Taming the Lion

My fiance Erik and I were reading in the marriage prep, and it came just in line with class this week. Often the text would point out that anger was a choice, and the class talks about using our choices with a full awareness of our agency, or self mastery as some would call it.

A lot of the time we try to shirk our responsibility of our agency; "they made me angry", "I couldn't help it" A talk that we read together mentioned a story where the speaker made the basketball team and lost control of of his temper while playing. The coach then stated that if the speaker wanted to continue playing on the team, tempers would do best to be checked.

As managers and entrepreneurs, self- control is an essential and critical personal asset. Without control of our agency, everything that we have learned is in vain. Og would have no power with the wisdom in his scrolls, and most importantly, Christ would have wasted the pain, effort and bravery that He so exemplified for us.

No matter the field, or the profession, I think the thing that I need to remember the most is that I need to walk with Christ and kneel with Him as I find that I lack the strength to choose.

Slipping Sand

I've been thinking a lot about time and about giving one's best. I read a quote a couple of days ago that said that being a good manager means giving 100% a hundred percent of the time. Although I agree with it in theory, it's really hard to apply in practice. We all have limited time; it's slipping away from us, the time to effect someone's life, the time to do a good job on one project or another, there is less time now than before to be a good sister, wife, person. 

Persistence to me is more than just trying again and again; it's giving 100% over and over and over. The question of life is often how to prioritize the limitless things that we could be doing. The problem is that we have so many good things to do, that we are afraid of not choosing "the best" thing. Society is so focused on "what is the best" that we paralyze ourselves in making decisions.

My general manager always says “if nothing changes, nothing changes” If we are not living the way we will look back in the spirit world with satisfaction, then something needs to change. Living life one day at a time, and living it to the fullest.

Og Mandino talked about living this day as if it were his last, but I struggle to blend this principle with "you reap what you sow" If I am to live today in preparation for tomorrow, then I will often forsake pleasures that I would normally allow myself, especially if I knew my days were shortly limited.

I spend less time with Erik because I have to do homework, but I do homework because it will make my life more beneficial to everyone within my influence, including myself. 

I guiltily spend my time studying instead of sleeping, even though I have been told very plainly from Heavenly Father multiple times to take care of my body.

Where is the line between living each day to your last, wasting and wearing out our lives in the service of God, and wasting and wearing out our lives in service to ourselves?

I believe that If I strive consciously to do His will, I will do what He needs me to do.  

Be who you are

I think that sometimes we try too hard to be the people that we wish we were and not hard enough to be the people that we are. I don't want to be misunderstood; I think that everyone should picture an "ideal you", that's how we grow, that's how we better ourselves, and sometimes better others.

Sometimes though, we fail to see and cultivate personal attributes and skills that we posses, but aren't as widely displayed and admired as others that we see others have. Things such as attention to detail, loyalty and honesty are traded for other things. We are who we are for a reason.

I've also been thinking about some attributes that we can have but not know, like for example, there is a time in my life that kept coming to my mind this week. I was young womens age, and my bishop at the time came and visited us. Later I was told by him that I ws a natural born leader, which at the time is a skill that I would have profusly denied that I had, but now I see that it is an important part of my personality and preformance.


I've thought about the third scroll, especially the parts that emphisize how many times he will keep going. That is honestly the only thought that keeps me awake right now. I need to keep going. Right now, I think I am busy, I barely have time to cook for myself or do my laundry, but I know that the end of the rope is success, but I have faith that the 3-4 hour sleep days, and the 2-3:00 AM nights followed by 8:00-7:45 classes will all be work, but one day; it will be worth it!

Life's Blueprint.

1.I will remember to keep my priorities in order

This is my first priority because this one has an effect on all of the other priorities. Sometimes life gets busy and there are many loud and quiet voices demanding the time and attention that has been allotted to me. If I keep this priority in mind I will be able to step back and look at the big picture.

2. I will think kindly of myself.

There will be times that I am unsure about what is happening in my life, there will be significant events that change and uproot many of my habits. I will fail at least at first to accomplish many of the goals that I set for myself as I am either adjusting to new things or battling the drudgery of living what could be seemingly the same day from week to week. As I fail, or achieve at a lower standard that I would have liked or expected, I will only look forward and move toward my next hill with confidence and love in and for myself.

3.I believe that there is more than one side to a story and one's opinion about one thing or another. I will listen with an open mind, but with realism and justice in thought process
If everyone had true omniscient perspectives, there would be no reason for us to be going through this life together. “There are many ways to skin a cat”, and the way I do things might be better or worse than that of my neighbor. I need to remember though that there are bad ideas, and recognition of bad ideas bring about the process to good ideas. Everyone has bad ideas, and everyone can have good ideas, the difference is made when we decide which ones to learn from and which ones to keep around.

4. I make goals with the intent of keeping them. I will work harder each day to achieve a small aspect of my daily, weekly and long-term goals.

Sometimes I will fail at achieving my goals, that is a reality in life. As long as I am actively doing whatever I can to make those goals happen instead of aimlessly wandering around my day hoping that I can achieve my goals, I will be satisfied that I made an effort, but I will celebrate when I have achieved that goal. Life is an archery course, not a game of pin the tail on the donkey.

5.Discipline is the backbone of success. I will develop my level of discipline.

The more ambitious the goal, the more discipline that needs to be applied in life. I often think of discipline as the currency of life, some are raised with habits of discipline ingrained in their habits and thought process, and others have to work hard later in life to gain it. One does not usually develop high levels of discipline over night, but saves it.

6.I believe that every person deserves to live their lives with at least one person standing up behind their back. I will only have nice and constructive things to say in social conversations.
I believe that every person deserves respect and kindness, and as you treat even the lowliest of people with kindness, they often become better, and others view you differently as well. Christ followed and obeyed this idea, and He helped many people to change their lives to become better. Those that receive no kindness or respect often no longer believe that they are worthy of it.

7.I will have a growing knowledge

Life is about learning. As I continue to learn even as I’m out of school, I will increase my capacity to understand life and help others in their path to their star.

8.I will have a healthy body

I am expected to take care of this body in this life. It is the vehicle that I experience this life in, and I will be able to experience more the full nature of this life if I eat right, rest sufficiently and take the stewardship over it that I have been given. This life is a calling.

Systems and Love

At work, we've been talking about systems. It's kind of funny because entrepreneurial people typically don't like structure, but it's a very important part of any business. Structure is the coordination of a team, and a team can play well if all the players are good, know the game, and if they are lucky. Success is intentional every step of the way. A good plan doesn't always mean a good outcome, but it sure helps.

Systems also only work when everyone, uses the system the same way. For example, if my boss trains me a certain way to do things, and I deviate from that, I teach someone else to do it another way. Eventually over time, there will be a procedural game of "telephone" circulating around the whole company until one person barely knows what the original procedure is

In the Og scrolls this week it focuses on love. There were a lot of things that I really liked, such as that we must love ourselves, make more time for love, less time for hate, and that love is both a key and a shield. I do disagree however. that love for clients and people can not make a business successful. There needs to be some love for the trade and love for discipline. As long as we keep love in our lives, we can succeed at anything we put our minds to. Love truely is the most valuable asset one can posses.