Reality Check

Through gratitude, we receive the best blessings.

Gratitude is the reason we are happy with what we have. I also believe that it’s being honest with ourselves in what we need and what we really have.  If not for gratitude, we see pressure to have more, and temptation to get it without working to get it.  The lack of gratitude, and the attitude of wanting more violates the tenth commandment, advising that we should not covet.

For a long time, I wondered what the difference between having vision and wanting more and coveting was, I think that the answer is gratitude. Those that are grateful for where they are now, how the achieved their place, and who got them there, but want to continue. This is what Heavenly Father wants us to do.

On the other side, when we grow unsatisfied with our lives, and then decide that only more this or more that without the desire to work for it is coveting that way of life. I believe that this is Satan’s cheap imitation of vision and desire to progress because when we covet, we might, if we are smart climb the latter, make more money; but I’m only progressing financially, but spiritually, their growth has been stunted, and this creates even more dissatisfaction in life.

This week I read an article about a woman who, even though she loved her job, and she loved her boss; she was happy in her marriage, and was overall satisfied with life; however, she siphoned half of a million dollars from the company she worked for because it was easy for her to justitfy her actions, and for the most part, she was grateful, but she still wanted more. I think that more importantly than being grateful, we must be continually grateful for what we have been given. 

It's the Little Things in Life

I've been thinking, giving back without a purpose isn’t really giving back. Part of giving back isn’t just the good things that it brings to those receiving (though, that is an important part of it), but it’s also the growth that happens within.

This is the growth that enables you to give more, and to inspire others to give. It’s not just entertaining the mind and tickling humanitarian phases every now and again; it’s learning how to live with charity in your heart, and in your actions.

Charity is Christ. We receive His praise when we keep the commandments and live life according to the doctrines and principles that this world was created with. Charity (giving back) is one of those. I believe that this is where passion comes from is from.

Passion is when you are willing to earn something, no matter the cost, whether it be pain, patience, perseverance, or enduring all three together and more. I believe that once we gain Charity, we gain passion. As we gain more passion, the more we are able to have the qualities that Og Mandino writes in his scrolls. Willingness to accept yourself, to keep going no matter what, to seek guidance from other sources (hopefully the ultimate source), to live things in their season.

We can give back in countless ways, but with that, we can tear down and take away in just as many ways. With every actions there is another one just as powerful and just as opposite as the other. We are all compelled to go both ways, and there are many voices which one to choose, but there is only one voice that matters to the final decision.

I will make sure to listen to my mind and to my heart, and then pray; especially if the two disagree. 

Ahead of time

So I read scroll ten a week ahead of schedule, and I think that this one has influenced me the most of all the scrolls. I constantly think about praying to be guided instead of praying to receive. I also have started to do the same for my loved ones who struggle with certain things.

We are not here just to play. Heavenly Father wants us to learn, and to learn, we must struggle. I recently watched an LDS produced short thought where kids have two options. They can eat a chocolate chip, or they wait to receive something that has been beautifully wrapped in a box. Some of the children make ways of distracting themselves, but you know that always on their minds is what’s in the box.

After a while, they open the box to see a giant cupcake! Oh, the joy and happiness that has been well earned. I think that is the secret to real happiness; work, patience, suffering and hope. Without those things, we would not grow, or appreciate the things, skills and experiences that we have been given.

Hope and with the Lord will help me to accomplish any righteous aspiration in my heart. I just have to have the vision of happiness. 

Work, Work, Work

Words of wisdom often stay with those who listen for a very long time. I remember sometime around the beginnings of my mission; there was a talk given that changed my prayers, but most importantly; it changed my actions. 

The conference address topic was on prayer, and a key subtopic was to pray and then live your prayers. I believe that a dream is a prayer, asking Heavenly Father to guide that individual to the potential they see in themselves. Just as Og Mandino states in his ninth scroll, these goals and dreams are worthless unless you do something about them. you cannot have success if you do not pay the price for it. Any other good fortune that you stumble across is merely a happy accident.

In a manger meeting recently, we talked about why managers are offered bonuses, and why they get paid better than the average crew. It’s because more is expected of us. This is a good principle of life, if you want more, you have to give more. Teachers give A’s to the students who have put in the time to understand the concepts being taught. For some students, this will come naturally, for others, they will have to spend a painstakingly long time grinding the principles and facts into their mind.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the necessity of working hard and working smart. Both are critically important. I naturally know how to work hard, but have to learn how to work smart, and there are a lot of people who naturally know how to work smart, but lack the zeal to work hard. Both by themselves will be able to accomplish many things, but if you put the two together, you can achieve anything.

In addition to working, I think that you have to know when to stand back, for whatever reason. There are times to pray like God’s listening and work like He isn’t and other times to “be still and know that [he is] God.”

Worth Their Weight in Gold

In class we talked about multiplying our worth. This brought a lot of questions, worth to who, how does one measure worth? Does the worth remain, or have to be replenished constantly; and lastly, what do I value that I would want to multiply.

I think that one of the things that I value the most is communication and initiative. I value communication in any relationship. In a personal relationship, communication can be used to give and to receive in emotional, physical, mental and spiritual needs. In a professional aspect, communication is important because it communicates goals and important information (like operating hours, and tasks that need completing).

I also think that initiative is important because with people that only follow, I think in a previous class we called these people “yes men”, they never grow, they are trained to do their job, much like a parrot is trained to speak. The people that I hire must be people who have a culture of learning and doing. If they do not have this culture, training will be exponentially greater to train them.

I once read a quote by the CEO of Cinnabon that skill can always be trained, but attitudes can’t. I see this evident in two employees that I work with. One has been employed at our company for less than two months. I have come to rely, trust and value this co-worker’s opinion, and actions. She has become a key team member both in skill and in culture. The other has been employed at different locations for three years, however, this employee needs constant management and guidance in many small and self-implied tasks. I dread having this person on my team because I know that I must use my skill and attention  focusing on him and not on the team.

With these two skills, the other skills will come, and the worth of a person can truly be multiplied. 

Early, Often and Bold

"Oh no! here comes another mission story..." . This is what I thought of as soon as I started thinking about what to write this week, the thought came to me because of this reflection on my mission; It was a hot day in Gilbert, South Carolina, and I had only held the calling as trainer for about five weeks. My trainee had already started with another missionary, but had strong negative feelings toward her. That's where I came in.

I remember looking my self-entitled "broken missionary" in the eye, urging her to role-play some part of a lesson we were going to teach later that day, but nothing could come out of her. She sat there, and looked at me, then sat there and looked some more. Finally after even the clock seemed impatient, she exhaled, "I just can't do it! I couldn't in the MTC, I can't now! I am a broken missionary!" 

I stared back and asked; "how much did you role-play before your mission?"

"never"

"so, you've never had practice?"

"no."

"I told you last week that I can't make cookies like you can, what did you tell me?"

"That you just need to practice."

"but, every time I make cookies, they turn out terrible!"

"you just need to do it more"

"so what did you just teach me about role-playing?"

At this point she and I both learned an important lesson. There are going to be things in life that are just not your beginning forte, Moroni said that God gave us weakness, so we can develop strength; however, that strength can't be developed without struggle and without the pain of failure. The more times we do it wrong before we do it right, the more we will know in the future not to do it.

Follow Your Heart

This week, I've thought about many of the people that have influenced me in my professional mindset. Often, when we would be brimming with business, I would have a manager who would be the only one enjoying themselves in the sea of customers. Their reasoning would be a reminder that it is the customers that we all have employment. My grandfather was also a cattle rancher and I grew up in a place with dairy farms. The response that I always hear from them when someone comments on the smell of cow manure would be a big inhale, and "it smells like money to me!". Truth is perspctive in many things, and if we can keep perspective with people, circumstances and emotions, then we can learn to be successful.  

It’s not always easy. Sometimes, especially as a leader; you’re tired, you want a break, but you have to keep going. There is so much demanded of leaders, and they need to remember to stay strong in keeping their standards, especially when the going gets tough, and there is no apparent accountability. I believe that as leaders do this, they will spread that attitude to the people that a leader wants to stick around. In order to be a great leader, you must first learn to be a great follower..

Og mentioned being a master of his emotions. I really found it influential that he accepts that he is part of nature and that he is not perfect. There will be bad days. Those bad days can vary in intensity based on your mood. I know that there are sometimes that I have gone through a day that would have eaten me up and spit me back out, but I was in a good mood, so the day was remarkably good. Our mood can change a lot.