Halloween

Random Happenings

Cameron: Photographer Extraordinair

Cameron took a photography class at the High School. It was a lot of work, but he learned a lot. I loved it, because I was his driver/assistant. I thrilled at our weekly time together. It was so fun to go on adventures to find picture subjects that fulfilled the weeks class assignment.

Here are a few of my favorites (out of the hundreds he took):

Leading lines assignment

Texture assignment

Composition assignment

Reflection assignment

Patterns assignment

Shapes assignment

Setting Meaningful Personal Goals

I taught the Relief Society lesson this month. There was a little emergency that my councilor (who was supposed to teach) had come up a couple days before Sunday. I felt a little rushed in my preparation, but also felt Heavenly Father helping me to accomplish what I needed to. I felt strongly that I should teach on how to set goals that are effective.  I never really know how my lessons are received, but I learned what I needed to during the preparation (and did have a lot of people thank me for the lesson after church). Here it is:

Introduction:

I love the start of a New Year!  There is something incredibly hopeful about a fresh start.  Did you know that the first month of the year—January—gets its name form an ancient Roman god named Janus.

Janus was the god of beginnings. He was often depicted with two faces—one looking back on the past, the other looking forward to the future.  January is named after him because the beginning of the year was a time for reflection on the past as well as planning for the future.

Thousands of years later, many cultures throughout the world carry on a tradition of making resolutions for the New Year.  

I know that many people have mixed feelings about resolutions. Today, I hope to convince you of the importance of taking time to stop, and—like the ancient Roman god, Janus—evaluate our past and decide what changes need to be made to improve our paths that lies ahead.

Importance of goal setting:

Satan does not want us to be a goal-oriented people.

Can somebody read  2 Nephi 28:21?

2 Nephi 28:21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

Satan would like to fool us – or as the scriptures say it… pacify, and lull us (think of the imagery of a baby being lulled to sleep)—into thinking that “all is well in zion”. He wants us to feel like “I’m good… its not like I’m being bad… I’m a good person.” Then, before we know it—we’ve spent our whole life never realizing our full God-given potential.  I know that personally, I have had many days, that I go through the motions of my day, feeling like Im very busy, but by the end of the day (as I flop my tired body into bed) I realize that I didn’t do much of anything throughout that day that bore positive eternal weight.  

So now, I want you to contrast Lucifer’s thoughts on goal setting with what we read in Alma 34:32

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

In verse 33, Amulek continues by saying

…do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

QUOTE #1—President Henry B Eyring observed:   “There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.” “Someday I will repent.” “Someday I will forgive him.” “Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church.” “Someday I will start to pay tithing.” “Someday I will return to the temple.” “Someday …”

The scriptures make the danger of delay clear. It is that we may discover that we have run out of time. The God who gives us each day as a treasure will require an accounting. We will weep, and He will weep, if we have intended to repent and to serve Him in tomorrows which never came or have dreamt of yesterdays where the opportunity to act was past. This day is a precious gift of God. The thought “Someday I will” can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity.”

We can’t afford to wait for “someday” to decide to live an intentional life.

President Thomas S Monson said, “Let us not find ourselves as indecisive as is Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward, but in opposite directions. She is confronted by the Cheshire cat, of whom Alice asks, ‘Which path shall I follow?’ The cat answers: ‘That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.’”

We, as members of the church, know which path to take.

One of our purposes here on earth is, as President Monson said, to become our best, most Christ-like selves. When Christ said “Be ye therefore perfect, even as I am perfect.” He was giving us a commandment with an eternal time frame. None of us can become truly perfect in this life. However, we can use our time here on earth wisely as we strive toward attaining Christ-like attributes by setting meaningful personal goals.

Quote #2: President Howard W Hunter has said, “In order to accomplish the things we desire... we must have positive and definite goals in mind. Success in life, school, marriage, business, or any other pursuit doesn’t come by accident, but as the result of a well-defined plan and a concentrated effort to bring about a realization of the plan.”

Quote #3: President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Every accountable child of God needs to set goals, short and long range goals”

The scriptures also teach us that Heavenly Father is goal oriented.  Who can tell me what Heavenly Father’s overall goal is?   

“...to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)

So we’ve established that it is important to plan ahead and set goals, but how can we succeed at accomplishing those goals. There is a valid reason why so many people dislike resolutions. It’s a bummer to fail. Setting the goal is easy; it is maintaining that goal that can be difficult.

How to set Meaningful Goals:

I always appreciate when a lesson includes practical applications for the generalized topic being taught, so today I am going to teach you a SMARTER way of setting goals, by using the word SMARTER as a guide.

S= specific

Goals that are specific give us focus and direction. For example, “I’ll study my scriptures could more specifically be stated as, “I’ll read the Book of Mormon each day for fifteen minutes and finish the book by the end of the year.” Answer these questions about your goals: who will be involved, what will be accomplished, where it will take place, when will it be finished, and how will I make it happen.

M=measurable

Pres. Monson said, “when performance is measured, performance improves.” Measuring goals helps us stay focused and evaluate our success in the specified goal. For example, in our example of daily scripture study, we could measure it by checking off a box on a calendar.

Do you know what the most common new year’s resolution is? Losing weight… While definitely not an easy resolution, that one is easy to measure.

A=Achievable

A goal that is achievable is one that is realistically in the realm of reaching. It would be silly for most of us to set a goal to “walk to the mailbox everyday” and it would be just as crazy to set the goal to “walk to China”. Goals must be realistic to be meaningful.

I have set many resolutions, yet I can still remember what my resolution was the year I turned 14. My resolution was “To be perfect”. I can remember sincerely believing that I could just decide to do it… and do it. I’m sure the reason why I remember it was because I failed miserably. It was probably the shortest kept resolution I’ve ever made. My much older, and a little wiser self can now see that goal was unrealistic. Since then, I’ve honed my goal-setting skills a bit.

R= Relevant

Set goals based on their order of importance to you in your life. Pick the top few that are most relevant to the overall direction you want your life to go. Most importantly make sure the goal is relevant to what you can control. Setting goals based on other peoples performance is not in harmony with the principle of agency. For example, don’t set a goal that your son will clean his room everyday. Instead, your goal might be that you yourself will have a clean room, or that you will make your son’s bed everyday.

T= Time-bound

A goal must have a definitive time frame to be accomplished by to provide motivation and goal completion. A great example was when Pres Hinckley challenged members of the church in Aug of 2005 to read the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the year. That time frame gave people motivation and context to evaluate how well they did. If Pres Hinckley had simply said, “Read the Book of Mormon” it might not have had the same effect or outcome.

E=Encourage

Be positive. Find ways to motivate yourself along the way. Perhaps a visual reminder of the progress you have made, or a quote that inspires you.

One thing I have done the past few years is choose in inspiring word that encompasses all of the goals I hope to accomplish that year.  One year, my word was "Uplift" and my theme was...

"Never suppress a generous thought." -- Camilla Kimball

It was a great experience nurturing the art of positive thinking, as well as striving to build and uplift those around me. I think there were times that I might have embarrassed myself and perhaps my family... when I would comment on a strangers cute purse or commend a child that I didn't know for displaying one virtue or another... oh well.  If I thought it, and it was a generous thought, I tried to vocalize it. This year, my word is “Create”  (Create a more Christ-centered home, Create a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior, Create a healthier body, and so on…)  If you come to my house, there is a good chance you will see a post it note or two with the word “create” written on it. It motivates me.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on ways to keep yourself encouraged as you work towards your goals?

R=Reportable

Pres Monson said, “where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured AND reported the rate of improvement accelerates.” If you have to report to somebody else on how you are doing with your goal. You’re more likely to want to achieve it so that you can give a good report. So, back to the example of daily scripture study– how could you report it? You could tell your spouse, friend, or parent what you read, or how often you read.

Let’s Quickly try to apply the SMARTER method to a goal.

  Not picking nose in public         

Does anyone have a goal they want to suggest?

Even though these next points aren’t included in the SMARTER method of goal setting, I believe they are the absolute SMARTEST thing we can do as we set goals. That is—first—to  remember to include our Father in Heaven.  He has a plan for each of us individually that he will reveal line upon line if we ask Him. Elder Richard G Scott said, “The Lord has a purpose for you…. Discover it and fulfill it.”  We should talk directly to God and ask him what goals he wants us to set. Elder Jeffrey R Holland explained, “I believe that in our own individual ways, God takes us to the grove…and shows us the wonder of what His plan is for us.” Elder M Russell Ballard simply said, “Pray for divine guidance in your goal setting.” When we know we are working on a goal that God wants us to accomplish, it is easier to achieve it.

Second… pray for the enabling power of the Saviors atonement to strengthen you as you pursue your righteous endeavors. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want you to succeed. They will help if you ask.

Does anyone have any last thoughts they’ve been dying to share?

Conclusion:

In closing, I sincerely hope that this lesson has made you excited about this new year, and all its possibilities.  I challenge you to each prayerfully ponder on a goal you might work towards this year. If that is not something you are naturally inclined to do, start small. I remember one year, my goal was to read a book. I ended up reading 3 books that year (and it was 3 more books than I had read the year before!).

Quote #4: “This time is a precious window of opportunity to prepare for your future. Do not waste this time away. Get out a paper and pencil and write down the things that matter most to you. List the goals that you hope to accomplish in life and what things are required if they are to become a reality for you. Plan and prepare, and then do.” – Elder M Russell Ballard

Last January, President Uchtdorf had an article in the Ensign that asked, “When is the best time to plant a tree?” Does anyone remember what the answer was?

He said…  “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word now. There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment.

Now is the best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be—not only 20 years from now but also for all eternity.”

I want to close by adding my testimony to that of President Uchtorfs.  As we strive to live an intentional and abundant life—endeavoring to become the person that Heavenly Father knows we can be—we will be blessed, not only here on earth, but throughout eternity. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Extra Quotes:

Friends help challenges seem smaller:

The New York times reported on a 2008 study in which students were taken to the base of a steep hill and asked to estimate how steep the hill was. Some students stood by themselves while others had a friend standing by them. Those who had friends standing by them estimated that the hill was less steep than did those students who were standing alone. In other words, having a friend a friend close by made the challenge seem less difficult.”

President Uchtdorf talking about the certain variable of stumbling:

“Another thing we need to remember when it comes to setting goals is this: We almost certainly will fail—at least in the short term. But rather than be discouraged, we can be empowered because this understanding removes the pressure of being perfect right now. It acknowledges from the beginning that at one time or another, we may fall short. Knowing this up front takes away much of the surprise and discouragement of failure.

When we approach our goals this way, failure doesn’t have to limit us. Remember, even if we fail to reach our ultimate, desired destination right away, we will have made progress along the road that will lead to it.

And that matters—it means a lot.

Even though we might fall short of our finish line, just continuing the journey will make us greater than we were before.”

We've got a Walker Here!

Gracie took her first steps on September 16th. She was only 9 1/2  months old! She is such a sweetheart. She seems too small to be walking around! It is so fun to see her toddle into a room.

She is such a ray of sunshine in my life. I love seeing her cute little personality shine!