My Talk

I gave a talk yesterday at Church. Afterward, I received > 6 compliments (a personal record).
I want to type some of it up to share the internet:

Service is wonderful:

1. I owe almost all that I am and all that I have to the service of others, especially my Mom.
2. Whenever I choose to serve others I feel really good.

Self-reliance is a prerequisite to service. Marion G. Romney said:

"How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse. Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned. And most important of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak."

When I took my first computer science class Fall Semester 2006 I was struggling to keep my head above water. One day, while trying to finish up a project, I made some bad changes to my code and broke it. The computer was telling me that I had multiple errors, and every change I made was adding more errors to the list. I started questioning whether I was going to be able to pass my class, stay in my major, and keep my parental scholarship...

Luckily, a former roommate Matt agreed to help me fix my project. He stayed up with me til after midnight to make it work. As we worked, he showed me that I needed to approach computer programming in a much more organized fashion. A lot of concepts clicked, and we finished the project.


Matt helped me to help myself. I am now able to help others.

I think that seeking after knowledge, working on our people skills, and even seeking after riches can all be noble causes when we are doing them with the intent to bless others.