Happy New Year!! Another year to seize life and become better! As last year came to a close, I found myself pondering over the year and reflecting on what needed to change in my life for this coming year. As I looked back, I noticed a continual theme had surfaced in my life. I have noticed that over several years, I have been running in "overdrive", always fighting against the clock to get "everything" done and yet feeling that I always come up short. "There is not enough time in the day", seems to be the quote of the day I have found myself saying often. As I have pondered over this, for the last several weeks, the question has come to my mind:
How do I find balance in my life with all that is required of me and not enough time to fit it all in?
Balance...such a foreign word in my vocabulary.
Well, a few weeks ago I decided that I was going to take this question up to the Lord and ask for His guidance in knowing how to achieve, "balance" back into my life, so that I can be my BEST SELF!!
I have been praying and pondering and praying and pondering some more. Little by little the answers began to come. There was even an article in my church magazine, The Ensign of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the December 2011 issue entitled, "How do I achieve balance in my life given all the demands on my time?" (http://lds.org/ensign/2011/12/questions-and-answers?lang=eng) Perfect!! In that article, there was a quote that hit me and directed me on a path to change somethings I am doing in my life.
"We face a lot of demands on our time. It is essential that we constantly evaluate how we are using our time...At time it may be necessary to say no to some obligations. We are counseled not to "run faster than we have strength" (Mosiah 4:27). We may want simultaneously to have immaculate homes, hold a position in the school's parent-teacher organization, spend hours working on our family history, and train for triathlons. However, "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the the heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). It is important that we have the courage to forgo commitments that do not make us better."
All the things I had on my daily "to do list" for myself and my family were all good, but I had too many of them. I realized, I needed to have the courage to make changes, forgo some of those "good" things, so that my family and I can be our better selves.
I did some hard thinking and have taken the courage to make some changes. I have backed off on work hours, prioritized more of my time each day devoted to only my children, changed the way I take care of household obligations to become more simplified and delegated out, backed off on the amount of extra curricular activities my children are in, have made a rule that we don't answer the phone after 9:00 pm, have scheduled more daily time to family and personal scripture study and have allowed time at the end of the day that is not scheduled with anything else, but free time for myself to do as I please.
I have already felt some of the weight of "rushing against the clock" lifted from off my shoulders as I have tried to have the courage to change and focus on what matters most. May the journey continue!
This week's challenge: Have the courage to forgo commitments that do not make me better
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Week 47: Choose to love, choose to serve
With the hustle and bustle of the season this last week, I have found myself running against the clock getting ready for this party and that party, this event and that event, preparing this gift and that gift and have found myself not at my best self as the stress has overcome me. I have found myself being not as patient with my children and husband as I should be and feeling badly that I have not treated them as I should have, especially for this time of the year.
I have pondered a lot this week and reflected over the many interactions I have had with my family and thought "How can I do better?" I was cleaning my downstairs the other night getting ready for another party, when I came across a block my friend had made me. It says, "Simplify Christmas, Celebrate Christ". I really thought about this..."Celebrate Christ". How can I do better and have a more peaceful feeling in my home during this time and all year? By celebrating Christ and becoming more like him. I thought about Christ and the type of person he was. Was Christ ever unkind or impatient? The obvious answer is no. Christ always chose to love and to serve others. It was a choice he made. I have a choice just as my Savior did. I should CHOOSE to LOVE and CHOOSE to SERVE as our Savior did, no matter how hard, even and especially when life gets stressful. He set the true example, and I know as I celebrate that example, I and my family will find true happiness.
Since realizing this, I have found myself reminding my children and myself to choose love and choose service when contention starts to rise in our home. It is a choice we all must make.
As we choose to become as our Savior through love and service, our lives will become more full and filled with joy and happiness.
This week's challenge: to choose love and to choose service
I have pondered a lot this week and reflected over the many interactions I have had with my family and thought "How can I do better?" I was cleaning my downstairs the other night getting ready for another party, when I came across a block my friend had made me. It says, "Simplify Christmas, Celebrate Christ". I really thought about this..."Celebrate Christ". How can I do better and have a more peaceful feeling in my home during this time and all year? By celebrating Christ and becoming more like him. I thought about Christ and the type of person he was. Was Christ ever unkind or impatient? The obvious answer is no. Christ always chose to love and to serve others. It was a choice he made. I have a choice just as my Savior did. I should CHOOSE to LOVE and CHOOSE to SERVE as our Savior did, no matter how hard, even and especially when life gets stressful. He set the true example, and I know as I celebrate that example, I and my family will find true happiness.
Since realizing this, I have found myself reminding my children and myself to choose love and choose service when contention starts to rise in our home. It is a choice we all must make.
As we choose to become as our Savior through love and service, our lives will become more full and filled with joy and happiness.
This week's challenge: to choose love and to choose service
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Week 46: Obedient Heart
Happy Holidays!! What a great time of year! Lots of great learning moments have occurred over the last few weeks. One of them was at a church Youth Standards Night. We as parents were able to attend with our youth and we went to three different classes all focused on standards and virtue. In one of the classes we received this quote that really hit me strongly.
"When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power." - President Ezra Taft Benson
Wow!! I want to always be on God's team! I want to always have that power! Obedience brings true happiness and obedience brings power.
This week's challenge: surround my life with things that strengthen me to have an obedient heart
Monday, November 14, 2011
Week 42: Attitude is everything!!
Every morning when our family gets together to have scripture study before school, we also have a family devotional. Each week the topic changes and each day the person giving the devotional changes.
Today was my day to give the devotional and the topic was on "being cheerful". My though was that we cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond and react to what happens to us. It is all about our attitude. We can "choose to be" cheerful, even when things don't quite go our way.
Later on in the afternoon, I was reading a paper that came home from one of my kids teachers and it talked about attitude. How fitting!! I was inspired by the quotes on the paper and thought I would share, especially since they went so well with my devotional;
"Attitude is everything!"
"Go for the WOW factor!"
"Effort is the key to success"
"If you don't believe, you will never achieve"
"What you put in is what you get out"
"If you aim for nowhere, that is just where you will go"
"Failure comes with can't, success comes with can!"
Amen! Attitude really is everything!
This week's challenge: aim for a positive attitude
Today was my day to give the devotional and the topic was on "being cheerful". My though was that we cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond and react to what happens to us. It is all about our attitude. We can "choose to be" cheerful, even when things don't quite go our way.
Later on in the afternoon, I was reading a paper that came home from one of my kids teachers and it talked about attitude. How fitting!! I was inspired by the quotes on the paper and thought I would share, especially since they went so well with my devotional;
"Attitude is everything!"
"Go for the WOW factor!"
"Effort is the key to success"
"If you don't believe, you will never achieve"
"What you put in is what you get out"
"If you aim for nowhere, that is just where you will go"
"Failure comes with can't, success comes with can!"
Amen! Attitude really is everything!
This week's challenge: aim for a positive attitude
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Week 41: Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude
Yesterday was a pretty amazing day. The night before on Friday, my husband mentioned that one of his lung cancer patients was raising money for lung cancer and was participating in the "2011 Free to Breathe" race. He said that he would like to participate and wanted to know if I would like to join him. "Sure" I responded. A nice 3.1 mile run in the morning sounded good and it was for a good cause. Little did I know what I was about to gain from that little decision.
We arrived the next morning and registered for the race. 600 people were there. It was a beautiful fall morning and the excitement was in the air. Many people wore signs who they were running "In memory" for. Some of the people had green shirts on. They were special, because they had lung cancer and were running for themselves. One of them was my husbands patient. She was ecstatic to see us. She greeted my husband with a big smile and warm words of gratitude to him for supporting her. Before the race started, she was able to speak to all the participants in gratitude for what they were doing and for helping support lung cancer. She mentioned gratitude for her family and even for her oncologist (my husband) for being there. I could tell this meant a lot to her.
The race started and we actually did quite well. But what was really rewarding was watching all the people cross the finish line in support of Free to Breathe and those with lung cancer. I was touched by those in the green shirts who were racing for their lives.
As we were waiting for the awards, my husband's patient was eager to introduce her parents, sister, and family members to my husband, her doctor. I listened to her parents thank my husband for helping their daughter and that just a year ago at the same race her mother didn't think they would be there yesterday. How grateful they felt. I sat there and listened to my husband's patient brag about and praise my husband to her family. I sat in awe and listened to her say how much she appreciated and loved my husband for what he had done for her over this last year since she had been diagnosed. Very sincerely she told me that my husband helps make her feel that she can do this. Then she began to thank me for sharing him and how hard that must be for me to sacrifice being away from my husband so much so that he can help touch the lives of his patients for the better.
I was more than humbled as I sat and listened to what was being said. I was humbled and grateful for this incredible husband I have and for the blessing I got to see first hand how his life touches the lives of others. And I was humbled to be in the presence of this amazing woman who has not sat back and said, "Oh, poor me, I have cancer, I will just sit back and give up the fight", but who has stood with courage over this last year with a smile on her face and in service to others and in the fight for herself and others with cancer.
I walked away yesterday getting so much more out of this experience than I went in giving. I walked away with a greater desire to be more like this amazing woman and to live my life with an attitude of gratitude for every day I have to live and for the little things I have, with the courage to make a difference in the world, with a desire to serve, to attack every day with a smile and positive attitude, and to never take anything for granted.
I am grateful that Heavenly Father allowed me to have and learn from this experience. It was truly a tender mercy that humbles me to strive to be better in all aspects in my life and to always be grateful for the little things.
This week's challenge: to live with an attitude of gratitude!
We arrived the next morning and registered for the race. 600 people were there. It was a beautiful fall morning and the excitement was in the air. Many people wore signs who they were running "In memory" for. Some of the people had green shirts on. They were special, because they had lung cancer and were running for themselves. One of them was my husbands patient. She was ecstatic to see us. She greeted my husband with a big smile and warm words of gratitude to him for supporting her. Before the race started, she was able to speak to all the participants in gratitude for what they were doing and for helping support lung cancer. She mentioned gratitude for her family and even for her oncologist (my husband) for being there. I could tell this meant a lot to her.
The race started and we actually did quite well. But what was really rewarding was watching all the people cross the finish line in support of Free to Breathe and those with lung cancer. I was touched by those in the green shirts who were racing for their lives.
As we were waiting for the awards, my husband's patient was eager to introduce her parents, sister, and family members to my husband, her doctor. I listened to her parents thank my husband for helping their daughter and that just a year ago at the same race her mother didn't think they would be there yesterday. How grateful they felt. I sat there and listened to my husband's patient brag about and praise my husband to her family. I sat in awe and listened to her say how much she appreciated and loved my husband for what he had done for her over this last year since she had been diagnosed. Very sincerely she told me that my husband helps make her feel that she can do this. Then she began to thank me for sharing him and how hard that must be for me to sacrifice being away from my husband so much so that he can help touch the lives of his patients for the better.
I was more than humbled as I sat and listened to what was being said. I was humbled and grateful for this incredible husband I have and for the blessing I got to see first hand how his life touches the lives of others. And I was humbled to be in the presence of this amazing woman who has not sat back and said, "Oh, poor me, I have cancer, I will just sit back and give up the fight", but who has stood with courage over this last year with a smile on her face and in service to others and in the fight for herself and others with cancer.
I walked away yesterday getting so much more out of this experience than I went in giving. I walked away with a greater desire to be more like this amazing woman and to live my life with an attitude of gratitude for every day I have to live and for the little things I have, with the courage to make a difference in the world, with a desire to serve, to attack every day with a smile and positive attitude, and to never take anything for granted.
I am grateful that Heavenly Father allowed me to have and learn from this experience. It was truly a tender mercy that humbles me to strive to be better in all aspects in my life and to always be grateful for the little things.
This week's challenge: to live with an attitude of gratitude!
Week 39: I am a daughter of God
I had a really special experience the week before Halloween that made me stop and remember that I am loved by my Heavenly Father.
As I said, it was the week before Halloween. My plate that week was FULL beyond full. In fact, it was about to topple over, it was so full. It was Tuesday of the week, I had all of my kids off to school except for my two youngest ones. I had just finished teaching a group exercise class and needed to quickly shower so I could put my baby down for a nap and then clean the house before I started teaching piano lessons.
As I quickly got in the shower, I found myself in a moment of feeling VERY overwhelmed as I recalled all I had to do for that specific day in addition to all I needed to accomplish the rest of the week. I felt stretched to thin and as if I was running a marathon without a break and yet not completing all that needed to be done. I immediately found myself in humble prayer, pleading to my Heavenly Father for strength and courage to accomplish all that I needed to do and asking for guidance that I might be able to use my time wisely to complete what was required of me as a mother, a teacher, with my new business, in fulfilling my callings, etc. I got out of the shower and continued to finish getting ready, when I just felt an even deeper need for my Heavenly Father. I needed to know right then that He was there. I just needed to feel His strength. I needed to feel Him close.
I stopped right there, got down on my knees again, and told my Heavenly Father that right there at that moment I needed His strength and I just needed to feel Him near. I told Him (mind you, I have never done this) that I was going to open my scriptures right then and I needed Him to tell me where to read. I stopped and waited, when right away a scripture verse came to my mind as clear as day as if someone was typing it in my head. The verse was Mosiah 27:13 in the Book of Mormon. I opened my scriptures and went directly to the verse.
This chapter in the Book of Mormon describes the story of Alma the Younger and how he, with the four sons of Mosiah, were destroying the Church. Verse 13 begins with an angel, who appeared to them in the previous verse, speaking to them and asking them why they were persecuting the Church? Then the angel said in verse 14; (which is what I felt Heavenly Father wanted me to hear)
"And again, the angel said; Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith."
Nothing more needed to be said. I was overwhelmed with a deep feeling of love from my Heavenly Father to the point that I could physically feel His arms around me. It was as if He was saying, "I know you, I hear you, I am here to be your strength, and I love you." I was reminded again at that moment that I am a daughter of God, that He knows me personally, that He hears every one of my prayers, that He is here to strengthen me and to cheer me on, and that He loves me more that I could ever fathom.
My testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ grew leaps and bounds that moment and in the testimony that I am a daughter of God. That knowledge is priceless and will ever be a beacon of strength to me throughout my life. For that I am ever grateful!
This week's challenge: to live my life in a way that reflects the knowledge that I am a daughter of God
As I said, it was the week before Halloween. My plate that week was FULL beyond full. In fact, it was about to topple over, it was so full. It was Tuesday of the week, I had all of my kids off to school except for my two youngest ones. I had just finished teaching a group exercise class and needed to quickly shower so I could put my baby down for a nap and then clean the house before I started teaching piano lessons.
As I quickly got in the shower, I found myself in a moment of feeling VERY overwhelmed as I recalled all I had to do for that specific day in addition to all I needed to accomplish the rest of the week. I felt stretched to thin and as if I was running a marathon without a break and yet not completing all that needed to be done. I immediately found myself in humble prayer, pleading to my Heavenly Father for strength and courage to accomplish all that I needed to do and asking for guidance that I might be able to use my time wisely to complete what was required of me as a mother, a teacher, with my new business, in fulfilling my callings, etc. I got out of the shower and continued to finish getting ready, when I just felt an even deeper need for my Heavenly Father. I needed to know right then that He was there. I just needed to feel His strength. I needed to feel Him close.
I stopped right there, got down on my knees again, and told my Heavenly Father that right there at that moment I needed His strength and I just needed to feel Him near. I told Him (mind you, I have never done this) that I was going to open my scriptures right then and I needed Him to tell me where to read. I stopped and waited, when right away a scripture verse came to my mind as clear as day as if someone was typing it in my head. The verse was Mosiah 27:13 in the Book of Mormon. I opened my scriptures and went directly to the verse.
This chapter in the Book of Mormon describes the story of Alma the Younger and how he, with the four sons of Mosiah, were destroying the Church. Verse 13 begins with an angel, who appeared to them in the previous verse, speaking to them and asking them why they were persecuting the Church? Then the angel said in verse 14; (which is what I felt Heavenly Father wanted me to hear)
"And again, the angel said; Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith."
Nothing more needed to be said. I was overwhelmed with a deep feeling of love from my Heavenly Father to the point that I could physically feel His arms around me. It was as if He was saying, "I know you, I hear you, I am here to be your strength, and I love you." I was reminded again at that moment that I am a daughter of God, that He knows me personally, that He hears every one of my prayers, that He is here to strengthen me and to cheer me on, and that He loves me more that I could ever fathom.
My testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ grew leaps and bounds that moment and in the testimony that I am a daughter of God. That knowledge is priceless and will ever be a beacon of strength to me throughout my life. For that I am ever grateful!
This week's challenge: to live my life in a way that reflects the knowledge that I am a daughter of God
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Week 37: Only believe
It has been awhile since I have posted on "but a spring chick", but I will tell you that I have been doing a lot of pondering during that time.
When I first decided to do this blog, the idea was to post every day about the things I had learned that would help me be a better person. I realized it was too hard to keep up. I then decided that I would post every week something I had learned. Well, as you can see, sometimes that has not happened. My first thought seeing that I have not posted in 4 weeks was, "Oh, great...you didn't meet your goal of posting every week." That thought in the past would have stayed in my head for awhile with probably some additional thoughts of, "I feel like I failed", "The blog is not complete", etc. Instead, I took a different view. My response instead was, "That's okay. I have been really busy. Life is life and I will just continue to post from this point on." What a big step for me!!! Looks like I am changing little by little for the better. Hooray!
Well as I said, the past four weeks have been filled with a lot of pondering about who I am and who I want to become. I had a profound "ah, ha" moment a couple weeks ago. As I was thinking about myself, who I was and how inadequate I felt in so many aspects of my life, the thought came to me that I use to be such a confident person and now I question everything I do and my ability to do it. I asked myself, "What made me confident then?" The answer clearly came into my head, "You believed in yourself."
That was the answer. Overtime, I had forgotten to believe in myself and had relied to long on a negative influence that told me I was not good enough. I am good enough and it was time I started believing in myself, my abilities, and my talents again. Following this realization, I immediately felt lighter, I stood a little taller, and I felt a strength and a confidence I had not felt in a long time. It was time for the insecure me to leave me, to stop worrying about what others thought about me, and begin believing in myself.
I think of the scripture in Mark 9: 23 -
"All things are possible to him that believeth."
What truth that scripture rings. All things are possible in my life as I believe in myself, for I am "but a spring chick!"
This weeks challenge: believe in my talents, my abilities, and in myself
When I first decided to do this blog, the idea was to post every day about the things I had learned that would help me be a better person. I realized it was too hard to keep up. I then decided that I would post every week something I had learned. Well, as you can see, sometimes that has not happened. My first thought seeing that I have not posted in 4 weeks was, "Oh, great...you didn't meet your goal of posting every week." That thought in the past would have stayed in my head for awhile with probably some additional thoughts of, "I feel like I failed", "The blog is not complete", etc. Instead, I took a different view. My response instead was, "That's okay. I have been really busy. Life is life and I will just continue to post from this point on." What a big step for me!!! Looks like I am changing little by little for the better. Hooray!
Well as I said, the past four weeks have been filled with a lot of pondering about who I am and who I want to become. I had a profound "ah, ha" moment a couple weeks ago. As I was thinking about myself, who I was and how inadequate I felt in so many aspects of my life, the thought came to me that I use to be such a confident person and now I question everything I do and my ability to do it. I asked myself, "What made me confident then?" The answer clearly came into my head, "You believed in yourself."
That was the answer. Overtime, I had forgotten to believe in myself and had relied to long on a negative influence that told me I was not good enough. I am good enough and it was time I started believing in myself, my abilities, and my talents again. Following this realization, I immediately felt lighter, I stood a little taller, and I felt a strength and a confidence I had not felt in a long time. It was time for the insecure me to leave me, to stop worrying about what others thought about me, and begin believing in myself.
I think of the scripture in Mark 9: 23 -
"All things are possible to him that believeth."
What truth that scripture rings. All things are possible in my life as I believe in myself, for I am "but a spring chick!"
This weeks challenge: believe in my talents, my abilities, and in myself
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