Monday, September 20, 2010

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to take your own advice.

Yesterday at church a friend asked me what my favorite quote was. I was so tired that I couldn't remember what it said, but I knew it had something to do with light and shadows (very specific, I know). A few minutes ago I remembered that I had used the quote in one of my high school papers, so I decided to try and find it. I had included it in my paper about optimism, so I decided to reread what I had written. I'm sure glad I decided to try and find that quote, because I needed to remind myself of what I already knew. Anyway, here's the paper if you feel like reading it.

Focus On the Candy, Not the Rock

My cousin and I entered the classroom for our last hour of meetings and sat down. As the class quieted, Sister Chandler began the lesson. She first handed out a piece of caramel candy to everyone, and then proceeded to give out small rocks which we were all supposed to place inside our shoes. After each of us put our rock in our shoe and our candy in our mouth, we took a short walk down the hallway and back. Once everyone had returned to our seats, she asked what we had been thinking during the walk. As might be expected, everyone began to complain about the irksome little rocks that had continuously pushed and prodded against the soles of our feet. Not a single one of us had spared a thought to enjoy the savory caramel that had been in our mouths.

Happiness is a choice. As human beings, no one can make us feel something that we don’t want to feel. We have the power to decide our emotional responses to life, the power to be happy in times of misery, or to be miserable in times of happiness. It is true that there are times for grief and sorrow, but even in the sadness, we can find joy and peace. To find that joy and peace, we must choose to focus on our blessings and advantages, to keep what is good in life in the forefront of our sights, and let the pains and hardships sit on the sidelines. We must allow ourselves to focus on the candy, not the rock. As we learn to do this, we begin to realize that our burdens are more bearable, our difficulties are not quite so difficult, and our hard times are not as hard as what we previously thought. This very concept was worded so beautifully in a quote one of my friends gave me, “Turn your face toward the light and the shadows will fall behind.” If we can learn to pursue our gifts and revel in our moments of pleasure and bliss, our lives will take on a new form of contentment and happiness, and we will experience a greater sense of fulfillment than we had before.

Life is all about progression, about learning and growing. When we allow ourselves to linger in self-pity because of our adversity, we stop that progression, and we lose our happiness as well. As people, we must learn to take those trials and experiences and use them to our benefit by doing as the old saying says, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We must take control of our life, instead of allowing it to control us, and make opportunities out of our misfortunes. The greatest achievers of our time and times past – Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr., the Wright brothers, Abraham Lincoln – are the people who were able to recognize and learn this. They are the ones whose success was born from past failures, who lived with determination and resolve, who learned to turn their hurt and devastation into wit and intellect. They are the ones who allowed their harsh conditions to build them up instead of tear them down.

The next time you begin to complain about your circumstances, stop and think. Are your problems really such a big deal that they outweigh everything good in your life? Our freedoms and opportunities are so great and abundant in this country. Even in our hardest times, we are almost definitely better off than so many others in this world. Who knows, maybe your problems really are as bad as they seem to be, but if so, instead of grumbling and whining, think of what you can do to change it. And if you can’t change what’s happening, stop to consider if you really want to waste your time despairing about it instead of moving on with life. Think of the lessons you can learn from it and think of what strengths you might gain that will enhance your life to come. Let yourself experience the joy and happiness around you. Don’t become so stuck on your rocks that your candy is all gone before you recognize that it was even there. Life is good; why would you want to convince yourself otherwise?

Friday, August 13, 2010

"IT'S OVER!!!"

(end of Strongbad voice...unless you WANT to imagine it for the rest of the post...that could be humerus) :P

So anyway, yes, Summer Term is OVER! :D I spent all day yesterday studying for my Marriage and Family final and then took it that evening, and then I spent all day today studying for Statistics and went and took it tonight. I'm definitely one of those last-minute people...but it worked out for me, because I only missed 1 question on each of them and got 99% on both! :D Which puts me at an A- for Marriage and Family and an A for Statistics. Kinda backward from what you'd expect, huh? Oh well, at least they're both A's! That will do my GPA good. :) So now I have 2 weeks of freedom before Fall Semester starts! Hooray! So basically that's all, I just wanted to brag a little bit. :)

P.S. Like how I used to post once every six months, and now I'm becoming a blogger addict? ha

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

This Is the Song that Never Ends...

So I've had this song stuck in my head ALL day long, it's a Colbie Caillat song, Falling For You, and the chorus has CONSTANTLY been going through my head. The part that says,

"I've been spending all my time, just thinking bout you.
I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin for you."

Ya...can't get it out of my head, so I watched the music video on youtube. It's pretty cute, but the guy on it is really weird...so I decided not to post it, haha. Anyway, that's all...I've just been singing that one line over and over again all day...for obvious reasons...and so it feels like The Song that Never Ends...ya.

And This is My Life...

Wow, so it's been a while...a LOOONG while. Oops...anyway, since it's been forever I figured I'd do a quick update on my life, even though I've talked recently to pretty much anyone who reads this...anyway, here goes.

Summer term ends this week; classes are over, all I have left is my 2 finals. I can't believe how fast the classes went by. I'm really glad I decided to take summer classes, even though I got sick of going to classes and doing homework fairly often, I would have been extremely bored this past month and a half/two months if I hadn't been in classes. Plus the fact that I had a scholarship for tuition and got a pell grant to cover living...so basically school was kind of like my job...which is nice. :)

This past weekend, Keith, Marshall, and I drove our car down to Vegas to visit Garry and Sheri and the kids, which was sooo much fun. It was so good to see them again! It's just always nice to be around more family, and to get away from being surrounded by college for a while. :)

So with getting back from Vegas and finishing up with classes...I don't really have much to do now, except for wait. It seems like I have a lot of waiting to do right now...and it's kinda getting old to be honest. Waiting for the mail, waiting to see who my new roommates will be, waiting for my fall pell grant to come in so I actually have money again, waiting for Fall semester to start up, waiting for Labor Day weekend so we can go down to Garry and Sheri's again and see Mom and Dad, waiting for the week after Labor Day to get here, and then waiting for October....ya, mostly the first and last two things...actually the last 3. Everything finishing up is giving me too much time to think....ugh. But I will be patient, and hopefully find things to occupy my time...or at least other things to occupy my mind, that would work too.

Really though, life is absolutely wonderful right now. Except for time going faster, things couldn't be better. :) Everyday I see more and more the Lord's hand in my life, blessing me. It really is amazing all that He's done for me, especially recently. I've especially been grateful for the ability to call up Mom whenever I need to. We've had some really great phone conversations lately, and I really appreciate that. (although sometimes she just gives me MORE to think about) :P

So anyway, that's my update, although like I said, most of you probably already know everything I said...I mostly decided to do this cause it sounded like a good distraction, however small of a distraction it may have been. :P

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Faith

In English on Tuesday my professor had the class come up with finite things that fit the five senses and some powerful verbs. Then she told us to use the things/words on the board to write a paragraph about faith. She gave us a few minutes to write and then everyone shared their paragraphs. I liked mine a lot, so I thought I'd share.

Faith is not polished marble. I think at times we feel as though it should be - magnificent, strong, finished. We feels as though we've failed somehow because ours is not, like we don't measure up. But to have faith of polished marble is not faith at all. Marble cannot grow - it's cold, lifeless, set in it's way. True faith is warmth, growth, change, and it encompasses your whole self. True faith defenestrates fears, magnifies truth, and diminishes life's superfluous cares. True faith is what leads us to our knees, pleading and begging our God to grant us the early morning light of forgiveness, entreating Him daily for the change of heart that will eradicate our imperfections. And true faith is recognizing that this desired change of heart will not, can not, come at once, but is something that must be nourished and grown over time.

Friday, February 19, 2010

10 Things I Learned Tonight...

1. I'm not the only one who's a bad judge of time.

2. Banana-peel style slipping doesn't just happen in cartoons.

3. Some people have talent....and some people could definitely use some more work.

4. Sometimes it's hard to open the door because there's a table on the other side of it.

5. The ice cream at Sugar N Spice is extremely expensive, very creamy, and tastes kind of weird.

6. If your hands get cold and you have gloves in your purse, use them...otherwise your hands will go numb.

7. When the key doesn't work the first 7 tries, it probably won't work the next 7 tries either.

8. I walk fast...thanks Dad. ;-)

9. It's ok to throw away someone's trash for them and say goodbye at the door if you don't want them to see the dishes all over the counters and sink and the 3 walmart sacks full of trash sitting on the floor...

And last but not least....

10. Dating is fun...but you're not missing out on much if you haven't gone before.




(Oh, and here's a bonus one: 11. Facebook's great, but blogs are wonderful for saying things that you don't want EVERYONE to see) ;-)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Got Any Suggestions?

Well I don't have time to make a real post and update what's going on with me, cause I have TONS of homework and studying to do between now and next Friday! I have 3 exams, a project for my business class, and the rough draft of my research paper all due next week. Plus a couple small math assignments and some reading for English and business...oh, and a Dance Lab for Social Dance. Ya, LOTS to do, and very LITTLE time to do it, because I'm going to be busy all weekend! Friday I'm meeting with a girl from my tap class to practice and catch her up because she missed class today and my ward is going to see The Princess and the Frog at the Varsity Theater (it's in the Wilk, and tickets are only $1) that evening. Then Saturday I have a ward temple trip at 10, a double date with Keith and two of his friends from his Folk Dance team at 1:00, and then I'm going to the Opera with a guy from my Calculus class at 7:00!!! So ya...not exactly ANY homework time at all on Saturday! I also have a review session tonight for one of my exams, plus a Writing Contest Award Ceremony for extra credit for english right after it. Then I have another study session tomorrow right after Calculus for that exam, and a study session next Tuesday for my business exam. Oh, and FHE on Monday night! Ya....VERY full schedule!!! So I have to use all of my spare time to get my homework and studying in. Wish me luck!

Well now that I, in essence, did update you on what's going on, even though I said I wasn't going to, let me tell you what I was originally going to talk about! There's another chance for us to get extra credit in english (and I need it cause of a couple late/unfinished assignments). Next Tuesday for class we are having a "Grammar Rodeo" and we get extra credit if we dress up, somehow related to a rodeo. :) She had one boy make his own cowboy hat, but it was miniature, so he had a string tied around it to keep it on his head, and she also had a girl come in once in a cow costume, haha. So anyway, if anyone (if anyone's reading this) has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! I'd kind of prefer something not quite as drastic as a cow costume ;) ...but I don't exactly have any cowboy boots or shoes or other simple stuff, so once again, all suggestions are welcome!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Oh Dear...

Well right now it's 10:45pm I am sitting in the first floor of the Harold B. Lee Library on BYU Campus....wondering how in the world I am supposed to figure out which of these 15 books will be my best resources for my research paper...

...I am also munching on carrots, hoping that the few people sitting in the general vicinity aren't disturbed by my chewing...but back to the point...

Not only do I need to figure out which books I want to check out, but by tomorrow morning (7:50am to be exact) I have to have my research proposal written. Meaning that I need to know what my 5 best (out of approximately 8) resources are, AND how I am going to use them in my paper....

I suppose the first step in all of this is to get off the internet and start some reading...or not, they just announced that I have 15 more minutes to check out books - crap - well this should be interesting!!! D: