"It has seemed to me that each year one should pause to take stock of himself, to ask: Where am I going? What am I becoming? What do I wish to do and become? Most people whom I encountered were without purpose, people who had given themselves no goal.  The first goal need not be the final one, for a sailing ship sails first by one wind, then another. the point is that it is always going somewhere, proceeding toward a final destination" (Louis L'Amour in The Walking Drum).

January has been a time of reflection for me. What do I want to have happen this year? I am busy and I am trying to do good things, but am I becoming what God wants me to be? Doing is different than becoming. A mission is good at softening one's heart, or should I say cracking it open. "God," I plead, "tell me how I can change and improve. Help me with this, and with this." I wonder sometimes if my rough spots really can be smoothed. Not on my own, that's for sure, but with the grace of Jesus Christ I can change.

 

I like to watch Richie Saunders play basketball because he gives it his all! He is intense and determined.  I watched a video about him and was interested to learn he has a personal creed.  This creed is described as his internal value system, and no matter what happens around him, he uses this creed to determine who he is, or who he wants to be. Here are the points in his personal creed:

1. Take the time and energy to elevate the one in the moment.

2. Whatever I accomplish on or off the court, always remember that I am no more important than others.

3. No one will question my commitment to the team and to the game.

4. Trust in the 5 a.m.s. It is who I am, so be me.

5. Be relentless in my work ethic.

6. Find the joy in the now.

7. Serve at every possible opportunity.

8. Take the time to connect with God daily.

9. Protect the family name.

 

The Chinese bamboo tree is planted after the earth is prepared, and for the first four years, all of the growth is underground. The only thing visible above the ground is a little bulb and a small shoot coming out of it. Then, in the fifth year, the bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet.  Principle centered leaders understand the metaphor of the bamboo tree. They know what it means to pay the price to prepare the ground, to plant the seed, and to fertilize and cultivate and water and weed, even when they can't see immediate results, because they have faith that ultimately they will reap the fruits in the harvest. And what wonderful fruits they are!
(Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill, First Things First, pg. 265)

Last week our son and son-in-law participated in a 55k mountain trail run. I was at the finish line when they came down the last mountain trail, and I cheered for them, as well as for every runner that finished.  I cannot imagine the physical and mental effort a race of that length requires. They have been training for months yet still they suffered. I was inspired by their determination. We talked after the race of the lessons learned and life applications.

  

 Lessons I learned from the Pioneer Day Provo Temple to Temple 5k that can be applied to my life:

1.  There are lots of people who participate in this race. It was fun getting to know some of them.

2. Enjoy the scenery. I ran past the location of the old Provo temple (it has been completely razed), the MTC, the football stadium, the field house, the indoor practice facility, Brick Oven restaurant, shaded neighborhoods, finally arriving at the beautiful Provo City Center Temple. 

3. Set your own pace. I had people passing me throughout the entire race and I was sure I would be one of the last people to cross the finish line, but it didn't matter.  I was running at a pace that felt comfortable to me.

4. Look outward!  (Which I did not do.)  I was hot and focused and just trying to make it through the race.  I was not looking outward but was looking at the road in front of me.  A college-aged girl ran past me and said, "You'll make it.  You've got this." I appreciated her encouragement.  

5. The goal I set ahead of time helped.  I told myself that I could go as slow as I wanted, but that I was going to run the entire race. It helped to have set that goal before the race. I know some conditions present themselves which make the altering of a goal necessary, but in this case, the established goal carried me through the fatigue.

6. Don't give up! Keep running. You'll make it! I crossed the finish line with a beet-red face, but I did it!

Clayton Young is a professional runner who will be representing the United States in the Olympics this summer. I listened to him speak in a podcast this week and here are some of his wise words:

"Excellence is the result of boring and repetitive tasks over a long period of time. Excellences really is mundane because it focuses on the process instead of the outcome.  The excellent outcome is often the result of the mundane process, so the more you focus on the mundane process, the more excellent the outcome will be. When the mundane shifts form a checklist in your head to a checklist in your heart, that's when you really start to see a positive outcome."
 

Every three days in 2023 (up until December) I worked on U.S. geography.  I wanted to be able to draw the United States and name the states and capitals. I practiced five new states a month. I know this is a very rough sketch and a feeble effort, but it represents months of learning and practice for me. I now know a lot more than I did when the year began.  On to Canada, Central and South America!

I really liked a digital-only article in the September Liahona titled, "What If Everything I Did Was Motivated by Love for God?" by Maryssa Dennis. 

Maryssa begins, "I used to think of being Christlike as a hefty list of things I had to do and be.  When I tried to set goals, I'd get overwhelmed thinking about how far I was from where I should be. I felt like I was failing in so many ways I didn't know where to start. I realized that I'd been more focused on "doing" the gospel than becoming like the Savior.  Somehow, with so many distractions, the love got lost along the way.  But wasn't love supposed to be the point?

I decided to set a simple goal: "Do one thing each day to love God, others, and myself."

After just a few days, I was amazed by the difference.  With showing Christlike love as my goal, things that usually felt like a chore became expressions of love for God, others, and myself. I started looking for new opportunities to express love. I felt like I was seeing the world with new eyes, and as I looked for ways to love, I also noticed the love that was all around me every day.  I added a new section to my journal entries: "How I've seen God's love today."

When I felt like I was failing, Jesus Christ's love is what lifted me back up. When I feel the Savior's love, I want to reflect it back into the world.

I am reading a book by Brad Montague which I am liking. Mr. Montague is a very creative and insightful person.  A decade ago, he produced this video, starring his brother-in-law. Here's a pep talk for you:

 Three books I learned from:

I have long admired the wisdom of Steven Covey.

 

Imagine you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree. 

“What are you doing?” you ask.

“Can’t you see?” comes the impatient reply. “I’m sawing down this tree.”

“You look exhausted!” you exclaim.  “How long have you been at it?”

“Over five hours,” he returns, “and I’m beat! This is hard work.”

“Well, why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen the saw?” you inquire.  “I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”

“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically.  “I’m too busy sawing!” (pg. 11)

It is possible to be busy—very busy—without being very effective (pg. 42).

You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, unapologetically—to say “no” to other things.  And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside (pg. 68).

 

Bob Goff reminded me to love people; 

 

Loving the people who are easy to love made me feel like I was really good at it (pg. 2).

God didn’t give us neighbors to be our projects; He surrounded us with them to be our teachers (pg. 21).

Catch people on the bounce.  When they mess up, reach out to them with love and acceptance the way Jesus did. When they hit hard, run to them with your arms wide open to hug them even harder (pgs. 56, 57).

If you want to become love, stop just agreeing with Jesus.  Go call someone right now.  Lift them up in ways they can’t lift themselves.  Send them a text message and say you’re sorry.  I know they don’t deserve it.  You didn’t either.  Don’t put a toe in the water with your love; grab your knees and do a cannonball.  Move from the bleachers to the field and you won’t ever be the same (pg. 219).

It is at the dinner table that we socialize and civilize our children, teaching them manners and the art of conversation. At the dinner table parents can determine portion sizes, model eating and drinking behavior, and enforce social norms about greed and gluttony and waste.  Shared meals are about much more than fueling bodies; they are uniquely human institutions where our species developed language and this thing we call culture (pg. 189).

A diet based on quantity rather than quality has ushered a new creature onto the world stage: the human being who manages to be both overfed and undernourished, two characteristics seldom found in the same body in the long natural history of our species (pg. 122).

Eat food. Not too much.  Mostly plants (pg. 1).

Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food (pg. 148).

Don’t eat anything incapable of rotting (pg. 149).

Eat meals. We are snacking more and more and eating fewer meals together. Americans have added to the traditional big three—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—an as-yet-untitled fourth daily eating occasion that lasts all day long: the constant sipping and snacking we do while watching TV, driving, and so on (pg. 188).