The Challenge to Become Part 2: Present(s)!

I get migraines and one of the things I have learned to combat them is something called "LIVING IN THE PRESENT." Basically when I get a migraine, rather than worrying about what caused my migraine (the past) or worrying about when my migraine will go away (the future) I focus on my migraine. I think about it and think about it and work on making it smaller and smaller until it goes away.

I think this is true in life in general and not just for headaches. As we face challenges in our life it may be easier to think about the "good old days" or to hope for the future when our challenge will be gone. But I know that the best way to overcome a challenge is to face it, to focus on it and to focus on "making it smaller."

The Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson said this,
“Sometimes we let our thoughts of tomorrow take up too much of today. Daydreaming of the past and longing for the future may provide comfort but will not take the place of living in the present. This is the day of our opportunity, and we must grasp it.”*

I have found that a huge part of becoming is doing things now. As we focus on doing what we can do now to achieve our goals we will be able to accomplish them, and ultimately, we will become what Our Father in Heaven wants us to become.

Invitation time! Go back to the list of goals that you made and pick one thing you can do right now to work toward achieving that goal, then share your experiences of living in the present in the comments.



*In Search of Treasure, Ensign May 2003

The Challenge to Become Part 1: Goals

I have been pondering goals and goal setting lately. I have even set up a little chart to measure my progress on a bunch of little things that I try to do every day. I have found myself being more motivated by the thought that I will get to put a little check mark in the box next to "write in my journal" or "make my bed." It has amazed me how something as simple as a visual reinforcement has gotten me doing things that I don't usually do.

There is a quote that I really love that says,

“When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” – President Thomas S. Monson

I have found this to be true as I have used my chart to measure my progress. I want to improve and I am able to recognize specifically where I need improvement. I plan on reporting my progress to my teaching companion weekly and I know that as I do my improvement will "accelerate."

I am being very cautious with all of this though. It is part of my nature to impose very high standards on myself which I can never seem to measure up to. I found this quote today from a prophet of God that really helped me in this department.

I know that is true. Our Heavenly Father loves us because we are His children and He doesn't want us to be hard on ourselves, all He expects is our best effort.

So, my challenge to you today is to set a measurable goal of something you would like to improve on. Write it down and tell someone you trust about it. After a week of working on that goal, report to your friend how it went. I know that as you do this you will be able to become the person your Heavenly Father wants you to become.