Get back up

Life is full of choices. Some may seem insignificant at the time, but can be a small change in course that can have dramatic effects later on down the road. A few years ago in general conference, President Uchtdorf talked about how being off course by only a few degrees can make a dramatic difference in where we end up. He told the story of an airplane that was off course by two degrees. It ended up being a fatal error, as they flew straight into the side of a mountain.

In order to protect ourselves from flying off course, it is important to set up some guardrails. As a teenager, I learned to make a decision once, and then stick with it. If a decision is right once, it will always be right. “I will always” and “I will never” will help keep us on course.  

One of the guardrails I have set up is “I will always listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.”  I actually never wanted to go into business. I still don’t know why I was inspired to choose a business major- I have faith that this information will be revealed to me at the right time. There have been so many times I wanted to give up. My plate is already pretty full, and adding school- especially a major I am not particularly interested in- is a daunting task.

As I read President Monson’s address “Finishers Wanted”, I thought back to my own life and what I have learned over the past few years. It has been an interesting ride. I have had my fill of ups and downs; one of the main lessons I have learned is that when I fall down, I have two choices. I can sit there and cry, or I can get up, brush myself off, and keep on going. There have been times when I am tempted to just sit and cry. It’s too hard. Nobody understands. Nobody cares.

It is during that time that I am reminded just how wrong I am…
There is someone who cares. He understands. He loves us and is on the sidelines cheering us on. Our Savior, Jesus Christ is always there. He has felt the depths of despair, the discouragement of rejection, and the pain of betrayal. He has felt it all so that He can help us up.

This reminder has given me the strength to keep on going; to get back up and try again.  It will all work out in the end- as long as we get back up.

Keep an Attitude of Gratitude

This has been a long semester, full of ups and downs; the highest of highs, and lowest of lows. There were a few times when I began to wonder if it was all worth it…. The countless hours studying, missing out on kids’ functions, the late nights and early mornings, the endless fast food because I didn’t have time or energy to cook. “You fly, I buy” has become the family mantra when someone asks what’s for dinner….

As these thoughts ran through my mind, I also remembered the countless time I have been helped by others. The times my visiting teacher picked up my daughter for Young Women’s. My mom’s offer to do my dishes and laundry. (What a switch!) The time my assistant stayed late to finish MY project for me because she knew I had mid-terms. The kids pitching in to help out without being asked.  The list goes on and on… Every time I felt like I just couldn’t take another step, someone was there with a helping hand or a kind word. Many times, I didn’t even have to ask. As I look back over the past few months, all I can feel is gratitude. Gratitude for a Heavenly Father who loves me, and knows what I need to keep plodding down this path. Gratitude for those who went out of their way to help. Gratitude for the opportunity I have to finally get a degree. Gratitude for the chance I have to set a good example for my kids.  I don’t believe for one moment that it was by chance that one of the final articles we read in this class was President Monson’s General Conference talk “An Attitude of Gratitude”.  I challenge myself, as well as anyone else who may read this to remember his advice. “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. “

Basket of Rags

Have you ever heard one of those talks, where you can say “We are done. Everything we needed to learn was just taught.” That is how I felt after watching Elder Gay’s talk “Entrepreneurship and Consecration”

That talk summed up everything that needed to be taught in this course. As I watched it and rewatched it again and again, I was drawn to the story of Brother Goddard and the basket of rags. I looked the story up online and read more details of the story. When Brother Goddard joined the church in the 1800’s, he was rejected by his relatives. He and his wife brought their seven children to America and across the plains to Salt Lake City. Four of his children died on the way. After their arrival, he became a leader in the church, and a prominent businessman. At that time, the church needed rags to convert into paper to advance the cause of the church. Rags were hard to come by because the saints barely had enough to keep themselves warm. Brigham Young called Brother Goddard to a “rag mission” where he was to go door to door asking for spare rags. As Brother Goddard said: 

This calling] was a severe blow to my native pride. . . . After being known in the community for years, as a merchant . . . then to be seen on the streets going from door to door with a basket on one arm and an empty sack on the other, enquiring for rags at every house. Oh, what a change in the aspect of affairs. . . . When President Young first made the proposition, the humiliating prospect almost stunned me, but a few moments’ reflection reminded me that I came to these valleys of the mountains . . . for the purpose of doing the will of my Heavenly Father, my time and means must be at His disposal. I therefore answered President Young in the affirmative, and for over three years, from Franklin, Idaho, in the north, and Sanpete in the south, my labors extended, not only visiting many hundreds of houses during the week days, but preaching rag sermons on Sunday. The first time I ever spoke in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, was a rag discourse, and Presidents Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball backed it up with their testimony and enlarged upon it.”

I can only imagine the humility that he had, to do all that he could to further the Lord’s cause. Although he built up a successful business, he was not too proud to go door to door, begging for old rags.

How many times have I been too embarrassed to or unsure of myself when it comes to building the Kingdom of God? It isn’t about us, it’s about what we need to do in order to help others. 

I have included the links below so that you are able to listen to this amazing talk!

https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/html5/html5lib/v2.36/mwEmbedFrame.php/p/1157612/uiconf_id/16585652/entry_id/0_41ffod27?wid=_1157612&iframeembed=true&playerId=kaltura_player&entry_id=0_41ffod27&flashvars%5bstreamerType%5d=auto&&wid=0_pg62tg5h

http://ldsmag.com/article-1-11193/

Questions to answer: 

• Based on what you read in the first two pages (pages 3 and 4), why are virtue and integrity so vital to an economy?
  
  If people stop trusting the integrity of businesses, they will quit investing in them. The businesses will soon fail, and the economy will be devastated.
  
  
  
• According to Charles Handy, what is the “real justification” for the existence of businesses?
  
  The real justification for the existence of businesses is to do something more or better for others.
  
  
• What are two solutions proposed by Handy that you agree with? Why?
  One solution is to give dividends to those who contribute their skills as well as those who have contributed their money. Another solution is for businesses to measure success in terms of outcomes for others, as well as for ourselves; to associate with a cause.
  
  I agree with these solutions because it is the right way to treat others.

Formula for Success

This week, I had the chance to read an article written by President Monson several years ago. In this talk, he gave his formula for success. Although his formula is simple, it is not easy.  He said, “First, fill your mind with truth; second, fill your life with service; and third, fill your heart with love.”

I thought it was interesting that he included filling your mind with truth as the first principle. He told a story of a monkey who lived in a cage near the airport. Every time an airplane took off, the monkey would screech and shake his bars. He had made the connection between him shaking the bars and the airplane leaving, deciding that he was scaring the plane away.

How many times have we made a similar error? When I was in 4^th grade, I had a favorite pair of pink pants. Every time I wore them, I did well in school. I decided they were my “lucky pants”. I had to wear them every time we had a test so that I could do well. This may be a silly example, but there are many times when we draw the wrong conclusions. We need to investigate to make sure that we know the truth.

The second principle of success is to fill our lives with service. This can look very different depending on the capabilities of the person serving and the needs of the person the service is being done for.  It may be something as simple as feeding the missionaries, or as complex as serving a mission. Service helps us be closer to our Heavenly Father.

The third principle is to fill our hearts with love. The benefits of this go without saying. Love one another is the greatest commandment, and will bring untold blessings.

Other thoughts: 

• What is your attitude toward money?
  
  Although money is important, it is not the most important thing to focus on. It’s simply a tool to help others.
  
  
• How can your view of money affect the way you live?
  
  A person’s view of money can have a huge effect on the way they live. A person becomes what they focus on. If they view money as the most important thing in the world, this is all they will focus on, generally this will make them stingy and miserly. It will generate unhappiness and prevent them from reaching their full potential. On the other hand, if a person has a healthy respect for money as a tool to help others and build the Kingdom of God, they will be more likely to have a more balanced life, which leads to increased happiness.
  
  

What rules are recommended for prospering?

Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him

Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.

Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.

Rule 4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters.

Education, as President Hinckley has taught us, is the Key to Opportunity.

Rule 5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated.

Rule 6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held

captive.