"It’s humbling to recognize that God is more responsible for the achievements of our lives than we are, that we are people who havebeen given our abilities, time and opportunities. These things are not our possession; they are gifts from God and we will ultimately give an account for what we do with what we have been given."
Nearest to Great : Understand one's Humility
"We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility."
-Rabindranath Tagore
Great quote, because, HUMILITY, to me; is when we are able to look at our self; and make changes, which is the purpose of this blog, to look at our self, and see the changes we need to make, and make them.
“For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great”
(Luke 9:48).
Another great quote.. well Scripture, for HE that is LEAST among you, the same shall be great. I take that as surrounding yourself with good people. Understand who you are, and what you want to accomplish in life, and being around those who have the same goals, and things in life that you want.. It also reminds me of the importance of treating others equally... it's important to surround yourself with good people, but it's also important to treat others well.
How do we surround our self with good people and treat others with equal respect?? That's a very hard thing to be able to do, however we can do it by learning Humility. Understanding that we are not perfect and that we cannot expect others to be perfect as well.
Another great way to learn Humility, is to emulate and learn from our Heavenly Father, in John 5:30, it reminds us that "Jesus Christ is our greatest example of humilty." And in James 4: 6-10, we are reminded that "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. . . . Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." So often in these times are we put to the test, our humility is put to the test and we are asked by our heavenly father to make the best decision possible.
On earth, we are given many opportunities to be able to question our humility, to put it to the Lord's test. Some people's test with humility comes from their financial woes, and even success. Some of us struggle financially and we are always telling our self "why me?" that whole song and dance... while others have all the money in the world, and yet they forget that they have been financially blessed and that they at times forget that the Lord played a pretty big part in their blessing.
I've personally known numerous people who have been blessed with money, only to come to believe that the Lord had nothing to do with their financial gain, and that they were the one who did it all by them self... and that is something that even people who have little to no money say the same thing.. that the Lord has either forgotten about them, or they come to blame Christ for their problems. We need to be humble and we need to recognize that the Lord has his hands in all that we do, and that we need to be grateful for that, and be humble in the fact that the Lord blesses us and sometimes those blessings aren't what we wish for, and instead of trying to learn from it, we automatically blame the Lord, and lose our testimony.
"It's not fair." Exactly right, it's not fair that we are so quickly able to place blame, and not take responsibilty.
Being humble, is a very hard thing to do, but it's nothing that we can't do, it's nothing that we can't learn from and nothing we can't learn to appreciate and use in our daily life. I am humble for many things, but mostly for all that the Lord has given me, and all that the Lord has taken away. I have times where I am pushed with my humility, but I also try very hard to be able to understand it so that I can appreciate it.
In the picture: Jesus Washing the Disciples’ Feet, we see the Lord... washing the feet of the Disciples, we can be reminded that we are here to serve. and when we serve others, we are serving the Lord.
I think this is a great image to have, that no matter how big we may think we are, no matter how rich or powerful we are, we are still able, and still need to serve others.
A few things to ponder:
in the picture: Jesus Washing the Disciples’ Feet, why was Jesus washing their feet? why did the Lord, who can heal wounds, make the blind see, do something that is so small as to wash feet? I think it is to remind us that however powerful we (think) we are, our service needs to be filled with humility, to humble ourselves so that we can learn the valuable lessons and receive the blessings that come from them.
So: what are ways that we can serve others?
Do we think SO hard about finding such a fantastic way to serve that we overlook the more simple things? simple as raking leaves, or even sending a card to show gratitude.
Sometimes it's those little things that mean the most, so I encourage all of us to look for ways to serve, and while we are doing that, to go to the Lord and pray for experiences to serve, and by doing so, we are allowing the spirit to be around in our life, which means we are doing what we should be doing.
In my CORE VALUES, one of my 5 major Core Values is my "Treatment of Others," so Service, and Humility fits right in, by humbling myself more and more everyday, I am able to treat others with the deal of respect they deserve, which brings us back to Luke:
“For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great”
If we can "wash the feet" of our peers, and serve them, we are in good company.
Resources:
Luke 9:48 “For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great”
Mark 12:33 "And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
1 Peter 5:5-7 "Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder. Yes, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble."
Proverbs 29:23 "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit."
How do we surround our self with good people and treat others with equal respect?? That's a very hard thing to be able to do, however we can do it by learning Humility. Understanding that we are not perfect and that we cannot expect others to be perfect as well.
Another great way to learn Humility, is to emulate and learn from our Heavenly Father, in John 5:30, it reminds us that "Jesus Christ is our greatest example of humilty." And in James 4: 6-10, we are reminded that "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. . . . Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." So often in these times are we put to the test, our humility is put to the test and we are asked by our heavenly father to make the best decision possible.
On earth, we are given many opportunities to be able to question our humility, to put it to the Lord's test. Some people's test with humility comes from their financial woes, and even success. Some of us struggle financially and we are always telling our self "why me?" that whole song and dance... while others have all the money in the world, and yet they forget that they have been financially blessed and that they at times forget that the Lord played a pretty big part in their blessing.
I've personally known numerous people who have been blessed with money, only to come to believe that the Lord had nothing to do with their financial gain, and that they were the one who did it all by them self... and that is something that even people who have little to no money say the same thing.. that the Lord has either forgotten about them, or they come to blame Christ for their problems. We need to be humble and we need to recognize that the Lord has his hands in all that we do, and that we need to be grateful for that, and be humble in the fact that the Lord blesses us and sometimes those blessings aren't what we wish for, and instead of trying to learn from it, we automatically blame the Lord, and lose our testimony.
"It's not fair." Exactly right, it's not fair that we are so quickly able to place blame, and not take responsibilty.
Being humble, is a very hard thing to do, but it's nothing that we can't do, it's nothing that we can't learn from and nothing we can't learn to appreciate and use in our daily life. I am humble for many things, but mostly for all that the Lord has given me, and all that the Lord has taken away. I have times where I am pushed with my humility, but I also try very hard to be able to understand it so that I can appreciate it.
In the picture: Jesus Washing the Disciples’ Feet, we see the Lord... washing the feet of the Disciples, we can be reminded that we are here to serve. and when we serve others, we are serving the Lord.
I think this is a great image to have, that no matter how big we may think we are, no matter how rich or powerful we are, we are still able, and still need to serve others.
A few things to ponder:
in the picture: Jesus Washing the Disciples’ Feet, why was Jesus washing their feet? why did the Lord, who can heal wounds, make the blind see, do something that is so small as to wash feet? I think it is to remind us that however powerful we (think) we are, our service needs to be filled with humility, to humble ourselves so that we can learn the valuable lessons and receive the blessings that come from them.
So: what are ways that we can serve others?
Do we think SO hard about finding such a fantastic way to serve that we overlook the more simple things? simple as raking leaves, or even sending a card to show gratitude.
Sometimes it's those little things that mean the most, so I encourage all of us to look for ways to serve, and while we are doing that, to go to the Lord and pray for experiences to serve, and by doing so, we are allowing the spirit to be around in our life, which means we are doing what we should be doing.
“For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great”
If we can "wash the feet" of our peers, and serve them, we are in good company.
Resources:
Luke 9:48 “For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great”
Mark 12:33 "And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
1 Peter 5:5-7 "Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder. Yes, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble."
Proverbs 29:23 "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit."
S.M.A.R.T. goals
I got a great comment from a good friend who taught me a great way to work on goals..
Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" (who, what, where, when, why, how)
questions:When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
Measurable: To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.
Realistic To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Timely A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, "by May 1st", then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.
S.M.A.R.T. goals
Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" (who, what, where, when, why, how)
questions:When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
Measurable: To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.
Realistic To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Timely A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, "by May 1st", then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.
Thanks Rachel for the great comment.
Week 1:: Our Heavenly Father, and Understanding what all this is?
So.. if you are reading this.. you see that week one is about our Heavenly Father.. Which reminds me of once again from last post, Beginnings. This week I am going to focus on Our Heavenly Father, and working on coming up with answers to some questions, and also, I am wanting to focus on my RELATIONSHIP with the Savior.
I know it's a huge topic that takes our whole life and into eternity to learn, but for this week, I really want to focus on my relationship with Heavenly Father.
First things first, I know that there is a God, and not in the cheesy way of "I know there's a God cause I see him in the sunrise." While I believe that he IS in the sunsets, and sunrises, and in all things, I know that there is a God, because I have a TESTIMONY, I believe with all my heart that the Lord is my savior, and my Eternal Father.
I really like this quote, cause It reminds me and helps me to remember that even in our darkest times, we have the Lord by our side, and sometimes it is a hard thing for us to think about, and to accept, because we feel like at times that; "why would the Lord do this to me?" But we need to remember that the Lord gives us our space.. but is right there to be by our side once again, but he gives us our space in order for us to find things out for ourself.
I remember when my friends were getting ready to serve their LDS missions, I was in a point in life that I wanted to know where it was that I was supposed to be going. In my "travels" and when I felt that I really lost my direction, I started to think about who I was, and where I was "destined" to be going. Growing up, (Now, once again Note To Reader moment: Some of the experiences I share are very difficult, but worth sharing in order for me to grow.) .. But growing up, my parents were divorced which lead to leaving it up to me to decide religiously where I wanted to be, I really appreciate my parents for allowing me to find out on my own and find out my own path..
My mother is not LDS, and as I tell people, My dad is LDS, but not active, so once again; I was able to find my own path. As once again, my friends were all preparing for a mission, and having not been too religious, I wondered where I was going.... In my heart I guess I felt that I knew I was supposed to serve a mission, but I still wasn't sure. Once again, all my friends were preparing to go on missions, and I was feeling the spirit through them, as I they were preparing, I was learning and getting that itch...
My friend Greer Haymond was one of the first to leave, and I remember a situation that changed my life forever. Greer received his mission call and was called to serve in the Philippines Angeles Mission. The week before he was to leave, all or our friends wanted to go bowling and have one more night out with the boys. The night we went out was in fact the night that Greer was set apart, and I will always remember the minute I saw him after he was set apart. I've never seen such a glow on someone. I had never seen, or visually witness, the Lord so closely and in such vibrancy. I knew right then that, that was what I wanted, you could say that night, was when I gained my testimony. I remember that night talking to my friend Mike Ashmore about the night and what I had seen and felt, and Mike had given me a challenge; if I wasn't going to go on a mission, he challenged me to at least work on life as if I was going to go on one. Right then I remember telling him that I wanted to GO on a mission, and not just prepare to live like I was going to go.
Some few months later while in the MTC getting ready to head to the Arcadia California Mission, my life took an unexpected turn...(which I will more than likely go into more detail as the time goes on, but not right now.) I became very depressed and full of anxiety, and I was sent home from the MTC after serving a total of 5 days.
I grew very depressed and vulnerable in life, I felt like either I wasn't prepared, or I wasn't meant to serve, and I began to doubt myself in a lot of areas in life. The thought of my family's history, and in my moments of weakness, I decided that I needed to find out if Drinking was for me.
I thought that if my family had alcoholism that had ran throughout the family, then maybe I too was supposed to follow in the same path. I sadly decided that once again, in my moments of weakness and immaturity, I had about a month... maybe a month and a half of drinking under my belt. which sadly, I was no longer able to say I never tried alcohol, but I was able to learn a very and life altering lesson. I learned something that I will never forget.. a few things actually.
Now, as I have mentioned earlier, that this week is about our Heavenly Father, I found out in my darkest time of my life, that the Lord wasn't just there for me, but he had been there by my side the whole time. I was literally living in the base of the devil's throat. And as I became aware of my own personal hell in which I was putting myself through, I was also able to realize that, that was some people's life, but it wasn't a life for me. quit drinking almost as quickly and easily as I began, but I can't say it wasn't a very valuable experience.
I know that there is a God, because, once again, I was able to see him in my friends, and in the life that I wanted. I have a testimony that there is a God because even though I had made some very big life changes, and pretty much threw that away... I was able to recognize my faults, and recognize my mistakes, and I was able to be forgiven.
As we go through life, we are all put to the test, we are all facing challenges in life, and I know in my heart that the Lord is by our side every second of the way. I have made mistakes in life, and I have done great things, I am not trying to make light of a bad situation that I had put myself in, but I am willing to learn from it and share my testimony of the Savior.
President James E. Faust had a great talk entitled :Where Do I Make My Stand? In it he talks about how we are faced with challenges in life, but we need to always remember that the Lord is by our side. In his talk he has a great quote from Dr. Arthur Wentworth Hewit, who suggested as to why the good suffer as well as the wicked:
I am really drawn to the part of the quote "He loves us so much more than He loves our happiness." I really respect and appreciate that part of the quote, because as we go through struggles in life, it is so important to always remember that the Lord loves US more than He loves our Happiness. So we may go through things in life that we don't understand, and we may wonder: "why us." But I am so grateful to know that we have the Lord, once again, by our side to help guide and strengthen us.
So when I see a sunset.. I am not always reminded that there is a God, but I am daily reminded by my past and for my future that the Lord is by my side throughout, and that I can't do it without him.
I hope that this experience in this upcoming year, I will be able to see the hand of God in so much more, but I also know that without being able to share this experience, and my life, I cannot grow. I think we all need to be able to give up and give into our past and learn from it. Having gone through the repentance process, we are forgiven by our Heavenly Father, and we are also reminded to always have him in our heart. I hope that those who read this, will also share their experiences. Thank you for your time.
With much Love and respect,
Nicklaus Allan Jarvis.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
( As we ponder and think about our Heavenly Father, there are always great questions to think about)
1. Believe that He exists and that He loves us. (see Mosiah 4:9).
2. Study the scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:14-17).
3. Pray to Him (see James 1:5).
4. Obey all His commandments as best as we can (see John 14:21-23).
I hope to study these questions, as well as these scriptures in the following week. I hope to gain a better knowledge of these scriptures and I hope to be able to put them into my daily life.
NOTES
1) “Where Do I Make My Stand?,” James E. Faust, Liahona, Nov 2004, 18–21
2) Gospel Principles: pages 5-7
I know it's a huge topic that takes our whole life and into eternity to learn, but for this week, I really want to focus on my relationship with Heavenly Father.
First things first, I know that there is a God, and not in the cheesy way of "I know there's a God cause I see him in the sunrise." While I believe that he IS in the sunsets, and sunrises, and in all things, I know that there is a God, because I have a TESTIMONY, I believe with all my heart that the Lord is my savior, and my Eternal Father.
"I think God leaves me alone to let me find my own strength because no one else can give it to me. Sometimes it is very lonely. But I know the lonely times teach me the most. I must let go in order to let anything in."
~Sabrina Ward Harrison
I really like this quote, cause It reminds me and helps me to remember that even in our darkest times, we have the Lord by our side, and sometimes it is a hard thing for us to think about, and to accept, because we feel like at times that; "why would the Lord do this to me?" But we need to remember that the Lord gives us our space.. but is right there to be by our side once again, but he gives us our space in order for us to find things out for ourself.
(Note to Reader: As I write, and share my thoughts, I too will share my feelings, and inner experiences.)
I remember when my friends were getting ready to serve their LDS missions, I was in a point in life that I wanted to know where it was that I was supposed to be going. In my "travels" and when I felt that I really lost my direction, I started to think about who I was, and where I was "destined" to be going. Growing up, (Now, once again Note To Reader moment: Some of the experiences I share are very difficult, but worth sharing in order for me to grow.) .. But growing up, my parents were divorced which lead to leaving it up to me to decide religiously where I wanted to be, I really appreciate my parents for allowing me to find out on my own and find out my own path..
My mother is not LDS, and as I tell people, My dad is LDS, but not active, so once again; I was able to find my own path. As once again, my friends were all preparing for a mission, and having not been too religious, I wondered where I was going.... In my heart I guess I felt that I knew I was supposed to serve a mission, but I still wasn't sure. Once again, all my friends were preparing to go on missions, and I was feeling the spirit through them, as I they were preparing, I was learning and getting that itch...
My friend Greer Haymond was one of the first to leave, and I remember a situation that changed my life forever. Greer received his mission call and was called to serve in the Philippines Angeles Mission. The week before he was to leave, all or our friends wanted to go bowling and have one more night out with the boys. The night we went out was in fact the night that Greer was set apart, and I will always remember the minute I saw him after he was set apart. I've never seen such a glow on someone. I had never seen, or visually witness, the Lord so closely and in such vibrancy. I knew right then that, that was what I wanted, you could say that night, was when I gained my testimony. I remember that night talking to my friend Mike Ashmore about the night and what I had seen and felt, and Mike had given me a challenge; if I wasn't going to go on a mission, he challenged me to at least work on life as if I was going to go on one. Right then I remember telling him that I wanted to GO on a mission, and not just prepare to live like I was going to go.
Some few months later while in the MTC getting ready to head to the Arcadia California Mission, my life took an unexpected turn...(which I will more than likely go into more detail as the time goes on, but not right now.) I became very depressed and full of anxiety, and I was sent home from the MTC after serving a total of 5 days.
I grew very depressed and vulnerable in life, I felt like either I wasn't prepared, or I wasn't meant to serve, and I began to doubt myself in a lot of areas in life. The thought of my family's history, and in my moments of weakness, I decided that I needed to find out if Drinking was for me.
I thought that if my family had alcoholism that had ran throughout the family, then maybe I too was supposed to follow in the same path. I sadly decided that once again, in my moments of weakness and immaturity, I had about a month... maybe a month and a half of drinking under my belt. which sadly, I was no longer able to say I never tried alcohol, but I was able to learn a very and life altering lesson. I learned something that I will never forget.. a few things actually.
Now, as I have mentioned earlier, that this week is about our Heavenly Father, I found out in my darkest time of my life, that the Lord wasn't just there for me, but he had been there by my side the whole time. I was literally living in the base of the devil's throat. And as I became aware of my own personal hell in which I was putting myself through, I was also able to realize that, that was some people's life, but it wasn't a life for me. quit drinking almost as quickly and easily as I began, but I can't say it wasn't a very valuable experience.
I know that there is a God, because, once again, I was able to see him in my friends, and in the life that I wanted. I have a testimony that there is a God because even though I had made some very big life changes, and pretty much threw that away... I was able to recognize my faults, and recognize my mistakes, and I was able to be forgiven.
As we go through life, we are all put to the test, we are all facing challenges in life, and I know in my heart that the Lord is by our side every second of the way. I have made mistakes in life, and I have done great things, I am not trying to make light of a bad situation that I had put myself in, but I am willing to learn from it and share my testimony of the Savior.
President James E. Faust had a great talk entitled :Where Do I Make My Stand? In it he talks about how we are faced with challenges in life, but we need to always remember that the Lord is by our side. In his talk he has a great quote from Dr. Arthur Wentworth Hewit, who suggested as to why the good suffer as well as the wicked:
“First: I don’t know. Second: We may not be as innocent as we think. Third: … I believe it is because He loves us so much more than He loves our happiness. How so? Well, if on a basis of strict personal return here and now, all the good were always happy and all the bad suffered disaster (instead of often quite the reverse), this would be the most subtle damnation of character imaginable.”
I am really drawn to the part of the quote "He loves us so much more than He loves our happiness." I really respect and appreciate that part of the quote, because as we go through struggles in life, it is so important to always remember that the Lord loves US more than He loves our Happiness. So we may go through things in life that we don't understand, and we may wonder: "why us." But I am so grateful to know that we have the Lord, once again, by our side to help guide and strengthen us.
So when I see a sunset.. I am not always reminded that there is a God, but I am daily reminded by my past and for my future that the Lord is by my side throughout, and that I can't do it without him.
I hope that this experience in this upcoming year, I will be able to see the hand of God in so much more, but I also know that without being able to share this experience, and my life, I cannot grow. I think we all need to be able to give up and give into our past and learn from it. Having gone through the repentance process, we are forgiven by our Heavenly Father, and we are also reminded to always have him in our heart. I hope that those who read this, will also share their experiences. Thank you for your time.
With much Love and respect,
Nicklaus Allan Jarvis.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
( As we ponder and think about our Heavenly Father, there are always great questions to think about)
- What are some things that testify to you that there is a God?
- What are some of God's attributes?
- How can we come to know God?
- How do you see the hand of God in your daily life?
1. Believe that He exists and that He loves us. (see Mosiah 4:9).
2. Study the scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:14-17).
3. Pray to Him (see James 1:5).
4. Obey all His commandments as best as we can (see John 14:21-23).
I hope to study these questions, as well as these scriptures in the following week. I hope to gain a better knowledge of these scriptures and I hope to be able to put them into my daily life.
NOTES
1) “Where Do I Make My Stand?,” James E. Faust, Liahona, Nov 2004, 18–21
2) Gospel Principles: pages 5-7
New beginnings...
Pretty much a cliche' of a title, but the term "New Beginnings" is something we do and a phrase we use more often than not. As I get older, I've really been looking at how I am as a man (which includes father, husband, son, friend, priesthood holder, and all the rest), and I've really been working and continuing to work on how I am and, honestly... how others see me. I'm not perfect in anyway, and I'm okay with it, because I do know that I have a lot to work on in life, and if I were as "perfect" as my wife believes I am, I'd be putting her in a world of hurt for years to come. New beginnings to me, means that we are able to start fresh on a lot of things, and we are so grateful to be able to do so. I've struggled with my weight for many years, I don't listen to what others say, only because when it all comes down to it, I see what I see, and I'm not happy with it. Knowing what I need to do to rectify it, why do I sit and have "new beginnings" and start over more and more? Maybe I do that because I think there will be a tomorrow.. so what I can do today can easily just be done tomorrow... Now I know that, that's not the right answer, because tomorrow is NEVER promised.
I want to really be able to take today for granted and take every second of the day as if it were to be my last, and make the best of everything. As I prepare my 52 week challenge for the beginning of the year. I want to take it as a no fail approach... I don't want to have the mindset of; "If I slack off, or stop, i'll just start back up, so no big deal if I stop here and there." The Lord doesn't want this out of us.
Henry B. Eyring said:
"It’s easy to say, “The time isn’t right.” But there is danger in procrastination."
Which is a great way to remember that we need to finish the things we start. we have too many starting lines and not enough finish lines in our life, and when we start things with the mindset of being able to stop, or take time away and finish later... the reminder from President Eyring voice: "There is danger in procrastination" really hits home..
My goal.. is simple; I want to, for me, to be able to finish what I start, and to be able to have a finish point in mind. and If I don't have a finish line in my mind, than I'm not going to start something new.
52 weeks of learning and growing
Beginning here in a few weeks, I am going to be starting a new idea that John Kramer taught me. Each week I will be posting a new topic (52 in all) each week will be of a different subject matter and it will hopefully be of some service to us, as we continue striving to be a better person.
Each Week, such as week one will be on: Beginnings, So I will discuss the topic of starting either New, or Starting Fresh. but Beginning none the less; I will have quotes from Scripture, as well as from other well known people outside of the church, as well as my own personal insight. So in week 1, I will take the whole week for myself to learn as much as I can about the topic, and I will try to apply it to my daily life, and by the 52nd week, I hope that I am a far better person as I am now.
I hope anyone who would like to join me would do so, and I really hope to hear from you, and of your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks!
Nick
Each Week, such as week one will be on: Beginnings, So I will discuss the topic of starting either New, or Starting Fresh. but Beginning none the less; I will have quotes from Scripture, as well as from other well known people outside of the church, as well as my own personal insight. So in week 1, I will take the whole week for myself to learn as much as I can about the topic, and I will try to apply it to my daily life, and by the 52nd week, I hope that I am a far better person as I am now.
I hope anyone who would like to join me would do so, and I really hope to hear from you, and of your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks!
Nick
Being a Better Man in 30 days
A great article on The Art of Manliness website, teaches us to be a better man in 30 days. I've decided to take them up on their offer.
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