There’s a million reasons why any business shouldn’t work – but that doesn’t mean it won’t. We’ve heard so many objections as we’ve been starting this business – students are to poor to pay for cleaning, apartment complexes won’t want strangers to come in, people won’t hire someone they don’t know, cleaning will take too long to be profitable. All of these have turned out surprisingly false. We’ve found our niche of students, complexes have so far been extremely receptive minus on-campus housing (but even they said we could come and clean – we just can’t advertise there), random people we don’t know have hired us, cleaning is taking half the time people warned us about (that’s the learning curve for you) etc, etc.

Somehow the writers managed to wrap up six seasons of trying to get off an island, then trying to get back on the island, then trying to blow up the island, and even trying to get off again, with a beautiful conclusion all about redemption and learning to let go of our past and really cherishing the relationships in our life.  A dud episode here and there aside, overall I think Lost was one of the best pieces of storytelling I have ever seen.

At roughly 90 hours in length, and with every episode being essential to understanding the overall story, it’s a bit of a commitment to watch.  But, maybe the next time you’re sitting down to watch the latest American Idol episode or to catch some SNL skits, you can change the channel and give Lost a try.

A couple weeks ago I started with a road trip to San Francisco with my roommate. Neither of us had been to California, so we just drove on over, found a cheap hotel downtown, and then spent two days exploring the city and the surrounding areas. It was incredibly fun – the Bay area is awesome. I love photography, but I always feel like taking pictures gets in the way of just enjoying the experience, so I don’t have too many photos to share. Here’s a few snapshots though:

Elderly Asian People Meditating in the Park

The Sea Lions of Pier 39

One Man Band Performing at Fisherman's Wharf

View of Downtown From the Coit Tower

Going Down Lombard

Alamo Square

Pacifica Beach

The one picture I didn’t get was the Golden Gate Bridge.  We wanted to enter San Francisco over the Golden Gate, and if you’ve ever driven in from that side, you know that it kind of sneaks up on you. We were so stunned by how absolutely large and beautiful it was that we didn’t want to spoil the experience with picture taking. Here’s someone else’s though that about captures the moment:

Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge

All in all, it was an amazing trip and a great way to start the summer. I’m also planning two other trips to round out my summer travel series:

Mexico
Mid-July I’m going to Mexico with a couple of friends from work. We’re going to spend a week exploring the Yucatan peninsula – everything from the best beaches to exotic Mayan ruins, to quaint Mexican towns. I’ve been teaching myself Spanish for a year now, and even though I’m by no means fluent yet (barely conversational actually), this is my way of rewarding myself. I really want to immerse myself in the culture and understand it better. Needless to say, I’m incredibly excited.

New York
Assuming I can afford it (aka I get my Pell grant), I also want to make a quick trip to New York City at the end of the summer. I’ve never been there before (minus getting stranded overnight there on the way home from my mission, but that’s a story for another day), and I’d really like to see the sites. Plus, I think I need to get a feel for how much big city life I can stand in case I have job opportunities there later.

I’ll just end this post with some song lyrics that really sum up life for me at the moment.

3X5 by John Mayer

I’m writing you to
catch you up on places I’ve been
And you have this letter
you probably got excited, but there’s nothing else inside it
didn’t have a camera by my side this time
hoping I would see the world through both my eyes
maybe I will tell you all about it when I’m
in the mood to lose my way with words

TODAY skies are painted colors of a cowboy cliche’
And its strange how clouds that look like mountains in the sky
are next to mountains anyway
Didn’t have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world through both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I’m
in the mood to lose my way
but let me say

You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You’ll be with me next time I go outside
NO more 3×5′s 
I Guess you had to be there
I Guess you had to be with me 

Today I finally overcame
tryin’ to fit the world inside a picture frame
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I’m in the mood to
lose my way but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You’ll be with me next time I go outside
no more 3×5′s
just no more 3×5′s 

Listen to the song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP5gWbyuXrs

This summer I am going to celebrate my tax return and put my Spanish practice to good use by making a trip to Mexico. I am really excited for the trip, although the details aren’t ironed out yet. Actually, I am hoping for this trip to not cost me even a dollar so that I can afford to do California and New York road trips as well. An activity we did in marketing class gave me a great idea on how to fundraise for the trip – by playing the classic game, Bigger and Better. You can follow my progress at the project’s blog – http://grandemejorymexico.wordpress.com/

Have an awesome day!

I got an internship!  It is on campus working with a large family trust fund that is looking at moving into the field of social investing.  What is social investing?   It is a new form of investing (literally just a few years old) centered around the idea that philanthropic projects don’t have to be money holes, but that you can actually earn a profit while meeting social needs.  This could become a very important paradigm shift in investing, because if these social projects that benefit the world’s poor can be run with profitable business models, funding will pour in.

Information on the field can be found at websites such as http://ashoka.org/, http://www.echoinggreen.org/, and http://www.skollfoundation.org/.

I have always had a thing against campus clubs.  I hear time and time again that they are great for networking and leadership experience, but  I didn’t believe it until this week, when I started attending events for the Social Entrepreneurship and the Management Consulting clubs.  Imagine taking the top 20 or so most driven and brilliant students in the Marriott School and sticking them together in one room – this is how these clubs feel.  Just associating with them I think makes me a better person.  Plus, because of the reputation these groups carry, many of the top recruiters go straight through them rather than posting jobs and internships publicly.  So, I think I’ve had a slight paradigm shift in how to maximize my college experience.  I’m excited for what’s ahead.

Have a great week!

Traditionally, New Years is the time we sit down, evaluate our life, and set appropriate goals. However, an even better time for this is coming up in just three weeks – General Conference weekend. For anyone not familiar with this event, General Conference is a semi-annual meeting in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where members from all over the world gather to hear the teachings of our church leaders. We believe these leaders to have the same authority and the same divine commision as the apostles and prophets we read about in the Bible. The teachings we receive during General Conference help us to know how we can face the specific challenges of our day and be better disciples of Jesus Christ.

Because conference is such a special event, I believe it merits extra attention and preparation. Here are some things I’ve done in the past to prepare for General Conference that I would suggest:

Before Conference:

1. Periodically watch, read, or listen to previous General Conference talks.

2. Come up with a list of life questions with which you need guidance. Without fail, as you sincerely listen to the speakers, you will find the answers you seek.

3. Study the scriptures. I especially recommend Mosiah chapters 2 through 5 in the Book of Mormon. See how King Benjamin’s sermon mirrors the General Conference that we have today. Pay attention to how the people receive his teachings as he expounds the doctrines of the fall of man and of the atonement.

During Conference:

1. Go to Conference. If you live close to Salt Lake City, make a point to attend at least one session live at the Conference Center. Having a ticket is helpful but not necessary, as there are always extra seats to go around. I believe watching it live at Temple Square serves helps us remember what a monumental occasion it is.

2. If you can’t go to Conference, still take the day off, dress in your Sunday best, and watch it at home. Be sure to remove all distractions, and avoid trying to multitask during conference.

3. Take notes. Even if a particular talk does not apply to you directly, writing helps you to stay focused. Last year I bought a Moleskine diary solely to hold Conference notes. Any notebook will do, but if you are like me, investing more in a nice one will help you to value it more.

After Conference:

1. Sunday afternoon, find a quiet place to go ponder and review your notes. From your notes, make a list of the key ideas and quotes that you felt were most important for you.

2. From your summarized notes, create Conference Goals – specific goals for improvement based on what you felt and learned at conference.

3. Print your goals, stick them on your wall by your desk, and refer to them often throughout the coming months.

Hearing from living prophets and apostles is such an incredible privilege. On October 3rd and 4th I hope you will all take the time to “go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths” Isaiah 2:3

Full conference coverage can be found here:

http://www.lds.org/conference/languages/0,6353,310-1,00.html

Have a great week – I’ll post another update on my life soon.

…and just like that, summer’s over. I don’t know if I’m ready to move on yet – I feel like I haven’t given myself a proper summer vacation since I’ve been working so much. Can’t complain though when my daily schedule consists of consulting with clients at companies like Bain, Ameriprise, eBay and GM just to name a few, and also helping professors from across the globe at campuses such as the University of Adelaide (Australia), the Nanyang Technological University (Hong Kong), Harvard, and Berkeley. It is a breath of fresh air compared to a regular college job.

Part creative writing practice (can I become a decent writer?)

Part marketing experiment (can someone really draw a following and make money online?)