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Last Lecture

I'm going to write to you today as if it was my last opportunity to say anything on this subject. There are several key lessons that I've learned throughout this course and I will try my best to explain them in a way that is coherent. Know that these are not the actual answers to life and that those come from the Book of Mormon and from our relationship with our Father in Heaven.

Lessons Learned
1. Talk to our Father in Heaven and He will talk to you. He wants to hear everything. I promise.
2. We are not meant to be born, work, and die. Life is meant to be fun. "...men arethat they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25).
3. Prioritize. Everything. Always.
4. Dogs are great.
5. Make goals. Make plans. And them DO THEM!!!
6. Talk to your mom. Talk to your best friend. Talk to your brother. Talk to people. Humans need interaction. Also, everyone has a story.
7. Never lie. It's not worth it.

I cannot emphasis enough how much love God has for us. He loves us SO MUCH. And He wants to help us. He is always there watching and waiting for us to call on Him. I was reading a general conference talk the other day and I believe that no one explains God's love like this, "...the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength" (Holland) Can you believe that? He doesn't love us with our ability, He loves us with all of His ability. That's a lot of love. You can do a lot of things with that amount of love.

In regards to number three, I have learned over and over in my twenty years of experience, that prioritizing helps everything else fall into place. For me, my list is kind of like this: God, then family/ friends, then school. Putting God first has ALWAYS saved my butt. He helps me to stay focused and remember the things that I need to do. I strongly believe in having good relationships with those around you. Family and friends are some of my greatest assets in life because FAMILY IS FOREVER and that is that. Eternity is a long time and it would be pretty lonely without my incredible family and friends. They are my refuge when life gets tough and I'm so grateful for them and all they do for me. Love your family. And remember that family doesn't just mean blood.

Finally, the last point is one of the most important ones, especially in the business world. Do not lie. Just don't do it. Have integrity. Gain people's trust and don't lose it. Your reputation is incredibly important and I promise that if you lose people's trust, that will kill your reputation faster than anything else. If you learn nothing else in the business world, learn to be faithful. Learn to have integrity. Best of luck!

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