Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nczw6xHJ0I

“Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven, but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”

This heartfelt quote said by Jeffrey R. Holland gets me every time. I’m a blubbering mess by the end of it and I want to always remember his story about his young family traveling across the United States. I’m sure we can all relate to his story in some way or another and his advice is so simple and so real. This video came at just the right time. We are officially halfway through the term and I needed this reminder to help me through to the end and finish strong.

I look forward to learning more from the Launching Leaders videos because they are simple lessons that can be applied to many situations in life, big or small. I’ve shared each of the lessons with my husband and I know by using the principles, we will have a strong and bright future together. I also really enjoy learning about life, and especially life as a professional in the business world, from the leaders of our church. I know they have our best interest at heart. 

THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE

This week we read about and watched a video on “THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE”

(https://content.byui.edu/file/3dda7de4-cd79-4390-9bcf-3cb660c48dd1/1/The%207%20Habits%20of%20Highly%20Effective%20People.pdf)

These habits can truly apply to anyone, not just those working in business. My life is particularly busy right now and structure and habits are extremely important to my day to day success. Here are the 7 habits that we learned about:

1.       Be proactive

2.       Begin with the end in mind

3.       Put first things first

4.       Think win/win

5.       Seek first to understand…then to be understood

6.       Synergize

7.       Sharpen the saw

I’m going to explain how each of these fit into my current situation as a wife, mother, and student.

1.       Be proactive: Elder Bednar teaches us that we must “act and not be acted upon”. As an example to those around me and especially my children, it is important that I serve and act first rather to wait on other’s decisions.

2.       Begin with the end in mind: Having an eternal perspective is something that gets me through my toughest days. It is easy to dwell on temporary trials, but so much more beneficial to remember that we have a loving Heavenly Father waiting for us to return someday.

3.       Put first things first: We need to put habits such as prayer, scripture study, and temple attendance first. If we don’t fit the most important things into our lives, they will never get done. These habits are important to our spirit and carries us through the good times and the bad times.

4.       Think win/win: I studied this a lot in my FAML 300 Marriage course. It is an important habit to learn to serve our spouse and have the perspective that if they “win” and are happy that they will strive to make you happy as well. When you are both “winning”, everyone is happier.

5.       Seek first to understand… then to be understood: This can also be applied to marriage. If we put effort into understanding our spouse’s needs, it is likely that they will open their hearts and ears to listen to you as well. It is at that point that you understand each other. Another “win-win”!

6.       Synergize: The reading says that “synergy means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, each of the parts combine to create new and exciting unexpected discoveries that were not possible before. It is a creative force of unparalleled power created in the principles of creative cooperation.” This to me is parallel to the meaning of a family. The family as a whole is much greater than the sum of each individual family member. As a family, we create new and exciting things every day and a family is so powerful, especially when working together.

7.       Sharpen the saw: In the video, we are taught that this means that it is important to “pause, regroup, rejuvenate, eat, sleep.” This is a habit that is especially important in my life. I have to remind myself that it is okay to take a break sometimes and that taking care of myself is important too. My family is happier and healthier when I am rejuvenated and healthy myself.

All of these things combined aid in my success as a wife, mother, and disciple of Christ. I know as a work towards perfecting myself in each of the areas, that my life will be blessed and that I will succeed in my career and family.

Lifetime learning and self-mastery

Our weekly reading and videos are an invaluable resource for me and my family. I love sharing the things I learn with my husband. I really enjoyed a video this week titled “Loyalty to God and Family” (it can be watched here https://vimeo.com/28075977). A business professor from BYU shares about the importance of being loyal to your spouse, your children, and God because that’s all we will have once we leave this earth. My husband and I have had many conversations about life recently since we are so close to graduation. I am so grateful to have my family by my side as I finish my degree.

In a talk given by N. Eldon Tanner (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/04/success-is-gauged-by-self-mastery?lang=eng#d), we are taught about self-mastery. I feel like this topic is so applicable to my life right now. I am a wife and mother of three; I am in school full time and my husband works. My life is chaotic and often stressful, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My children motivate me; they keep me going. N. Eldon Tanner said “there are two important elements in self-mastery. The first is to determine your course” and “the other is the willpower.” I’m on this journey of motherhood, finishing my degree and following my goals and passions. Without planning my course and having willpower, I wouldn’t be very far. He also said “character is determined by the extent to which we can master ourselves toward good ends. It is difficult to say just what builds good character, but we know it when we see it. It always commands our admiration, and the absence of it our pity. But it is largely a matter of willpower.” I am building character day by day and I hope that others can see a light inside me. I especially hope that my children can see the importance of hard work and having the willpower to push through when times get hard. I know that I will be able to use these same lessons in business someday and I’m sure that is why I am learning them now. I am so very grateful to my Heavenly Father for this time to prepare.

Have I contributed something meaningful? Am I a good person? Who did I love and who loved me?

This week we watched a really inspirational video of Jeff Sandefer speaking at BYU-I (https://video.byui.edu/media/122201_02_Large/0_7ghlpqpk/26923962). You could literally feel his emotion just watching it. As I listened, I took notes on things that stood out to me or felt most applicable to my life (we felt like everything!). Overall, Jeff Sandefer seems really real and personable and I hope you’ll watch it and take it to heart.

To start he says “you have a very special mission on this earth, a mission that will succeed beyond your wildest dreams, but only if you have the faith and courage to find that entrepreneurial calling.” Now, this talk was given to business students, but I feel that the word “entrepreneur” can be replaced with whatever it is you are wanting to be or become. I am a mother and it is equally as important to find your stride in that calling, or any calling for that matter.

Next, I’m going to quote some inspirational lines that I want to remember.

“Use your gifts to change the world and it will change you in the process”

“Live every moment of your life like it matters, because it does”

“Look at your struggles as adventures, setbacks as lessons”

“What matters most isn’t the prize at the end, but how the hero is changed in the               process”

Don’t these all feel like something you want printed on your wall, written on a mirror, taped to your fridge? Like I said, I want to remember these and I’m sure you do as well.

Sandefer goes on to talk about living a life of meaning and three important questions to ask yourself at the end of your life. “Have I contributed something meaningful? Am I a good person? Who did I love and who loved me?” Another important guide that he gives us is to “choose your fellow travelers well, it’s a trip you only take once.” These are all things I will strive for and hope I can answer in my old age and be happy with my answers. I hope I can serve others with my calling in life, surround myself with good, faithful people, be a good example and not “worry about the wrong things”. This, to me, is a full life, a life worth living.

To end, Sandefer quotes a beautiful scripture in Matthew. I too hope that when it’s my time to leave this earth, my Heavenly Father will greet me and say:

“Well done my good and faithful servant”