people that way. I have already signed up to take a couple practice tests. I plan on taking close to 10 of them to get ready. I may even pay to take the prep course. This is something I'm going to actually work really hard at. I am also going to try a couple other things to possibly make money doing the one thing I absolutely love doing which is making people laugh. I'll let you know how those things go.

So I'm pretty much a Mexican. That's what it really comes down to. Ok, not really but anyone who knows me knows I have a place in my heart for most of them. This stems from my mission for sure. I was treated with so much kindness by the Hispanic people in Georgia and even here in Utah that it takes a pretty sour Hispanic person to get on my bad side.

Here is an example of a typical conversation which used to upset me: I was speaking with these two guys who were trying to recruit people to work with them on the Border Patrol. I jokingly said I couldn't work for them because I would let everyone in. Later I said, seriously, that the real reason I wouldn't want to work for them is because I have seen so much of the good, having had good friends who are in this country illegaly and been treated with so much kindness by some of these people, that I wouldn't want to always be seeing the bad in the border drugs and everything on a daily basis. Then the guy had the nerve to say, "Well, the thing you need to realize is that even the good is the bad. Illegals are a huge drain on the economy...blah...blah...blah...(a bunch of misinformed nonsense spewed out of his mouth.)" Anyway, that would have upset me in the past but I've gotten used to the fact that some people have forgotten the fact that this country was founded by people who fled other countries searching for better lives. Anyway, this is one thing I feel strongly about but I don't really want to make this political. I just don't feel like I'm better than anyone else because I was born in this country and I don't feel like I have the right to deny someone the chance to have the same opportunities I have to succeed in this country.

the postal service - such great heights

The Beginning

Well, here goes nothing. I guess I'm gonna do a blog. The thing that intrigues me about a blog is that someone told me you can print them off at the end of the year as kind of a journal. I think that is quite the novel idea even though there will be slight variations from what I would put in a journal.
So lately, for several reasons, I've been thinking I might move away from Utah for a little while. I applied for a job with Wells Fargo as a Service Manager in Seattle where my brother and sister-in-law just moved to. I highly doubt I'll get it or even be strongly considered but there is a chance. Why? Well, things have kind of been slow here in the old Beehive state. I just got my associates degree in general studies from Salt Lake Community College and have been told I'm too late to apply/register for school in the fall at the University of Utah. So school will have to wait until spring anyway. I've kind of been irritated with the dating and girls scene here lately. Moving to another state isn't necessarily the answer or solution to this irritation but it is one of them.
I was irritated at work last week as well. I never have problems at work but last week was not a good week. Sales were not good at all. I had a terrible day on Tuesday with some personal problems and I kind of let it show. I didn't want to talk about it with anyone and of course that is when everyone wants to know what is wrong. I didn't tell anyone what was wrong until Thursday. I confided in my service manager and friend Carlos and that turned out to be a mistake. I know he was trying to help but sometimes you just need to vent to someone and all you need is for that person to say, "Hey man, that sucks, I'm here for you if you need anything." That is not what I got. Instead I got a lecture on positive thinking and how my problems are my problems because of my attitude. Anyway, I got pissed at him, and we are okay now. The next day I told him that if he ever becomes a Bishop or anything that he needs to work on his empathy skills.

Anyway, I love music. Any person who knows me should know that. I think this is a good outlet for me to share with you some of my favorite songs and why they are my favorites.

One of my favorite songs is Such Great Heights. A band called the Postal Service did the song first. Ben Gibbard, vocalist for Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie, wrote this song. Ben Gibbard is one of the best lyricists writing music today. This song has been covered by Iron and Wine and is a very good cover. You can also find a version of Ben Folds covering this song on Youtube.... anyway here are the lyrics and maybe the video if I can manage it.

Such Great Heights

I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when
We kiss they're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate that God himself
Did make us into corresponding shapes like
Puzzle pieces from the clay
True, it may seem like a stretch, but
Its thoughts like this that catch my troubled
Head when you're away when I am missing you to death
When you are out there on the road for
Several weeks of shows and when you scan
The radio, I hope this song will guide you home

They will see us waving from such great
Heights, 'come down now,' they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far away,
'come down now,' but we'll stay...

I tried my best to leave this all on your
Machine but the persistent beat it sounded
Thin upon listening
That frankly will not fly. you will hear
The shrillest highs and lowest lows with
The windows down when this is guiding you home